Christmas Eve Eve?

Do you know what 23rd of December is, in Japan?

It is “Xmas Eve Eve”.

No it isn’t “the day before Christmas Eve”, it is  Xmas Eve Eve!

or just Eve Eve.

I know it sounds ridiculous but it is happening in Japan.

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The reason why this happen is…

First, 23rd of December is public holiday as former Japanese emperor’s birth day but Xmas Eve and Xmas day aren’t.

So it is quite convenient to “celebrate”  Xmas on this day.

Second, Japanese people don’t care about Xmas day, important day is Xmas Eve.

This is kind of media control.

In 1980 and 1990, the media said “spend over night on Xmas Eve with your lover for Xmas”.

There are so many media propagandas such as TV commercials, TV dramas and even pop music lyrics.

Also at the time, Japanese economy was very high which is “Bubble time”.

So everybody spent a lot of money on the hotel to stay, restaurant and present on Xmas Eve.

It looked like I am against the law, if I didn’t spend Xmas Eve with anybody.

Therefore, some people rushed to get somebody to be “partner” for Xmas Eve.

As a result, Xmas Eve has become more important than Xmas day.

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The cake on Xmas day

There is the proverb in Japan.

Meaning is something nobody want to, or something over the peak time.

ex) I have to get married to anybody by 30, otherwise I would be the cake on Xmas day.

What a terrible…

Jesus must be crying, if he saw this situation.

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In fact, the Xmas decorations are taken off on Xmas day or even at the night of Xmas Eve.

The main event of “Xmas” is actually Xmas Eve, also the day before Xmas Eve is public holiday.

Of course people make another event on this day!

Japanese people changed the rule of Xmas to suite their calendar.

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As the Xmas event has been pushed in advance, I suppose more than 80% of Japanese people don’t know about Boxing day.

They don’t care about Xmas day, how people care about 26th?

If you said the name in Japan, everybody think of this

If you are planning to go to Japan to spend Xmas time, forget about Boxing day just start celebrate one day before instead.

Have a very merry Xmas and happy Eve Eve today.

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Original illustration by Naoki

【One Point JAPANESE】

「Meri-Chri」

Short word of Merry Christmas.

People use it very often on Xmas day.

Mostly for young people.

Don’t send this word for your Japanese host mother of something.

They may check the word on a dictionary and never find out.

Turn on, turn off.

I believe there is electric power switch in any countries.

How do they turn the power on?

Pull the switch up for on?

Sometime press top button.

My point is how the on/off switch located?

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The on/off switch is located like this in Japan, and same as Europe(only I’ve been).

Up for turn on, down for turn off.

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Australia is opposite.

Down for turn on, up for turn off.

It doesn’t really matter actually.

Just wondering why they are located like this?

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I personally feel “up for on” is better.

It is hard to explain.

I just feel like this

Therefore I still do wrong way in mistake sometime.

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【One point JAPANESE】

Original illustration by Naoki

「TADAIMA」

「ただいま」

“I’m back”

As well as back home, you can use when back to anywhere you were.

Ex) Back to office from outside.

As I’m kid grandma didn’t give me a desert, if I forgot to say the word when I back home.

If you like sweet, you’d better remember this word.

BEER! BEER! BEER!

Time for beer?

Oh yeah, pour a cold beer to me.

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What kind of beer would you prefer?

German beer, Dutch beer, Japanese beer, or Aussie beer?

Did you know beer standard is quite different between Japan and Australia?

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There are many kind of beer from many countries.

In Japan, whatever kind of beer it is, froth and beer have to be 3:7 ratios.

This 30% froth is very very important.

Everybody follow this ratios at everywhere such as pubs, restaurants, even at home.

I used to work at the bar as a bartender, I was told beer has to be 3:7 ratios strictly.

Actually you will get complain from customer, if the beer wasn’t like this.

I don’t know why this particularly ratios,

but in fact beer taste so good in this way.

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On the other hand Australian beer is…

Almost no beer froth on the beer.

It is quite interesting.

Australian beer doesn’t have the part which is very important for Japanese people.

I’ve asked my mate about this, and he said

“More beer froth, less beer”.

This is kind of true.

Froth is not a beer, just froth.

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I don’t argue about which is right.

But still one question left in my mind.

When I worked at the bar, I poured millions of beers with the beer tap every Saturday night.

In my memory, a beer tap works

and

If people don’t want to have beer froth, a bartender doesn’t use this froth lever?

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【One point JAPANESE】

Original illustration by Naoki

「ITTERASSHAI」

「いってらっしゃい」

This is response to “ITTEKIMASU” .

Meaning is

“have a good trip and come back safety”.

This is minimum manner that response to someone said “ITTEKIMASU”.

Don’t mix up with “IRASSHAI”.

Menu please

I’m always thinking of something every time go to a restaurant.

It is “I need picture of the meals”.

Haven’t you ever thought of this?

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Australia is a multi culture country, so we have lots of chance to have many countries food.

On the other hand, having different country’s food is kind of challenging.

Sometime you have no idea what it is.

You may have completely unexpected taste food or ingredients.

In that case, at least you need to know what does it look like, don’t you?

Thereby you could make minimum expect at the point of order.

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In Japan, let people know what does it look like is very important strategy of business.

So there are so many pictures on the menu.

As a customer, it makes me so relief and feel safe to order the thing.

This is the menus look like in Japan.

As well as getting information, it makes me more hungry!

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However, I have hardly ever seen the menu has got pictures in the Western countries I’ve ever been.

Like this….

Is this a novel or something?💦

Especially when I was really hungry and feeling tired, I don’t want to read these up.

Should be fine for obvious meal such as spaghetti carbonara, pepperoni pizza or T-born steak, but something new….

You have no idea until it is actually brought in to your table.

and there is many chance you could get disappointed the meal.😓

What if you were really hungry when you get the unexpected meal?

Maybe you would say

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【One point JAPANESE】

Original illustration by Naoki

「ITTEKIMASU」

「いってきます」

This is another greeting word, Western countries don’t use.

Meaning is “I’m leaving and coming back”.

When you are leaving from the place you are going back, you would say this word.

People usually say when they head off to work or school in the morning.

It is definitely not the word for people just out of jail．😨

Pillows talk

How many pillows do you have on your bed?

When I stayed at friend’s place or hotel, there is a bunch of  pillows on the bed.

On the bed catalogue also lots of pillows on the bed.

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I just need one pillow to sleep.

How many pillows people actually need in Western countries.

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When I use the bed got lots of pillows, I always removed extra pillows on the sofa or somewhere.

I couldn’t just drop them off by the bed, because the floor is on shoes area!

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The question is, why people put that many pillows on the bed in spite of they use just one pillow to put their head on?

What for???

Probably

this

or

this?

Or maybe…

this!

Which one is correct?

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【One point JAPANESE】

Original illustration by Naoki

「KARESHI」「かれし」

A boyfriend.

「KANOJYO」「かのじょ」

A girlfriend.

If you want to ask

“Do you have a boyfriend?” = 「KRESHI ha imasuka?」

Now you know how to check this first section of love.

Have a go!

Work out in public toilet.

Public toilet in Australia is quite good.

🐒 Paper is always set up.

🐒 Hand washing liquid is always filled up.

🐒 Cleaned up quite often.

🐒 You don’t have to pay like Europe.

This is the one of thing I impressed.

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However, there is one thing I can’t understand public toilet.

Isn’t it missing something?

Something quite important.

It is….

Without this, how people are doing their business in there ?

I don’t think anybody wants to sit on the toilet edge directly.

Don’t you?

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Especially women.

I think women have to sit on a toilet every time, whichever they do. (Don’t they?)

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I had an opportunity to speak to the woman just got out from the toilet and asked her how she deal with those kind of toilet.

She said try hold buttocks up while she was doing her business.

Hold up?!

It means

this??

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I also asked her

“What if you get tired to hold it ?”

She said

“just sit”.

You have to sit on the toilet after all unless you have enough muscle to hold your buttocks up.

What about old people?

OZ women have strong leg muscle even they are old?

What kind of work out is this?

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【One point JAPANESE】

Original illustration by Naoki

Same sound but different meaning.

「HASHI」

1, Bridge

2, Chopsticks

Put an accent on last I is “bridge”.

「HASHI」—–「Bridge」

Put an accent on first A is “chopsticks”.

「HASHI」—–　「Chopsticks」

This thing confuse even Japanese people sometime.

Together please.

Let me talk about bathroom little bit more.

Bath and shower and toilet are all in same room in Western countries.

However, bath and shower are located separately in the room.

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Japanese bathroom has shower and bath all in one place.

Bathroom itself is all wet area.

You don’t have to worry about make wet the place because that’s what this place is supposed to be.

This is general Japanese bathroom looks like.

Once get into the bathroom you can soak in the bathwater and wash your body in same area.

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On the other hand, bathrooms in Western country’s are

There is dry area between bath and shower.

What would happen in this bathroom is

ex)

🐒 Soak in the bathwater and get relax first.

🐒 Your body got warmed up enough, so get out the bath.

🐒 Walk to shower area and wash your body.

🐒 Probably one more bath after shower.

then….

You have to clean it up after taking a bath.

I’m really wonder how people are dealing with this thing.

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Original illustration by Naoki

【One point JAPANESE】

「Oi」

「おい」

This word is exactly same meaning between English and Japanese.

Call somebody in casual (rough) way.

When I heard this word  in Australia, I thought the guy can speak Japanese and I started talking Japanese to him.

Don’t make same mistake I made in Japan, it was really embarrassing.

Separate please.

This is another major mystery.

Why bath or shower and toilet are in the same room?

Are taking bath and toilet belong to same category?

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These things are in completely opposite side.

One for clean and dirty for another.

Taking bath or shower is supposed to be most relax time in a day, as well as clean myself up, washed up the stress you got the day.

However, it can’t be relax well, if toilet is right next to you are having shower.

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For example this type of shower room, if somebody used the toilet while you are using the shower, the first and only thing you see is somebody is peeing or even No,2….

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Also easy to guess these kind of mess happen.

If there is a lock in the bathroom door.

If there isn’t a lock in the bathroom door.

Isn’t it familiar?

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I saw really luxury  6 bed room mansion on TV the other day.

It was such a dream house.

Beach front, huge living room, big walk in closet, beach view bedroom, modern kitchen

and forest view bathroom with toilet……

With toilet!

Why?

You have such a huge space, but still put toilet and bath in same space.

Do people actually like to see nice forest view one side and toilet other side?

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I think bath and shower are supposed to be different world from toilet.

What you reckon ?

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【One point JAPANESE】

Original illustration by Naoki

In Japan, you can see someone is giving out small tissue quite often.

If you see them, don’t be scared, go there and get the tissue.

They aren’t going to charge you. It’s all free.

Don’t worry Japan is not Tissue kingdom, they do this to advertising. They put small advertising in each tissue.

Even though, nobody care even you can’t read what the advertise said.

It’s free nice tissue!

Monkeysamurai always collect those tissues as walking along the street.

Greeting kiss. Wha~~t?

This one is really hard to deal with.

Western people kiss each other all the time.

I’m not talking about this.☝

I’m talking about this.☝

Greeting kiss.

I understand shake hand.

I understand hugging.

But kiss?

Sometime not even kissing, just touching cheek with kiss shape lip (like the image above).

People even do this kiss three times each greeting in Europe!

What a …💦

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I’ve been researching this “greeting” for ages but still can’t understand which greeting situation people kiss.

Here is my concerns.

🐒 How about man and man, still kiss?  Because I’ve seen it on movie (obviously they weren’t gay).

🐒 From how close relationship start kissing?

🐒 If it is working together at same place, people would kiss every morning?

🐒 What if 20 of women working with? It must be busy morning to kissing around♡

🐒 Do people expect kissing when they kiss? Isn’t there happening man intend to kiss but woman didn’t expect be kissed?

🐒 What you are going to do if you met somebody don’t want to kiss or be kissed ?

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I’ve getting used to living in Western culture but this thing is never get used to.

I’ve been accepted when somebody gave me a kiss (greeting), but never tried from me.

I think it’s too dangerous idea.

I would stay away from this thing until I understand well and able to kiss naturally.

That’s safety idea.

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【One point JAPANESE】

Original illustration by Naoki

「KOMUGIKO」

「こむぎこ」

Means “flour”.

There aren’t many people have got  flour allergy in Japan. So quite lots of  meals are including flour.

ex) TEMPURA

If you have kid got the allergy, you must be really want to know whether the flour in there.

If you were in the situation, please remember this word.

Don’t say “flour?”,  somebody might give you some flower🌷.

Smoking in the kitchen

This is my kitchen.

Has anybody got any idea, what this fan for??

This big mystery is still in my head and unsolved.

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In my knowledge a  kitchen fan is supposed to connect to outside and get smoke out to  avoid the kitchen and the house get cooking smell or oily.

But this one doesn’t work for it at all.

What’s the point???

Suck smoke from kitchen then release to the kitchen.

Thanks to this fan, the kitchen light cover is always oily.

How about your place?

Is this mysterious fan there in your kitchen?

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【One point JAPANESE】

Original illustration by Naoki

「KINEN-DESUKA?」

「禁煙ですか？（きんえんですか？）」

“Is it no smoking here?”

As well as restaurant, smoking area is getting less and less  in Japan.

Some area of Tokyo, it is an illegal walking cigarette.

If you are a cigarette lover, you should remember  this word and make sure whether it is smoking free area, otherwise you will be smoked out.