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June 23, 2008
Sega Yakuza 2 fans want their game in Japanese
I will start by admitting that I am hopelessly behind the times when it comes to video games. (My knowledge pretty much ends with the arcade games of the early 1980s---Asteroids, Space Invaders, etc.)
Yakuza is a realistic video game that leaves my arcade games of 25 years ago in the dust. The original version of the game had a Japanese-language soundtrack; but Sega dubbed it over with an English one. This was a gamble on Sega’s part, of course. On one hand, the English-language soundtrack compromises authenticity; but on the other hand, how many U.S. and Canadian players of the game understand Japanese?
It seems that fans have spoken, and they want the game to be in Japanese. (The fans did, however, say that they want subtitles.) Therefore, the next version of the game, Sega 2, will feature a Japanese-language soundtrack.
June 18, 2008
The Brazilian presence in Japan
Here is an article in SFGate about the Japanese presence in Brazil. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, thousands of Japanese left their country to seek their fortunes in Brazil.
Many of these immigrants’ descendents still live in the Sao Paulo area. I was in Sao Paulo for an extended business trip about ten years ago, and I visited the city’s Nihonmachi. This is a worthwhile stop if you have a chance to visit Brazil. (Brazil supposedly has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan.)
There is also a large Brazilian presence in Japan these days. Brazilians have been traveling to Japan to work as temporary laborers for the past twenty years. They tend to cluster around Japan’s automotive plants.
When I was in the Nagoya area last week, I heard a great deal of Portuguese in shops and restaurants. In nearby Toyota City, Portuguese signs are more common than English ones; and the local bookstore contained a whole shelf full of Japanese-Portuguese dictionaries.
I suspect that most of these materials were for the benefit of Brazilians who are studying Japanese. However, the study of Portuguese has increased over the past decade in Japan, as Brazil has become a popular location for Japanese manufacturing operations.
June 14, 2008
Back from Japan
If you have been wondering where I’ve been, I have just gotten back from a two-week business trip to Japan. I am exhausted and glad to be back.
If you are planning any travel within Japan, may I suggest that you pack lightly. This past week I had to drag four pieces of luggage through train stations throughout Japan. Not a very enjoyable experience. This was especially challenging during the morning rush hour in Osaka. I would bet that there are still some Japanese laughing at the silly gaijin who was apparently trying to transport half of his worldly possessions through the subway systems.
Which brings us to the word of the day: 鮨詰め（すしづめ）, or “packed like sushi”. This figurative expression is often used to describe trains and subway systems.
鮨詰めの電車 = a crowded train “packed like sushi”
June 01, 2008
Word of the Day
歯止め
（はどめ）
brake; stop
common usage pattern: 歯止めを掛ける = to apply the brakes; put a stop to
From the news:
子どもの肥満増加に歯止めか 米ＣＤＣの調査
国民の肥満傾向に危機感を募らせる米国で、０５─０６年に調べた２歳から１９歳の肥満人口の割合が、２５年ぶりに前回調査と同じ水準にとどまったことが分かった。
Supplementary vocabulary:
国民（こくみん） people; citizens
肥満傾向（ひまん けいこう） tendency toward obesity
危機感を募らせる （ききかん を つのらせる） to cause a sense of crisis
人口（じんこう） population
割合（わりあい） proportion
前回（ぜんかい） last time
水準（すいじゅん）level
May 25, 2008
Word of the Day
禁煙
(きんえん)
giving up smoking; stopping smoking
According to this news article, various personal habits can be spread from person to person. So if your spouse quits smoking (or develops a weight problem) you are likely to do the same.
禁煙と肥満は家族や友人に伝染 米ハーバード大調査
禁煙は喫煙の習慣と同様、人から人に伝染するという研究結果を米ハーバード大学医学部の研究チームがまとめ、２２日の米医学誌ニューイングランド・ジャーナル・オブ・メディシンに発表した。研究チームは昨年、肥満は人に伝染するという調査も発表しており、禁煙にも同じパターンがあることが分かった。
Supplementary Vocabulary List
肥満（ひまん）corpulence; overweight
家族(かぞく) family
喫煙（きつえん）smoking (tobacco)
習慣（しゅうかん）custom; habit
伝染する（でんせん する） to spread; to be contagious
研究結果（けんきゅう けっか） research results
と同様（と どうよう） the same as
May 18, 2008
Word of the Day
秘話
（ひわ）
secret story; secrets
This word is featured in the headline of an online article about the royal wedding in the UK:
英女王の初孫が結婚、秘話を芸能誌に１億円で売却か
Supplementary Vocabulary:
英女王（えいじょおう）British queen; queen of England
初孫（しょそん）first grandchild
結婚（けっこん）wedding
売却（ばいきゃく）sale
