If Life gives you Lemons

make ramune!


Interesting story about that. Ramune actually comes from the word 'lemonade'. Except clearly that is a more than difficult word for the average Japanese person to say, lemonade, it would turn into something more like 'remoneido'. Shorten that word a bit and make it sound a bit better and thus the word ramune was born.

Ramune clearly tastes nothing like the lemonade you might make at home, but if you compare it to something like Sprite, you will have a closer comparison. Personally I find even that comparison to be still off, but it does have that ever so slightly carbonated, fizzy texture to its taste. Ramune is a sweeter beverage, with a slightly different flavor I can't exactly pinpoint, but definitely not quite a Sprite or 7-Up kind of taste. Since its beginnings, Ramune has branched out into many different variations and flavors and is no longer just a 'lemonade,' though that is the tried and true flavor and still always found on the shelf, unless of course it is sold out.

One of the aspects about ramune that makes it more unique to foreigners is its unique bottle design. You see it has a marble blocking the liquid upon purchase. You have to push the marble down into the bottle effectively trapping it there, inside the bottle, in order to be able to drink the liquid inside. Even then the marble sometimes prevents a bit of a challenge for the inexperienced Ramune drinker, but of course, that is part of the fun of it. This marble is then something you can never retrieve that marble. It is permanently stuck in there. Or at least until you smash the bottle open.

Ramune is largely a summer drink. And is mostly geared towards kids. I don't see many adults drinking it (none at all actually) and I rarely see it being sold outside of summer. Throughout the rest of the year they stick with their brown and green teas.

Japan Fashion: Autumn-wear 2012

90's grunge where seems to be in full swing this autumn with all of the flannels and plaids that nearly every store is selling in prediction for this years most popular fall wear.

You would think it weird, because I certainly do, but they are even shipping USED AMERICAN flannels into Japan and selling them for 26.00USD per. Incredible is it not? These shirts get an entire second life. Also their second life in Japan might just be worth more than their first in America. And for those of you who might ask as to the validity of this statement. Just check out stores like WEGO in Japan and look at the brand names of the shirts. Faded Glory? Yeah, definitely American. Target brand? I think that one must be extremely old, because I don't recall that they even make Target brand clothing anymore.
And what's more? They are mostly, if not all, men's. Or well boy's at least, since Japanese ladies can be very slim and can easily fit into the boys clothing section of stores. They all have the buttons on the wrong sides and everything.

If flannel isn't your thing and you are more of a skirts and blouses kind of gal, then the more popular fall accessory to have is the tattoo tights. Appear like you have tattoos without any real commitment. Trust me this first time I saw these I about fell over. Well, because first of all I saw them on a Japanese lady and second of all I thought they actually were tattoos. And if you know anything about tattoos in Japan, then you would know that showing them off all over your legs like that is pretty taboo. Man was I wrong. I simply had to exit the coffee shop I was inhabiting and walk across the street to see the tattoo tights displayed in all their illuminated glory.
Personally, I am not a fan of this fashion. I find it a bit geared toward the younger-and-perhaps-grew-up-with-too-much-sugar generation. I feel like it kind of resembles a Alice in Wonderland meets Kyary Pamyu Pamyu in style. Because like all things, when something first works well in a simple fashion, it soon goes overboard with graphics and colors.

Your other nouveau fashion accessory, that I was told is a borrowed act from Korea, are the hats with ears. OK, I know you are thinking that either I am too into the animal-human culture in Japan or that Japan itself is too into it. Or possibly you might want to tell me that this is nothing new. But it is! It is not those beanies or toboggans with ears flapping around on the sides. This is like a bowler with ears on it. I have even seen people wearing it. You know like outside. In public.

Lastly I have the say boots. Boots seem to be everywhere this fall. I don't know if they are making a special push for it this year or what, but the fashion-true high heel has been moved to the backs of the stores with the boots up front and in the windows. Who knows if their marketing skill will actually work in the next few weeks when it really begins to cool down.

Meter Maids in Japan

A few of my friends in Japan have coined a cute little nick name for these guys, Green Goblins. This in large part comes from them always wearing green, and also of course never really being a pleasant site to see.

These are the people who ticket your bikes and cars and are always prepared to tow them (or impound them). 

In many places, you are allowed to park your car for a maximum of 30 minutes before they come and tow or boot it(if you are not allowed to park there or there is a no bicycles sign, they can ticket or possibly tow your immediately...upon spotting you). This is a rough 30 minutes, because you see, the 30 minutes starts from when they catch you. Traditionally, they would come by with chalk and would make an outlining of your car on the pavement, or possibly just its wheels, with perhaps a time stamp as well (also in chalk). In 30 minutes time when they return to check on your car, if it has moved then they don't need to worry, but if it hasn't, that is when it get a ticket or a boot. 

Now an easy way to over come this would be to make sure every 30 minutes or so you move your car around. But that can also be just too much of a hassle for people. 

This chalk method also works for people and bikes as well. Yeah. People. I was told that they will outline people speaking at like a public square (who have not previously organized with the park or area to be able to speak there at an allotted time). For example, if a politician was to be speaking at a certain venue at a certain time, I am certain it would be most acceptable; however lower politicians and activists will do demonstrations at parks and they have a 30 minute time allowance before they too get 'towed'. 

This chalk method might be a bit dated as they seem to have little electronic gadgets now where you can probably just plug the information in, though these gadgets could be purely for ticketing as opposed to timing vehicles. Or perhaps the chalk method is more meant for a scenario where a person who was not the original tagger to be able to determine how long a vehicle has been parked in a certain location. Or maybe they just don't trouble themselves with chalking cars any more since they are rarely parked in locations where chalk would be necessary for long (really it is just that people never drive them since public transportation is so fantastic here). They are more concerned with bicycles and motorbikes, though that could just be because I live in a larger city, where there is a great number of bicycles and their riders.

So what happens if you car gets a boot or your bike get impounded? Well you have to either call the organization to get the boot removed and pay the fine, or go and retrieve your bike (and also pay the money). Apparently it is a pain in the butt if your bike get impounded because you have to walk to the impound on foot and it is never near any sort of station. You could also take a taxi to got get it as well, but depending on the location and the nearest taxi services, that could be quite expensive. I was told in a joking manner that the walk is supposed to be a sort of penance for your misdeed and also to make you reconsider doing it again (as you wouldn't want to walk there again). In addition to where ever it would be that you have to pick up your bike, you would then have to ride it all the way back to your place, which could again be quite far if the impound is on the outskirts of the city. 

But what if you get there just in time? As in they are writing the ticket and you arrive?

I was actually able to witness this event just this weekend. Quite unlike the United States, if you arrive there and make it clear that it is you car, they will just walk away and there is no penalty. No ticket. No boot. Nothing. The man I saw this weekend just went up and unlocked his door and opened it. No words were said at all. These meter maids just packed up their little instruments and walked away. The man then went back inside the store once their backs were turned and they were far enough away. Hah!
To the left is them ticketing the car and, if you can see it, in the one on the right there is a man in the car now and the meter maids have dispersed. Here you can see the no parking sign, so this person does not have a 30 minute window, he just gets a ticket if caught.

The Japanese Gesture Guide for Gaijins

No
Hold your arms, or just your index fingers if you don't want to attract as much attention in diagonal bars. Nothing like a great big X across your chest to get the point across. This can mean pretty much any variety of no or wrong or don't. This gesture is called 'butts' but in Japan, make sure you pronounce anything with a 'th' or an 's' sound that the end of a word with a 'su' or else they honestly have no idea what you are saying. It is like a foreign language to them. (so it sounds more like 'buttsu')


Yes
This is a a great big O over your head using both your arms. You will see this a lot in television shows or my lessons, pretty much any situation where you think you can get a laugh.


Thank you
Bowing is always accepted. Everywhere...multiple times


No thank you
Wave your hand in front of your face. Have you thumb pointed toward your face and make a very inadequate fan gesture with your hand.


Come here
It is more of less the opposite of the American version. And the one finger 'come here' that is often sexily done in commercials is apparently much more offensive over here. That is because that is a version that is seen only to dogs. And to use it on a person would imply that the person was on the same level as a dog. Or at least that is how it has been explained to me.
Here the much preferred gesture is actually the inverse, with palm facing downward and a light sweeping gesture with your fingers. Another way is to bend your hand at the wrist and make your hand look like a floundering fish. Your choice. But apparently the latter is more affluent in the teaching society. Personally, I hold my hand at a bit of an inward tilt...I just can't conform completely.


Goodbye
Just wave. You know. Like a normal person. Duh


Excuse me
Remember the 'No Thank you' gesture? It is the same thing, but don't move your hand. No awkward fanning. Just hold your hand up at facial height, thumb pointing toward your nose, and say something like sumimasen and excuse yourself.


I'm sorry
More bowing! And you should do it at least 20 times or you might come off as insincere.


Talking about oneself
Ok so when you talk about yourself in America, where do you point? To your heart right? Or with an open hand upon your chest or something like that.
Well here they point to their noses, and will often touch their nose, when conversing about themselves.
Another point where I just can conform That just looks where. They can get used to my splayed hand upon my chest appearance.


Itadakimasu / gochusosamadeshita
Slap those old hands together, as if in prayer. Fingers straight. And say itadakimasu or gochusosamadeshita out loud before and after meals, respectively.


Money
I see Osaka people doing this gesture a ton. The reason is, is a stereotype that Osaka people are expertly greedy and always extra attentive where money is concerned. The gesture is pretty much the OK symbol, with you thumb and index finger closed in a ring and the other three...those can be pretty much how ever you want them. In Osaka I feel like it is common to see the other three fingers outstretched, but I think others might tell you to keep them in a more relaxed gesture.


Promise
Pretty much the same as the American version of linking pinkie with another person while proclaiming yaksoku


Let's go drink
Make like you are holding an invisible sake cup in your hand. If you don't know what a sake cup is or looks like. Think of a really delicate shot glass holding some awesome kind of alcohol that you are not intended to break or spill.


Sushi
This gesture comes from the act of making sushi itself. It is your index and middle fingers of one hand lain in the palm of the opposite hand. This symbolizes the act of packing the rice when making sushi.


Demon
Pretty much your standard demon horns here. Hold those little index fingers up righ taround your head. Make sure to make a face so that the reciprocating party knows you mean it. Might as well run around like a bull chasing a matador cape while you are at it.
OK, actually this is used mostly when referencing someone else who is not present, this gesture is frequented by the younger kids or when talking to a younger kid. A bit of a childish gesture. Like when a student complains to a　teacher who is particularly harsh. It is possible that a child might even do it behind a teachers back...not that I have caught them yet...but soon...


Insult your children!
Pull your lower eyelid down and expose the red tissue beneath it. Don't go over board. just like put your index finger right above your cheek and pull down a bit. This is a gesture for a childish insult. I guess kinda like how in the Little Rascals, the moose-hand-nose-tongue-out gesture became a famous child insult for me in America.


Courage/ Good Luck
Use one hand as a utensil and the other your paper. And now draw the kanji character for person 3 times and pretend to eat it. This is often done before speeches by the speaker to give the him or her a spot of courage.


Spelling
Much like the courage gesture, Japanese people will often spell things on their hands. Kanji stuffs. They might show you by spelling it on your hand of they might spell it for their own benefit, either in question to another person (as in 'do you spell it like this' kind of question), or simply as practice/ trying to remember/ trying to get it right (there are multiple kanji with the same pronunciation before writing it down. Or they will write on other hands when they are spelling things for them.


Wife/ Lover/ Sex
Raise up that little pinky like so, and keep the rest of your hand closed and soon enough you mgiht be indicating that something is your lover. This gesture can be a little bit rude, especially in more formal or office company, but it can be a lighthearted joke as well especially if you are saying that you love something so much it is like your lover. (I recently saw an old man do this on a TV program, implicating a rather randy ramen)


Man/ Husband
This gesture is less offensive. It is simply a thumbs up. This is because the thumb is


<3
This is evidently LOVE. NOT like. If you hold your hands in a heart, thumbs making a point and the other ringers making the butt of the heart, it means you love someone (not normally something). I have a weird misstep with this gesture in the 'I like (fruits/whatever else I want to like)' lesson and did this heart and was talking about mangoes...those little kids thought I was in love with mangoes...But I was just trying to demonstrate the relationship of liking something without having to use any Japanese in my lesson.
If you really love something. That is another story. Think more grand. More exaggerated. More emphatic!...You pretty much just make the M from the YMCA dance above your head. Evidently it looks like the but of the heart and makes for a much bigger heart, indicating a much bigger love.


Go EFF yourself
Yeah of course there is one of these too. But it is actually used waaaay less often than the American version of it is used in America. Actually I even see the middle finger a fair bit here as well.
But this gesture is the exact same as the Korean one I learned previously, of sticking you thumb between your index and middle fingers and making a fist. In Korea this would actually imply that a male in particular had a small member. In Japan I think it is just seen as offensive and is more similar to the American version in its meaning.


V
And let us not forget the peace sing. Or as I have come to know it, the sign all girls make when a picture is being taken. They now even hold it at a bit of a diagonal right around the eyes to make it look cute and artistic or something. Anyways it is your standard peace sign. Index and middle fingers raised. Thumb, ring, and pinky fingers facing outward and make sure you pose. If you don't pose it doesn't count!

Pin the Tail on the...

Japans' new app!

Which evidently comes on the tail end of some pre-established neurowear resembling cat ears. See what I did there?
For all those cat fanatics and furries out there, or those who just simply like to wear a tail, and who want just a little bit more cat in their life, Japan is helping you take that next step. A recently demoed prototype, called Shippo, which means tail(original I know), lets you have just that, a tail. Tails in Japan are by no means a big thing. Or even a new thing for that matter. It has actually been decades since people have started wearing a faux fox tail design, whether it is in real fur or fake. One might think that this idea, as many an idea start in Japan, probably started in someones deep slightly perverse mind, and taking it to the next step to draw the very picture of their imaginings; but I think that this fashion and concept pre-date even the first of those people. You see people in Japan have long since believed in a nine tailed fox goddess who can become human. Humans. Foxes. Tails. I think you understand well enough. But this here isn't no ordinary tail you see. This one wags you see. OK, so not that different from any other cat or dog, or manufactured wagging tail. But it is a step up, or at the very least a step toward technology, bringing that old-fashioned fox tail of Japan's anime and idol fan bases into contemporary technological company.
This tail, uses your brainwaves as a mood base and formats your tails oscillation to the same calibration as your mood swings. That sounds much fancier than it is. Basically it wags. It wags on two speeds: slow and not so slow. You brain thinks in different measured than they would have you believe in this product, but essentially, they are playing off the fact that people tend to think more when agitated by some stimulant which transfers to the tail speed. Otherwise if you are placated  your brain speed would be at a rather normal tempo and it would reflect in a slower tail speed. Or if you are dead, it would move not at all. At least in theory. I can't promise you that they have tested that.
You might wonder how it would work. I am sure there must be some sort of headgear involved, since, after all, it is based on your neurotransmissions. I think that might actually be why the people in this commercial are wearing hats. Because they don't want to tarnish their products image by the unsightly headgear you might be wearing. Granted it will have to be on the smallish side to fit under these hats. And one day it might be even more minimal in a similar format of a hairband. Kind of incredible. In addition to the headgear to read your brainwaves, there is also a heart rate monitor that some in ear-size, as in it is an ear clip-on.
So I said it was an app, but what exactly does it do? Well it geo-tags your locations and moods at the times and shares them on your choice social network. Now what exactly does that achieve? I can't exactly tell you. I think I read that they are predicting them to share the locations in hopes of promoting certain locations are relaxing or exciting...but even to me that sounds like a bit of a long stretch. If people want this accessory, it isn't because of its geo-tagging options. It is because they get to wear a tail.