Check out this image from the UK’s Daily Mail. It’s from a pretty big protest rally against the American military base situation in Okinawa, but with a distinctly Japanese twist. I’m not interested in the pre-printed cards that were distributed. I am interested in the hand drawn cardboard one on the right side of the frame. It reads as follows.

福は内〜！平和は内〜！基地は外〜！！
グアムに沖縄に日本に米軍基地は居坐るな！迷惑だ！帰ってくれ！！

***

Fuku wa uchi! Heiwa wa uchi! Kichi wa soto!
Guamu ni Okinawa ni Nihon ni beigun kichi wa isuwaru na! Meiwaku da! Kaette kure!!

***

Luck in! Peace in! Military bases out!
American military bases in Guam, Okinawa, and Japan, do not remain! It is troublesome! Go home!!

This is obviously modeled on the customary Setsubun holiday ritual of 豆撒き or mamemaki – throwing soy beans and chasing ogres out of one’s home by yelling 「鬼は外！福は内！」(Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!) or “Demons out! Luck in!”. People have been pretty heated up over the base situation for a long time now. I’m curious about whether it really implies a few things or not, though: that the American military is a bunch of friendly demon ogres (big step up from foreign barbarians if you ask me), that Okinawa is not part of Japan, and that Guam is upset about the military base there? Perhaps the delineation of Okinawa and Japan was kind of like “Okinawa and mainland Japan”? I dunno. But I found this interesting, and thought you might too!

I checked this site and found that the notices and application forms were mailed out on Monday (the 13th of April). Comb through what you thought was junk mail and double check. You’ve got until Tuesday, October 13th to apply for your stimulus money. I’ll do a quick summary first, and the application procedure second.

FORMS MAILED: April 13th, 2009 (Monday)

APPLICATION DEADLINE: October 13th, 2009 (Tuesday)

ELIGIBLE PERSONS: Anyone with a registered residence or a recorded Alien Registration* in Imabari City as of February 2, 2009.

AUTHORIZED RECIPIENTS: The head of each household for Japanese citizens; every individual for registered foreigners.

AMOUNT: 12,000 yen per person. However, people older than 65 or younger than 18 as of February 2, 2009 receive an additional 8,000 yen.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR FOREIGNERS: A completed application form, a copy of your alien registration card (or temporary stub), and a copy of either your cash card or the inside front cover of your bank book.

QUESTIONS: General Business & Regulations Department, Stimulus Payment Room　TEL（0898）36-1666 (Japanese)

* – This means that if you applied for, but have not yet received your Alien Registration Card, as long as you have proof that you applied, you’re eligible. Of course, if you’ve got the card, you’re eligible.

No labels version & Large no-labels version

I’ve created an English example to guide you along. Not that the minimalist English on the form isn’t sufficient (with its 2 typos – “Telephon” and “Date of born”)… It’s really not too difficult. Using your home telephone rather than your cellular is a good idea. I’ve done an example using a bank, instead of a postal account. (The row below the one I’ve filled in is for postal accounts. It’s the same basic format EXCEPT that they want you to enter the numbers leaving empty squares on the right for postal accounts. For banks, leave the empty squares on the left – so the number is pushed all the way to the right like the example.) The checkboxes at the bottom are for people who already let the local government interact with their accounts – it didn’t apply to me, but get a Japanese friend to look at it with you if you’re unsure.

Once you’ve filled out your form you need to make a copy of: 1) your alien registration card (or proof that you have applied for it by February 2, 2009); 2) your bank card OR the inside front cover of your bank booklet. I copied both sides of the alien registration card, since they didn’t specify. I also enlarged the copies just a bit so that they are legible – teensy weensy text is lame. Ha ha. Affix the copies to the back side of the application form. (The verb in the instructions is 貼り付ける, which leads me to believe that they want glue or tape, not paper clips or staples…just so you know. I went with tape.) Mail it back to them using the enclosed envelope. That ought to do it. Now just wait and dream of what you’ll blow your ¥12,000 on. I’m thinking about putting it toward an air conditioner…3 summers without one seems a bit overly ascetic, and I’ve got nothing to prove…ha ha. Hope this was helpful. Comments or emails are welcome if you’re confused. Cheers!

PS – If anyone notices ANY errors, please correct them! I don’t want to mislead people.

EDIT: Here’s some additional information. Date – The date on the example sheet provided by the government had a 2008 date – I totally neglected the date at the top in my example, but filled my personal form out with 2009. Duh. Banks – You should write name used on your account exactly as it appears on your bank book and cash card in the bottom-most name field. The choices of branch type are “branch ’store’ shiten” 支店 or “main ’store’ honten“本店. (Or 本所 or 支所 or 出張所 – but it’s not too likely). Also, the choices of account type are “normal futsuu” 普通 and “current touza” 当座 – if you need to check, look on the front of your bank book. Mine says 普通預金通帳 (futsuu yokin tsuuchou), so it’s “normal.”

Please note that Imabari City is also distributing a “Special Allowance for the Support of Child Raising” (子育て応援特別手当) at the same time, but this article doesn’t cover it.

There’s some type of regulation here that says politicians can’t advertise just willy-nilly however they want. That sounds great, but one result of this system is that something like 2 weeks before any election, a ton of political cars wind up driving around blaring their names and campaign slogans. It’s enough to make you want to guzzle antifreeze (which is not something I recommend, even if it is sweet – they make it a scary green for a reason, folks).

I translated the Japanese Wikipedia subsection on these cars below. (Forgive any errors, you Nihongophiles out there! It was a quick job.) It was appropriately located in the article for propaganda cars. Ha ha. Anyway, remember that the above 3 minute 20-odd second long video was culled from more than 10 minutes of senkyo kaa footage that I took over about a 4 hour span. Sheesh!

選挙運動車

公職選挙の選挙運動期間にのみ活動する。ワンボックス車やバスを改造したものが多く、屋根の上や後部に候補者が立ち、駅前などの繁華街に駐車して演説などの選挙運動を行う。公職選挙法の規制を受けるため、活動時間・内容には制限がある。また、走りながら流す内容は、キャッチフレーズ（政策）と候補者名・所属政党名の連呼に留まる。

多くの政党や労働組合、市民団体などでは、規制を受けない通常型の宣伝車も保有する事が多い。当然、流す内容も街頭演説の告知や機関紙の宣伝など多岐に渡る。

- Japanese Wikipedia Article on 「街宣車」 or “Propaganda Cars”

Cars Used in Political Elections

These cars are limited to use during elections for public office. Modified or converted “one-box” cars and buses are common. Candidates stand on the roof or on the rear of these remodeled vehicles and perform political campaign activities, such as making speeches while parked in front of a train station or other business area. In order to conform with the Public Office Elections Law these activities have restrictions on hours and content. The content that these cars may announce via loudspeaker while driving around is also limited to announcing the name of the candidate, the name of the political party with which they are affiliated, and their policies and catchphrases.

Many political parties, labor unions, and citizen’s groups also posses unregulated propaganda vehicles. Naturally, the announcements that their “street oratories,” announcements and bulletins publicize is wide-ranging.

As awful as these cars and the dins they create are, I actually wonder if I’d trade the current slow frog-in-boiling-water American-style 2 year train-wreck model for it. I mean, a 2 week barrage of sun-up to sun-down blaring bull horns, repetitive drive-bys, and legions of waving white-gloved hands is bad…

…but at least it ENDS.

Also not particularly surprising is that Japan focuses on war stories that foster empathy and paint it as the victim. The most obvious case is in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hiroshima seems to be the focal point around here, though that may just be a geographical bias – more students have actually been to Hiroshima than to Nagasaki. The other stories that are routinely used in the classroom as well as in contests are those where the ground war hit Okinawa. Never mentioned are the military excursions in Southeast Asia, Pearl Harbor, etc. And I suppose I can understand that. But the lopsidedness is pretty sad sometimes.

I’ve read countless stories of children being killed, digging graves for family members, and people asking for water. It makes me choke up on occasion. (I got out of teaching a class earlier because I didn’t feel like I could correctly “enthusiastically” explain the vocabulary earlier without disrespecting the lives lost in the story and making light of a really grave situation. Also, the fact that I’m American can be awkward too.) The good thing is that students here all agree on a basic truth of life: war is awful. We definitely agree on that point.

Anyway, while I was fooling around on the internet looking for ideas, I came across an interesting term I’d not heard of before. 「言葉狩り」 or ことばがり (kotobagari). It means “word hunting” literally, but refers to diction choices made in Japanese based on politeness and social acceptance guidelines strikingly similar to the American concept of political correctness. I’ve gathered a few cool examples of the euphemism treadmill at work in Japanese from the Wikipedia post on this topic (English / 日本語) that I hope I can use alongside some American English equivalents.

For example, a school janitor in Japan used to be called a kozukai-san (小使いさん “chore person”). Some felt that the word had a derogatory meaning, so it was changed to yōmuin (用務員 “task person”). Now yōmuin is considered demeaning, so there is [sic] shift to use kōmuin (校務員 “school task member”) or kanrisagyōin (管理作業員 “maintenance member”) instead.

This is a situation roughly equivalent to the odd titles we are now giving to jobs in America. For instance, janitors are not janitors. Now they’re called custodians. (Or in joking hyperbole, sanitation technicians.) Secretaries are administrative assistants. You see how the pattern works.

Anyway, this is a bit of a “bleg” (blog-based beg) for some help. If you’re proficient in Japanese and you’re aware of some words that have taken a trip down the euphemism treadmill or other word choices that may be related to “word hunting,” please please please post them in the comments section!

I don’t understand when people are going around saying, ‘We need to have English only.’ They want to pass a law ‘We want English only.’ Now I agree that immigrants should learn English. I agree with that. But understand this. Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English. They’ll learn English. You need to make sure your child can speak Spanish. You should be thinking about how can your child become bilingual. We should have every child speaking more than one language. It’s embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe and all we can say is merci beaucoup, right?
(YouTube)

Now, I’m really not attempting to get into a political brawl here, so let’s just leave the presidential politics at the door. Instead, I’m curious about your thoughts on bilingualism. Or rather, a country’s purposeful transition to multiple mainstream languages. (In other words, I know most of you, like me, are totally thrilled with learning new languages, and we see the value in that as individuals. But what’s your take for society as a whole?) This question also leads into topics like immigrant assimilation and involved communities versus linguistically segregated ones. So…thoughts?

地球防衛家のヒトビト
「原油がどんどん高くなっていくなー」
「そのうちなくなるかもしれないものね‥」
「石油ってどうやってできるの？」
「植物が地中で長い時間かけて石油になるんだよ」
「‥‥‥」
「ボクがオトナになるまでに間にあうかなー？」

Earth Defense Family – Hitobito*
“Crude oil is getting more and more expensive, huh?”
“What’s more, it might run out.”
“How is oil made?”
“Plants left in the ground for a long time become oil.”
(Sounds of physical effort.)
“I wonder if it’ll be ready by the time I’m an adult?”

*Hitobito is the name of the comic strip. It means “people.”

I feel like this kid. Ha ha. Only I want at the remaining oil to use while searching for the next big thing. Which isn’t ethanol. Sigh. Ethanol subsidies are a big problem. But I digress.

Editorial cartoon from the Asahi Shimbun Wednesday, May 14th, 2008 on page 26.
***

The caption reads: 「ちょいと本選試投をしてみるか」. In English that says something like “Let’s see about throwing a ball for the real election once in a while.” It implies that Hillary’s days are numbered, since it implies that the election in November will be between Obama and McCain. The bottom part says 「クリントンさん　頭越に失礼」or “An overhead slight for Mrs. Clinton.” I’m not really familiar with these kanji, but I think I’ve interpreted correctly.

Another interesting note about the caricatures: Obama has a big, honkin’ Tengu nose. Is it because he’s the foreigner in the foreground? Why not focus on his ears, like many American editorial cartoonists do? He’s sensitive about them and everything… Stylized convention, perhaps? Hmm. I seem to remember some awkward Obama impersonations before…

Also – Alex has some interesting numbers up about media coverage that the candidates are receiving in Japan. Check it out if you have a minute.

EDIT: Alex caught something good here. From the first comment below, “There’s no need for the caricaturist to identify Obama or Clinton, but she had to scrawl マケイン氏 next to McCain’s image, or people would have just been baffled by the old guy standing in the background.”

Hillary Clinton → Hillary → ヒラリ → ひらり
Hirari means “nimbly” or “lightly” according to Rikaichan.

Barack Obama →　Obama → オバマ → 小浜
This is the same old story about the town in Fukui Prefecture called Obama (English).

John McCain →　McCain → マケイン → 負けいん
Makein is a really rough, colloquial way to say “I will not lose!” Lucky match for a candidate, no? Ok, maybe it’s a little shoehorned, but still. Ha ha.

Mitt Romney →　Romney → ロムニー →　ロム兄さん
Yes, I know Romney is out. But the pun was too good. They shortened his name a bit and turned it into Romuniisan or “Older Brother Rom.” (It’s cute in Japanese, because it also sounds like “Mister Romney.” Trust me.)

On a related note, something that bugs me here is that people walk up and ask me, “Hey, who are you voting for, Hillary or Obama?” My response is usually “Those are just the choices for the Democrat nomination at the moment. One of them will run in the general election in November as the Democrat candidate. You do realize that, right?” They’ve usually already glazed over at this point – and who can blame them? Ha ha. Politics. Anyway, I searched around using the katakana approximations of the big three names at the moment, and dredged the bottom of the web. Without further ado, here’s a quote I turned up, which has been altered to remove a reference to women reducing them to their reproductive organs (too common a problem in the scary, roughly-hewn, back room discussion boards I stumbled blindly through, I’m afraid).

2008/03/21(金)
「ぶっちゃけ、米国はまだ黒人と[女]が大統領に指名するほど
成熟した国家ではない。

よってマイケンが当確。

日本のマスゴミは偏向してるから、オバマとヒラリーの
一騎打ちと報じているだけよ。」

March 21, 2008 (Friday)
“Frankly speaking, America is still not a country mature enough to elect a black person or woman as president.

McCain’s got it in the bag.

It’s just that the propensity of the Japanese mass media** is to report on the subject as though it is a one-on-one contest between Hillary and Obama.”

**Pun alert!
マスコミ = Mass Communications (mass media)
マスゴミ = Mass Garbage (mainstream pap and chaff, tabloid journalism)

This fascinates me. I mean, I like the pun, for one thing. I find the depth of the mass media reports to be lacking, for sure. And the result seems to be a misunderstanding that the race is between Obama and Hillary only. However, I completely understand the tendency to report on the Obama and Hillary side of things – it is way more exciting historically speaking even if it is for superficial reasons like race and gender. (Which is not to say that I am putting either of them down due to this; I am simply not inclined to think that they’d do a better job than anyone else because of race or gender. That’s pretty fair, I think.) Also, the anonymous commenter seems to think that America’s not mature enough to elect a black person or a woman. I disagree there, too. I think it’s pretty obvious that America’s ready. And I find it ironic that the tone is (in my poor Japanese reading) slightly condescending or disappointed in America’s supposed lack of maturity while at the same time using a pretty sexist slur. I obviously need to refine my searching skills and find some more reputable sources. But it was kind of interesting.　Also, I prerecorded a phone call for the Dennis Miller Show last Saturday morning about the pun-nicknames – it might air this coming Friday, if you’re interested.