Nao&Hiro: Kodomo no Hi (Boy's Day) -- Nao

Monday, May 5, 2008

Kodomo no Hi (Boy's Day) -- Nao

Hello everyone!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! It's so cool that Americans can enjoy the holidays of other countries all around the year. Japanese do cerebrate American holidays, like Valentine's Day, Christmas Day, but these are mostly for couples.

Well, May 5th is a boy's day in Japan. 5 years old boys usually dress up in a kimono. Oh boy, they look so cute! For the Girls' day, we decorate our houses with dolls, and for the Boy's day we place a Kabuto (Samurai helmet and armor). If there is no boys in a household people do not really do anything on this date, but it is a national holiday, so everybody can enjoy the day off. I am not sure if you ever heard of this long holiday in Japan, called "Golden Week." We have about 4-5 days off from May 3rd, and it is like spring break for everybody in Japan. No school, no work. How awesome is that?! But I can say that this is the most horrible time to travel in Japan though because everyone is on the road or at the airport trying to go to their vacation destination. So, it is not that fun traveling during this time, but hey, nothing can beat a week off!

Anyways, let's talk about Origami Kabuto. Look at the image of the month, (it’ll be updated shortly!) our pets are wearing something, right? They are supposed to be a Kabuto, which samurai used to wear way back in samurai period. It was made of metal back then, but we cannot certainly make Kabuto for all boys, so we now make it with Origami! Most Japanese have made this Origami Kabuto when they were in a preschool or a daycare. It is very easy to make, and looks so awesome! I love folding origami, and I still make something with paper napkin at a restaurant while I enjoy conversation with my friends. I invented this Sneil looking chopstick holder. It sounds funny, right? Sneil? yeah, I know, but it looks really cute. Maybe I'll show you guys how to make it in the future. But for now, I found “How to make a Kabuto (samurai helmet) with Origami,” so I made a quick direction for you guys! Check this out! Hope you will all enjoy your first Kabuto!

Be good till next time!

Hug hug,
Nao

Nao&Hiro's Quick Japanese Lesson! - last update on 1/25/2008 -

Hello guys and gals! Welcome to Nao&Hiro's Japanese lessons! We'll teach you guys casual Japanese, just like how young Japanese speak! You may be learning Japanese at school, but we bet ya don't learn this kind of Japanese! Oh, please don't use Japanese you learn here with your teacher/professor cuz they might get offended! Hahaha!

--------Wk5-------
How are you guys today?

Well, Hiro explained about "Nanpa" last week. Today I will teach you guys a couple of most popular pick up lines in Japan. I mean, these were what Hiro and I used to hear a lot while we were in Japan. And, these are hands down top 3 pick up line in Japan! Girls, don't hesitate to use these lines to hot Japanese guys out there! This can be used by both guys and gals;-)

Ima hima? (e-ma he-ma?)

"Ima" means "now", and "hima" means "free time/ nothing to do." So, when you say "Ima hima?" to others you are basically asking the person "do you have time to hang out with me now?" The best way of saying this is to tilt your head to the side when you are about to say "hima?" It will look really cute:-) And other point is that you should never be aggressive towards Japanese girls or even to guys. You say "Ima hima?" in a cute and charming way, and you just got yourself a date! :-)

Dokka ikanai? (docka e-car-nah-e?)

"Dokka" means "somewhere" and "ikanai?" means "wanna go?" So, it is a no brainer. "Dokka ikanai?" means "Do you wanna hang out?" or "Do you wanna go out?" Like "Ima hima?", you should tilt your head to the side when you are saying "Ikanai?" It'll be really cute. Well, it just might be my taste, but I think I would really like when a guy does that!

Maeni attakoto aruyone? (mah-eh-knee ah-ta koh-toe ah-lu-yo-neigh?)

"Maeni" means "before", "attakoto" means "we have met", and "aruyone?" means "haven't we?/ there was ~, wasn't there?" I think this is kinda cheesy way to start a conversation, but I guess it's been working for guys out there. Otherwise we don't hear this line so often, right girls?

Alright now, let's get out of here and go try out some new Japanese!

Good luck and Be good untill next time!
Hug hug, Nao

--------Wk4-------

Alright.... so who do you feel that we had talked about enough of table manner?? Me!!!!
Ok, next question.... who is planning to trip to Japan in the future?? If you do, I have a great another lesson here for you!!

Nanpa (nah-nn-pa)

This means that "Trying to talk to a GIRL who you saw in a town.", in other words, "pick up".
However, please note that, we use "Nanpa" in the situation when Man trying to talk to Women, not the other way around. This word is used by young people, and it is more like broken Japanese...so watch out who and when you use this word!!

Gyakunan (Gyah-ku-nah-nn)

Ok, here is another word that means "pick up", but this is used in the situation where a GIRL is trying to talk to a MAN who she saw in town. Some Japanese girls have a lot of courage to do "Gyakunan", but some are too shy to do.... yes, just like me.... I'm too shy to do "Gyakunan"!!!

Nanpa Machi (nah-nn-pa mah-chi)

Here is another word that is related to "Nanpa". You just learned what "Nanpa" means, and "Machi" means waiting. So "Nanpa Machi" means waiting to be picked up!!! We usually use "Nanpa Machi" towards women. When you see girls just standing around in town doing nothing, they are usually "Nanpa-machi".

Next week, you will actually learn how to do "Nanpa", so please look forward to it:)

--------Wk3-------

So, you learned how to say "delicious" and "yummy" in Japanese last week. It's good to know how to say "Oishii!", but let's be honest, not all the dishes are 'Oishii!" This week I will talk about how to say "not Oishii".

Mazui (mah-zoo-e)

This means "taste horrible". This is really strong word, and there is no gray area about this word. BUT as you may know Japanese people are very polite, so we don't say "Mazui" directly to the person who cooked the dish. We usually use "Mazui" at a restaurant if they have bad food, or to yourself if you cook and it turn out to be bad... hopefully it doesn't happen so often, but yeah, I did say "Mazui" about my own food... so sad, isn't it?

Anmari Oishikunai (an-mah-lee oy-she-ku-nah-e)

"Anmari" means "not so much," and "Oishikunai" means "not delicious." So, combining the two words, they mean "not so good/ delicious." This sounds much milder than "Mazui." Interestingly, we still don't say this to a person who cooked a dish. Remember, Japanse people do hate confrontation, and they do their best not to create any awkwardness with others. So, again, you can say "Anmari Oishikunai" at restaurant or about a dish you cook.

Oishikunai (oy-she-ku-nah-e)

"Oishikunai" means "not delicious." It is not as strong as "Mazui", but if you say this you better mean it. Once you say "Oishikunai" you won't get any second chance getting the dish again. Kids will say "Mazui", "Anmari oishikunai", and "Oishikunai" without thinking, and they could be cute saying that, but you aren't a kid anymore... so, let's be polite:-)

Mah Mah (mah-mah)

"Mah Mah" means "so-so." We use "Mah mah" when the food is just ok. "Mah mah" is literally means "So-so", so you can use this word anytime you want to say "so-so".
For example, Your friend: "how was the movie?" You: "mah mah".
Your friend: "how was the date last night?" You: "mah mah."
Your friend: "How did you do on the final?" You: "mah mah".

Alrighty, today's lesson is just that! Next week, Hiro will teach you guys how to pick up girls! Awesome topic, huh?
Good luck and Be good untill next time! Hug hug, Nao

----------wk2-----------

Alright! It's time for another Japanese lesson, and I, Hiro, will be your teacher this week. Hehe :)

Let's start the lesson, shall we?
Last time, Nao taught you what to say before and after a meal, so let's go little bit deeper this week.

Oishii desu (Oh-ee-she-deh-sue)

Usually, if the person who fixed the meal is there, we say "Oishii desu" when we take the first bite. "Oishii desu" means that the meal is good, or you like its taste. I personally LOVE cooking and when people tell me "Oishii desu", it makes me happy :) So, repeat after me..."Oishii desu!"

Oishii (Oh-ee-she)

This is a casual way of saying "Oishii desu". "Oishii desu" is a polite way to say it, and it is used for someone you respect, or someone who is older than you.
"Oishii" can be used on a more friendly level, and females would use this word more. Alright, repeat after me..."Oishii!"

Umai (Uh-mah-ee)

Ok, here is another casual way of saying "Oishii desu". Unlike the second one, this is used mostly by males. Don't worry though, even though you used "Oishii" rather than "Umai", it doesn't make you any less of a man!!! K, are you guys ready? Repeat after me.... "Umai!"

----------wk1-----------

Well, this week, I, Nao, will be your teacher.
Call me Miss Nao Nao.

So, let's start the first lesson! We recorded each lesson as an MP3 file, so if you want to make sure how to pronouce each word, check it out! You can hear Nao's & Hiro's voices, too!

Itadakimasu (ee-tah-dah-key-mah-sue)

It is very important to be polite at a table in Japan. Good table manners are important, but the best way to show your appreciation is to say it! We say "Itadakimasu" before we eat. That means, "Thank you for the food, I'll gratefully have them." We usually put our palms togeter in front of our faces and say "Itadakimasu". You might have seen some Japanse just say "Itadakimasu" without this hands gesture... no no no, that is not good table manners! So, let's try this together. Put your hands together, and say "Itadakimasu".

Gochisou sama deshita (Go-chi-saw-sama-deh-she-tah)

After the meal is another is a crucial time to be polite. "Gochisousama deshita" means "It was a delicious meal, thank you." Just like "Itadakimasu", we put our palms together in front of our faces and say "Gochisousama deshita." We thank to the person who cooked the meal by saying this, and if you cooked the meal yourself, you thank nature and the farmers who provided you the food.

There are various ways to say "Gochisousama deshita." (go-chi-soh-sah-mah-deh-she-tah)

Gochisousama deshita is the most polite and proper way to express your appreciation. If you want to make it a little more casual, you can say "Gochisousama" (Go-chi-saw-sama). And next one is "Gotsu an desu!" (goh-tsahn-day-sue) Usually Sumo wrestlers use this word after they had their big meal, but young people started to use "Gotz an desu!" as more casual way of saying "Gochisousama deshita." I believe some young Japanese comedians started to use this word on TV, and it spread to every young Japanese. If you want to be "cool" with Japanese young people, and show off your Japanese skill, pull this one out after having a meal with them. They will surely go, "Wooooow!"

Gochisousama

Gotz an desu

Good luck and be good untill next time! Hug hug, Nao

PS. Nao & Hiro would love to receive any questions about Japanese culture, Japanese words, etc., so feel free to email us! We'll try our best to answer all the questions we receive. We're looking forward to receiving any questions!

Nao Hiro Rainy "Happy" Days

Monday, May 5, 2008

Kodomo no Hi (Boy's Day) -- Nao

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