Yes, there's something comforting about the certainty in that sexy voice on the JR line. And, yes, this is another Hiragana story - though I must stress that I'm pretty hopeless at it. It took a full 8 minutes for me to 'read' あぶない ( DANGEROUS ) standing at a level crossing as 5 or 6 trains roared past.
Anyway, I digress..... One of my favourite ways to improve my hopeless writing skills is to try to write the name of each station on the JR line before it appears on the electronic sign on the train( no I don't know the word for the sign in English) (or indeed any other language) Anyway...... one day my wife, Chiaki, was travelling with me, and seemed to find my spelling of たかだのばば (Takadanobaba) as たかだのぼぼ (Takadanobobo) quite hilarious. Though as any fellow beginner in Japanese will, I'm sure, agree, it's an easy mistake to make!
Anyway, Chiaki told a colleague at work about this. She, too, thought it was incredibly funny and decided to re-name me 'Bobo-chan' So for the next few weeks, that's who I was: Bobo-chan. It obviously gave my wife a lot of pleasure. Personally........... hmm.
Until...........a mutual friend (Tetsuya) who was born and bred in Kyushu, revealed that, in fact, 'bobo' has a rather er.....delicate meaning in some dialects, and that it would be unwise to use my new name, in a loud voice in public. Chiaki and her colleague were suitably shocked, (er.....I think) and so ended the short, but rather sexy, life of 'Bobo-chan'
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Make My Day! 
Saturday, 1 March 2008
The doors on the right side will open.
Friday, 22 February 2008
Unintentional Philosophy
Went back to England last summer (2007) to teach at St Johns Wood School. Came back at the beginning of September. Chiaki had told me, on the phone, that the man in our local beer-shop had had an accident on his motor-scooter. Nothing too serious but he'd hurt his legs and had to walk on crutches for a while. So I popped in
to ask how he was.
Steve: 'Konnichi wa' (Taking great care over that first 'o')
Beer-man : 'uh' ( he's a man of few words)
Steve : 'Anata no ashita daijobu?'
Beer-man; 'eh??' ' Etto......
Two minutes later, in the local yakkitori shop, ( where you can also get chicken to cook)
Steve:' Sumimasen, Tori ashita wo ni mai kudasai"
Blank expression from the very nice woman trying to serve me. Finally, after a bit of mime, ' ah.....ashi..'
Got my chicken legs and ran!!!!! Home!!!!! And hid my head!!!!!!! Would I ever try to speak Japanese again???
( 'ashi' = 'leg' 'ashita' = "tomorrow' SO......... "How is your tomorrow?' and " Two chicken tomorrows please' And yes, pedants,
"ni mai" is wrong too>
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Make My Day!
