Violent Onsen Geisha 暴力温泉芸者

The other day I decided I wanted to try translating something, ended up on the Asashi Shimbun webpage, and decided to translate a review based solely on the title of the work being reviewed. I ended up doing 斉藤環's review of 中原昌也's autobiography, 死んでも何も残さない. Nakahara Masaya is a fairly popular guy, it seems. The review mentions one of his (many) projects, "Violent Onsen Geisha," which is referred to as a ノイズユニット. Noise unit? I didn't find a definition online, but looking through my handy dandy notebook Google search, I eventually decided I'd be probably mostly correct in thinking ノイズユニットmeant noise. And by noise I mean noise music. If you are more knowledgeable than me, have heard of noise music, and like it, you may find this blog interesting, if you haven't found it already. You won't find Nakahara's personal site, though, due to his apparent distrust of the internets.

Anyway, the nearest brush I've ever had with 'noise' is maybe The Mars Volta (yes, I like them, leave me alone!) and I don't think they'd really be considered noise even if they have long passages of what I would call noise. So I wondered what the nature of Nakahara's noise music was. Also the name is pretty awesome. There is an array of his music on youtube. A couple of the songs I've heard from the album "Nation of Rhythm Slaves" use found music, but you can find all kinds of genres, it seems, in noise.

There is also a music video!

Violent Onsen Geisha appears to be operating under the name Hair Stylistics, now. 

There were aspects of the review other than ノイズユニットthat I had some trouble translating, so I'll probably be looking a bit more at those later.

Okinawa: Ryukyu Mura

The other day I received an email from my host sister. They had gone to Okinawa and taken a picture in front of Shisa. Of course, I haven't told you readers much of Okinawa. So here is another installment, very belatedly. Welcome to Ryuukyuu Mura.

 
This was part of our bus tour. Ryukyu Mura is a park showcasing the culture and traditional homes and crafts of Okinawa, or the Ryukyu Islands. The Ryukyuan people are the indigenous people of Okinawa, who had their own kingdom prior to being brought under Japanese control. The kingdom was officially dissolved in the Meiji period, but had actively engaged in trade with China for a long period of time. They have their own language, which is related to Japanese, and a distinct culture. The homes in Ryukyu Mura were taken from throughout Okinawa and reassembled in the park, which offers musical shows and skits for the entertainment of guests, besides providing a cultural education.

 

There is also a snake show, featuring the Habu, which fights mongooses - not in the show, of course. Due to our time constraints, we were unable to see the show, but it plays on a schedule throughout the day. Incidentally, the habu, which is poisonous, gets put into sake.
 

 The little elves in the tree welcome you into the village.

 

There are displays of Ryukyu fashion, like above. Ryukyu Mura also showcases their clay-working skills (below). You can buy many clay trinkets and cups, etc, which are made on location. I bought a pretty turtle necklace for my aunt. 

You'll also be able to see dances (they encourage participation).

Martial arts demonstrations can be seen too, but we unfortunately missed them. We did, though, manage to catch a short skit:

Near the exit of the park, the brown sugar mill operates, still run by a water  buffalo, just as it was in the old days. The brown sugar is used to flavour many things, including the cookie-biscuits which are often seen in souvenir shops, said to have been the food stuff of kings.

There are little food shops, as well as souvenirs of all sorts. The food vendor that had this lovely fellow out in front of her window sold a delicious coconut drink, which Doro happily partook of. Mmm, coconut!

This is a must-go place, in my estimation. There is an ample variety of things to do and see - we did a lot of seeing, but guests are encouraged to try their hand at Okinawan crafts as well - and the area itself is quite beautiful, full of flowers and lush vegetation. It was a hot day but very cool in the shade of all the trees.

I will また来る！I will!

Vocabulary of the Week: Unubore うぬぼれ

 The word this week is うぬぼれ, conceited or pretentious. I wonder if you can stick　さん on the end, like you do with forgetful/scatter-brained （うっかりさん）...

So after my morning run I decide to brush up on some Japanese as I nosh on my oatmeal. Whilst browsing I came across the first episode of Unubore Deka うぬぼれ刑事　(Detective Conceited). (刑事 is really read "keiji", but I've heard it being called "Deka"). Starring Nagase Tomoya, and with Ikuta Toma and tons of other high profilers, it is apparently one of Japan's new summer dramas. You can see a bit about it here.

Well, it sounds interesting. Nagase is a detective who is obsessed with finding love, it seems, but unfortunately the girls he meets are all criminals. He watches videos by a man who talks about "feeling glances", and gives advice on just how long to hold one of these glances, and when to turn for the double take, etc. In the opening scene he is trying out these techniques on a girl at the conbini. It seems to work, and they go out for coffee, but really it isn't because she's into him, though he assumes she is; it's just because she thought he'd caught her shoplifting. Funny, right?

The series seems really dialogue heavy. I'm keeping up well with the story and the characters, but I know that there is tons of jokes, etc, that I'm missing all the same. The man that plays Nagase's father -- it was so hard for me to understand him sometimes, he spoke so quickly. But I enjoyed the series none the less, and caught some grammar points that I had learned. Plus this vocabulary, which you can use to insult the big-headed person in your life.

You can watch it here, if you aren't in Japan (TBS doesn't allow other countries video access.) Happy 聞き取り！

A Night at the Chuunichi Dragon Game

Read in Japanese

I went to a baseball game (Chuunichi Dragons) with my host family the other night. Super fun! Baseball is baseball where ever you go, but there are some differences when it comes to baseball games in Japan. What I noticed most was the fan base.

中日ドラゴンズ

 英語で読む

この文章は、Masamuneさん、tsyさん、yinamotoさん、shuichiさんのおかげで、

もっといい文章になりました。 

詳しい添削を、こちらです！ 

この間、ホストファミリーと一緒に野球チームの中日ドラゴンズの試合を観に行きました。すごく楽しかった！確かに、どこでも野球は野球ですけど、アメリカと比べたら、日本の野球の試合はちょっと違うなと思ったところもありました。例えば、ファンのこと。

Nara: Daibutsu Todaiji

Read in Japanese

The largest structure of wood in the world. Beautiful scenery. Giant Buddha statues. And deer that bite butts.

If my house were in Japan I might be able to see it from here.

東大寺の大仏殿

英語で読む

この文章は、tsyさん、Tepstarさん、Masamuneさん、shuichiさんのおかげで、

もっといい文章になりました。詳しい添削はこちらへ！

世界で一番大きい木製の建物。美しい眺め。大仏。そして、おしりをかむ鹿。

私の家が日本にあったら、ここから見えるのかな！

上で述べたのは、トルネードよりも速く、奈良のツアーをして大仏を見るために東大寺で止まった後の三つの感想です。東大寺の大仏殿のほかにも、少し歩けば色々なお寺があるので、見る時間がちょっと足りなかったと思います。そこの景色もすごいし、大仏殿から離れたら、そんなに混んでいません。

見るものがいっぱいあるのに、時間がない！

大仏殿から少し歩けば、こんなに美しい眺めが！ 

でも大仏がもちろんメインですね。大仏殿の前には写真を撮りたい人がたくさんぶらついていました。大仏殿は、とても印象的で、中も本当に美しかったです。それに、大仏殿のある柱には穴があって、その穴をはって通ることができます。仏の鼻の穴と同じサイズの、この穴を通れば、悟りを聞けるそうです。通りたい人は、大寺の後ろまで届く列に並んで、待ちました。

この写真を撮った人は、友達のドロです。

残念ながら、列は長すぎたし、穴はたぶん小さすぎだと思ったので、柱のことはあきらめました。日本では、私の靴はLLで、ゆかたは大サイズです。私はかわいい靴が履けなくて、有名で美しい大寺の柱も通れないわけです。

メインの東大寺大仏殿。 

日本には仏像がたくさんありますが、この大仏は、特に大きいです。時代が過ぎるとともに、破損した部分を取り替えるそうです。一番最近の交換は、江戸時代だったと言われています。一体なぜかわからないけど、中はかなり明るいのに、私のカメラにとっては暗すぎたから、写真の代わりにビデオを撮りました。

最後の感想は、鹿についてです。宮島でも鹿に会いましたね。ディズニーのバンビや日本の色々なマスコットほどはかわいくなくても、奈良の鹿は宮島の鹿よりかわいいと言われました。

 頸静脈を狙っている！

まぁ、ぶつかったり、かんだり、毛が抜けかけている顔をこすりつけたりする鹿だけど、かわいいね。

鹿に見つめられてきゃあと悲鳴をあげて、怖がりな子も見ましたけど、鹿を押したりする子供もいました。その子供に襲われていても、鹿はとても行儀がいいなと思いました。でも、友達はおしりをかまれましたので、表示のとおり危ない点も確かにありますよ。

つまり、大仏東大寺に行く機会があれば、時間が足りなくならないよう、おしりが鹿にかまれないように気をつけてください。そうすると、楽しい時間を過ごせると思います。

Some points...

Fushimi Inari

Read in Japanese

 

Do you like stairs? Do you like shrines? Do you like foxes? Do you like nature? If you answer yes to these questions, I would suggest a visit to Fushimi Inari in Kyoto. You can reach it easily by bus, though it takes a bit of a ride.

伏見稲荷大社

英語で読む

 この文章は、kyokoさん、Miyokoさん、izmiさん、yinamotoさん、

hilobayさん、tsyさん、Masamuneさんのおかげで、

もっといい文章になりました！添削はこちらへ！

あなたは、階段はお好きですか？では、神社は？ きつねは？自然は？もしお好きなら、京都の伏見稲荷大社を見に行かれるのは、いかがでしょうか？

山頂まで行くために、長い間歩かなければならないんですけど、神社は数え切れぬほどありますし、自然できれいな景色が見えますから、ずっと歩きっぱなしでも疲れませんよ。

伏見稲荷大社の入り口の辺り

ここからもう少し歩けば山頂ですよ！ 

伏見稲荷大社は、きれいな木がたくさんあって景色も良く・・・

 

この美しい赤い門でいっぱいです。

きつねの像もたくさんあります。ですから、伏見稲荷というんですね。

お稲荷さまは、食物、農業、商業の神様で、白いきつねを使いとして使うんです。きつねはお稲荷様の使者なわけですから、神社にきつねの像がたくさんあることは、当たり前なことですね。ところで、最初私はお稲荷様自身もきつねだと思い込んでしまいましたが、そうではないのだそうです。

長くて、曲がりくねった道、美しくて静かな自然、堂々たる赤い門。伏見稲荷大社の雰囲気を味わって、友達のドロと私は穏やかで清浄粋な朝をすごしました。自然に元気にしてもらって、おびただしい数のきつねの像のすばらしさに魅せられました。京都に住むなら、伏見稲荷大社の近くがいいと思います。週末の散歩に良さそう場所ですね。

京都に行ったら、伏見稲荷大社は絶対に行かなければならない場所だと思います。そして、ぜひ飲み物を持っていってください。なぜなら、山を登れば登るほど自動販売機の飲み物は高くなるんです！

Some terms...

The Osaka Aquarium

Read in Japanese

 

You may have heard a lot about the Kaiyukan; everyone seems to want to go there. I think it lived up to its reputation, and recommend a look, but it is quite expensive (2000 yen). I enjoyed the way the exhibit was set up, with the tanks extending through different levels. If it`s too crowded in one area, you may be able to descend a floor and see the same creatures there. 

The gift shops were also really nice. They have little shark forks and everything. I recommend the sweet pins. 

Besides that, it`s has a wonderful view over the bay, the building itself is quite cool, and there is a ferris wheel and butt-load of shops and restaurants right beside it (the area is called Tempozan Harbor Village). 

The buildings and murals were amazing...

...as was the view

The ferris wheel costs 700 yen to ride, and I can`t say if it's worth it since I didn`t go myself, but the restaurants were a nice end to our sea exploration. There was curry, burgers, ice cream, yakisoba, gyuudon... You should be able to satisfy your appetite. There were also clothing shops, a ninja store (really), and more. 

The aquarium is only about a five minute walk from the nearest station. A great place to spend half of your day!

Osaka Science Museum

The Osaka Science Museum was honestly one of the most interesting places I visited. After entering its doors and progressing from one floor to the next, I collapsed to my knees and wept for having not decided to spend my life researching problems of the time-space continuum and other science-y things.

Here you can study the muscular system of Pac Man.

Not only are the exhibits interesting (though many descriptions are written only Japanese), but the bulk of them are interactive. That means there are 4 floors of fun and science where your mind can run amok within your skull. There is also a planetarium (which costs extra to enter, and has the distinction of being the first planetarium built in Japan) and a science show with a Japanese version of Bill Nye (which is free, and only in Japanese).

 I thought this was a prop from Doctor Who. 

It is an accelerator, which is just as cool.

And here is a statue of Einstein sitting on a bench, with which you can take your picture. You can also spend some time staring at the solar system, testing your sense of smell, making an egg spin, speaking through tubes, seeing a spaceman suit from up close, and so much more. I wished desperately that my little brother was there with me, because this is a place made for that childish wonder that adults can often only feel quietly within themselves (unless they want to be pointed at and called stupid). The only thing that disappointed me was the gift center, which was lacking. I wanted to take some of the cool back with me, but there didn't seem to be anything special. So, I went back and took as much video as my little camera would take (see top of post).

 We had very deep discussions.

The Science Museum is right next to the art museum (which is underground, and has one of the coolest entrances you will ever see in your life). We only had time to go the the Science Museum, so I can't testify to the (probably amazing) contents of the art museum, but if you can only go to one, I have to implore you to choose the Science Museum. If you want to see a little more of what kind of exhibits are available (my little camera only had so much memory, alas) check out these youtube videos if you'd like!

大阪市立科学館

英語で読む

 

この分掌は、washiさん、chocoさん、Miyokoさん、shuichiさん、ashさん、

Austimさん、meguさん、Masamuneさんのおかげで、

もっといい文書になりました。添削はこちらへ！

 
大阪市立科学館は、私の見た場所の中で一番面白いところだろうと思います。中へ入って、５階まで見て回ったあとで、どうして時空連続体やほかの科学っぽいことに一生をささげなかったのかと悔やんで、がっくりひざをついて、涙をぽろぽろと流しました。

ここでは、パックマンの筋肉組織を学ぶことができるんです

説明は日本語だけで書いてあることが多かったけど、展示がすごく面白かったから、日本語の説明を全部理解できなくても、楽しい時間をすごせると思います。それに、ほとんどの展示が操作したり参加したりするように工夫されているから、建物四階分、楽しみや科学でいっぱいつまっていて、頭の中で脳みそが興奮ではちきれそうになってしまいますよ。すばらしい展示以外にも、日本の初めてのプラネタリウム(有料）や、日本人のビル・ナイみたいな先生が行う、無料の科学ショーもあります。両方とも説明は、日本語だけだと思います。

これは、きっとドクター・フーのセットだろうと思ったけど、
アクセラレーター(加速装置）なんです。
どっちでもかっこいいけど！

 そしてこれは、ベンチに座っているアインシュタインさんで、一緒に写真をとることができます。ほかにも太陽系をじーっと見つめたり、自分の嗅覚を試したり、卵を回したり、管を使って話したり、宇宙飛行士の宇宙服を見たりして時間をすごせます。体験できることがいっぱいありますよ！まだ子供の目で無邪気に感動できる弟も、ここにいたらよかったなと思いました。なぜなら、この科学館は、「ばーか！」と笑われたくない大人が心の中でしか表せない、子供だけが素直に表現できる驚きのためのところなんですから。がっかりしたことはひとつだけあって、それはおみやげ屋さんが小さかったことです。何かすてきなものを買って帰りたかったんですけど、特によさそうなものがなかったんです。ですから、一番上の１階に戻って、メモリーがなくなるまでデジカメでビデオをとりました。ページのトップを、どうぞごらんください！

 楽しく話し合いました

Some terms:

Iga Ninja Museum

日本語で読む

The Iga Ninja Museum. I think I could end the blog post with that and the video that follows.

But I'll give you a bit more information, in the infinitesimally small chance that you weren't chomping at the bit to get to this place after simply seeing the word 'ninja'.

There is an AMAZINGLY fun demo given by the ninja here (you see some of it in the video). In attending the demo, you will see some crazy ninja moves choreographed with music and sound effects, see some weapons demonstrations, laugh at the comments and reactions from the adorable children watching, and get covered (if you are lucky) in stringy ninja blood. 

One of our demonstrators

 Apparently, if you go in the summer you may get to see

Tomochan shirtless. Many girls in our group were upset

that it was, alas, February.

NINJA BLOOD

After the demonstration, you can pay a hundred yen or two and throw shuriken at the demo board. If you make a bulls-eye, you get a prize!

 Besides the demo, there is a tour of some ninja houses and all the hiding places they contained. You can even try some of those spaces out yourself! The museum part of it is contained in a couple buildings, one of them underground, crammed with weapons and other artifacts, as well as quite a bit of fun trivia and history . (Hm, history is probably a prerequisite for most museums.) Information was in both Japanese and English.

The gift shop was small but had a lot of cute key chains, books, etc, which you can bestow upon those unlucky enough to have not accompanied you to the Museum.

If you need any more convincing to visit, which I doubt, you should now that there you can rent a ninja costume for the day like this kid:

Your dreams CAN come true!