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【No. 0542】Conkers and Chestnuts

Jun 12, 2016 14:04
The word "marron" (マロン) is often used in Japan.

And many Japanese people think that the "marron" is an English loanword, which means "栗 (クリ)."

Actually, I also thought so until today.

However, "marron" is a French loanword, which means "conker," and "栗 (クリ)" is "chestnut" in English ("châtaignes" in French).

The reason why such a misunderstanding became established seems to be that when marron glace imported into Japan, we used chestnuts instead of conkers to make it.

Nevertheless, I think chestnuts are very similar to conkers.
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【No. 0541】Sayonara (Good Bye)

Jun 11, 2016 16:59
If you've learnt Japanese, you shall know the Japanese word "sayonara," which means "bye."

Although "sayonara" was very common Japanese phrase, it's not used so often these days.

In fact, I don't remember when the last time I said sayonara.

In most cases when we go home, we will say "zyane" (see you) or "matane" (later) to our friends, and say "otsukare sama" (have a nice evening) or "shiturei shimasu" (I'm sorry to leave early) to our bosses or colleagues.

The reason that sayonara isn't used so often seems to be because it sounds a forever farewell.

I heard that native speakers don't say "bood bye" so often in recent years, but the reason might be the same.
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【No. 0540】Under Vending Machines

Jun 10, 2016 15:01
According to a survey of Japanese television program, there are coins under vending machines with a probability of about ten percent.

The investigation was actually performed to 300 vending machines, and 2,724 yen was found in total.

This means that an average of 9 yen was found under each vending machine.

Also, about 5.5 million vending machines are installed in Japan.

Therefore, there are about 50 million yen is sleeping under Japanese vending machines.

By the way, I don't know why, but there are many blog posts that says something like "about 51.5 million vending machines are installed in Japan, and there are about 460 million yen under them."

This is of course a lie, there aren't such a large number (nearly half of Japan's population) of vending machines.
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【No. 0539】Azatoi

Jun 9, 2016 17:30
Today, I will talk about the Japanese expression "azatoi."

"Azatoi" means that the act is explicit and wily, or it's inconsiderate.

The etymology of azatoi is said to be "azaru," which means "playful."

(Note that the expression "azaru" is rarely used these days, and "tawamureru," which has the same meaning is used instead.)

Nowadays, the word "azatoi" is often used when women show signs that attract men in a calculated way.

For example, we say 「彼女あざといね」 (means something like "she is very clever).

As examples of the signs, there are "puffing her cheeks," "peeping from beneath her lashes," referring to herself as her first name," etc.
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【No. 0538】McShake and Breast Milk

Jun 8, 2016 11:05
Since there is a McDonald in my university, I sometimes go there and buy McShake.

McShake is known that it's hard to drink, but there is a reason.

According to the McDonald's study, the most delicious speed that you feel when you drink something is same as the speed of drinking breast milk.

The diameter of the McShake's straw is adjusted to achieve the breast milk speed.

When you drink McShake, you might recall the days when you were babies unconsciously.

Furthermore, you might demand it instinctively.

McShake could be a kind of drug.
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【No. 0537】The High Tech Onigokko (Tag)

Jun 7, 2016 17:45
Onigokko (which is called the game of tag in English) is very popular children's play in Japan.

One child is decided as oni (which means an ogre), and other children run away so as not to be caught by the oni.

A child who is caught and the oni swap their roles, and onigokko continues.

This is a very simple play, but recently it's changing.

I heard that children run away while exchanging information, such as the current location of oni, using their smartphones.

Also, GPS information or radio wave condition of Wi-Fi is used among some group of children.

I realized that the high-tech age is coming.
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【No. 0536】Japanese Tea at Banks

Jun 6, 2016 21:11
It's said that there are a lot of jargon in banks.

Today, I will talk about two interesting jargon in Japanese banks.

Jargon 1: Japanese tea

Annoying, unwieldy, or suspicious customers are called "Japanese tea."

In actual situations, bankers say something like "Japanese tea, please" to another employee to show such a customer is coming.

I'm not sure why Japanese tea is used.

Jargon 2: zabuton (a flat Japanese cushion)

Ten thousands 10,000 yen bills, that is 100 million yen is called "zabuton."

The reason is because aligned bundles of bills look like zabuton.

I'd like to see such zabuton someday.
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【No. 0535】Tsuyuiri (Rainy Season)

Jun 5, 2016 16:13
Today, tsuyuiri was announced in the Kanto region in Japan.

"Tsuyuiri" means that the tsuyu season begins, and "tsuyu" means the long rain, which lasts for approximately a month around June.

In East Asia, four air masses struggle with each other from spring to summer.

Then, a stationary front called "baiu front" (the meanings of baiu and tsuyu are the same) is formed for thousands kilometers from east to west.

The baiu front moves to the north gradually over several months, and it rains continuously in regions near this front.

Since I often get a headache during the tsuyu season, it's painful to me.
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【No. 0534】Mehrabian's Law

Jun 4, 2016 16:36
Today, I learned a law of Mehrabian.

Mehrabian is an American psychologist, and is well known to conduct communication experiments.

The famous experiment is how listeners are affected by speaker's attitudes and behavior when the speaker's message conflicts.

For example, speakers got angry to listeners with smiles, and encouraged to listeners with brooding looks in the experiment.

As a result, the effect rates were found: words account for 7%, tone of voice accounts for 38%, and body language accounts for 55% (the 7%-38%-55% Rule).

However, this rule was exaggerated, and is often interpreted as "appearances and expressions are more important than the what people say. "

I think that one of the reasons is because the book named "hito ha mitame ga 9 wari" (90% of the important things of people is the appearance), which misunderstand the Mehrabian's experiment, became a bestseller in Japan.
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【No. 0533】An Undersea Mailbox

Jun 3, 2016 23:06
Today, I will talk about an undersea postbox in Wakayama Prefecture in Japan.

As the name implies, this postbox is located under the sea.

The distance from shore is 100 meters, and the depth is 10 meters, so you have to prepare diving to put a letter in the postbox.

An average of ten letters per day are dropped, and a diver collects them everyday, then they are delivered throughout Japan.

In 2002, this postbox was recognized in the Guinness Book of Records for the deepest underwater postbox.

By the way, since the undersea postbox is deteriorated by shellfish and seaweeds, it is replaced once a year.
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【No. 0532】Puffer Fish (Fugu)

Jun 2, 2016 12:24
Today, I will talk about puffer fish (fugu) that the Japanese love.

Puffer fish is known to have a deadly poison called tetrodotoxin.

Tetrodotoxin is 1000 times stronger than potassium cyanide, and has an immediate effect; you will die about five hours after you intake the toxin.

Therefore, if you want to cook puffer fish, you have to be licensed puffer fish chef.

Unfortunately, one person dies annually due to puffer fish.

However, many Japanese people like the taste of puffer fish, and we will continue to eat them.

By the way, since cuisines that use puffer fish are very expensive, I can rarely eat them, haha.
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【No. 0531】Bought an iPad mini 4

Jun 1, 2016 10:48
Yesterday, I bought an iPad mini 4.

The storage size is 64 GB, the color is gold, and it's a cellular model.

Although there were rumors about iPad Pro mini and iPad mini 5, I couldn't wait for the next version to be available.

I really enjoyed manipulating this device yesterday.

Also, I played a game (Kingdom Rush Origins) for the first time in a long time, and kept late hours.

I'm sleepy now.
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【No. 0530】The Japanese Word "Kakin"

May 31, 2016 09:55
Today, I will talk about the Japanese word "kakin."

"Ka" in kakin means to assess something, and "kin" in kakin means money, so "kakin" means something like "to charge a fee."

Because free-to-play games that collect surcharges have increased lately, the word "kakin" came to be used frequently in Japan.

However, I think that many Japanese youth say "kakin-suru" (charge a fee) when they spend their money on games.

To charge a fee is done by a game development company, and what they are doing is "nokin" or "siharai" (to pay money) .

Similarly, I think many Japanese say "bokin-suru," which means to collect contributions, when they contribute money (this act is actually "kifu").
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【No. 0529】Barrel

May 30, 2016 19:37
Today, I will talk about the unit "barrel," which is used for representing a volume.

The "barrel" is often used to represent the amount of oil, but there are various definitions depending on applications or countries.

For the amount of oil, one barrel is defined as 42 US gallons (about 160 liters).

In the US, one fluid barrel is 31.5 US fluid gallons (about 119 liters), and one beer barrel is 31 fluid gallons (about 117 liters).

Also, a dry barrel that is used for grains and vegetables 105 dry quarts (about 116 liters).

In the UK, one beer barrel is 36 UK gallons (about 164 litres).

Since these units, barrel and gallon are rarely used in Japan, it's very confusing for me.
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【No. 0528】Octopus's Tentacles Wiring

May 29, 2016 18:30
Yesterday, I was talk about octopuses.

Today, I will talk about the Japanese slang "tako ashi haisen" (octopus's tentacles wiring), which was derived from octopus.

In Japan, we refer to putting too many plugs in one outlet as "tako ashi haisen."

We liken the many cables to octopus's tentacles.

It's said that the reason why the slang uses "octopus" instead of "squid" is because cables extend in four directions like octopus's tentacles.

If you increase tako ashi too much, it may take fire or deliver an electric shock, so please be careful.
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【No. 0527】Legs of Octopuses

May 28, 2016 16:09
The number of octopus legs is normally eight.
(There is an octopus that has 96 legs.)

We sometimes call them "legs," but most academic books call them "arms" or "tentacles."

Also, I heard that a European study group have researched on octopus legs and arms.

According to the study, it was found that the number of octopus legs is two, and the number of octopus arms is six.

Octopuses use their two backward tentacles to move, and their six forward tentacles to find food or loop up something.

By the way, octopuses have three hearts and nine brains.
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【No. 0526】A Rainy Day is a Bad Weather Day

May 27, 2016 15:55
Since it rained today, I will talk about the Japanese proverb "ame ga furu hi ha tenki ga warui," which means "a rainy is a bad weather day."

You might think something like "it's normal, what you want to say?"

You're right, this proverb refers to things that doesn't need to be said.

Also, there are some proverbs that have the same meaning.

Foe example, "inu ga nisi mukya o ha higashi" (if a dog look towards the west, the tail will look toward the east), and "oyaji ha ore yori toshi ga ue" (my father is older than me).
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【No. 0525】Do Tea (Ocha-suru)

May 26, 2016 18:15
Today, I will talk about the Japanese phrase "ocha-suru."

("Ocha" is a noun that means tea, and "suru" is a verb that means do.)

Ocha-suru means to drink something or get rest at a coffee/tea shop.

In 1970s, phrases like "～suru (do something)" were prevalent in Japan.

In addition to "ocha-suru," "eiga-suru (which means to watch a movie)" and "tabaco-suru (which means to smoke)" seemed to be used.

However, the phrase "ocha-shinai? (shall we do tea?)" continues to be used as a pickup line, and only "ocha-suru" still remains.
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【No. 0524】Henachoko

May 25, 2016 20:32
Today, I will talk about a Japanese word "henachoko."

Henachoko is a taunting word that expresses an immature or unimportant person.

"Hena" in henachoko came from an imitative word "henahena" that expresses frail things.

"Choko" in henachoko means something like a small move, and is also used in "chokomaka (move quickly and restlessly)" or "chokozai (cheeky)" in Japanese.

Using this word to others is rude, but I like the sound of "henachoko."
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【No. 0523】Encounter with a Cockroach

May 24, 2016 21:17
It was when I was leaving a fast food restaurant after I ate dinner, I found a cockroach in the outside.

It was very shocking to me.

I've never found cockroaches while living in Nagano Prefecture, and I met a cockroach for the first time in nine years.

For now, I've never found cockroach in my apartment, but my room doesn't clean very much.

I think that my kitchen is very clean (because I don't cook very much), but there are many cardboard boxes in my room.

Also, I heard that cockroaches like cardboard, and they often deposit their eggs in cardboard boxes.

In order to avoid cockroaches, I will do something with those cardboard boxes.