Month: August 2005

A Happening Happpening.

Since Roy and I seem to be trading rather interesting posts on language (here, here, and here), here’s another great Japanese word that I just happened upon and happen find amusing. It’s also an example of how as words become transplants from one language to another, they often undergo slight changes in meaning or nuance.

From today’s Asahi online edition:

ヤンキースタジアムで３階席の少年がネットに転落

2005年08月10日22時29分

９日の大リーグ、ヤンキース―ホワイトソックスでファンが観客席から転落するハプニングがあった。

I’ll be nice this time and spell it out, but it says: Kokonoka no dai ri-gu, yanki-zu- howaitosokkusu de fan ga kankyakuseki kara tennraku suru hapuningu ga atta.

I’m not quite sure how to translate that literally using the actual word “happening” as it is used in the original Japanese without adding additional, implied information. I guess it would read something like this: “At Tuesday’s Yankees – White Sox game there was a happening (where a fan) fell from (his) seat.”

The reason I find this word so amusing is that the word happening is overwhelmingly used in English as a verb, not as a noun – though it also occasionally shows up as an adjective. Nevertheless, it somehow managed to make the jump to Japanese as a noun and has survived. I tried to think of common usages as a noun in English, and the best I could come up with is “fortuitous happening.” A few fruitless Google searches later, I gave up and just turned to the The Columbia Guide to Standard American English, which had this to say:

A happening is an event, especially a noteworthy or dramatic one, or one staged deliberately for theatrical effect, as in Her parties were always planned to be happenings, intended to be talked about for weeks afterwards. The word is Standard.

Being very unscientific about this inquiry, I feel that using happening as a noun has always had a slightly antiquated feel to it. It’s the type of word that I might expect to hear a Brit use with regularity, but one that just somehow sounds a bit odd coming from the mouth of an American too often.

In Japanese, happening is used only as a noun (although there is an entry in 英辞朗 of the noun ハプン but I’ve never heard or seen this word used before) and refers to an unexpected or surprising event – like some kid falling out of his seat into the safety net at a Yanks-White Sox game. Here’s the definition as provided by goo 辞書:

ハプニング 1 [happening]

(1)思いがけない出来事。偶発的な事件。
「―が生じる」

(2)予想外の、意表をついた出来事の表現効果を積極的に追求する演劇・絵画などにおける前衛的芸術活動。

Coincidentally, while reading up on Japan’s September 11th general election, I happened across ハプニング once again, which I could only call a fortuitous happening. On May 19, 1980, then Prime Minister Ohira dissolved the lower house and called for elections. The name of the dissolution?

ハプニング解散

Bears, oh my

As the New York Times reports that my home state of New Jersey is gripped by the furry paw of a bear epidemic…

State biologists estimate that as many as 3,400 bears now roam New Jersey, the nation’s most densely populated state, and say a hunt is the most effective way to control the increasingly troublesome population. Two bears were killed last weekend in Sussex County in northwest New Jersey after one broke into a house and another broke into a shed.

“We are going to have a large population of bears way into the future. It’s a prolific problem,” said Martin J. McHugh, the director of the state’s Division of Fish and Wildlife. “Our aim is to reduce the growth of the population.”

Here in Taiwan we see what happens when bears are allowed to run completely rampant.

A three-year-old boy was critically injured yesterday after a caged circus bear nearly ripped off his arm in southern Taiwan, a hospital official said. Doctors performed emergency surgery to reattach the right arm of the boy, who was found lying in a pool of blood by the bear’s cage on a farm where a circus from Vietnam was performing, an official from Chi Mei Hospital said. Farm staff said the boy, who went to see the bear perform stunts like riding a bicycle, might have provoked the animal by trying to pat it. The incident occurred while his mother was talking to performers. The performance was suspended after the attack. The boy’s parents blamed the farm owners for the attack for failing to put up warning signs in front of the bear’s cage, local newspapers said.

Classic WW2 Japan footage

Everyone has probably already seen some news coverage of the 60th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Nagasaki’s anniversary is today, and as always, overshadowed by their big-brother in nuclear devastation.)

Archive.org has an excellent collection of public domain films of various types, and here are links to some of the good ones I’ve found related to Japan, WW2, and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

First of course we have Tale of Two Cities, A (1946), a film produced by the US War Department. While it clealy shows the devastation wrought on the cities, there is a conspicuous lack of human victims.

Next is My Japan (1945)

Complex and disturbing anti-Japanese propaganda film produced to spur the sale of U.S. war bonds. CONTENT ADVISORY: Explicit racism and extreme violence.

While, as the label says, this film is narrated in a bizarre Charlie Chan-ish yellowface manner, it’s actually one of the more interested presentations of Japan from that time that I’ve seen. It clearly presents Japan from the standpoint of an enemy that must be defeated, but does so by describing them as relentless adversaries worthy of respect.

Another notable must-see propaganda film is Our Enemy: The Japanese (1943)

Stridently anti-Japanese film that attempts to convey an understanding of Japanese life and philosophy so that the U.S. may more readily defeat its enemy. Depicts the Japanese as “primitive, murderous and fanatical.” With many images of 1930s and 1940s Japan, and a portentious and highly negative narration by Joseph C. Grew, former U.S. ambassador to Japan.

And last, Japanese Relocation (ca. 1943)

U.S. government-produced film defending the World War II internment of Japanese American citizens.

Universal Studios was good enough to, in 1967, put much of their pre-TV newsreel footage into the public domain.

Some relevant highlights from this collection:

Pres. Truman Warns Japs To Give Up, 1945/06/07 (1945)

“In a speech to Congress, President states that Japan faces the same complete destruction that was visited upon Germany. To that end, millions of troops, and their implements of war, are being transferred more than half way around the earth. The President adds that though many key industries have already been leveled by U.S. air attack, all of Japan’s industries will be completely destroyed unless Japan surrenders.

Jap Films of Hiroshima, 1946/08/05 (1946)

(1) Japanese Films of atomic bomb blast at Hiroshima, released one year later (2) Underwater atom blast rocks Bikini (line down middle of film frames) Admiral Blandy commander of task force, 2nd test of Operation Crossroads, cameras point to site of underwater explosion Test Baker, mushroom cloud of explosion, carrier Saratoga finally sinks, another view of the blast from overhead airplane. (sound track cuts out at very end)

B-29s Rule Jap Skies,1944/12/18
(1) “At Saipan, after briefing, the members of the 21st bombing Command take to Super Fortresses and roar into the sky – destination Tokyo! They shower tons of bombs and incendiaries on the huge sprawling city as they hit factories, steel mills and docks. Mass civilian evacuation of Tokyo was ordered after this raid. Japs Raid Saipan – Saipan is attacked by Jap raiders, 14 of which are shot down, after they had started spectacular fires and caused minor damage.” scenes of Japan fighter planes st…

Damage Foreshadows A-Bomb Test , 1946/06/06 (1946)

(1) “Japan: Dramatic pictures of atom bomb damage in Hiroshima and Nagasaki foreshadow the coming Bikini Atoll experiment. Intense heat and light of blast scarred shadows of human beings on destroyed bridges!” scenes of visual evidence of atomic damage in Hiroshima (2) Italy Joins Democracies – “Italy: Following mass demonstrations and a democratic referendum, Italian voters cast their lot with the democracies and oust their king. The majority, who voted republican, wanted ‘No More Balconies!'” (partial newsreel)

Unfit for the Salamander – A lesson in Japanese etymology

Occasionally I run across a word or phrase in Japanese that I recognize only because I know I’ve looked it up at least two or three times (if not more). Yet for some reason the meaning just won’t stick with me. This happened earlier today while reading the Asahi at work. This time I intend to do something about it, as well as provide an interesting language lesson for any of our readers who are slowly killing themselves learning Japanese.

The phrase in question today is particularly irksome because of its idiomatic nature. I know the meaning of the individual words, but haven’t an inkling what the hell the phrase as a whole means. It’s as if someone was conversing with you in English and described a situation as “unfit for the salamander.”

So now that I’ve hopefully gotten everyone’s attention, here’s the sentence with today’s mystery phrase in bold:

森氏は会議後、記者団に「はっきり言って、さじを投げた」と語った。

Literally, it means, “to throw the spoon.” So the entire sentence literally translates as:

After the meeting Mr. Mori told reporters, “Honestly speaking, [I] threw the spoon.”

So what’s it mean? It means to give up on something.

And just how did it come to mean this? Isn’t that obvious? The Japanese eat with chopsticks, don’t they? Just as the occasional foreigner who visits Japan today and manages to master the art of eating with chopsticks will be repeatedly praised by his hosts, at one time it was equally difficult for Japanese to master the art of eating with a spoon. As anyone who’s tried eating with chopsticks knows, sometimes you just want to throw them on the ground, go for a fork and just dig in. Well, apparently Japanese used to feel the same way about spoons and would often throw them down in resignation.

Okay, okay. I just made all that up. And honestly speaking, that story was about as unfit for the salamander* as one can get.

Actually, the real story as best I can tell is this. The meaning derives from a situation where a doctor diagnoses a patient’s recovery to be hopeless. At one time medicine was prepared with a spoon and once it was determined that someone was a goner, there was no further need to continue preparing medicine and the doctor could just “throw in the spoon,” so to speak.

If anyone out there can add any clarity to this little history lesson (and my money says that Roy can), I will be looking forward to any additions in the comments section.

* As of 6:41 pm on August 8, 2005, the phrase “unfit for the salamander” did not show up on a Google search. It may be a safe assumption that I am among the first, if not the first, to actually use this phrase in a sentence.

How far back does your geneology go?

Prolific blogger Joi Ito delves a bit into his family’s ancient history. It’s a bit awe-inspiring for someone who just barely has a vague idea of which Eastern European countries his grandparents moved to Brooklyn from.

After the study group meeting at City Hall, I visited our family grave. I took a look at where my name will at some point be etched as the 19th family head of the Ito family. I took the opportunity to grill my uncle a bit more about the specifics of our history since I’ll be the custodian of this information at some point. I also had him collect up various family history documents. It appears that the first Ito, moved into our current home about 400 years ago and was some kind of union of a 25th descendent of Emperor Kanmu, the 50th Emperor (we’re on #125 now), and Kawatari Fujiwara. I can’t understand the old-fashioned Japanese text to understand the details of the arrangement. I believe Kawatari Fujiwara was from the Fujiwara family that lived in our region until they were defeated around 400 years ago. The only thing left from this period of the Fujiwara estate/castle is a golden pagoda and mummies in Hiraizumi. Anyway, the story I heard from my mother was that after their defeat, the survivors fled and started their own families in the region, and took the character “Fuji” from “Fujiwara” and changed their names to “Saito”, “Goto” and “Ito” which all use “Fuji” character for the “To” part of the names. Anyway, I’m not positive about the details so I better find out more before I have to take over the family and my children start asking me all kinds of questions.

The Gundam lives!

After seeing my post a couple of days on a homemade full size Gundam robot built several years ago, a reader by the name of Taylor sent in some amazing photographs showing that it has actually been made into a permanent outdoor installation!

He says:

I saw it last month when I was still in Okayama, but it is pretty
popular. It’s right next to a major road, so I saw at least ten people
stop and take pictures with it. Most were older salarymen or ojisan.
It was quite amazing seeing it in person, you can see the size
comparison with me, and i”m not that small of a guy!

I was surprised by how popular Gundam still is over here. When I saw
the recent Z Gundam movie, half the crowd was over 50 years old. It’s
amazing how serious the older generation takes the Universal Century
age Gundam show

And of course, what outdoor art installation or sculpture would be complete without an explanatory plaque?

This robot was placed in Kume-cho by Mister Seiichi Nakamoto (born 1964). He drew up the plans and constructed it himself. The skeleton is constructed of steel and the outer shell of fiber reinforced plastic. The legs can be moved through the action of the hyrdaulic cylinders installed within.

An operator riding in the cockpit can control this versatile bipedal walking machine. After seven years of construction, it was completed in December, 1999.

Height 7 meters
Width 3.5 meters
Weight 2 tons
Passengers 1

Banzai! We just screwed Japan!


The postal privatization bills failed. The Lower House has been dissolved, and there will be an election on Sept. 11. The picture is of Diet members cheering “Banzai” for the emperor (?) after their official dissolution.

Mrs. Saru said it best:

I am super disappointed that the bill did not pass. We have a great Foreign Minister right now who is good for Japan and U.S. relations. Great. So much of what is wrong in the Japanese socity and foreign policy is due to narrow-minded politicians and those who vote for them.

Masturbating for 15 Minutes on the Train “Not Public Indecency”?

The masturbation station
ZAKZAK is better than Waiwai:

Masturbating for 15 Minutes on the Train “Not Public Indecency” Says Man Arrested for Said Crime

Nobody likes a woman who thoughtlessly applies makeup on the train, but this case of a man, driven mad with desire for a woman, furiously masturbating for 15 minutes on the train home was a matter for police. This idiotic man, while admitting his unlawful act, claimed he wasn’t bothering anyone — he is said to be giving the absurd excuse that “it’s not public indecency.” He was working for a big company, had a wife, even bought his own condominium… This man, who was fulfilling the Japanese dream, threw it all away in a mere 15 minutes.

“I saw a girl that was my type, so I just went and did it,” said the 31-year-old employee of Dai-Nippon Printing Co. from Sakura District, Saitama City.

According to the investigations of Saitama Prefectural Police, Tokorozawa Precinct, the man got on the Musashi-Urawa Station on the Musashino Line after midnight on August 2 and sat down next to a woman in her 20s, whereupon he exposed himself and began spanking his monkey. He continued to pleasure himself even after he missed his stop at Nishi-Urawa, not stopping until 15 minutes later when he reached the end of the line, Higashi-Tokorozawa.

Since the few people in the train didn’t seem to notice, the housewife who endured this display of perversion finally barked, “What do you think you’re doing?” when her station drew near.

A male corporate worker (33) sitting nearby made himself useful and held the man down, but thankfully, according to the man, “he didn’t ejaculate.” You might think this was the act of a drunken man acting out in the night, but source say he was “totally sober.”

After graduating from a Hokkaido university, the suspect entered the nation’s largest domestic printing company, Dai-Nippon. He married a classmate from college and only recently moved into a condominium he had purchased near the station [ed: Living near the station is a big perk in Japan].

A neighbor living in his building described him as “small and not terribly handsome, but he was a diligent person who would say hello to you in the morning.

“The room he bought cost 20-30 million yen [about $200-300k] and was the biggest 4-bedroom condo in the building.” The neighbor couldn’t hide her surprise over the incident, saying that he thought they planned to have a big family.

Another neighbor spoke to us about the couple’s relationship.

“The wife worked for a charity, so she didn’t pay much attention to fashion, but she is the type of person who normally has a smile on her face. 5 or 6 of her friends from college would often come to visit, and the two of them would often go out together as a couple. I think they got along well.”

“The couple was married in June at a church in Australia, which reminded them of Hokkaido where they met. The pictures of expansive ocean and white beaches were most memorable for me,” says the neighbor.

When we arrived at the man’s home on the night of the 2nd, his wife would only say, “Nothing happened. Leave us alone, please.” I wonder what evil spirit now haunts what was once a life of smooth sailing.

In an unbelievable development, the man at first told investigators with a straight face, “(The masturbation) was just for my own pleasure, so it’s not public indecency.”

This is a man who, instead of just talking to a woman who’s his type, instead decides to sit next to her and jack off for 15 minutes. It was only a matter of time before he was caught with his pants down.

Did North Korea market missiles to Taiwan?

I have here an article from the July 18 Chuunichi Shinbun. For some reason it is no longer avaliable on the website (404 error), but luckily you can still see the original Japanese text in Google cache.

Did North Korea market missiles to Taiwan?

Seoul- Kiyoshi Nakamura.

According to the issue of Korean Magazine ‘Choson Weekly’ which went on sale July 17th, a former representative (72 years old) of North Korea’s People’s Supreme Congress (basically their ‘parliament’) who recently defected to the South said in a statement to South Korea’s National Information Institute that the North “visited Taiwan for the purpose of exporting North Korean made missiles.”

When asked about the nuclear problem he said, “North Korea is manufacturing kiloton capacity nuclear weapons.” On the other hand, “The North has little confidence in their large nuclear weapons, and so are also manufacturing 500 kiloton nukes.”

According to the same publication, this representative was also a researcher at the “Oceanographic Industrial Research Facility”, which is a subsidiary of the Secondary Economic Association that covers the entire munitions industry. They primarily develop such things as missiles, and are responsible for production and external business.

The representative let known his desire to defect in May of this year, in a third country.

He was allowed into Korea by the National Information Institute, and investigations are continuing.

Has anyone seen this story reported anywhere else? I’m particularly asking you Korean-speaking Marmot readers.

Update: Adam, your correction is noted.