JAPANESE

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& LANGUAGE
LEARNING
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M A N G A J I N

JAPANESE HOTELS: the inns and

BREAKFAST IN AMER1-----

Japanese st

No. 30


by Mark Schilling
Newcomers to Japan often imagine
the ryokan (tr<~l'i. "Japanese inn") as an
earthly paradise where one's every whim
is indulged in an atmosphere of Oriental
grace, refinement and beauty. At this idealized ryokan, guests are greeted at the
door by the smiling staff and escorted to
a room that overlooks a Japanese garden
(until recently a garde n was a legal requirement for classificatio n as a ryokan).
Then after tea and cakes and a very hot
bath, guests are treated to a banque t of
local delicacies. Soothed a nd sated. they
finally drift o ff to sleep in fluffy, fresh
futon, as the cicadas chirp outside.
By now a travel writing cliche, Jhis
experience, o r something close to it, is
still avai lable at better ryokan throughout Japan. lt is sometimes overlooked,
however, that the experience comes at a
price. A one-night stay at a first-class
ryokan, including the banquet, can approach the $ 1,000 mark. A Iso, some of
the more e xclusive ryo kan will nol accommodate a stranger, fore ign or Japanese, without a proper introduction.
Finally, not all of J apan's 80,000
ryokan arc the paradises of the travel
mag azines. Some are crowded with
school or company g ro ups who party
boisterously until the wee ho urs o f the
mo rning. Othe rs are virtually indistinguishable fro m minshuku JX:W, inexpensive, often fa mily-run inns where the facilities are more spartan and the service
less personal than at a first-class ryokan.
(At a minshuku, the maid will usually not
pour your tea or lay out your futon. She
will, however, roust you out of bed at
7:00 in the morning so that she can put
the futon away).
Fortunately, the tradition of hospitality in Japan is still alive at a wide variety of other establishments. Though Ja-

pan has its share of standard-brand in- on their way to battle. They may have
ternational hotels, it offers v isitors a been as hospitable as they arc now, but
range of accommodations and experi- accom modation s were usuall y more
ences that they will find nowhere e lse. functional than fa ncy. Then, early in the
16th century, the Tokugawa Shogunate
Ho w about a night in an Edo-era thatchroofed cottage, a te mple that has been o rdered thecountry 's daimya(};:~. feushe lte ring pil grims since the days or da l lords) to spend alternative years in
Murasaki Shikibu, or a love hotel whose the capital , Edo, under the government's
rooms a rc decorated in the sty le of watchful eye. By keeping 1he daimyo,
Versailles Palace?
along with hundreds o f their re tainers, o n
Japanese inns once welcomed pil- the road for lengthy pe riods of time, the
grims on the ir way to temples, trades- bakufu (liJ;Jff, shoguna l government) unme n on their way to marke t and samurai witting ly g ave rise to a new c lass of

A room In the
first-class
ryoksn Kagaya

Located in the
famous Wa kura
hot springs area
on the Japan
Sea side of
Hons hu, the
Kaga ya has
been host to the
Showa Emperor
and Empress.

A room In
a typical
minshuku

The Hamayu is a
small minshuku
o n the lzu Peninsula; not as luxurious as the
Kagaya (above),
but much more
affordable.

legal requirement= itW: "t')it &? Gh t.; .11: ~:IR{!f: hiirit.fu de sadamerareta hitsuyo jclken travel writing cliche= hiHr~ iAJ Q)'ii\':fr 1n) ryokii annai no jiitoku
without proper irttroduction = (~ll~h.~ 'f.t t(J)) L. i)> 1.> -"' ~ *1:l fr-t:t ( (najimi kyakunado no) .1/Jikarubeki sh6kai naku boisterously=; 4 L. ( sozoshiku
1 wee hours (of the morning)= IJl.(i)j socho thatch-roofed= :b G~ ~ J.t,fRQ) warabuki yane 110 pilgrims = :i!HL:lf junreislw retainers=** kerai

10

MANGAJIN

F e a t u r e S t o r

luxury inn. called honjin ~MI. which

evolved to accommodate the lords and
their closest retainers. Lower-ranking retainers stayed in what were called wakihonjin ("side-honjin"), more like the inns
that catered to regular travelers.
When the Tokugawa -enforced
policy of national isolation ended and
Western visitors began arriving in the
1850s, inns had l ong been providing
high-class service to well-heeled travelers. But foreigners had needs that Japanese-style inns could not easily satisfy
(few, for example, could provide a roast
beef dinner, after-dinner brandy or decent billiards table).
The first Western-style hotel o r
hoteru 7 Jlt, as they are called in Japanese, was the Edo, a I 02-room hotel built
in Tsukiji, Tokyo in 1868. The bestknown is probably the Imperial Hotel,
which was opened in 1890 as a government-sponsored hotel for forei gn dignitaries and rebui lt in 1923 by Frank Lloyd
Wright, just in time to survi ve the Great
Kanto Earthquake. Wright's Imperial did
not survi vc progress, however; in I 968
it was removed to make way for the current structure.
There are now nearly 400 Westernstyle hotels in Tokyo alone and 1,000 nationwide. Several. including the Imperial
and Hotel Okura, are truly world cl ass,
and the rooms resemble their counterparts in Paris or New York. Japanese
traveling on business apparently favor
Western-style lodgings and as a result,
in downtown Tokyo and other major
commercial centers, it is difficult to find

Capsules In a
capsule hotel
The capsule
hotel provides
a cocoon-like
space for late
night revelers
who missed
the last train
home, or tired
salarymen who
need a short
snooze during
the day.
Photo courtesy of Kiyosuku In (-'\' 3 :7. ~ 1 / ), Tokyo.

deluxe Japanese-style inns.

But for foreigners whose currencies
have been plunging against the yen, the
price o f W estern -style luxury comes
high. At the Hotel Okura, where Bill and
Hillary Clinton stayed during this year's
Tokyo Summit, singles start at 28,000
and a night in the Presidential Suite costs
a deJicit-ballooning 350,000. The President.ial Suite. however. is outranked by
the Imperial Suite, which requires a royal
outlay of500,000.
Hit by endaka (I"J (.lj, "high yen"),
hotel room occupancy rate have fallen
about I 0 percent compared with 1992.
Also, the percentage of foreign guests is
declining. " About 10 years ago, nearly
80 percent of our guests were foreign,"
said a spokeswoman for the Imperial
H otel. "Now it is closer to 50 percent."
T o Jure guests back, hotels are reducing

room rates and offering special package

deals. But even with breakfast thrown in,
a single room under the Okura's Business Plan costs 33,000 ($3 17).
The budget-minded and the adventurous need not despair, however. Japan
offers a wide variety of relativel y lowpriced accommodations. Among the most
common are:

Business Hotels ( ~ :J ~,;;., 7

Jv, bijine.w hoteru). These are no-fri lis
hotel s for the business traveler. The
rooms arc often broom-closet smaJJ, the
walls paper-thin and, instead of ringing
for room service, the guest explores the
contents of the tiny fridge or pads down
the hall to the vending machine. Business hotels are cheap (about 5,000 for a
single room) and are readi ly available
(you usually don' t have worry about getting turned down for a room because of

A room in a "love hotel" (photo and verse from promotional brochure

of the Aine Hotel ). Other rooms feature names such as "Jimmy Detective Office," "Sago Sago," "Lady White
Story," "Wa Ha Ha," and "Sugar Sugar."
The verse reads:
Hoshi-tachi 110 sasayaki ga
kikoete-kuru ko11na hi wa. sekai-jil
no yozora o kimi ni agetai ...

~).IO)~~t'~t.J~

OOZ:X.c <QZ:fvfJ:E31~
tt!WctJO)~gg~ ~~;:~!1t.:L

, ...

"On a day like this when you can

hear the whispering of the stars, I
want to give you the night skies
from all over the world ...

well-heeled = 'IIHUl t.t. yiifuku-na foreign dignitaries= jj.~O)i&lf.f~'H flllikokuno seifu kokan plunging against the yen= fi1 ~.: H l.. "( fllli1r!i;I;{Ti7? L..l
-:- ~' J.> en ni raishite kachi ga geraku shiteiru deficit-ballooning $+a- ijl J.:. ~ -tt akaji o zifdai sauru budget-minded =*I~ 7Jl)(. 1.: f.t J., (b*ff
___.!_ keihi !Ill ki ni naru (ryoki5slw) no-frills =#<7} t.t. "t- ~.A 0) f.t ~' yobwz.~w sl!bisu no nai Cllplores =~~-9 J.> ~ J.> tanken surul.wgum

MANGAJIN

11

F e a t u r e

_Haiku Translated
in the MANGAJIN Style
300 Poems by Seishi Yamaguchi,
Japan's Master of Modern Haiku
TJuS is rhe-fjrsr kcrgescale rranslarion of mooem Japanese haik11 w be
published outside )afxm.
13reaking free from
cenwries of fx>erry limited w nature chemes,
Seishi has moderni~ed
haiku while at the same
rime retaining the elegant
beaury of che cla.~sccs.

MODERN
HAIKU

l~

f:

h 1NJM J.,"'-~ .,.W \NT.J H \t,ull

i~ ,_~2:iiiiiill!!
f~

:f

Translated by Kodaira ~~
Takashi and Alfred H. ~
Mtcrks_, The Essence of ~
t
Modern Haiku is both
a practical learning exfx'rience a.s urell as an ~
artistic mileswne,
- --

For Poetry lovers and

students ofJapanese alike:
fl.l.IJ t

T.suttl yonmo

.t!HIR.<; B.lllo8!
IJir.QOiOOII

"j' Seisltl's origlnalfapnnese

HIIICf'IOU

High~r lhan

tilt moon,

tht .,.,hiu .sw.ron t:onsttllotJo"

f/ylng thrD t h th< sky.

Romaji transliteration

--+ E11glislt lm11slatioll

mttimainins tltrfunciSf' 5-l.'i

.1)'1/llble pattem <1[ tltr ori,~inul

-...... ..,._...""'.._.._.....,...,
_.. _

(_...... 1_

tllt_......,_ .......... .... ...,.,.... ... tllt,_..-..eo

- - - - - - " ' " - - ..-... ""-f ........

Seislti's ow11 110tes

fiUt''''

/trip rftttlers 5rf /tQII' II

is
cunl trlttiNI, enabliug the 11Spirl11g

I lwik11 writer to Sl'l' hull' 11 111odem

mrt5tt'r creates.

Available from Mangajln-362 pages: $24.95 Hardcover/ $19.95 Paperback

3000 in Japan. Call 1-800-552-3206 in the U.S.
or 03-3479-4434 in Japan.

12

Coli to order your copy today!

M ANGAJIN

an upcoming summit or cardiologists' convention).

Capsule Hotels ( 1J -t-t Jv 7 Jv, kapuseru horeru ):
The target of much tongue-in-cheek forei gn media coverage,
capsule horels offer drunk or late-working salarymen a place to
crash until the morning trains start running. They supply the
usual amenities, including TV , yukata (cotton "bathrobe") and
toothbrush, with a "capsule" that is the immobile equivalent of
a sleeper berth. The lack of privacy, security and sound-proofing may be drawbacks (there is no barrier between you and the
snoring of your sodden neighbor in the next capsule), but some
regulars develop a sense of camaraderie (perhaps they arc nostalgic for dorm life). Often found near amusemcnr districts, capsule ho tels rates arc somewhat lower than husiness hotel rates.
Some o ffer special mid-day rates for stressed-out businessmen
in need of a snooze.
Love Hotels ( 7 7 7 Jv, rabu horeru): The hot bed
hote ls of lubricous legend, these arc also found in or near amusement districts. The rates, and often pictures of the rooms, are
displayed out front, making it easy to comparison shop (a lighted
picture indicates that the room is available). Also, the hote ls
arc di crcet: money and room keys arc usually passed through
a slot that e liminates the chance o f eye contact between staff
and guests. Given current mores, however, this discretion is
becoming unnecessary; some yo ung couples come as double
dates and chatter away with each other while waiting their turn.
The fancier hotels go in for "theme" design (Cindere lla
Castle exteriors, Po lynesian village decor in the rooms), but
nearly all suppl y t.he basics: music console, bedside condoms,
porn on the tube. Two-hour rates vary, de pending on the quality and type o f accommodations (S&M equipment or revolving
beds tend to cost more), but average about 4,000 to 6.000.
All-night rates are not much higher, making love hotels an option for the sing le budget traveler who is e ither desperate or in
the mood for something different.
Minshuku (.h\!:~ii): As mentioned above, minshuku are
considered a step down from ryokan. The orig inal minshuku
were private homes that provided lodging and meals tO travele rs-something l ike " bed and breakfast" accommodations.
Now, they arc more likely to be simply small, inexpensive
ryokan. Self-service is the ru le and the menu can be monotono us (after seeing the same rubbery takuan pickle, raw egg and
burnt fish morning after morning, some minshuku regulars have
been known to c ry at the thought of an Egg Mc Muffin). At the
better o nes, however, the service is friendly, the food exce llent
and the accommodations more than adequate. At some you can
become part of the family. sipping sake around the kotatsu
with the master and getting an earful of local lore. Minshuku
can be found in nearly a ll tourist areas. Like ryokan, some are
reluctant to accommodate fore ign travelers, not because they
are in any way exclusive, but because they are conce rned about
language and behavior problems (soaping up in the bath, walking across the tatami in bathroom slippers). Four hundred or so

JOO PoemA by Seishl YaorWJiuchl

r....... J

S t o r y

r=-;;-ardiologists' con vention

{!iH~~ q)'f:4?< .1/tinzobytJi no gakkai
tongue-in-check foreign media cnvcrage &: iJ:Jf..: ~~ 11fq) --7 :A ::1 ,>. q),fK
i!! lriniku-na gaikoku no masukomi no lrodii sleeper bert h= (R[)~ylj ~i.q))
~a (fime ya resslra no) shindai camaraderie= II IHJ.fi:~iiU/.zti'i nakama
isltikilyfljO lubricious legend
f) It '-It-? t.: f_i;;;il. waiset.mna de11S1!/su
discreet=C1' 7 11\:/ - "-..(I))Jl!~!lltl.ltv;)> !!< C: C:'l.' -:> ""Co'l.> (pttraiba.~ltii
e 110) hniryo 110 yukitod_oiue-im go in for;;;; - ~ Jt{ IJ )d1. 7.> - o IOriirertt local lore= :11l!.;t.: C1) ilfijimoro 110 hanashi

I -- -

-- -

-- -

------ - - - - -

F e a t u r e S t o r

unreluctant ones can be found on a list

compiled by the Japan Minshuk u Center
(8 1-3-321 8-6558). Rates per person, including a Japanese-style breakfast and
dinner, average about 5,000.
Pensions (~ / Y a / . Penshon): These might be described as Westernized minshuku . Found around ski
slopes and other sporty resort areas. pensions are often run by urban escapees
who try to provide their guests with a
friendly, but trendier and more Westernized experience than th e typical
minshuku. The arc hitecture muy be terminally c utesy Swiss c ha le t, but the
food--often Western cuis ine using local
ingredients with a pe rsonal flair-<:an be
excelle nt and the jazz sounds coming
over the Bose speakers, o f concert hall
quality. Also, there is often more to do
at pensions than soak in the tub; biking,
hiking, tennis and skiing are some of the
usual o ptions. Average per person rates
arc s lightly higher than for minshuku.
cutesy = ;/) ~?I.'&;

Youth Hostels (..::z_ - .A;t-.A-T

ill, yiisu hosuteru): With their mandatory
meetings, institutional food , early lights
out and separate sleeping quarters for the
sexes, including married c;ouples, youth
hostels were once places to experience
the worst of the Japanese "group spirit.''
ln recent years, faced with a steady drop
in visitors, some hostels from hell have

relaxed rules and improved service. Even

so, the atmosphe re at many is sti ll reminiscent o f a YMCA camp o r Salvation
Army flop. The main virtue of the hostels remains price- about 2,000 per person- a nd the opportunity to meet young
Japanese (you can begin by trading hostel stories).
(confilllled on page 53)

Pension
Silverstone,

in fashionable
Karuizawa, features
a European exterior
and mostly Westernstyle rooms. The
wheels hanging outside reflect the
owner's interest in
motorcycles.

L.. I. kawairas!Jii Bose speaker = l! - Xtl:l\ltQ) A t"- tJ - bO~u.tlwsei 110 supiikii mandatory meeting;. = ~1JU;/)f~rtliliiJ t5 tl.t.; ~ T 1 /' '/ sankago J.ylJsPi sorera miiringu institutional food = '{: ft 1'1'~ 1j: ft J!f. gokushoku-reki I Ill ,<hokuji hostels from hell = ttl! Ml: ;/) C,
t.; J: .1) 1j: (f!li 1!1) "("
-It - t" A ll) ..'fF.~ ) .:J..- A * A T 11.- }ifloku kam kim y/1-na (ki11amf'le sll'bisuno warzli) yl7su hosureru rem in is~ent of= - ~ !ill:t!..l ~it .0 ' o rensa saseru

MANGAJIN

1 3

BREAKFAST
IN AMERICA
Some American hotels make an
effort, but a Japanese-style breakfast is more than just fish and rice.
Even those people with the most adventuresome tastes can find exotic meals
difficult to stomach early in the day.
That's why breakfast often becomes the
focus of c ulinary "homesickness" when
traveling overseas. Since fammar foods
on a hotel restaurant menu can make foreign visitors feel at home in their temporary surroundings, it's not surprising that
so many American hotels now offer a
special breakfast menu for their Japanese
guests. Unfortunately, these good intentions do not always y ield the sought-after result.
At the heart (or should I say, stomach?) of the matter is the issue of familiarity. In o rder for the food to be comforting to the culture-shocked, jet-lagged
visitor, it must first be recognized as familiar: in other words, authentic. And, the
food mu t be appealing: in others word ,
appropriate, which is not the same thing
as elaborate o r fancy. This may sound
obvious, but it's difficult to do. First, you
must choose the right foods to serve.
Then the taste, texture and temperature
of the food must be what your foreign
guests are accustomed to having in their
own country. In addition, the way in
which you present each dis h, the sequence in whkh you serve the courses,
and the way in which you set the table
must also follow the dictates of their culture, not yours.
The complex et of rules governing

"correct" American eating habits may

seem less enigmatic than those rules regarding Japanese cuisine, but that' s only
because, as Americans, we share certain
presumptions about our food. For example, we ex pect pumpkin pie on a
Thanksgiving menu, but on the Fourth
of July we think a n apple or blueberry
pie would be a more patriotic cho ice.
And, of course, we expect pie of any kind
to be served for dessert, at the end of the
meal. All Americans expect the table to
be set with forks to the left, and spoons
and knives to the right of the main plate.
Indeed, we would find it very disconcerting to have these positions reversed or
otherwise tampered with.
Because these, and myriad other,
" rules" concerning mealtime are part of
our own upbring ing and daily experience,
we tend to assume that they are self-evident to everyone. But culinary habits are
a product of culture in the same way that
dress. speech, and mannerisms are; they
are learned behaviors with their own intrinsic, often intricate, logic. So, in order to provide a suitable Japanese menu
in an American hotel setting, Japanese
mealtime "rule "must be understood and
accommodated.
Often, problems begin with choosing the wrong food to serve. Although
it's true that most Americans like hot
dogs and ice c ream, I've never seen a
breakfast menu in the United States with

by

Elizabeth Andoh

either item o n it. Choo ing popular foods,

per se, is not always the best answer. So,
what do most Japanese eat for breakfast?
There are several prototypes: the traditional morning meal, with its mise-flavored soup, steamed rice, and pickles; the
more contemporary version, with thick,
pureed vegetable soup (potage), buttered
toast, and tossed g reen salad; and a newly
popular urban coffee shop menu, appropriately called "Morning Service," usually consisting of buttered toast, ha rd
boiled egg, and coffee or tea. This last
type is the Japanese equivalent of a continental breakfast.
Comparing these Japanese prototypes to typical American breakfast patterns, there are several striking d ifferences. One such difference is that savory
flavors predominate over sweet in the
J apanese morning meal. Although
Americans regularly eat sugar-coated
cereals, sweet rolls, do ughnuts, and muffins in the morning, Japanese prefer salty
and sour foods such as crisp heets of
pressed seaweed and pickled plums for
breakfast. While American breakfasts
tend to favor fruit-orange juice, and
!iced bananas or berries on cerealJapanese breakfast menus feature savo ry
marine and terrestrial vegetables.
Another notable difference is the
importance of soup to a Japanese meal,
even (or especially) at breakfast time.
While Americans might welcome a corn

enigmatic= ::f11.:1l/-1~0Tfl! fushi&J!fukakai presumption = iliHJt zemei tamper wi th = }f. t!. I) ~=~!!IT 1.> midari ni henkO Sllrll intrinsic =
koyii no intricate= .:. }f. I!' ':) t.:tfll.;i ~ komi-iualfukuwtsu-na per sc = -t" ft. I':! if sore jiwi pureed vegetable = !.i:~~;:: L.. L.. t:. ff~ nire
uragoslri shiro yasai sa vory = tjiP,;f;(J) t: ~' t:./tt ( ~ ~' slrio-aji 110 kiira/amakunai terrestrial vegetable = ~1;:(J)ff ~ rikusei no yasai

14

MANGAJtN

rm14 (})

Tast e ofCul t ur e

chowder or thick potato soup at mid or

late day, most would think it strange to
have first thing in the morning. To the
J apanese, however, who expect every
complete meal to include soup, it is entirely logical , and highly satisfying, to
have a hearty vegetable soup or miso-flavored broth at daybreak.
Rice is the staple grain in the traditional Japanese diet, and many modern
househo lds still eat rice three times a day,
However, the number o f Japane e who
regula rl y eat bread instead of rice is
steadily growing. When bread replaces
rice o n the breakfast menu, it is usually
in the fo rm o f thick (half inch or more)
slices o f toast made from what the Japanese call shokupan (f,tl ~ /), a kind of
white, pullman loaf. In Japan, a single
portion usually consists of one s lice of
toast cut in half in a rather distinctive
manner (creating two pieces that are neither triangles nor rectangles, but unusual
trapezoids instead ; see the illustration on
the following page).
Knowing what to serve is important,
of course, but so is knowing how to erve
it. "Comfort food" can reassure the visitor from abroad only when it is immediate ly familiar, a nd that means it has to
look rig ht, too. Take the example of the
toast mentio ned above: The thickness o f
the bread, the sla nt at which it is cut, and
the angle at which it is arranged on the
plate all contribute to the sense of famil iarity Japanese will fee l when the order
o f toast is brought to their table.
But appearances extend well beyond
how food is placed on a plate. The cho ice
of garnishes, the selection of tableware,
and the way in which the table is set,
impa rt an important cultural context for
the meal. Imag ine the unsettling effect
of a Christmas color scheme in mid-summer, or an American flag motif decorating a Halloween party table. Think about
pecan pie served as an appetizer instead
of dessert, coffee being served in soup
bowls and "eaten" with a spoon, or a
do llop of whipped cream garnishing a
plate of spanish olives and dill pickles.
Pretty strange, eh? No more so than a
washoku breakfast menu I was rece ntly
served at a prominent New York hotel.

Can you
find 10
mistakes
in this
"Japanese
breakfast"?
(answers on
page 17)

On the mo rning in questio n, my

Japanese guest and I were served the follo wing mea l: In a shallow, wide soup
bo wl , wakame (b1N6, a sea vegetable
often used in Japane e soups and salads)
drifted in a muddy broth (obviously,
something went wrong with the miso and
I suspect the cubes of tofu and chopped
scallions were forgotte n a t the las t
minute); this soup course was served
first. Next came a large, round dinner
plate. On it lay a mo und of long-grain
rice, molded by an ice cream scooper,
next to an enormous portion of grilled
salmo n garnished with strips o f yellow
squash that had been sauteed in olive oil.
Fresh strawberries and grapes shared a
bread-and-butter plate with pickled eggplant (shiba-zuke) and radish (takuan).
A green tea bag dangled from an American coffee cup into which hot water had
been po ured. When you add to this bizarre assortment and procession of foods
the fact that the table was set incorrec tly
(by Japanese standards, that is), the result has to be massive culinary confusion
for a nyone brough t up in a J apanese
household. It was certainly a bewildering s ight fo r my guest !
The problem is usually twofold: trying too hard, and working in a c ultural
vacuum. In reality, the simplest menu is
often the best. After all, think how wei-

come a make -it-yourself peanut butter

and jelly andwich would be to an American traveler abroad who had eaten nothing but exotic local delicacies for severa l weeks. American notions of ho pitality are such that opportunities to "doit-yourself' are o ften more appreciated
than the fawning attention of hotel staff
(not so for the Japanese, who generally
feel that as guests they should be served
by their hosts -in this case, the staff of
the hotel).
Although consultants like myself
and other professionals in the food -service and hospita lity industry are occasionally called upon by restaurants and
hotels in the United States to develop
menus, and train their staff to prepare and
serve them, most establishments embark
upon Japanese breakfast service in a more
casual way. Often, some respected Japanese bus iness or community leader is
asked to advise the local ho tel's executive c hef. Suc h was the case at the
Cincinnatian Hotel, where Don La ny i,
Director o f Food a nd Beverage, d escribed to me the valuable assistance of
Dr. Tanaka Kinji o f the Japan Research
Cente r in Cincinnati. This type of partnership works to everyone's advantage
when the informant, typically a Japanese
with no specific tra ining in the culinary
arts, is ac utely aware of, and can easily

hearty (vegetable soup)= # ') .:L- J...ti;%!.'*-1!) ~ ~ ljiJ~I!) .7. - 7 boryl7mu/eiyo 110 ant yasai 110 st7pu trapezoid= h~ daikei slant = MN keisha
garnish = -:::>It -3- :b-tt tsuke awase scall ion = :bIt fl!-11 t.l. tf wakegilnaganegi procession = .fi7"1J gylJretsu was bewildered = ~ ~ 1.- t:. /Oivaku shita
delicacies ;;; J3 II' 1.- II' !j;J / .$~ oishii monolchinmi fawning = .: T.!"--:::>I? 1 kobihersurau embark upon = lf@ ~ l:l:li" noridasu

M ANGAJIN

15

Ta s teofCu l ture
--------------~-------------------

articulate, the cultural details associated with Japanese meals.

Another popular approach taken by many American resorts and hotels is to train their staff by video. One commercially successful venture, Chef-San, has sold its videotapes to
a long list of American institutions including Disneyland Ho-

tels and Holiday Inn. Ms. Romi Adachi, President of Chef-San

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America. So distressed, in fact, that with the purchase of her
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intervicw,just because feedback from Japanese guests is difficult to obtain and interpret does n't mean they haven't formed
strong impressions and opinions that can affect your business.
Unlike American customers who readily, and promptly, share
their dissatisfaction with hotel or restaurant management, most
Japanese guests will not make a fuss when omething goes
wrong. When confronted, most Japanese will typically murmur some noncommittal statement. But among themselves, the
Japanese will talk, and often stop patronizing the establishment
in question.
The mistakes in the breakfast on page 15 are listed on the
facing page, along with orne general tips about serving a Japanese breakfast.

Correspondence to: Eli:.abeth Andoh, c/o M ANGAJIN,

PO Box 7119, Marietla, GA 30065-1119
The " morning service" is an alternative Japanese
breakfast that may be easier for American food-service people to handle.

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make a fuss= ? .0 ~ ( .it1J ~ ET? umsakumonku o iu murmur= "?

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atari sawari no nai koto
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M A N GAJIN

a tflKL:-mruk o(

T ast e o f C ul ture

Mistakes in the " Japanese breakfast" on page 15

(not necessarily in order of offensiveness).
1. Scoops of rice on plate. Rice should be served in a

tached, it should be pointed to the left.

separate bowl, gently mounded (not ice-cream scooped).

Serve extra rice from the kitche n as needed, or provide a
lidded rice "tub" on the table.
2. Chopsticks facing the wrong direction. Points
should face left, and they should be aligned and parallel.
If disposable woode n chopsticks in a paper sheath are
used, a chopstick rest is not needed.
3. Whole block of tofu in miso soup. Tofu in soup
should be cut into cubes approximately 1/4" square.
Wakame (seaweed) in the soup should be c ut to I "
lengths.
4. Fours are forbidden. The number four is bad luck
and should always be avoided. Here the rule is violated
twice, with the banana slices and the squash.
5. Inappropriate utensils. A Japanese breakfast requires Japanese-style utensils. Miso soup should be
served in a rimless bowl with a lid-no under-plate or
spoon needed. Rice should be in a rice bowl, tea in teacup
with no handle, with separate small dishes or bowls for
everything else.
6. Fish is grossly oversized. A smaller piece would
be more appropriate for breakfast. If the head is still at-

7. Tea bag in coffee cup. Ocha should be served in

teapot, then poured into Japanese-style teacup (no handle)
with no saucer.

8. There is no yaki-nori (seaweed) or soy sauce.

These are essentials for the rice-based breakfast. Yakinori should be served in a separate box or small, flat plate.
Soy sauce should be in a small, slender pourer (shoyu
sashi).

9. Pickles (takuan) should be sliced into half-moon

shapes and should not be o n the same plate with liced banana. This is a tricky one since the takuan looks like
peach in the photo.
10. Placement of dishes is wrong. Soup should be
on lower right; rice (in separate bowl) should be on lower
left.
Other points:
An authentic Japanese breakfast would probably be
served on a tray.
Japanese breakfasters would probably consider both the
bananas and the squash to be odd breakfast choices.
There is a lac k of variety in colo r. A good Japanese
meal ac hieves a pleasing array of color and texture.

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Fax: 03-5228-0324

M ANGAJIN

17

LEARNING TO GO TO
SCHOOL IN JAPAN
The Transition from Home
to Preschool life
Lois Peak. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991 .
224 pages, $32.00 (hardcover).
reviewed by Christopher Perri us

Japanese society is often described as

group-centered, but how do J a pane e learn
to get along in the group? By looking at the
Japane e child's first encounter with
sluldan seikatsu (~f'Il~m . "group life"),
Lois Peak sheds considerable light on this
que tion. Through several months of observations at a Buddhist preschool in
agano and shorter observations at prechools in Nagano and Tokyo, interviews
with teachers and parents, and reviews of
both Japanese and US literature on the
ubject. she shows how Japanese children
make the transition from an "indulgent"
home life to an obedient school life.
Peak quickly refutes several stereotype of the "exam hell" variety before
moving on to the larger misconception that home training prepares the child for
good school behavior. In fact, the uchi,
c in ide." or " home") where the child can
indulge in amae, or childishly dependent
behavior, is in constant tension with the
soto. ("outside"), where properly disciplined group behavior is expected. Unlike
mo t US parents, Japanese mothers do not
feel responsible for training their children
by requiring polite behavior at home; this
training is undertaken by the schools. A
revealing explication of this extremely
ophisticated training process in the preschool is the achievement of this book.
The family is not slu7dan seikatsu,
although we conceive of it as a "group" in
English. In the home (the uchi), amae is
expected. There is no fear that"indulging''
the child at home will make him or her
poi led outside the home. A lot of a mae at
home is thought to be a good thing, if not

the whole point of the home. Jt is consciously considered to be an outlet for the
frustrations of children and husbands who
return from their stre sful schools and
offices and demand to be served. However, amae is not at all acceptable in group
life. The goal of the preschool training,

~NINGTO.

IN JAT~tfHQOl

, I f SCHOOL

l If E

lois Peak
then, is to get the children to understand
the distinction between the two spheres.
The acti vities of the preschool are
themselves grounded on a similar kind of
stress/release tension. Again and again in
the schools' statements of goals, in the
words of the teachers, and in their trade
magazines, it is asserted that the primary
activity of the preschool is asobi (mV"

"play"). And do they play! Children like

my younger brother, who was asked to
leave his (US) preschool and "try again
next year" because he liked to run o n the
tables, are praised for their genki-ness.
Screaming, dancing on tables, berserk
games of tag are all accepted as normal,
and teachers cheerfully raise their voices
just above the din. They rarely direct the
play, but subtle guidance does go on; for
example, schools are often deliberately
hort of toys so students wi II have to share,
negotiate, and interact more. But interspersed bet ween these periods of uninhibited play are formal rituals marking the
transitions from one activity to another.
These rituals are like those that mark
transitions all through the life of a Japane c. For each of these ritual situations,
and every other group activity, such a
changing clothes or arranging de k for
meals, the teacher emphasizes that there is
only one right way, and the ability to
master these kata
"set form/style")
comprises much of the formal education.
Slight attention is given to counting or
reading and writing. Managing the threeyear-aids' transition from boisterous play
to sitting with hands folded quietly and
reciting "itadakinwsu" in uni on before a
meal requires considerable skill from the
teachers, the unfailingly cheerful and insightful heroes of this book.
Japanese preschool teachers, 99 percent young, junior-college educated
women, strive to inculcate a group awareness in students rather than obedience to
the teacher as an authority figure. It is a
common sense notion of Japanese pop
p ychology that the child has to want to
behave properly, or efforts at discipline
will be futi le. Peak explores the various,
mainly unconscious techniques that Japane e teachers use to minimize the need for
direct discipline. One great difference here
between the more authoritarian US style is
that "good" behavior in Japanese schools
is consistently referred to as jozu (J:. 'F,
"skillful"). T he " bad" child is one who just
hasn't mastered the skill yet, so even if he
c learly won't, the teachers always say he
can't. The child "behaves" so as not to be
considered "unable" to do the ta k.
The "problem child" (mondai-ji r:.~~
~~) in the Japanese preschool, then, is one
who doesn't take part in group activities,
or relics too much on the teacher. When

cru.

s"'!It'. ""'"'""'!'i,.r""'-""''; . "''"

hod ""';dm~loligh< = ~ "!'IIIJ H ,.,, .,,..;,.,,; ""' ;,,,,,,,~ = It'(>

= &10! T ~ """'"'" '"'"
cxpllcallon Wfi!IJ ka1111e1 berserk !;U/;J.t./)1{. ? t1~' ranbo-nalarappo' d111 B: ot _, i)f ~ i)f ~ lr: ~' soon ga,ragaya asobu-goe roiUals I~
;:\tl~;:\1t l... t:. B ~ gisloikil[lisloikika shita nikko bois1erous = ~ l... \,' lo~oshii inculca1e =.X .;(. .ib (, oshiekomu

--------------------

18

M ANGAJIN

Book R eview

she asked about children who genuinely

prefer quiet, solitary pursuits, Peak was
told that such children don't exist, they
just " don't yet understand the fun of being
together with others." Independence (jishu
E ) and self-reliance (jiritsu JL) are
paradoxically listed in the statements of
goals of most preschools as well as the
Monbush5's official list. They do not signify autonomy or doing your own thing;
rather, as the opposite of amae, they mean
taking responsibility as a member of the
group, not letting the group down. The
teacher will make everyone wait until all
the students arrange their lunch boxes correctly-the delay is presented as a conseque nce of students' inabilities, not of the
teacher's will. With authority subtly transferred to the group which also consists of
one's close playmates, Japanese children
(and adults) who resist the norm find themselves surrounded by "an army offriendly
shadows," an image that recalls Abe
Kobo's play, Tomodachi.
In line with the definition of "good"

(jozu), even the child who hits other children is not punished; in fact, his behavior is
often ignored. Fig hts are tolerated as a way
to learn social skills, and are often made a
part of class discussion sometime later.
Peak provides many compel!ing fie ld notes,
and one especially memorable one illustrated her somewhat shocked realization
that the child she thought was "bullying"
her with constant kicks was in fact inviting
her to play in his clumsy way. The teacher,
who had not disciplined the kicker, had
thought that the one with the behavioral
problem was Peak for rudely not responding! When she did respond by chasing him,
the kicking stopped.
Finally, I found myself wanting to
know more about the mothers. In the equations of performance outside and amae at
ho me, she gets to play only one part. And
while the schools encourage mothers' participation (by joining the PTA, regularly
meeting with teachers, etc.), in practical
terms this often translates into a lot of
careful preparation of supplies and lunch

boxes which "when the child removes the

lid ... his mother's love and feeling for him
should pop out" (advice of Tokyo Preschool Director). Unfortunately, the mothers are reluctant to voice concerns, even
when it is their child who is being hit daily,
and they are not really encouraged to.
Dialogue between parents and teachers is
kept at a superficial level, and the feeling
seems to be clearly one of"leave it to us."
ljime (v' t ~. " bullying") can be a very
serious problem in later years, but mothers
seem to learn to stay out of "school matters" in these early years. It's a problem
that asks for less newspaper sensationalism and more investigation of the kind
Peak has carried out.
Scholarly yet wriuen in smooth and
often entertaining prose, the insights provided by this arresting book will intrigue
not only educators and parents, but all
students of Japan.
Christopher Perrius is a free-lance writer/
translator now living in North Carol ina

signify = ftll4Ct" 7.> imi suru autonomy = Fl tit jirifSII compelling = ?1 1-1 ':filii"" 7../i:J: I..J 1ti' 1: i> ;?'~ v' clulmoku ni arai surulchiimoku sezu 11i
okanai bully = 1.- ' l:. 16 .0 ijimeru in the equations of= - Q)~~n 1: i> 1.-' "( -no roshiki ni oire superficial = i<iliii'l(J~ ilyihnemeki-na

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MANGAJ IN

19

BABEL Translation Contest Winners

The results of the Third BABEL Inte rnational Japanese/English Translation Award from issue #25 are in. Over 400 people
vied for one first, one second, and five runner-up positions. The
grand prize goes to Akiko Shimada, of West Hurley, New York.
Below is the original Japanese essay and Akiko's winning En-

glish translation. On the following page are the judge's comments

and the complete list of prize winners. We at MANGAJtN thank all
of those who entered and congratulate the winners. We also
encourage those who didn ' t win to study the judge's comme nts
and keep honing their translation skills.
Q) A Full-Time Hou e Husband

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24

.fl...li fl2i ~ 1.1' GT.tt~ l -r 1t' 7.:> o

M ANGAJIN

by Yoko Mure from Machikado Kobashiri Nikki (Mainichi

Shimbun)

The other day I was talking with an energetic businessman who had j ust turned thirty. "I don' t feel like working any
more," he told me. I understand that a man from this age to
forty is pressed to work very hard at his job. While taking care
of younger subordinates who have not yet learned their jobs
very well, he has to put up with his boss's demands one after
the other. The bos will ay "you are still young," and order
him off on a one-day business trip to some remote area. When
he does manage to complete a difficult task, the company will
lead him on with promises of promotional oppo rtunities
waved in front of his nose. He says he has become fed up with
such an environment.

His ultimate wish is to quit working and become a fulltime house husband. He e nvies the female workers who leave
his office to get married. "it's not fair that only women are
congratulated for leaving the office for married life," he said
angrily. After all, according to him, he keeps his room clean
and cooks for himself. He also sews and irons his own clothes.
No wonder he always looks so neat.
@
" I am also good at machine sewing and stitching up the
bottoms of my trousers. I can even do French embroidery," he
boasts convincingly. He believes he is far more skilled at
housekeeping than the spoiled young women who cannot do
anything without their parent and he ambitiously looks
forward to the challenge of raising children. The problem,
however, is that he cannot find a mate. Most women are
financ ially dependent o n men and, even though they spe nd
most of their salary on clothing and traveling abroad, once
they get married they think living expenses should be covered
by their husbands' earnings.
@
" Nobody would be interested in marrying me." he says
with a sigh and some people have actually criticized him for
not having a manly attitude. I do nt know when his wish to be
a full-time house husband will come true, but I like to picture
him bashfully flushed with happiness as he receives flowers
from his colleagues on his last day o f work. Privately, 1 am
praying for his success in becomjng the first man who honorably leaves his job for the married life.

Judge~

Comments:

The art of translation forces the translator

to d raw on every facet of his or her knowledge of two languages. Grammar and vocabulary are imponant, but so are style and
tone, qualities that are elusive and less
easily quantifiable. The Babel International
Translation Award challenges would-be
translators to how more than a grasp of the
basics of translation from Japanese to English; the judges look for sophistication
and skiU in converting the tone of the
original into the target language.
This year's essay fortranslation, Mure
Yoko's "Sengyo shufu" (Househu band),
drew over 400 entries from all over the
United States and Japan. The winning entry, which appears on the preceding page,
was judged to be the most successful of this
large group of submissions in handling the
difficulties, both grammatical and stylistic, that this e ay posed. We congratulate
the Ist place winner and runners-up for
their fine accomplishment, and we encourage others to persevere in their studies. We
look forward to seeing improvement in
next year's entries.
Even the winning translation has imperfections; in the spirit of improvement,
we will discuss them brieny here. The first

First prize winner Akiko Shimada now

works part-time as a liasion between
Japanese and American companies
involved in the fashion industry.

possible improvement might be to the title.

Since "housewife" (and , likewi se,
" househusband") implies full-time engagement in the task, it might be be t to translate
"sengyo shufu" as simply 'hou ehusband.''
The translation reads well and is highly
accurate until the third paragraph, where
we read: " I am also good at machine sewing and stitching up the bottoms of my
trousers." But the original says "skirts and
trousers: Perhaps the translator thought it
odd that a man would have the opportunity
to hem a kin, and decided to eliminate the
word "skirt." but such deletions should be
avoided except when necessary. In addition, the bottom of a tro user leg is usually
called a cuff, so the entence would be
improved by replacing "bottoms" with
"cuffs."
The next problem is in rendering
"tanomoshii" as "boasts convincingly."The
o riginal suggests how the writer of the
essay responds to this list of the man's
accomplishments: that he seems to her to
be reliable and she is convinced of his
suitability as a mate, simply by the persuasiveness of his words. This translation problem affects the next line, which begins " He
believes ... " In fact, it is the writer who is
commenting again on her response to the
man; it is the writer who believe the man
is more skilled than a spoiled young girl,
not the man him elf who believes it.
The e comment aside, the winning
translation hows a subtle and masterful
grasp of the tone of Mure Yoko's essay.
The greate t pitfall in the other attempts
was to inject irony into the writer's attitude
toward her subject; but the original has no
irony. Rather, it is a straightforward and
heartfelt statement about changes the writer
hopes to see in the way women and men
function together in Japan's workaday
world. The winning entry captures the deceptive simplicity of that statement with
considerable subtlety and skill.
Paul Gordon Schalow
Associate Professor of Japanese
Rutgers University

Prize Winners
First Place:
Akiko Shimada
West Hurley, NY

Trip to Japan, $1,000, Brother

2600Q Word Processor, Hardcover copy of The Essence of
Modem Haiku, 1-year subscription to Honyaku no Sekai, Dictionaries, 1-year subscription
to MA!':GAJI , Certificate and
Plaque. Ms. Shimada will be
asked to make a report in English on her trip to japan.

Second Place:
Jon B. Bernard
New York, NY

$700, Brother Fax 600, Softcover

copy of The Essence of Modem
Haiku, 6-month subscription to
Honyaku noSekai, Half-year subscription to M ANGAJIN, Certificate and Plaque.

Honorable Mention:
Fred Harris
Honolulu, HI

Jason G. Karlin
Champaign, IL
Linda M . lau
Honolulu, HI

Steven Myers
Shiraoka, Saitama, japan
Massato Otsuka
NewYork, NY

$200, Brother P-Touch 10 Labeling System. Half-year subscription to MANGAJtN, Certificate and Plaque.
Prize money funded by
Japan Foundation
(!@~~~mE~)

MANGAJIN

25

Sound FX:

Ishii Hisaishi Senshii

J!.- / Jv / Jl-- /

Run run nm
La Ia Ia (sound of humming as he packs his bag)

[i]

Secretar y: -t / -t

li
wa

Sense

SELECTED WORKS
of ISHII HISAICHI

* .:;-

tlJ K&
Jl.- I:
kokyii lrotent de

teacher/master as-for high class hotel

r :IJ /

:1 ;( J t!

''ktmzume"
"canned''

at

-f? l:"t t.lo

da

so desu

ne.

is/will be (hearsay) (colloq.)

" I hear Mr. Hirooka is gQj_ng to be 'canned' in a

luxury hotel." (PL3)
Editor: X.?
r :11 / :1) J ?

\'-

"Kanzume?"

what?/huh? "canned"

"Huh? 'Canned?"' (PL2)

sense is a colloquial abbreviation of sensei, most familiar as the word for
"teacher," but used also as a term of address/reference for other people considered worthy of respect, including doctors, politicians, and writers. As is
often the case in Japanese, the secretary uses sensei in a situation where an
English speaker would generally use a name, ''Mr. Hirooka."
kanzume literally means "packed in a can" (kan = "can," and zume is a suffix form of tswneru, " pack") and usually refers to canned food, but it has the
figurative meaning of a person being "bottled up" in some confined place
like food in cans. When Japanese writers have missed (or are about to miss)
their deadlines, publishers sometimes "can" them inco mmunicado in a hotel
room so they can work undisturbed until the manuscript is finished.
... da so desu indicates she is repeating information she has heard from
someone else, and ne shows she is seeking confirmation of that information.

Editor:

t:t.lv

t!

J:,

~li o

"Hakozume" nan

r~te~J

da

yo,

jit,w wa.

''boxed''

(explan.) is (emph.) actually

"Actuallv. it's (more like) ' boxed."' (PL2)

Secretary: X.?
?
what?lhuh?

" What (do vou mean~?" (PL2)

paralleling kanzume. lwkozume means "packed in a box."
usually jitsuwa (lit. "as for the truth" "actually'') comes at the beginning.

Editor: 7 1t

'IJf o

Yosan

ga.

budget (subj.)

"fr_m sorrv we don't have} the bude:et (for a better hotel.)" (PL unclear)
ti
~!1.)
;6'!
Waslri wa lrako-otoka ka!

Hirooka: b L.
1/me

as-for

box-man

"Am I the Box Man?" (PL2)

Uooer Left: 'JJ 7' -t Jv
Kapusent
capsule

Capsule Hotel
Neie:hbor: ? .0 -tt- -t'o
Umse
w.
noisy

(emph.)

''Be quiet." (PL2)

yosan ga implies yosan ga nai ("not have the budget") as an explanation
for the nature of the accommodations, along with an apology.
in the 1970s, the "existentialist" Japanese author Abe Kobo had a bestseller called Hako-otoko ("The Box Man," available in English) about a
man who li ves with a large cardboard box over his head.
uruse is a slang version of urusai, " noisy." The vowel combination ai
changes to e or ei in certain dialects and masculine slang.
Ishii Hisaichi, All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1991 by Futabasha, Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through Futabasha.

34

M ANGAJIN

Kurai desu ne, Murayama

dark

Ishii Hisaishi Senshu

is,

isn'1 il

Sense.

(name) 1eacher/mas1er

"It's dark, isn't it, Mr. Murayama?" (PL3)

SELECTED WORKS
of ISHII HISAICHI

ft?.f!Jl

Shomei

-:Jftlj:v' lv-<:TiJ'?
tsukenai n desu ka?

lightsllighling (obj.) no11urn on

(explan.-?)

"Don' t you turn your lights on?" (PL3)

sense is a colloquial sensei, here used as a respectful title because
Murayama is an author.
shomei is a more formal word for denki/akari ("light"). Shomei o tsukeru,
like denki o Jsukeru, means "turn on a/the light(s)." Tsukenai is the negative form of tsukeru.

(2]

Murayama: .=f-51:
Temoto

"/J{

~X. n ti i-n -co

J: '-'' o

ga

miereba sore de

yoi.

vicinily of hands (subj.) if can see with that is good/okay

"If I can see the vicinity of my hands, that is enough."

"All I need to see is my hands." (PL2)
Editor: i- I') ~ , i , i- -J -z--t "/J{o
Sorya,

ma.

so

desu

ga.

is

bul

as for 1ha1 well 1ha1 way

"Well that's certainly true, but . . ." (PL3)

temoto refers to a fairly limited area " by one's hands/at one's fingertips" or
" within easy reach."
miereba is a conditional ''if' form of mieru (''can see").
sore de yoi is an al ternative form of sore de ii (lit. "it's fine with that"), an
expression meaning "That's adequate/all one needs."
smya is a contraction of sore wa ("as for that"). Sore wa so desu (lit., "as for
that, it is that way'') is essentially an emphatic "That's true"-+ "That is certainly/indeed true," and it's frequently followed by ga ("but") implying that,
however true it may be, the speaker still wishes to differ somehow.
ma (or mli) is used as a kind of "verbal pause," like "welVyou know/1 mean/
let's see."

11111111111111~ [D

Murayama: Dekita
-r: t::.

zo.o
-t"

is finished (emph.)

"It's done." (PL2)

Editor: ::.: < 0 -J ~ i
-<: l t::. o
Gokuro-sama

deshita.

(hon.)-hardship-(hon.)

was

"Thank vou." (PL3)

dekita is the plain/abrupt past form of dekiru ("be finished/done/ready").

zo is a rough masculine particle for emphasis.

gokuro-sama (desu/deshita) comes from the word kuro, meaning " trouble/
suffering/hard work," with the honorific prefix go- and ending -sama. It's a
polite expression for thanking someone for their labors.

Sound FX: 1~'1- --;

Pachi!

Click (sound of switch for helmet light)

Mura .illlli!: b l
(J)
WI -<: ~1t D 7j: o
Washi no mae
lime

of frotll

de

yomu na.

at/in

don't read

" Don' t read it in front of me." (PL2)

Editor:

I\

Hai

"1 o
hai.

yes/okay yes/okay

" Okav/Yes sir." (PL3)

washi is a word for "IIme" used mostly by middle-aged and older men.
one use of the particle de is to mark the location (in this case washi no mae,
"in front of me") where an action (in this case yomu, "reading") takes place.
na directly following the "dictionary form" of a verb makes a fairly strong
prohibition/negative command, "don't -/stop - ": yomu na = "don't read."
Ishii Hisaichi, All rights reserved. Firsl published in Japan in 1991 by Fulabasha, Tokyo. English 1ransla1ion righ1s arranged through Futabasha.

MANGA J IN

35

by tTl*.!~

T akeuchi Akira

~ IJ~ jC ~'
~ /1; ~ ~'
tf /1; ~'

It'> Takeuchi Akira. All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1992 by Futabasha, TOkyO. English translation rights arranged through Futabasha.
36

MANGAJ I N

Man:

4:il:8

31:~

4:il:8

tfil' lJ 0

zangyo
bakari.
Mainichi mainichi
everyday everyday work late/ovenime only/always
" Day after day, I always h ave to work late." (PL2)
{/)
{/) A ~ 'j:
lv
1: fb-?-l?~-?
~lvt:t.
il' t:t. <li.J 0
konna
n
de
owatchau
no
ka nii.
Watashi no jinsei wa
Ume
's life as-for this kind of (nom.)/thing with will end-(regret) (explan.) I wonder if?
" I wonder if my life will end with this kind of thing?"
"Is this all my life is ever going to be, I wonder?" (PL2)

fl.

zangyo (literally " remaining work") usually implies one has to work late on forced/unwanted overtime.

Boss: 1f Jv ~ 7~L :$-::>i.l'fl o

Garushia-kun, o-tsukare.
(hon.)-tiredness
(name-hon.)
" Thanks for your bel~, Garcia." (PL2)

Garcia: ~ J: t:t. t:>

Sayonara.
" Goodbye." (PL2)

o-tsukare is short for otsukare-sama (deshita), which is from tsukareru, " become tired." The expression is a standard form used to
thank a person for efforts that are presumed to have tired him out. Typically, though not necessarily, it also doubles as a "goodbye."
Garcia: 77 ...
Fii . . . (sigh of exhaustion)

':

Man: <li.Jh -/)t

Ill
l*l< ;r~ ooA #flll~ il'
Are ga
ni kiku gaikokujin ri5di5sha ka.
uwasa
that (subj.) gossip/common talk in hear foreigner laborer ?
" So that's one of t h ose foreign laborers we bear so much about these d ays." (PL2)
Man:

t:t.lv-c it!. \,'\,, 1i t!.

J: t:t. j;y
fl.
da. Watashi nante mada ii hi5 da yo
nii.
so/that way is Ume the likes of still good side am (emph.)(colloq.)
" That's right. Someone like me is s till really on the good side/among the better off, I guess"
" That's right. I s hould count m y blessings." (PL2)

-f-?

so

t!.

name can mark the topic like wa, and implies that the thing/situation in question is in some sense insignificant or of lesser concern.
Man:

* c

*Uchi ni':

EJJt{/)
ifflhlf
*n~ 7,)-f ffl:-?"Cl.> lv t!. b lv l:t. o
II
jibun no ie
kaereba
to kazoku ga matte-ru
damon na.
home to if/when go home own house and family (subj.) are waiting (ex plan.) because (colloq.)
"(Because) after a ll, when I go home, I have a house and family waiting for me." (PL2)

Sound FX: 1!1- -'I'

Cacha (rattle of gate latch)

*M

Nam eolate:

Kimura

. i!<:

can be read either ie or uchi, and can mean either "house/home" or "family." leis the preferred reading in sociological discussions of the family and legal references to a house as property. Otherwise the two are generally interchangeable, but in situations
Like this where several kinds of references to a house/home are mixed, ie tends to be favored for referring to the building itself.

7C"-

-IJ>?
Man: t.:. t!.v' i !! J.;.!vl;t.
Tadaima!
Minna
genki
ka?
just now
everyone healthy/well ?
"I'm h ome. I s everyone doing OK?" (PL2)
tadaima literally means "right now/just now," but it's the standard greeting used when returning home, like " I' m home!"
Wife:

t::~ ,

it::. j;y c 1: ;p o

Arrow:

Ja,
mata atode ne.
well then again later (colloq.)
''Bye. I'll talk to you later." (PL2)

i L-cJ.J ~
Furin
0
shite-ru tsuma
immorality/affair (obj.) doing
wife
W ife who is h aving an affair

If' fall

(J)
Arrow: 11'1[~
Son: 5t11\t:t.
l:t.v'
t!.l:J 0
.~.fdaro.
Genki-na
wake
nai
Futoko
no musuko
not go to school (=) son
well/healthy reason/situation not exist probably/surely
" How could I ~ssibly be doing OK?" (PL2)
Son who stays home from school

Sound FX: ~ ::J ~::J

Pika piko (sound of computer game)
Man :

furin ("immorality") commonly refers to extramarital

affairs.

/\/\/\
-/){/v(f 1.>
-t'. !l 0
Arrow:
Y:.~lv
Haha ha Ti5san
ganbaru
zo.
(laugh) father/dad will strive hard (emph.)
" Ha ha ha. Dad's gonna kee~ working hard." (PL2)

re~

i-z' 11.-?

0-/

{/)

*0

Shinu made harau

ron
110
ie.
die
until pay loan/mongage (=) house
House with mortgage h e w ill be ~ayinl;! till h e dies.

ganbam means to be "dogged/persistent/unflagging" in working toward some goal. Zo is a strong masculine particle for emphasis.
shinu made harau ("pay until one dies") modifies ron ("loan/mortgage").

MANGA JIN

37

II

Q~ oD if
~@IT'@U'~-kun

by

Nishimura So

D a u h t e r 1:

-lf 8

li X:~ A, 1:

-1*~

tf)t.:;ti lJ: ?.

Kyo

wa Tosan ni

kyiiyo

ataemasho.

today as-for dad

to rest/relaxation (obj .) shall give/provide

' 'Toda le t 's give Dad a (day oO r est." (PL3)

within the family, the father is typically addressed or re ferred to as rosan or
otosan (the o- is honorific, showing respect for his statu s within the family); when speaking to someone outside the family, one 's own father should
be referred to as chichi and the other person's father as otosan (the honorific o- is obligatory in this case, out of respect for the other person). Papa is
also widely used within the family, but should not be used with others.
one o f the most common uses of the particle ni is to rnark the target/destination/direction of an action - in this case the action o f giving/providing.
ataemashii is the PL3 equivalent of ataeyo, the volitionaJ (''let's/1 shall")
form of ataeru ("give/present/provide").

Hon wa dame.

Atama

mo

I: l.t \ t.: t.!. ~ i -t 0

yasunde itadakimasu.

book as-for must not head/mind also

require to rest

" No books. W e n ee d to h ave ou r es t vour h ead

too." (PL3)

dame ("no good/useless/vain/unacceptable") is common ly used as a word

of prohibition ("must not").
yasrmde is the-re form of yaswnu (''rest/take time off'), and itadakimasu is
the PL3 form of itadaku ("receive" - polite). lradaku after the -te form of
a verb can be literally translated as "receive the favor o f (the action)," but
the combination is often used by persons of authority to state what they require of the listener. In this case the family members are assuming authority
over the father's day off.

Daughter 2 : 1: t
Me ni mo

l J:?
kyr7yo

araemasho.

eyes to also rest/relaxation (obj.) shall gi velprovide

" L et's r est our eyes too." (PL3)

Sound FX: 77- 7
Puchi!

Click (sound of TV on/off switch, here being turned

off)
volitional forms (-mash5/-yi5/-ii, ''let's/1 shall") normal! y express what the
speaker intends/plans to do, but they can be used to encourage/command
the listener to do something instead- essentially like E nglish "Let's ... .
shall we?" might be used to tell someone to do somethi ng.

off too." ( PL2)

yasrmri is the noun form of yasumu ("rest/take time off').

Nishimura So. All rights reserved.
First published in Japan in 1992.
English translation rights arranged
through Nishimura So.

38

M ANG A J IN

...,

@~ 0 D fl

Sign:

-IT ~

;;

Samiuo

~@[f@lf~-kun

~.ti

kaijii

summit meeting place

Summit HaJJ
Flag:
by

Nishimura So

A ~ 7 7'
Swoppu

Sto__R
samiuo and sutoppu are both katakana renderings of the English words.
kaijo is literally "meeting place," and it can refer variously to a single
room. several rooms, an entire building, an outdoor facility, etc., depending o n the nature of the meeting.

Guard:

~ 7 / 7 Q) s:jJ
Toranku no naka

trunk

shirabesasete kudasai.

of inside (obj.) please allow to check/examine

" Please let me check the inside of our trunk."

(PL3)
tora11k11 is a katakana rendering of English "trunk."
110 can reflect a wide variety of relationships between two nouns, but basically makes the first noun into a modifier for the second. Here 110 can be
thought of as pos essive (''lhe trunk' s inside") or as equivalent to "of'
("inside of the trunk").
shirabesasete is the -te form of shirabesaseru, the causative ("make/let
do" ) form of shiraberu ("check/examine/look into"). The -te form of a
verb plus kudasai makes a polite request, so shirabesasete kudasai =
"please allow (me) to examine."

I~";/

1J I} "/

bakkari!

(PL2)
bakkari! is a colloquial variation of bakari, " only/all."

Letters
(continued from page 4)

Nishimura So. All rights reserved.

First published in Japan in 1992.
English translati on rights arranged
through Nishimura So.

worth noting, though, that your "trusty" Nelson 's (copyright 1962 and 1966)
does give it as a second reading for~ after sagu(ru), and the character is
listed in Nelson's on-kun index under sagasu as well as saguru. The same
holds for every other kanji dictionary we've looked at. Basically, this reflects actual, long-standing usage, as does inclusion of this reading on the
1973 list we memioned above.
Careful writers might still choose to make a distinction between rl"t
and~ T, using the former when looking for something that is lost/has disappeared (e.g., a lost wallet, a fugitive) and the latter when seeking out!
attempting to discover a particular object (e.g., an apartment, a specific
book in a book store). In the latter use, sagasu has essentially the same
meaning as ~J.,saguru ("search/explore/probe/sound our"), but the expressionfor looking for an apartment is apato o sagasu, not apato o saguru.
Since the apartment was never lost, perhaps you can see why some people
might have objected to using n!l T in such a phrase-though it does remain
officially acceptable to do so.
Standardization necessarily takes a toll on nuance, and writers still
don't stick entirely to the Joyo Kanji chart, but if it's any consolation, things
were much worse before the Ministry of Education moved to standardize

usage. We should all be grateful for what the chart has accomplished.
M ANGAJIN

!~)

39

tllffl!N')

Narration: :t ~~ 7'

1
)

7 /

f;J:

Obatarian

OBATARIAN

wa kuchi kara

obatarians

demakase

iu.

as-for mouth from random speech (obj.) say

Obatarians run off at the mouth.

Signs: -IT1 /~
Sain-kai
sign/signature meeting/session

Autograph Session
Obatarian: ih C, -::> , ih t:. l b
Ara!

v' v'

fJ' l C,?

11

kashira?

arashi mo

(interj.)

Ume

also good/okay I wonder

" Oh! I wonder if I could have one, too?" (PL2)

Celebrity: !::: 7 f''o
Dozo.
please

"Certainlv." (PL3)
demakase refers to something said without thinking or without any real
knowledge, and kuchi kara demakase o iu is an idiomatic expression for "talk
off the top of one's head/make irresponsible remarks."
sain is a katakana rendering of English "sign." Its verb form sain sum means
"inscribe one's signature," so as a noun sain means "signature/autograph."
Sa in can also refer to signboards or to signs of the kind given in baseball.
arashi is a colloquial watashi ("lime"), used almost exclusively by women.
dozo means " please" in the sense of granting permission or a favor ("please
go ahead/please feel free to ...") rather than of asking a favor.

Obatarian:

~'(> - ,

Kyii,

h.t:.v'.4-B

yume mirai.

(squeal of delight) dream is like

~-cot'IJ' -::> t:.- -::>o

Kyo

kite

yokatta- !

today came-and am glad

" Wow! It's like a dream. I'm (so) glad I came today!" (PL2)
Sound FX: -IT 7 -IT 7
Sara sara

(effect of writing s moothly)

kite is the -te form of kuru ("come"), and yokatla is the plain/abrupt past form
of the adjective iilyoi ("good/fine"). The expression .. . -te yokaua means
" I'm glad I .. ./I'm happy to have ...

*~"P

-r:

7 7 /

"f:T

(J) o

Kazoku-jfi

de

fan

desu

no.

Obatarian: 7 h lv'--::> o
Ureshii-!

delighted/happy entire family (scope) fans

is/are (explan.)

" I' m so hap..J!V! Our whole familv are fans." (PL3)

*:i:

~=

Kaho

l i 1' b --::> o

ni shimasu

wa- !

family treasure to will make (fem. colloq.)

" We'll make it a family treasure!" (PL3)

Celebrity:

J\ J\ 1\ o

Ha ha ha. (pleased/gratified laugh)

-jil is a suffix meaning "throughout -," so kazoku-jii ="throughout the family"--> "our entire family."
desu no is a feminine equivalent of the e xplanatory form na no desu , which
follows nouns to mean literally "the situation is that I am/we are/it is .. ."
shim(lsu is the PL3 form of suru ("do/make").

Obatarian: ::. h f.t !v "(

Kore nan
this

te

what (quote)

~h.

iT (J)?

yomimasu no?
read

(explan.-?)

' 'How do you read this?" (PL3)

nan is a contraction of nani ("what") and te is a colloquial variation of
quotative to. Nan te (yomu) = "(read) as what"--> " how (do you read)."
yomimasu is the PL3 form of yomu ("read"). Asking a question with explanatory no after a PL3 verb sounds distinctly feminine, though men frequently
ask questions with no after plain/abrupt (PL2) verbs.
the fact that Obatarian can't read the celebrity's stylized signature shows that
she doesn't even know who he is.
Hona Katsuhiko. All rights reserved. First publ ished in Japan in 1990 by Take Shobo, Tokyo. English 1ransla1ion rights arranged lhrough Take ShobO.
40

MANGA JI N

~UfdiN')
OBATARIAN

by

fJHl EB tJ}-::> V Z:. I Hotta Katsuh iko

Narration: ; <:.- 7

v :; r

Panfureuo

A pa mphlet

Sound FX: 1<? 1<?

Para para

Fla p fla p (effect of thin, light object fluttering/flapping in the air or slapping against something)
panfureuo is a katakana rendering of the English word " pamphlet."

Narration:

I\/

'h +

Hankachi

A handkerchief
Sound FX: 1<? 1<?

:_0:
'

Para para

I\

Fla p fl_w_
hankachi is the most commo nly used katakana rendering of English "handkerchief," shon ened from the originallwnkachiifu, which is almost never
heard today.

Narration: J. =.. .::1. Menrtl

A menu

S..ound FX: 1<? 1<?

Para para

l']ap_fla p

Narration: ;t 1\?

1)

Obararian

7 / I lj: lv "t' 'b -? i? b t: T 1.> o

wa rwndemo uchiwa ni suru.

obatarians

as-for anything

fan

into make

Obata rians will turn anythin!! into a fan.

menyl7 is a katakana rendering of English " menu."
uchiwa refers to a nat fan rather than a folding one, which is called
sensu or 1.1J ogi.
... ni sum is an expression meaning " make (something) into ..."

Sound FX: .--.:7- -t 7

Pecha

~,,J

f-

+ -t

kuclw

(effect of animated talk)

Arrows: .: Q) A

Q)

Kono hiro no
this

1j!1J
meishi

person ' s business card

This person's m eishi

Sound FX: 1< ? ;<.?
Para para

F la p flap
it is rude to treat meishi wi th anything other than the utmost care and respect.

il!> Hotta Kutsuhiko. All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1990 by Take S hobO, Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through Take ShobO.

M ANGAJIN

41

A selection from the series

by

rmJ Ill~ = e!l)

Okazaki Jiro

EPISODE 1

Chiisaku Utsukushii Kami

The Little and Beautiful Spirit
chiisaku here is an abbreviated version (or literary form) of chiisakure, the -te form of
chiisai ("small/little"). The -te form of an adjective is used when linking to another
adjective to make a compound modifier: chiisakute utsukushii ="little and beautiful."
kami is usually translated as "god(s)," but in this story we see that it also refers to what
would be called "spirits" in English.
Okazaki Jiro. All rights reserved. First published in Japan in !990 by Shogakukan, Tokyo. English translatio n rights arranged through Shogakukan.

42

MANG AJl N

,J, tl <kl...'<'t$ Chiisaku Utsukushii Kami

--------------------------------------

C2J

Narrator:
Mo, kono kai ni wa dare mo
nokotte-nakatta so desu.

They say there wasn' t anyone

(else) left on this floor at the
time. (PL3)
Sound FX:
Kata kata kata kata kata

Click click click click click

(sound of keys being pushed on
electronic calculator)

mo ("already") followed by a negative becomes " not ... anymore."

kai refers to the "floors/stories" of a
building, both as an independent
word and as a counter suffix: ikkai
="first floor" (from ichi ["one" ) +
kai); gokai = "fifth floor" (from go
["five") + kai); kono kai = "this
floor."
nokotte-(i)nakatta is the past form
of nokotte-inai, negative of nokotteiru ("be remaining/remain"), from
nokoru ("remain/be left over").
so desu after the plain form of a
verb indicates the information is
hearsay.

Employee:
Fa-.

''Whew." (sigh of fatigue)

Voice:
Jarapachi ne ka?
"No jarapachi'?" (PL2)

Employee:
N?
"Hunh?"
it's not clear at this point in the
story whatjarapachi means, but . . .
ne ka looks like a dialect/slang version of ... nai ka, which literally
means "does - not exist?" and is
used idiomatically to mean "Do(n't)
you have - ?" The vowel combination ai frequently changes to e or ei
in certain dialects and masculine
slang.

Sound FX:
Kata kata kata

Click click click (sound of calculator keys)

0Fx:
Giku!
(effect of stiffening in fright)

MANGAJIN

43

!]'~

<~ L..v>f$

Chiisa ku Utsukushii Kam i

QJ SoundFX:
Goooooo

Ro-o-o-o-ar
Employee:
Waaaaaa!!

"Yikes!" (exclamation/scream of fear)

Narrator:
Mae o miru to, oki-na medama ga
kochira o nirami,
When he looked in front of him, huge

eyebaJis stared back at him, and ...

sono shain wa hohi'J no tei de
nigedashimashita.

the employee beat a hasty retreat.

(PL3)
oki-na is an alternate form of the adjective
okii ("big/large").
medama Fl ::E is written with kanji that literally mean "eye" and "ball."
koch ira = " this direction," here meaning the
direction of the worker in question.
nirami is a continuing form of niramu
("stare/glare [at]"); the past tense of the verb
at the end of the sentence makes nirami past
tense too --> "stared and .. .''
shain U.Q is written with kanji meaning
"company'' and "member" --> "employee."
hiiho no rei de is an expression for modifying
llightlescapelretreat implying "as fast as possible/in utter frenzy."
nigedashimashita is the PL3 past form of
nigedasu, from nigeru ="run away/escape."
The verb suffix -dasu often has the meaning
of "begin (doing)," so nigedasu = "take off
running/get out of there."

Kacho:
... to iu hanashi da.

" .. and that's the story." (PL2)

to iu is quotative, essentially making all the
frames before this the content of hanashi
("story/situation").
kacho is literally "section chief," roughly
equivalent to " manager" in U.S. corporate
structure.

0
capacity of ... ,"and mo = "even"--> "even as the general affairs section ..."
(implying something [jke: " not merely personally/individually on the part of the
workers involved, but even as a section, officially").
hotte oku = " leave as is/ignore"
. .. wake ni wa ikanaku natta is from the expression ... wake ni wa ikanai,
meaning " ... is out of the question" or "can't very well ... ," followed by the
past form of naru ("become"), so it literally means " has become out of the
question to ..."
"is no longer possible to .. Jcan' t very well ... anymore."
ha is a very tentative sounding "yes/1 see."

44

MAN GAJIN

Kacho:
Somu to shire mo hi'Jue oku wake ni wa
ikanaku natta n da.

''It's gotten to the point where we in

(the) general affairs (section) can't
j ust ignore it anymore." (PL2)
Okido:

Ha.
"I see.'' (PL3)
somu refers to somu-ka, "the general affairs
section" of the company.
... to shire is an expression meaning "as/in the

!]' ~

QJ

<". L. 1.- ~$

C h iis a k u U t s u kush i i K a m I

KachO:
Okido-kun, Hanamura-kun, hi5hl5
wa makaseru kara fu tari de
kangaete kuren ka.
"Mr. Okido (and) Ms. Hanamura,

I will leave the method up to you,

but I'd like you to think (about a
solution) together." (PL2)
Okido:
Hai.

"Yes sir." (PL3)

Hanamura:
Kono isogashii no ni, honto ni
ml5-.

" When we' re so busy, really,

(what a pain) already!" (PL2)
kuren kll = kurenai ka, which afler the
-te fonn of a verb makes an infonnal
request or gentle command .

honto ni mo (literally "truly/indeed"+

"already/now") is an expression of exasperation.

Nar ator :
Yiirei no hanashi de mochikiri no,
koko Taiyl5 Denki wa,

T his company, Taiyo Electric,

where the talk is of nothing but
ghosts . ..
gyl5kai demo goshi ni hairu hodo
no daikigyo desu.
is, in the industry, a large enterprise
that fits within five fingers. -+
is an enterprise lar ge enough to be

counted among the top five in the

industry. (PL3)

Narrator:
lma made ni kiki-rashii kiki mo
naku, hitasura seicho shi-tsuzuketa
ch0-yt7ryl5 kigyo.
An ultra-excellent enterprise that until now, without a crisis-like crisis,
continued solely to grow.-+
A blue chip enterprise that until

now has continued its inexorable

growth without encountering anything that couJd be called a crisis.
Sign:
(Dai) Rokujukkai Taiyo Denki
Kabushikigaisha Kabunushi
(Sakai)

The Sixtieth Taiyo Electric

Shareholders' Meeting
X rashii X makes an expression for "a
truly X-like X" or "an X worthy of the
name."

Na rrator:
Sore mo kaicho no Matsumura
ShOzo-shi ga Iwate yori jokyo shi,
taua ichidai de koko made
kizukiageta no deshita.

And what's more, Chairman Matsumura Seizo came up to Tokyo from

Iwate (prefecture) and built it up to this (its present size) in only a single
generation. (PL2)
sore mo (lit. 'that also") as a conjunction can have the meaning of and moreover:
tatta emphasizes the smallness/minuteness of a number or amount.

[D

Narrator:
Sono kaicho mo sakunen kyiisei shi,

The Chairman died suddenly last year, and . . .

Sound FX:
Kan kan kan
( ound of heels echoing hollowly through the hall)

Narrator :
sono koro kara yiirei sl5dl5 ga okori-hajimeta no deshita.

it was from around that time that the ghost incidents began to occur.
(PL3)

M ANGAJIN

45

!],~

<JH.. v':t$

Chiisaku Utsukushii K ami

QJ Sound FX:
Katchi.l
Click (sound of elevator button)

Fa-.
" Whew." (sigh of fatigue)

0
--------

,~~~~i~~~~~~\7~rll:;;;=======-=:::;)
~
0

Voice:
Jarapachi ne ka?

''No jarapachi?" (PL2)

SoundFX:
Chi- n

88

Dinnng (sound of bell indicating

elevator's arrival)

SoundFX:
Goro goro goro
(slight "rumble" of elevator doors
opening)

0 oL:
Kyaaaaa!

"Aaaaaack!" (scream)

12J Kacho:

A-, hai hai, wakatte-masu yo.

" Oh, yes, yes, I know." (PL3)

Kacho:
YL7rei desho. Chan-to re wa uchimasu
kara.

" A ghost, right? We'll take appropriate action, so (don' t worry)." (PL3)

it is standard custom for Japanese employees to refer to and address their superiors by title rather than by name.
181 ro means "metropolis/capital" and I~ nai means " inside/within"; ronai is
often the preferred way to refer to Tokyo, especially when actually in the
city.
jinja ="(Shinto) shrines" and bukkaku ="(Buddhist) temples.''
o-fuda (almost always with the honorific o- in th is usage) refers to rectangular slips of paper th at can be purchased at shrines and temples as "charms/
talismans to ward off evil or bring good fonune/health. They usually have
the name of a deity wrinen on them. along with a word referring to their purpose, and they are most typically placed in family altars or on doorways. Essentially Lhe same thing imended for carrying o n one's person are called i.> ',}'
IJ o-mamori.
atsumete is Lhe -te form of atsumeru ("gather/accumulate"). and kimaslzita is
the PL3 past form of kum ("come"). The -te form of a verb followed by kuru
literally means "(do Lhe action) and come," but its actual meaning often corresponds to English "go do (Lhe action)."
chimi refers to a "goblin," a spirit (sometime that of an animal) that takes on
the guise o f a human and leads. people astray.

46

MAN GAJIN

wakatte(i)masu is the PL3 form of

wakaue-iru ("know/be aware of').
ytlrei can refer to a wide variety of ghosts/
apparitions/phantoms, but in strict use it
refers to Lhe spirit of a dead person which
appears in a form resembling that person.
chan-to = " properly/duly.''
uchimasu is the PL3 form of wsu ("hit/
strike"). Te o w su (lit. "strike hands") is an
idiom for " take action/steps (toward resolving a proble m)''; using wa instead of
o adds emphasis.

ITJ Okido:

MiJ shinpai irimasen yo, KachiJ.

"There's no need to worry anymore,

Chief." (PL3)
Tonai yt7mei jinja bukkaku kara, o
judo o atsumete kimashita.

" We went and gathered talismans

from famous shrines and temples all
over Tokyo." (PL3)
Talisman:
Chimi Kofuku
Goblin Surrender
-+

Defeat to the Goblin

irimasen is the PL3 form of iranai, negative of iru (''need").

'J'~

<.k LP~

Chiisaku Utsukushii Kam i

----------------------------------

QJ

--------------------

Narrator:
Tsugi 110 hi . . .

The next day .. .

Talismanjn bac_k:
Mamono Taisan

Demonic Presence Withdraw

Sound FX:
Wai wai wai
(a standard FX word for lots of talking)

Man 1:
Arya, sakasama da.

" Hey! It's upside down." (PL2)

arya is a variation of are!, an interjection of
surprise, or a contraction of are wa ("that is").

[!] Okido:
Sonna baka-11a. Chan -to hatta no nil!
"That's impossible! I placed them
right-side up!!" (PL2)

baka " idiot/fool'' and baka-na 'idiotic/

foolish/crazy," sosotma baka-na implies koro:
"such a crazy thing." As an exclamation, sotma
baka-na means "That's crazy/impossible!"

Hanamura:
Hoka 110 kai mo zenbu sakasa 11i naneru wa!

"(The ones on) the other floors have

all been turned upside down, too."
(PL2)
sakasa is an alternate form of sakasama ("invened/upside down").

Hanamura:
Marude kodomo no itazura ne.

"It's just like a kid's prank, isn ' t it."

(PL2)

QJ

Okido:
Kodomo?!
" A kid?!" (PL2)

Man2:
Kacho, korya shanai no mono no
shiwaza ja 11ai desu ka?

[I)

" Chief, this must be the handiwork of

someone inside the company, don' t
you think?" (PL2)
KachO:
U- n.
' 'Hmmm." (PL2)
Narrator:
Konna koro mo atte, masu-masu sawagi wa hiromatte itta no deshira.

With incidents like this, the uproar spread wider and wider. (PL3)
IIUISU-masu = "more and more," and hiromatte itta is from hiromaru ("spread/
disperse over a wide area")

OL3:

OLJ :
Hasegawa-san ga mira tte.

" Hasegawa-san said she saw it." (PL2)

OL2:
Uso-.

"Lie."

" You' re kidding!" (PL2)

Kowa- i wane- .

" It's so-o sca-a-ry." (PL2)

Man3:
Oro ga suru 11 da yo.
" It ma kes noises." (PL2)

OIA:
Hie!

" Yikes!" (PL2)

OLS:
Warashi, zangyo shinai wa!

"I'm not going to work any overtime!"

(PL2)
Man4:
A none ...

"Now listen . ." (PL2)

MANGA JIN

47

_ __ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _..:..
'1'__:~::......:<....::.
11 L P t$

Chi is a k u U t s u kush i i K ami

~ Si n on Door:
Shacho-shitsu

President
shacho literally means "company head"
"president." The suffix -shitsu means "room/office." but in
English. signs on office doors typically give just the
occupant's title.

Shach.Q:
Wakatte-ru n desu ka ?!

"Do you (reaiJy) understand?!" (PL3)

Mo sugu kabunushi sokai desu.
"The sha reholders' meeting is coming up

soon." (PL3)
ShachO:
Konna koto ga gaibuni hiromattara, mata
sokai de IStttsukareru.
" If word of something like this gets out, I'll

get picked apart at tbe shareholders' meeting again." (PL2)

kabtuw shi="shareholder," and sokai is "general assembly,'' referring to a meeting of the entire membership rather than of a representative group or executive board-+ "shareholders' meeting."

I2J Shachii:
Taisaku wa dekitent n desha ne.

"I presume you have some kind of plan

ready." (PL3)
taisaku, frequently translated as "counter-measure(s),"
is the word most commonly used for referring to " plans/
planning" directed at resolving a problem of some Jdnd.

ITJ Kacho:

Ha, hail Jitsu wa somu ichido de yiirei taiji o

keikaku shite-orimashite . ..

"Y-yes sir. In fact the entire general affairs

section is planning a ghost hunt." (PL3)
Shachii:
li desha. Tonikaku so/...yii ni teo utte kudasai.

"All right then. In any case, please take action immediately." (PL3)
raiji ="subj ugation/eradication (campaign)''-+
"hunt."

Hanamura:
Esa de warukatta wa ne.

~ Sound FX:
Kata kata kata kata kata

"Well, excu-u-se me for being bait." (PL2)

Click click click click click (sound of computer

keys)

Arrow:
Esa

Bait
Sound FX:
Kata kata

Click click (computer keys)

( . .. de) warukaua wane (for men.[. .. de jwarukaua na), spoken

sarcastically, is a common comeback to a derogatory/insulting remark, something like "So what if am?" or "Well excu-u-se me."
Warukaua is the past form of warrti ("bad"). so the expression literally says "that was bad of me, wasn't it?" The leading ... de. which
repeats a key word or phrase of the insult, is optional.

48

MAN GAJIN

Kachii:
Hollfo ni arawareru ka ne?

''Do you really think it'll appear?" (PL2)

_Qkido:
Ee, kore dake joken o soroete yareba, esa ni
tsurarete kanarazu kimasu.

"Yes, if to this extent we line up the conditions,

it will be drawn by the bait and come for sure."
-+"Yes, we' ve set up all the right conditions,
and I'm positive it' ll take the bait." (PL3)

'J' ~ <'fJ. L" :fill Chi is a k u U t s u kush i i K ami

[D

0
QJ

Hanamura:
Ha!
(catching breath from being startled)
Ghost:
Jarapachi ne ka?
"No jarapachi?" (PL2)
Hanamura:
De ... de de de ... de de ... de ... de
... de ...
(terrified stuttering over the beginning
of her cry in !he next frame)
Hanamura:
Deta-.
" II appeared!" -+ "It's here!" (PL2)
deta is the plain/abrupt past fonn of dent.
"emerge/come out/appear... It s the standard exclamation/cry/scream when you
think you see a ghost/apparition/etc.

Man:
Matte-mashita!
"We've been waiting!"
" Let's do it!!" (PL2)
Kacho:
Kono yariJ!
"You S.O.B.!" (PLI)
the exclamation matte-mashita! is essentially a contraction of matte-imashita, the
PL3 form of matte-int ("am/is/are waiting") from matsu ("waif'). so it literally
means "Uwe have been waiting (for this):
Its use as an exclamation really doesn't
have a PL3 feeling in spite of the -mash ita
ending. English equivalents range from
"All right!/Let's go!/What're we waiting
for?" when spoken as the speaker springs
into action, to "All right!/Bravo!/Now
we're talking!" when a star performer o r
athlete makes his appearance.
yarii is an infonnal word for "guy/fellow,''
so kono yarii looks benign enough in its
literal meaning of "this guy/fellow"; but it
is in fact an insult.

Man:
Uwa-!
" Yow!"
Sound FX:
Baki
Beki
Crack! Crunch! (sound of bats/clubs
hitting home)
Man:
Hiee!
"Yikes!"

Sound FX:
Gashan
Crash (sound of glass or office machinery being smashed)

OL:
Kyii!
" Aaack!" (scream)
Sound FX:
Doshin
Thud (sound of ome!hing heavy hitting the floor/ground)

To be continued . ..

M ANGAJIN

49

The series: HOTEL is an ongoing

feature in the bi-weekly magazine
!::' ;; 7' ::J ~ 7 7 (Biggu Kommikku
= Big Comic), from Shogakukan. As
is the case with most popular manga
series, collections of the stories are
also published in separate volumes
called !f!fi;.f;: (rankobon). The story
we present here is fro m Vol. 21 of the
tankObon series, publi hed in 1993.

The artist: lshinomori Shotaro is

one of the top manga artists in Japan.
He is known in the US for his economics text-manga Japan, Inc., an
English translation of B ;.$:*~.Ar~.
Nihon Keizai NyLimon, " An Introduction to Japanese Economics" (Japan Inc. is available through
MANGAJJN, see page 85). Ishinomori was a "disciple" of the late
T ezuka Osamu, the man generally credited with developing the
format of the modern J apanese story-comic. Many consider
Ishinomori to be T ezuka's successor.
Arrangements have been made for a MANGAJIN interview with
lshinomori, but it was not quite in time for this issue. Look for it
in No. 3 1, along with Part II of this story.

by

ii88~1B
lshinomori Shotaro

The stories are set in the fictional - i!rL (ichi-1yii, "first class")
Tokyo hotel 7'7 1- / (Puraton, "Platon"), and revolve around the
hotel staff (as regular characters) and the guests.
The main character in this particular story is Dr.
Jinbo, a promi ing physician who left the staff of a
prestigious university hospital to take charge of the
clinic at the Platon. She made that career change partly
because she had doubts about the way patients were
treated in a big hospital-at the hotel she can take a
more personal, human approach. ow, some of her
former associates and teachers think her talents are
being wasted at a hotel clinic, and are trying to lure her
back to the university.

Dr. Jinbo

The video: HOTEL has been made into a " TV drama," miniseries, and
rental videotapes are available through some Japanese markets. Ask for
Hoteru no terebi dorama.
lshinomori Shi'ilaro, All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1992 by Shogakukan, Tokyo.
English translation rights arranged through Shogakukan.

M ANGAJIN

51

~~~~

1)

=- '/ 7

c ;~ ~ ~. ,

: L-t.:?

52

M A N GAJIN

*7Jv Hotel

-----------------------------------------[Q

Title:

s~

186

Dai Hyaku Hachijiiroku Wa:

No.

186

story

1)::.. '/

Kurinikku
clinic

Story 186: The Clinic

Doctor:

t ? t.t ~ v' i
Do

L t:.?
nasaimashita?

what/how

did

"What seems to be the problem?" (PlA)

nasaimashita is the polite past form of nasaru, a PiA verb meaning "do." Do nasaimashita is the PiA version of do
shita ("how/what" + plain/abrupt past of suru, "do"), which has the idiomatic meaning of "What's wrong?/What's the
maner?/What happened?"

- - - -- - - - - - -- - - - - - -- F_e_ a _t_u r e S t o r y
(cominued from page 13)

Shukubo cmm, temple lodgings): Staying at a 1,000-year-old temple

can be a wonderful only-in-Japan experience, but the traveler ought to realize that
the accommodations will probably be
bare-bones (a spot on a tatami mat in a
common room) and the wake-up call,
early (temple bells have a way of going
off at the crack of dawn). Temples and
shrines have long provided lodging for
pilgrims, and even today, you may share
your tatami with elderly pilgrims, dressed
in white, who are on the traditional tour
of the 88 temples of Shikoku. Some
temples offer outsiders a chance to experience a bit of the religious life in the
form a mediation session or retreat. But
even the non-religious traveler, who
quails at the thought of the evening "getacquainted" meeting, might cons ider
temples simply because the prices are, at
1,500 and up, among the lowest around.
Saunas (olf? -t-, Sauna): Though
not usually considered all-night accommodations, saunas offer visitors "quiet
rooms" where they can stretch out for a
few hours (or a night) on mats or lounge
chairs. On weekends they are often
crowded with salarymen trying to sweat
out or sleep off the excesses of the
evening. In addition to the quiet room and
an "authentic" Scandinavian sauna room
(birch switches optional), many saunas
provide whirlpool baths, showers, Japanese-style ofuro, coffee shops, restau-

rants, bars, and the services of trained

masseurs. The laid-back atmosphere will
be a revelation to the newcomer whose
image of the average Japanese is workwork, rush-rush. They may also be a disappointment to women; for some reason,
women's saunas tend to be smaller and
less luxuriously appointed than men's.
The price of the whole package, not
counting the post-sauna beer, is about
5,000 to 7,000.
Gaijin Houses (~i-A''? .A,
gaijin hausu): Another only-in-Japan
phenomenon is the gaijin house. Essentially rooming houses or apartments that
specialize in accommodating foreigners,
dozens of gaijin houses have sprung up
over the last decade in Tokyo. Their residents are mainly world traveler types who
want to stay in Japan longer than the average tourist, but don' t want (or can' t afford) the aplito or manshon of the average resident. Usually located at the
fringes of the central city, they offer the
advantages of a short commute, reasonable rent, no key money and no encounters with the real estate agents who suck
wind through their teeth every time a foreigner walks in the door. Some even offer dirt-cheap accommodations by the
day or week, usually in dorm-sty le
rooms. The disadvantages include living
conditions that sometimes give a new,
unpl easant s pin to the term "gaijin
ghetto." "If all you want is cheap rent,

fine, but at some of these places you'll

have to live with cockroaches and rats-the level of cleanliness is really low,"
says Togo Ken'ichi, the owner of the Tokyo English Center, a pioneer gaijin
house in Fujimigaoka. Perhaps because
of the recession, o r perhaps because they
got tired of setting out Gokiburi Hoihoi
(a popular brand of roach trap), more
gaijin have been moving out than moving in. "We've had a 10 to 20 percent
drop in the last year alone," said the manager of several gaijin houses in the Tokyo area. "We've even had to close one
down recently. It's a bad situation."
Foreigners interested in staying in a
gaijin house can begin by checking the
listings in English-language city magazines or listening to the gaijin grapevine.
Some gaijin houses. like Tokyo English
Center, also welcome Japanese. " By staying here, Japanese students can improve
their English--and by roo ming with them
foreigners can improve their Japanese,"
says Togo. Travel may be broadening,
but internationalism can also begin at
home.
(If you would like more specific information about lodging in Japan, contact
JNTO [Japan National Tourist Organization] inN. Y. at 212-757-5640.)
Mark Schilling is a free-lance writer living
in Tokyo.

quail = L IJ :::: ~ T .Q shirigomi suru sleep off the excesses of the evening = ~ '( f' Q:>i'XfiX~ i' ~ t..: jjllj Q) M:v' ~ ~ i "t 11ete sor10 yoru 110misugira
sake 110 yoi o samas11 authentic= :<$:~(7)/:<fi:~j(7) ho11mono llolhollhallami 110 trained masseurs= ~ll*f:a:-~ltt..:? 'l -11'- :JOili ku11re11 o 11kera
massii}ishi short commute= iifiiJJ (iifi~) fi;P.IJnf1;\lv' rsuki11 (rsugak11)}ikan ga mijikai suck wind through the ir teeth= (m -:> t..: J:? 1:) 00c7Jillln' ;,Q,
~ipk v'.::. tr (komalla yiJ 11i) ha no aida kara iki o suikom11 grapevine= 7 1-::3 ::. kuchikomi

--------------------------------------------~

MANGA J IN

53

* -r Jv

.. .... B*"-l;t

iifr."t'i"b?

54

M A N GAJ I N

H o te I

;f;-T Jv

(2]

Patient: t;,

J:.

-=> c

Chouo
a linlc

Hote l

\'I

(J)

~ f-

nt

i:> n' l "'

no

chrishi

go

okoshii

lv
n

-z:-t.., ~

a-

'b t.J ~i-tt lv

n''!

desu. Kusuri

moraemosen

ka ?

stomach 's condition/state (sub.) strangc/ubnormal (explan .)

i;

medic ine (obj.) couldn't I receive

'!

"My stomach is_feeling a bit strange. Could I have some medicine?" (PL3)
i:> ft J~ "t" T n'?
o-shigoro desu ka ?

Doctor: R ...fi: "' li

Nihon e
Japan

wa

to a'- for (hon.)-work is it

"Did ~orne) to ~pan on business?" (PL3)

moraemasen i~ the PL3 negative of morau ("receive'"). M aking a request with a negative que~tion make~ it more polite.
the particle e is used to mark a destination, so come (to)" is understood.
the horizontal lettering. called yokomoji fiYi)c(: (literally " horizontal letters/writing." an idiom for "European languages"). in ~orne of the dialogue here presumably implies they are speaking in English or another Western language.

Patient: ~ ~, fJJ ~ '"(

!::" :; 7" !::" :J ;f, A ~ lv "t"T o

(J)

e,

hajimere no biggu

bijinesu

ye~

first time (=)

businc.,., (cxplan.)

big

no 11 desu.
i~

' 'Yes, it's my first big business venture (in Japa!l}." (PL3)
hojimere ="for the first time" and hojimere no= " the first - ."

Doctor: ~

li

Kusuri

ll'o

~-=>c

c M~-c

-z: ~1~~Lt.:

j?fJ i-ttlv o
l{:Mt
(J) ft$
-tt"'
hirsuyo arimasen.
Kiuo nagarabi ro lwjimere no shigoro de kinclui shiro sei

medicine as-for necessity

Surely long trip and first time (=) work (cau~c) ten>cd up

not exist

result

"t"lt.-?
desha.
is probably

" You don' t need any medicine. You' re probably just tense from the long trip and (your concern
abotill_y_our new venture." (PL3)
hirsuyo arimasen is the PL3 form of hirsuyii (walga) nai ("the necessity doesn't exist'' "i~ not necessary"), negative
form of hirsuyo (ga) oru ("the necessity exists"). Hirsuyo can also be used wi th da/desu ('"is/arc") in which case the
negative form is hirsuyo de (wa) nai or hirsu_vii ja nai (lit.. "is not a necessity'').
kiuo can range in meaning from a wishful/ not very confident "maybe/perhaps." to a "probably/surely/certainly/undoubtedly" spoken with a high degree of confidence. but it stops short of absolute ~ureness. It's often echoed by a conj ectural form at the end of the sentence, like desha ("is probably") here.
nagarabi to hajimere no shigoto de kincho shira is a complete thoughtl~cntcnce ("[you] got tense from the long trip and
your first-time venture'") modifying sei. which is a noun meaning "con~equence/re~ultleffect" "the result/effect of
getting tense from .....

Doctor:

- 1~ !1>0 <f) i:>{~;,.~: ~h.li,

Konban hiroban yukkuri o-yaswni ni nareba.

A,l~

tonight

one night

if (hon.)-take re~t

leisurely

-t<

;c~

~:~

sugu

genki

ni narimasu

fJ iT
\'O!

soon/immediately stro ng/healthy will become (en1ph.)

" If y_otLget a good night's sleep tonigllh_you'll feel better in no time." (PL3-4)

Patient:

* '1 '"(' T n'

1

!?

Honro desu ka!?

truth

is it?

" Reali ?" (PL3)

yukkuri is litera lly "slowly/leisurely/without haste."' but in idiomatic usc it's often closer to the English meanings.
"quietly/gently/peacefully/at one:. case."

o-yasumi ni nareba i a conditional "if' form of o-yasumi ni naru, a PLA form of yasumu ("'rest/sleep").
genki is a noun referring to good spirits or a vigorous state of health/energy. and genki ni narimasu is the PL3 form of
genki ni naru. lit. " become genkt'-> "become well/ return to heal th."

Kiuo

shiidan

mo umaku

surely business 1alks also

well

iku

koro

desha.

will go thing i!, probably

will go w~ too, l'llLsure."

"And our business talks

Patient: j? IJ -/){ c -? o i? ~ t.:. (J) .l -?

~ 7

1-

1Jf ::.. (J)

Arigarii.

Anara

no yo-na

dokurii

ga

th:m k you

you

like

doctor

(~ubj.)

;t- T

(PL3)

Jv 1:

ko no haleru ni
this

hotel

at

~' "( Cit"(

liJJ n'-:> t.:!

iTe kurere

rasukaua!

cx i~ts

for me was saved/helped

"Thank you. Because there is a doctor like you for me at this hotel, I have been saved!"

"Thank you. What a relief it is that the:y have a doctor like you at this hotel!" (PL3)
umaku is from runai ("good/skillfu l"), and umaku iku ="(will) go well."
koro is l iterally "thing.'' but here refers more abstractly to "situation/outcome.'' and desho = "is probably.'' T he expression ... koro desho literally means ''the situation/outcome will probably be that ..."
ire is the -re form of iru ("be/exist [in a place]" for people and animate things). and kurere is the -re form of /..ureru
("'give [to me]"'). A form of kureru after another verb implic'> the action of that verb benefits the speaker (or someone
he identifies with) in some way. T he -re form of kureru indicates he is giving the cause/reason for stating tasukolla ("I
have been saved " ).

M ANGAJ I N

55

*7" Jv
tt .........:

fil

$\;
~

!!

56

M ANGAJIN

-~
il
"; ~
1.>
'/)' ~ tl

: < .c'
A,
(J)

H o te I

~I

-~
1: 1

T $\;
0 ~

:t-rJv

Jinbo Sensei.

okraku-sama

Hotel

-----------------------------------------

desu.

(hon.)-g~estlvi\itor-(hon.) is

(name-title)

' 'Dr. Jinbo, you have a visitor." (PL3)

Dr. Okabe: ~ ~ (i c.',
.: .:
1J< ~~ <lv (f) tnT)~ tJ'o
Naruhodo.
aha/1 sec

koko

ga

Jinbo-kun no shigotoba ka.

here/this place (subj.) (name-hon.) s workplace

" Aha, so this is Jinbo's workplace, is it?"

"Ahlh.SO this is where y_ou work." (PL2)

Dr. .Jinbo: IM!lm:1t1:. !!
Okabe Sensei!
(name-title)

" Dr. Okabe!" (PL3)

kyaku is here used for "visitor." but it can also be used for referring to hotel "guests" in general. or to "customers/clients" of almost any kind of business. 0- and -sama are honorific.
narulwdo expresses one's understanding of what one has heard/observed/experienced: ''aha/1 see/indeed/really."
in Japanese it is quite common to refer to one's listener by name when an English speaker would say you," so Jinbokun ="you" in this case. -Kun is typically used with the names of young males, but it can also be used with women
by their superio rs. Especially when used by a superior. it feels quite a bit less formal than -san. so in most cases it
seems better not to tran~late it as "Mr./Ms."
the question indicated by ka is strictly rhetorical. The question form is often used like this as a kind of self-confirmation when the speaker has just observed/figured out something, with the feeling of "So it's .... is it?/1 guess/it
seems."

(!]

Sign: B ;;$:
Nihon

f~~i!i~

~tl;

lshikai

Kaijo

Japan doctor's association meeting place

Japan Medical Association Conference Room

kaijo is literally " meeting place." and it can refer variously to a single room, several rooms, an entire building, an outdoor facility. etc., depending on the nature of the meeting.

Dr. Jinbo: B.-$:

Nihon

~ili!i~

(f)

~fr

iJf ..if B t!. -::> '"C ']I. ,

lshikai

no

kaigo

ga

kyo da

tte

ttL< '"C T -::> iJ' ~ ~tL '"C v' i Lt.:!

koto, isogashikute sukkari wasurete-imashita!

Japan Medical Association ' s mcetinglconfcrcnce (subj.) today is (quote) thing because busy completely

had forgonen

" I was so bus that I completely forgot that the Japan Medical Association Conference was todaY."
(PL3)
tte koto is a colloquial version of to iu koto, a quotative form like "the fact that ... ,"which essentially turns the preceding complete thought/sentence ("The Japan Medical Association conference is today'') into a noun. The particle o,
to mark that noun as a direct object. has been omitted after koto.
isogashikute is the -te form of isogashii ("be busy"): again, the -te form is used to indicate the cause/reason for what
follows.
wasurete-imashita is the PL3 form o f wasurete-ita ("had forgotten''), past of wasurete-iru, from wasureru ("forget").

Dr. Okabe:

1~1~1'

Ha ha ha
(laugh)

Hisasltiburi ni

nakoma ya

onslti

ni

au

hi

o wasureru name . ..

for lirst time in long time friends and teachersfmentors with meet day (obj.)

forget

(quote)

"(Laugh) To forget the day of meeting your friends and former teachers for the fi rst time in a long time (is
ridiculous/silly).

" Ha ha ha. How can vou forget the dav when vou' re to see the friends and former teachers y_ou
haven 't seen in so long?" (PL2)
onshi refers to a respected teacher under whom one has studied. Tho ugh a person could refer to any of his teachers as
his onslti Uust as he might call them sensei) more typically the term is used for those most central to his training in his
" major professor/mentor."
chosen field of specialization
hisashiburi ni nakama ya onshi ni au is a complete thought/sentence ("meet friends and former teachers for the first
time in a long time'') modifying hi ("day"). 0 marks this as the direct object of wasurem ("forget").
nante is a quotative form that implies the action described is somehow inappropriate - i.e.. ridiculous/astonishing/etc.

M ANGAJIN

57

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58

MANGAJIN

;J;f" Jv Hotel

[8

Dr. Okabe:

t!. J: ! .s., .s., ...

L. IJ' 'b
Sllikamo kimi no lzoreru de yaru
funhcrmore your

hotel

at

da yo! Fufu .. .

11

do (cxplan.) (cmph.) (chuc kle)

"Especially when it's being he ld at your hotel! (chuckle)" (PL2)

fL.

fl~lj:
f..<;{.(- t;r
ytlslul-na oshiego ga

li

Warashi wa
Vme

C::lvlj:
donna

tf:$

l...'tv' IJ'

.(.,!ft'_f!?f..:

1Jf

bo

shigoro

shite-iru ka

shinpai datto

ga

ne.

as-for superior/best student (subj.) what kind of work (obj.) is doing

? was worried/concerned but (colloq.)

''I was worried about what kind of work one of m y best stude n ts was doine:.'' ( PL2)
1tlli*9c~

Akagawa: "'--,

He.

? 't -flvlj:l: fl~ f!?t.:. lv-r:t'IJ'?

Jinbo Sensei

tte

(cxclam.) (name-title)

sonna ni

ytlslul datta

(quote) that much superior

was

11

desu ka?

(explan.-?)

" Wow! Were you really that good, Dr .Jinbo?" (PL3)

Dr .Jinbo: -f/vlj:
Sonna

$koto

~"'
nai

:b

J: o

wa

yo.

that kind of thing not exist (fern. colloq.) (emph .)

" Not a t all." -+ " He's exaggerating.'' (PL2)

kimi is an informal "you: generally used only by males to address equals or subordinates. Kimi no= ''your."
oshiego, from oshieru ("teach") and ko ("child'') is a term used by teachers and professors for somewhat endearingly
referring to their "students/disciples/academic proteges ...
slrire-irtt is the progressive ("is - ing") form of surtt ("do").
ytlslul-na oslriego ga donna slrigoro o slrite-iru ka is a complete question (''What kind of work is [one of my) best students doing?"), and slrinpai daua is the past form of slrinpai da ("am/is/are worried"). Shinpai datta after a question
makes a semence like "I was worried whallwho/when/how/etc... :
Ire is a light exclamation, like "Gee!/Wow!" givi ng the feeling that the speaker is at least mildly impressed.
tte here is a colloquial equivalent of to iu no wa, which is often just a fancy wa ("As for ...").
ytlslu7 dana is the past form of ytlshtl da ("is superior").
sonna koto nai is an idiom for denying the accuracy of somethi ng that has been said, especially for modestly playing
down compliments.

Dr. Okabe:

t$~ < lv,

Jinbo-kun,
(namc-hon.)

"' "' t;~,

1
(!) 7 ) =-"I 7 b
hoteru no kurinikku mo

;J; 7" Jv
hmel

clinic

ii

ga.

also good/fine but

m:?-c*.o

-? f::>(l) *~ 1:
uchi no daigaku ni modotte kuru

9<\

li

ki

wa

~"' IJ'
nai ka

b?
ne?

my/our university to return/come back desire/interest as-for not exist ? (colloq.)

" J inbo workil'lg at)a hotel clinic is fine too but wouldn' t_y_ou like to com e back to our universitrl" (PL2)
Dr. inbo: .;{.
};:''f:. Wi AA: 1:?!
Daigaku byoin ni?
huh university hospital

to

" What? To the univers itl'.J!.Qwital?" (PL2)

modotte is from modoru ("go/come back''), and kuru= "come.'' A form of kum after the-re form is often used when
speaking o f actions that move toward the speaker in some sense (in this case toward the speaker's workplace), especially with words like modom where the direction is otherwise ambiguous.
uchi no daigakuni modotte kum is a complete thougbllsentence ("come back to our university'') modifying ki ("desire/interest").
ki wa nai is the negative form of the expression ki ga am, literally "have a desire/wiiVintent." The expression ... ki
wa nai ka (lit. 'don't [you] have the desire to .. . ?") is equivalent to "Wouldn't you like to .. . ?"
asking questions with kane is mostly reserved for superiors speaking to subordinates. Using only the abrupt ka can
sound quite rough, so ne softe ns the question.

Dr. Okabe:

.fL.
Waraslri ro shire wa kimi 110 yo-na
Umc

as-for

you

<

.::. (!) i i t: L. "l !:3

(!)
ko110 mama ni shire oku 110

lca'e as is

like

ytlslul-na

isha

o,

superior/excellent doctor (obj.)

li

:1l::t

wa

;:{mnen

l:t.lv f!
nan da

J: 0
yo.

(nom.) as-for disappointmenllregret (explan.-is) (emph.)

" From m y point of view, it's a disappoinonent to leave a n excellent doctor like you as you are."
" I hate to see an exceiJent doctor likeJOU just keep going as ~ou are n ow.'' (PL2)
warashi to sltite IJ'a is literally like saying "as for on the part of my e lf," but here you can think of it as just a formal/
wordy wa, to set up the topic (watashi wa = ''As for myself, ...") "If you ask me/from my point of view, ..."
kimi 110 yo-na ("like you") modifies the combination yt1slul-11a ("superior/excellent") + isha ("doctor").
slrite is the -re form of suru ("do") and oku means set down/leave," so the combination literally means "do and
leave." Kono mama ni shire oku is an expression meaning "leave as is.'' No is a "nominalizer" that turns this action
into a noun and wa makes it the topic: ''Leaving you a you are (is a disappointment)."

M ANGAJtN

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MANGAJIN

*7 Jv Hotel

Dr. Okabe: t.J:

7 ,

Na,

~EB <lv o
Shibata-kun.

right?

(name-hon.)

" Don't vou a2ree Shibata?" (PL2)

li &? ~: i L-< ilt ~li:' v 'o lv t!.!
wa mezamashiku shi11po shite-ir11 11 da!

~~
igaku

Dr.Shibata: ;t ;t ,
Ee.

yes medical science as-for very rapidly

is advancing

(explan.)

"Yes medical science is advancim! verv ra~" (PL2)

~
li ~-:> c ~~i LJ.:v' c .%!.bf.J:v'
(J) iJ'v'?!
Kimi wa

motto benk)iJ shitai

you as-for more

to

omowanai

110

kai?

want to study (quote) not chink (explan.)

"Don't vou think vou'd like to studv some more?" (PL2)

Dr..Jinbo: ~ 1;,-? lv ~~m li
l t.: v' It c' .. .
Mochiro11 benkyo wa
of course

shitai

kedo . . .

study as-for wane to do but

" f course I'd like to studv. but . . ." (PL2)

na is a masculine ne. which can be used all by itself to seek agreement/confirmation from a third party other than the
person you are directly addressing.
mezamashiku is the adverb form of mezamashii ("striking/spectacular/splendid/brilliant").
shinpo shite-iru is from shinpo sum ("to progress/advance").
n da is a contraction of the explanatory 110 da, here used simply for emphasis.
benkyii shitai is the "want to" form of be11k)'iJ sum ("to study").
omowanai is the negative form of omou ("think").
110 is the explanatory 110, essentially asking for her to explain her thoughts/views on the matter. and kai is an informal equivalent of the question particle ka, with a "softer"/friendlier tone.
the wa ( li) after benkyo(~ ~m) in Dr. Jinbo s response implies that there is something else she'd like to do besides
or in addition to studying.

Dr.Okabe:

L-

Moshi kimi
if

~:

.f (J)

7,){

~ J.>tj:? ,

ni

sono

ki

ga

aru nara,

you within that desire/interest (subj.)

if exists

~B

ashita

lm'*

fl- (J)

$~"' *tj:~lt' o

yoji goro watashi no heya e

tomorrow 4:00 about

my

kinasai.

room to

come

" If you' re interested, come to my room around 4:00 tomorrow." (PL2)

l*ln
(J) tl~JX. no ~~tf
a-- *l:l1l--t '-> r)' Go
Naika

110 ken 'i, Kaga KyiJju

slu5kai suru

kara.

internal medicine of authority (name-tille) (obj.) will introduce because/so

"(Because)_I'll introduce vou to Professor Ka2a the l2reat) authoritv on internal medicine." (PL2)
moshi is almost always echoed later in the sentence by a conditional ("if') form - in this case an1 nara ("if [it] exists/if [you] have").
goro (or koro) follows words indicating a point in time to give the meaning "about (the stated time)." For amounts of
time (as well as other things) the word for "about" is gurai (or kurai).
kinasai is a relatively gentle command form of kuru ("come'').
naika combines R nai (also read uchi, "inside/within") with the suffix H -ka, which designates departments/specializations of study and medical practice__. "internal medicine.'' Naika no ken 'i ("authority of internal medicine")
could also be translated "the famous internist."

li

*~1:

*~ml!ft:

(thinking) Jinbo Sensei wa

hoflliJ ni

daigaku byiJin

Akagawa:

1*1*7t~
(name-title)

?~IJ

f.J: (J)

i.l'IJ:?!

ni modoru tsumori na no

kana?

1: .Q!; J.>

as-for cruly/really university hospital to

return

intent (explan.) I wonder

"As for Dr. Jinbo, is she really of the intent to rerum to the university hospital, I wonder?"
" I wonder if Dr. Jinbo really intends to 20 back to the universitv hosoital." (PL2)

Sign:

~ft

Uketsuke

Registration

daigaku byiJin ni modoru is a complete thought/sentence modifying tsumori ("intent").

na no is the form explantory no takes after nouns.
kana asks a conjectural question, "I wonder if .. Jls it perhaps that ... ?"
uketsuke can refer to a "receptionist/reception desk" or to the act of "checking in/registering" for an event.

MA NGAJIN

61

;f-;7" Jv Hotel

62

MA NGAJIN

:a-

Kurata: X. - :; ? "17 1- /
!

~ > 7.> ?!
o l'ameru?

Puraton

what'?

(hotel name) (obj.)

quit

" Wha-a-at? Quit the Platon?!" (PL2)

1 1. t!. !i -:>

Akagawa: -f h. !i
Sore IVa

that a-for

tt C:' .. .

rJ C: !i ;b iP I? :>j: ~'

mada

ilakkiri to

still/yet

clearly

IVa

wakaranai kedo . . .

as-for don't know

but

" I don' t know that for sure, yet_, but . .." (PL2)
mada followed later by a negative means "not yet."
wakaranai is the negative of wakaru ("come to know") as well as of wakaue-iru ("know").

Kurata: t!. :; -r,

Daile.

trlrjjt~

li

Jinbo Sensei wa

but

t' -:> C: .: (J)

zu11o

Jv 1: "' 7.>

;J-: 7

kono iloteru ni

(name-title) as-for all along this

hotel

at

-r ... !!

-:>

iru

lie ... !!

be

(quote)

" But Dr. Jinbo will stay on indefinitely at this hotel, she said/1 thought."
" But I expe_cjj!d Dr. Jinbo to s tay at this hotel forever." (PL2)

Matsuda:

1..-

n' 1..- lft 1lt ~ lv

Shikas/1i
but

(J)

Todo-san no

.,fi

1.::: J: 7.> C: ,

lwnashi

ni rom ro.

(name-hon.) 's storyl:tccount according to

1'$1.!t!:J'i/l:.

)( !!:f:~.Ai lli

li

Jinbo Sensei wa
(name-title)

daigaku byiJin

n':>j: I'J

<:

de mo

Mf:if~

kanari

n -r t.:

J: -J t!.o

kitai sareteW

yiJ da.
as-for university hospital at also considerably be eltpected/anticipatcd seems to be

" But according to what Mr. Todo said, it seems Dr. Jinbo was regarded with great expectations at the university hospital. too."
" But according to Mr. lodii.1 it seems the university hospitaJ had great expectations for Dr. Jinbo as
well." (PL2)
da11e has several uses as a conjunction, including the meaning of "but."
zu11o means 'all through/throughout (a period of time)," and when no period of time is specified it means ''all along/
indefinitely/for the foreseeable future/forever."

11e is a colloquial equivalent of the quotative panicle to, implying to ilia (''said [that)") or to omo11a (''thought [that]")
or another equivalent. She could mean that Dr. Jinbo herself told her so. or that she has some other reason to think so.

yoru ="be based/founded/grounded (on); and to after a verb can have a conditional"if/when meaning. so ... ni
yoruto is literally if (my conclusion) is based/founded on'' -+ "based on/according to .. :
kitai sarete(i)ta is a passive past form of kitai suru, "to expect/anticipate" "was regarded with anticipation/expectations." Preceding this with kwwri (''considerably") makes it literally "was considerably regarded w ith expectations"
- "was regarded with considerable/great expectations."

c 1..- -r ~ 141 L. t.:. ~.o'

(J)

:>j:

I?

M 7.> n' 'b L. h.lv

Mosili isha to shire benkl'iJ shitai

no

nara

modoru kamo shiren

Matsuda: 'b

1..-

ir

I~ .X
doctor

wani to ~tudy (cxplan.)

as

if

return

might

~o

na.
(colloq.)

" If he wants to siUdy as a doctor, she might go back."

" If she wants to studv medicine some more she just might go back." (PL2)
... to shire is an eJtpression meaning "as/in the capacity of .. :
kama shiren is a comraction of kamo shirenai ("might/maybe'').

Kurata: -f lv :>j:
Sonna

koto

ni

that kind or thing/situation to

nallara

Purmon

iCbecame (hotel name)

no

kurinikku

's

clinic

wa

do

naru

11 desu

ka?

as-ror what/how will become (ex plan. '?)

" If that happens, what's going to_become of the Platon's clinic?" (PL2)

Matsuda: .:. , 1& 11:

a-

11< -t

Ko. k()llill
o sagasu
su- succcs,or (obj.) look for

. . . '- n' 1j: ",

t.:. 7-J 1

... s!Jika nai

dan)

1j: o
11a.

have no choice but to probably (colloq.)

" We'll have no choice but to find a successor, I imagine." (PL2)

koro i~ literally "thing: but is often used more abstractly to mean "situation/circumstance:
na11ara i'> a conditional form of 1Umt ("become"); the preceding ni marks the result or "destination" of the "becoming:

shika +a negative (-nai) basically means "only"; shika nai after a verb (sagasu ="search for'') implies that doing that

action is the only option: "have no choice but to (do the action).''
/::"- is a non-standard spelling of/::' -'J do; writers may use the katakana long mark with hiragana for any number of
reason~. but here it's perhaps to indicate the sharpness of her tOne, which is also reflected in the final small tsu.

(cominued onfollowin~ pa~e}

M ANGAJtN

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MAN GAJ IN

*7 Jv

Hotel

-----------------------------------------

(cominuedfrom previous p(lge)

So

kantan-ni mitsukaru

that much/so easily

"ake

nai

ja nai desu ka.'

be found reason/situation nOt ex 1st

is it not that?

"There's no reason (a succes or) will be so easily found. is there?"

"And that's Ml.gQing to be so easy, is it?!" (PL2)
~~ FB ~ lv ,
t:t !v c 1J' ':! I ~ .11: b6 -r: <t:. ~ " , !!
Mat.wda-scm,

nantoka

hikitomete

kudasai!

(name-hon.)

somehow

stop/restrain

please

"Mr. Matsuda, please stop her somehow!"

''You 've I!Ot to do something to sto~Mr. Matsuda!" (PL2)
Matsuda: !v t:t
$ ~ -:> t.:. -:> -r: ...
koto

ittaue ...

that kind of thing

N-11a

even if say

"Even if you say that kind of thing ... " - "That's easv for vou to say, but .." (PL2)
Akagawa: fllli~%~

c.-? -r.o

- 1*

Jinbo Se11sei ittai

(name-title)

do

-:::> b I') t:t lv

suru tsumori na 11

(emph.) what/how do

t:.l:>-? '!
daro.'

intent (cxplun.) I wonder

' '1 wonder what in the world Dr. Jinbo_jntends to do." (PL2)
wake means "reason/cause," so a verb followed by the expression ... wake (ll'a/ga) nai literally says "there's no
reason that action will take place"- i.e.. makes a strong denial that that action could occur.
ja 11ai desu ka is often a rhetorical question that in fact serves as a strong assertion - 'Isn't it so? Of course it is!''
-especially when spoken as forcefully as it is here.
hikitomeru combines hiku ("pull/draw'') and wmeru (''stop/bring to a halt"), so it conjures the image of pulling/
hangi ng onto a person to prevent him/her from goi ng.
-le kudasai usually makes a fairly polite request. but her sharp tone here makes it more of an insistent demand.
n-11a is a contraction of son11a. "that kind of," and iuaue is a colloquial equivalent of the conditional iue mo, "even if
(you) say.
wa to mark the topic has been omitted after Jinbo Sensei.
iuai is an emphasizer for que~tion words: "(What) in the world?/( How) on earth?/etc ...

Sign: :tJ:Itl i~A

Shadcm Hojin

~ffili~
/shikai

Nihon

"{:fi.
'92
Gakkai Kyiijiini.

non-profit corporation Japan Medical Association Conference

Ja~an Medical Association Conference~2

'92

slwdan hojin is one of quite a few classifications of lrOjin ('juristic persons"

incorporated bodies) under the Japanese Civil Code. Hojin classifications indicate the legal "personal ities'' of organizations, such as whether they are
for profit or nonprofit, private or public, charitable. religious. cultural, professional, etc.

Dr. .Iinbo:

~rn < 1v tJ~

Sllibata-kw1 ga

llM!<i~'!!
jokyoju ?

(name-hon.) (subj.) assistanllassociate professor

" You' re an associate orofessor?!" (PL2)

Dr. Shibata: "'~~. ~ t:.-:>-r: ~(7); i
lyli,

*~ 1.: .\hl:~t'IHf,
kimi datte ano mama daigaku ni
nokotte-ireba,

no

you

also

a.~

you were university at

if had stayed

~It~

.ltJJ~t~

<' 1?\t'

t:t-:>1:\t't.:.

~!

imagoro

jokyoju

gurai

naue ita

sa.'

about now associate professor about wou ld have become (colloq.)

"It's nothinl!. If vou had staved at the university,_you' d easily be an associate professor b_y_now
too." (PL2)
her use of -k1m in addressing Or. Shibata shows she regards him as a peer rather than a superior: from that and from
what he says, we can surmi e they were in the same "class" of Dr. Okabe's proteges.
jokyoju (written with the kanji for "assist" and "professor") come under kyoju ("full professors") in the Japanese
system for ranking university faculty, but beyond that it is difficult to establish a clear correspondence with American faculty rank. Sinc.e 'assistant professor" is an entry level rank in America, though, "associate professor" is
clearly the more appropriate translation for jokyiJju in this context.
iyli (lit. "no") here serves as a self-deprecatory "it's nothing" in response to her surprise and implied praise.
daue is a colloquial equivalent of mo, "also/too."
mama= "as is/unchanged." so ano mama= "unchanged from that" or "as you were:
nokoue-ireba is a conditional ("if ') form of nokoue-iru (''has remained/stayed"). from nokoru ("remain/stay").
gurai (or kurai) literally means "about/approximately... but it can be used idiomatically to downplay the significance
of the thing/action mentioned just before it, so jokyiJju gurai feels a linle like "a mere jokyoju"- implying she
would easily have reached that rank by now. too.
twlle-ita is the past form of 11011e-im ("has become") "would have become."
sa is often used to authoritatively/assertively empha~i1.e something you think your listener doesn' t know.

M ANGAJIN

65

;f;"TJv Hotel

.f~

A.-tf
~

ifi

':

!?

66

MAN GAJIN

;t;j- Jv Hotel

Dr. Jinbo:

i ~ IJ'o
Masaka.
"Come n ow." (PL2)

. serve as indicates
disbelief/incredulity, and can either stand alone as an exclamation ("No!/lmpossible!/Hardly!") or
emphasis within a more specific statement of disbelief ("it can't possibly be that .. ./you surely don't mean
masaka

to tell me that ...").

Dr. S h ibata: ~0)~,
Ano toki . ..
' 'That time, "
Dr. Shibata:

0-r a-0

(j:
!T.C~
mv>t:.
-?31':>1.:.
t:. ~
J: o
~
.... ,
:tl' 1;'> ?::
*~Wi~
itta roki wa
odoroita
yo.
yameru
1/e
0
kimi ga torsuzen. daigaku byi5in
you (subj.) suddenly university hospital (obj.) will quit/resign (quote) said time as-for was surprised (emph.)
" when you sudden ly told m e you were guitting the univer sity hos(!ital, I was r ea lly sur(!rised."
(PL2)

~0) II;\' (j: ...

b.,
Dr.Jin bo: -f-?
ne,
ano toki wa ...
Si5
that way (colloq.-is) that time as-for
" Yes, at that t ime " (PL2)

..
Dr. S h ibata:

Dr. Jinbo:

..
.

Dr. S h ibata:

ue is quotative and iua is the plain/abrupt past form of iu ("say"). Kimi ga rotsuzen daigaku byoin o yamerutte ilia
is a complete lhoughtlsentence ("you suddenly said you were quitting the university hospital") modifying toki
("time/the time when").
odoroita is the plain/abrupt past form of odoroku ("be surprised'') .
ne by itself often replaces desu ne ("is, isn't it?") or deshita ne ("was, wasn't it?"), especially in feminine speech, so
si5 ne here literally means "it was that way, wasn' t it." She's not confirming the fact that he was surprised, but that
he had good cause to be.

.z './ '

~ :> 1.:. ?!
yameru?
!
" What? Quitting?!" (PL 2)

..: c

;j'; T )V 0) 7 1) =- ") 7 "'(:'

1: L- t:. 0)!
fk!J<
Ee,
hoteru no kurinikku de hararaku koto ni shita no!
work
decided to (explan.)
clinic
at
yes
hotel
s
" Yes, I've decided to work at a c linic in a hotel." (PL2)

.z .z'

one use of the panicle de is to mark the location where an action takes place.
. .. koto ni shira is the plain/abrupt past form of ... koro ni sum, an idiomatic expression for "decide to . . .''(literally " thing/situation+ "to"+ ''do/make" - ' make it the situation that ..." ).
no indicates she is offering an explanation. Omitting desu after 110 is common in colloquial speech, especially
among females.

P.lf 1: ?!
*7 !v? I lj:-lf -flvlj:
Hoteru ? I
Naze sonna rokoro ni?
why that kind of place at
hotel
" A hotel? Why a t a (!lace like that?" (PL2)

fJ{ I
0)
"'(:' 12$~
1: lj: t:.
~ mc~t 1.:.
~
n' L- G b.o
~
Dr. Jinbo: *~Wi~
kashira
ne.
iya
ni /1{//tQ
/10
I
koro
ga
0 tsuzukeru
Daigaku byi5in de isha
university hospital at doctor (obj.) continue thing/act (subj.) disagreeable to became (explan.) is it perhaps? (colloq.)
"Continuing as a doctor at the university hospital has become disagreeable (to me), perhaps."
" I 1mess the idea of continuing a s a doctor at the university hos (!ital no longer a(!(!eals to m e."
(PL2)

.
..

koto, literally "thing," is here being used as a " nominalizer," to make the preceding clause into a noun: daigaku
byi5in de isha o rsuzukeru koto ="(the act of) continuing as a doctor at the university hospital."
iya ni nalla is the past form of iyani naru, "grow tired of/come to dis like/get fed up with."
klJshira makes a (mostly feminine) conjectural question, "Is it perhaps/1 wonder if ... ?" Ne is often used at the end
of a sentence to seek agreement/confirmation from the listener, but here it just adds light emphasis.

MAN GAJ I N

67

*7 Jv

68

M ANGAJIN

Hotel

*7 Jv H o t e I
- - "C.'

Dr. Shibata: t.!.-:> "( tt li -r-:>t

Datte kimi wa zutto koko
but
you as-for all along here
" But weren't vou savinl! vou
~

(~

(J)

~H~

Lt.:~'

-;>"'[

"B-:> -r:: t.: 1.: ~

~ ~'1.1'?!

de igaku no benl..-yo 0
shirai
1/e
iue-ra
ja nai ka!
at medicine of study (obj.) want to do (quote) were saying were you not?
wanted to studv medicine here indefinitely?" (PL2)

(j:
-f-) ,'[!, -:> "( "' t.: b o
Dr .Jinbo: t.: L iPt: lltr
Tashika 11i mae wa
so
omoue-ira
wa.
cenainly before as-for that way was thinking (fem. colloq.)
" It's certainlv true I thoueht that wav before." (PL2)

.
.

Dr.Tinbo:

.
.
.

-/){
(J) ~t)jj
r:.~.~ -r ~ t.: (J)
.l:!
't't ::_(J) ~~ (J)
iti!fi
~r.li
chiryii
110
arikara
ga
gimo11 ni omoere kira 110
Demo kono byiiin flO
yo!
but
this hospital 's patient treatment 's state/manner (subj.) questionable came to think (explan.) (emph.)
''But I've come to have doubts about the wav patients are treated in this hosoital." (PL2)

chiryii refers to "medical treament" rendered to patients, and arikara is literally "way/manner of being,'' so chiryii 110
arikara ="the manner/state of treatment"-+ "the way patients are treated."
gimon is a noun for "question(s)/doubt(s)," and omoere kira is from omou ("think"). Gimon11i omou is an expression
for "think questionable/have doubts," and adding -re kira (from kuru, "come") makes it "have come to think (it)
questionable/have come to have doubts."

*""

(j: iJ..'t'~Jvr:::J::..- ~7- 't' ~

~fj~ t~l!."to.!: -J 1: .:).: il' t;,
C:
itilfi L -r:: " ' <o
lsha wa mantde
bemro ko11beii
de 1110110 0 s/rl7ri S IITII yo 11i rsugi kara rsugi e /0
clriryii shire iku.
conveyor belt
doctorsas-for just like
on things (obj.) repair
like one after another (quote) proceed with treatment
" The doctors eo from one_o_atient to the next iust as if thev_were re~airine obiects on a convevor
belt." (PL2)

(J) n' L I? !?
7- I ;.$:~1: -fit "C.' ~\~\
Fli
ii
I Honroni sore de
110 kashira?
(sigh)
truly/really with that good/fine (explan.) I wonder
"illgh) I really wonder if that's the way it should be." (PL2)

marude .. . yo ni makes an expression meaning "just/much/almost like ..." Yo11i essentially turns the preceding into
an adverb for clriryo shire iku (from chiryo suru ["treat patients"] + iku ("go," implying a progressive or repeated action]).
rsugi = "next," and rsugi kara rsugi e (lit. ''from next to next") is an expression for "one after another." The ro makes
this also an adverb modifying clriryo shire iku.
sore de ii, literally "is good/fine with that,'" can mean either "that is enough'' or ""that is the way it should be.""

$
(j: ' I 12$~ C: L -r::
~ t.: IJ lliJ(J)
Dr. Shibata: *~(J)
.~.~
~
ifif!.t
"to
$ 1.: ~ ~ ~'n'o
kanja 0 chiryo
S liT!/
koro wa, I ish a ro shire
Ozei 110
ararimae no
koro ja 11ai ka.
many (people] patients (obj.) treatment doing/giving thing as-for doctor as naturaVmatter of course thing
isn't it?
"T reating many patients is a matter of course for a doctor, isn' t it?"
"But it's onlv natural that a doctor should treat lots of oatients." (PL2)
ja nai ka can be a rhetorical question that feels more like an assenion, and his expression indicates such a case here.

-f-) n' b L h ~ "' It t, #. (j: 13 5t~ ~ t: t-J - It ;-~ 1: I\"( ~ ~ "( (h. t.: "\ (J) o
So
kamo slrirenai kedo, waraslri 11'0 j ibu11 11ari 11i mii iclrido SOlO ni dete
kangaere mirai
110.
that way might be
but
Ume as-for in my own way one more time outside to go out-and want to try thinking (ex plan.)
''That may be so, but I want to go outside again and try thinking about it in my own way."
''That may be true, but I want to 2et away (from the university) and think it throueh al!ain for m vself. " (PL2)
kangaere mirai is the "want to" form of kangaere
miru, from ka11gaeru ("think about") and miru
(j:
.,s...
Dr. ,Iinbo: ~(J)~
b ;a: il' "? t.: 0 I
#.
("see"). Miru after another verb can mean either
Fu
Ano koro
wa warashi mo wakakalla. I
"try/attempt (the action)" or "do (the action) and
in those days as-for Vme also was young
(single chuckle)
see what results"- here the latter.
"I was vounl! then. (chuckle)" (PL2)
Dr. Jinbo:

-r\,\51-

~:f:~ ~

~ 'Ei'-:>'l:>~-?t.:

Po

koro 0
irclra//a
wa.
Zuibtm
namaiki-na
vel)/qute audacious/brazen things (obj.) said-(regret) (fem. colloq.)
" I said some reallv audacious thinl!s." (PL2)

li
Dr. Okabe: iT, '15 Jt>
~II;}
t "'0\..'0 ~? t.: /..., t.!. 0 -) 0
flit~ t!.? t.: L, ~~1'191:
roji
wa rikon chokugo dana shi, seislri11-teki 11i mo
Ma. krmi mo
iroiro
aua
daro.
well )OU also at the time as-for divorce right after was and psychologically also various things existed (explan.) probably
" W ell that was iust after vour divorce and vou orobably_had all kinds oftbines weighin(: on your
mind." (PL2)

-~

irclraua is a contraction of irte slrimaua, from iu ("'say"); shimaua after another verb implies the action was undesirable/
regrettable.

M ANGAJIN

69

;J";f" Jv Hotel

70

M ANGAJIN

;f;f- Jv Hotel

Dr. Shibata: ~ -:> 1! I)

yappari implies this is what he has

suspected all along.

Yappari
daigak11 brrJin
o yameta lw11tii 110 rirt7 11a
afler all/a~ ,u,pcclcd uni\ersity ho\pilal (obj.) quil
true reason as-for
~~

-nr

riko11

RO

1!1. fT.l

f~-:> f.:. ())

gen 'i11 dallll

divorce (\ubj.) cause

tJ ~ ?
kai?

110

was

daigaku byiJi11 o yameta (''[you] quit

the university hospital") and l10nto
110 both modify riy tl ("reason").
riytl and ge11'i11 both mean "cause/

(cxplan.-?)

reason," so combining them makes

something like the English colloquialism "the reason was because . . :

"So was the real reason you quit_tbJ!_Univer sity hospital because of the divorce after all?" (PL2)

@]

Dr. Jinbo:

ll

iJ. o

I "'('{,

-:17~/

"'(' ff'l~-cJ.J..-c ,

Suk().llli wn

ne.

I Demo

Puraton

de hataraite mite,

~-L

a lillie
IX~

a1

lca<;l (colloq.)

t L -c t!!t"t:'~

bu1 (holcl name) al

<'

islw 10 sltite dake de naku.

doctor

as

not only

having "orkcd

t L-c t.:.

A/Ill
11ingen

lo shite

human being

as

<~fv())

~~

'I~ 1v t!

Po

lll(lllattda

wa.

taku.wn no ko10

many

lhings (obj.) learned (fem. colloq.)

" To some extent. But working a t Platon, I 've learned many things not_9!1!~ a doctor._ but also as
a huma n being." (PL2)
the panicle 11a after a number/quantity often has the emphatic meaning of "al least... so sukoslti II'G literally means
"at least a liule: but it's abo u~ed idiomatically to mean "to some extent."
hataraite i., the -te form of ltataraku ("to work/labor !at a job!"). Unlike Engli~h "work,'' hmaraku cannot be used to
refer to "working" at a hobby or other pastime.
mite is the -te form of miru, and since it follows another verb i1 implies "try (the action)" or "do (the action) and see
what happens." Here. though. the past-tense verb at the end of the sentence makes it past tense, so it becomes "did
(the action) and found that .. :or "having done (the action) I found that .....
... dake de naku is an expre~~ion for "not only ... but also ..."
1/l(//1{11/dll i~ lhe plain/abrupt pa\t fom1 or 1/1(/1/{lblt ("learn").

Dr. Oka be: f!-? f.:. I?

da11ara is an abbreviation of sii da11ara.

Da11ara

mo

"if it is/was so,"

daigaku ,; 11wdo11e kitamae.

in 1ha1 c:1'c already/now univcr>ily 10

come back

"Then come on back to the university." (PL2)

.fl..
li. .IJ-"t't .H ~ r0i< ~HdfiL"t~ ~ lvf.!. o
Wma.11ti H'a ima demo kimi o taJwku lnoka sltite-iru 11 da.

countered earlier.
wkaku is the adverb form of takai
("high"). and hyoka ~hite-iru is from
hyr)ka suru, literally "make an assess-

a,..for C\cn now you (obj.) highly ~valualclrcgard (explan.)

lime

" I still think very highly of you." (PL2)

Dr. .linbo: t-'J

l_f.:.
shim

Dii

::..1-v~

()),
110.

k0111W

m'T-<

1JI?,

a.m lwraku kara.

whal/how did (cxptan.-?) thi; much/~o early morning from

"in that case."

modo11e kitamae is a command form

of modo11e kuru ("come back"), en-

~Ul<lv?

Sllibaw-ku11 ?

(name-hon.)

ment/evaluation" but idiomatially used

takaku
to mean "look upon/regard"
hyiika suru = "regard highly/think
highly or:

"Shibata, wha t 's up, so early in the morning?" (PL2)

dii shiw a\b for an explanation of ~omething that ~eems out of the ordinary: "what happened?/what's wrong?/
what, going on?" Asking a que\tion with no is common in colloquial speech. more among females than males.
komw i' an abbreviation of ~o11na ni ("this much/to this extent") here. Am ltayaku means "early in the morning."
Since ltayaJ.u i'> the adverb form of lwyai ("early"). it implies an action is being done/taking place early.
her ~> nta;~. is inverted: normal order would place do shiwno after konna asa hayaku kara. The name of the person
being addressed can come e ither at the beginning or the end or the sentence.

Dr. Shibata:

II'Ff~

I.J:

Sakuya

ll'a

filiJ$Xt.C

1Jt

vt.:.

fJ'"'

ita

kara

Okabe KyiJ)u ga

(;~_ld:1! -:>t.:.1Jt
ienakalla

ga

la.'l nigh! a,..for (name-lillc) (\uhj.) cAi\ledlwas prc!.cnl becau<oe/so could nol >ay bUI
~
(;t j?O)H_f,
15 1..: 7 o ;f-- ;( ~
t' J., ....:> t f) f! 0 f.:. lvf!
boku

11'0

a110 toki, kimi ni

lime a>-for lhat lime

you 10

pumpiJ::.u

proposal

sum tsumori

(obj.) do/make imcnt

dalla

wm,

11

da.

(cxplan.)

"1 couldn 't say this last night because Professor Okabe was there but I intended to propose to you
then [before you guit the hospital]." (PL2)
Dr. Jinbo: 7 ' o ;J! - ;( ?!
Pumpii::.u?

propo,al

" Pro pose?" (PL2)

.mkuya i~ a \Omewhat formal word for Jast nighl" (cf. yiibe, kino 110 ba11).
ita i~ 1he plain/abrupt past form of iru ('"be/exist[in a placer for people and other animate things).
ienaka11a is from iu ("say'') ieru ("can say")
ie11ai ("cannot say")
ienaka11a ("could not say").
puropiJ::.u. from English "propose," means marriage proposal" in Japanese. The verb form is puropiJzu (o) suru (lit.

"do/make a proposal"; the o is optional).

M ANGAJIN

71

;f; 7 Jv H o t e I

?m:
I}

T fi

.::.-;tq)
'"' B:l
{
? A.
'
li

'ltHm:t t

L.o-r~ q)

~ , ~ ,~--~~

c~~
"?

"'C
Q
0

72

M ANGAJIN

' :f

,'(\', Q A. .:
q) tJ
I;t "f:

A.

L.

t:t "'C

q)

,.

~of
"f:q)
~ ~

~M
0~

~ l;t.

t:t.
~'
0

;f;'TJv Hotel

@J

Dr. Shibata: -f {f)

Sono

kimochi

wa ima demo kawaranai.

that/those fecling(s) as-for even now

not change

"Those feeline:s remain unchane:ed even now." (PL2)

t!.il'~ , -fn .12U:.I.::
I
;g(J) IE~ t 1..-'l(J) :::t'li~
Daga, sore
but

ijif 111

that

kimi no isha to shire no

more than

your

;t; 7 Jv tj: lv iJ' l'" *~ :b

:::.. lv tj:
konna

doctor

as

this kind of hote l

(belinle) at

o,

talents/gifts (obj.)

{f)

!;l:

ti 1..- 1t'

no

wa

oshii

G -tt J.>

hoteru nanka de owaraseru

~,

samif

to

omone-ru.

let end/finish (nom.) as-for rcgrenable/wasteful (quote) think/believe

' 'But even more than that I think it would be a waste to let vour !rifts as a doctor reach their end in
a mere hotel (clinic) like this." (PL2)
Dr. Jinbo:

~ E8

* 7 Jv

< lv,

Shibata-kun, hoteru
(name -hon.)

hotel

{f)

7 ') .::. "J 7

li .. .

110

kurinikku

wa . . .

's

clinic

as-for

"Shibata a hotel clinic . " (PL2)

Sound FX: R R R R .. .
(sound of phone ringing)

kawara11ai is the negative form of kawaru (''change"), and it can mean either "doesn't change" or " hasn' t changed."
kimi 110 ("your") modifies the combination, isha to shire 110 ("as a doctor") + sainif ("abilities/talents/gifts").
nanka is a colloquial nado ("a thing/things like"), and is often used to belittle/put down/deride the item mentioned.
Here he is not deriding the Platon as a hotel, but rather belittling the place of hotel c linics among medical institutions.
owaraseru is a causative ("make/let do") form of owaru ("end/finish").
110 is a " nominaUzer" that turns the entire preceding clause into a noun ("(the act of] letting your gifts as a doctor
end in a mere hotel [cli nic] like this"), and wa makes that noun the topic of the rest of the sentence ("I think is
wasteful").
omotte-ru is a contraction of omorte-iru ("think/believe") from omou ("think/believe/feel"); when speaking of a belie f or opinion, omotte-iru usually does not take the progressive "am/is/are -ing'' form in English.

@]

Dr. Jinbo:

337-%~

b.o

Sanbyaku sanjilnana-giishitsu ne.

room 337

<

Sugu

1T Et iT o
ikimasu.

right? immediately will go

" You said Room 337? I'll be there right a way." (PL3)
-go = ;<No." and shitsu = " room"; -goshitsu is the suffix for indicating room numbers.
ikimasu is the PL3 form of iku ("go").

Dr.Jinbo:

:::..~/v"/;t~lt' o

-t<

~J.>

Gomennasai.

Sugu

modoru

(apology)

ii'G i?.t-::>Cf.;f-::>'l'l<:h.J.>?
kara

chotto

immediately return because/so a little

matte-te kureru?
wi ll you wail for me?

"I'm sonv. I'll be ri2ht back so would v~Iease) wait for me?" (PL2)
matte-te is a contraction of malte-ite, the -te form of malte-iru ("be waiting"), frommatsu ("waif'). Kureru after the
-te form of a verb makes a gentle, informal request, "would you (please) ... ?"

~ W Jt;~

Akagawa: X. -?
-?
what?

"' tj: "' lv l'" Til'?

Jinbo Sensei

inai

11

desu ka?

1!1--:>t..:

tj: o

Komatta

na.

(name-title) nol present (explan.- ?) be lroubledldislressed (colloq. )

" Wha-a-t? Dr. .Jinbo isn' t here? Oh, no." (PL2)

Sound FX: ::K Zt7 (sound of sniffli ng)

komatta is the plain/abrupt past form of komaru, "to be faced with a problem/caught in a tight spot," and 1w adds
light emphasis. Komalta na serves as an exclamation of distress/uncertainty when faced with a problem you' re not
immediately sure how to solve: "Oh no!/What a fix!/Now what?/Bummer!"

@J

Akagawa: T h. i-tt lv o T
Sumimasen.
(apology)

<"

Sugu

:St~ ~
sensei

ilf-lv l'"* iT
yonde kimasu

il' Go
kara.

immediatel y doctor (obj.) wi ll go ca!Usummon because/so

" I'm sorry. I'll go get the doctor right awav. so (olease wait here)." (PL3)
sumimasen is a more formal apology than gomennasai. which is most often heard from children- though adults
may use it in informal situations when speaking to someone of equal or lower status.
yonde is the -te form of yobu ("call/summon"), and kimasu is the PL3 form of kuru ("come"). -Tel-de kuru has a variety of meanings, including "go to do the action and come back."

M ANGAJIN

73

:t-7 Jv Hotel

~T
"? ( "

"( l:

t,:
~

\,
0

l:

t;; t;;
t:: \,

fi . l.>
t: l:t 0
0 1:t fJ;
\,'
0

74

MAN GAJIN

0)(...'-Pt
t;; fJ;

~
\,

~fi$

t,

1:t

;f; T Jt.- H o t e I

Dr. Shibata: f!f"f? l;t ~ v' o I

iJ{

f.t..

~-r ili;df J:

-)

machinasai is a relatively gentle command form of marsu

("wait").
mite is the -te form of miru, which when written with the
kanji ilt J., means "see/examine" in the sense of a doctor
examining and attending to a patient's complaint.
ageyo is the volitional ("let's/1 shall") form of ageru
("g ive"). Ageyo after the -te form of another verb implies
the speaker intends/is offering to do the action for someone else's benefit.

I Watashi ga
mire ageyo.
I
(subj.) shall see/examine

Machinasai.
wait

"Wait. I' ll examine him." (PL2)

' ?
Akagawa: A..

-c: b

...

? Demo ...

"What? But ..."

iJt

Dr. Shibata: AA

a;~

iJt' t:.v' t...t..:

{j:

t:t v'o

t..: t! 0) iii.$ t!. 0

rada no before a noun means "a

plain/ordinary/common - ."
kaette is the -re form of kaeru, "go/
"You have a fever but it's nothin2 serious. Just an ordinary cold." come home," and the -te form here
(PL2)
functions like "and."

nenasai
is a relatively gentle comi"
1l\h"t :BI:/:t~v' o
mand form of neru ("go to bed/
Sugu ni
uchi ni kaerte nenasai.
sleep").
immediately home to return-and go to bed
ka7.e is usuall y translated as ''(a)
"Go home right away and go to bed." (PL2)
cold," but also includes influenza,
iJ{
j(ij~
a;~ /v-c"T o
Patient: l.... il' t... 1i~ tr t;, *WI:t
which is probably why the doctor's
Shikashi goji kara raisersu-na shodan
ga
aru
n desu.
advice seems a bit drastic.
but
5 o'clock from important business talks (subj.) have/exist (ex plan.)
goji kara is literally "from 5:00"-+
"But I have some im~ortant business talks at 5:00." (PL3)
"(begi nning) at 5:00."
Nersu ga aru ga,
fever (subj.) exists but

<1:

Dr. Shibata: i"lvt:t

nai. Tadano kaze da.

taishita kote wa
serious thing as-for not exist
plain cold/flu is

::

tO) li

~dl)h.'i'

\,\\,\ 0

e: 1: n' <

!f!.<

iifl"~/;t~v' o

hi
ii.
Sonna
mono wa
0
aratamereba
Tonikaku
hayaku
that kind of thing as-for day/date (obj.) if reschedu le is good/fine anyhow/at any rate quickly

kaerinasai.
go home

"Somethin2Iike that you can just reschedule for another day. Anyhow you must hurry up and 20
home (todav)." (PL2)
fJ..O) ~f (i
(j: -c."~ i it /v o
Patient: i"lvt:t
$
l L)'ii
t:t lv -c:-t 0
wa
Ky!ish!l
Sonna
koro \ VQ dekimasen. Warashi no kai.5ha
nan desu.
that kind of thing as-for cannot do
my
company as-for (place name)(explan.) is

"I can't do that. Mv com~any is in Kyiishii." (PL3)

t!. '/)> I?
4- B >P :: fj?,j:~ ~ itT i -tt t:t 't h. !i' t:t I? t:t '-'' !v -c: i" o
kyOjii ni keiyaku 0 sumasenakereba naranai
Dakara
so/therefore within today contract (obj.)
must finish/complete

.
..
..
.
Dr. Shibata:

n desu.
(explan.)

"So I have to get the contract signed today." (PL3)

aratamereba is a conditional form of aratameru ("modify/revise") and the expression hi o ararameru means to "reschedule (an event/appointment)."
ii means "good/fine," and -ba ii makes an expression meaning " it is enough to do -/all you have to do is-."
hayaku is the adverb form of hayai ("quick/early"), and kaerinasai is a command form of kaeru ("go/come ho me").
dekimasen is the PL3 negative fom1 of dekiru ("can do").
dakara = "because it is so" "so/therefore"
-jii ni suffixed to a time word means "within (that time frame)."
sumasenakerebanaranai is a " must/have to" form of sumasu ("finish/bring to a close").

<

!i ~~ 0) ~-? $
~ itfl
b lv t!. !
Kanja wa isha no iu koro 0 kiku mon da!
patient as-for doctor (subj.) says thing (obj.) should listen
.\P.~

iu koro o kiku is literally " listen to what (someone)

says," but it has the idiomatic meaning o f "obey/do
as (someone) says."
mon da (or mono da) after a non-past verb implies
" A ~atient should do as his doctor savs." (PL2)
that the action or situation indicated by the verb is
-f'!
+-? ~ 1t 't ~.- , "? i t..: -:> -r t is G 1v
"common/standard/the way things are or should be."
So
de nakereba irsu made ratte mo naoran
zo!
forever
won't get better (emph.) irsu made tarte mo is followed by a negative to mean
that way if is not
"(something won' t happen) no matter how much
" If you don' t, you' ll never 2et better!" (PL2)
time passes" --> "will never happen."

-c:

Patient: t!.-:> t:. I? '

n.

-c:

t?

itL.-rt Gbt:t <-rt ,j:fiti'lt -c"T !

Dauara,
1110 naoshire morawanakure mo kekkO desu!
if don' t fix me
in that case already/anymore
fine/okay is
" Then it's fine ifl don' t have you give me treatment anymore."

"In that case vou don't have to treat me anvmore." (PL2)

mo("already") followed by a negati ve becomes " no longer .. ./not ... anymore."

naoshire is the -re form of naosu ("to fix"),
which when written with the kanji ifiT
refers to giving medical treatment/a cure.

morawanakure mo is a negative condition al form of morau, which after another verb means "have (the action) done
(for/to me)"
"even if ( J) don 't have (the action) done for me." Naoshite morawanakute mo = "even if (I) don ' t
have you give me treatment."
kekki5 often replaces ii ("good/fine/okay") in the expression ... -te mo ii (desu), (lit. '' it is fine/okay if ...").

MAN GAJ IN

7~

>t-7-Jv Hote l

76

MANGAJIN

;f;'TJv Hotel

Akaeawa:

--

,_ ' li ;f; 7" Jv ~j: !v i:i" o

Koko
wa hotem nan desu.
here/this place as-for hotel (ex plan.) is
"This is a hotel." (PL3)
i>~~lv

b-?c

~ ~~"(~If"( ( f!_ ~ \..-'!!

lJf

(J)

Motto okyaku-san
no
koto
0
kangaete agete
more (hon.)-guest-(hon.) of thing/situation (obj.) think for them
" Please think more about our guests!"
"Please be more considerate of our 2uestsl" (PL3)

Dr. Shibata:

kudasai!
please

i>~~lv?

Okyaku-san?

"Guests?" (PL2)
Dr. Shibata:

Jj: 1: ~.

Jl1,~

t!. '?

... no koto is literally "things of/

about" (in this context "things"=
"situation"), or simply 'about."'
kangaete is the -te fonn of kangaeru
("think about/consider''). and agete
is the -te form of ageru. After another verb, ageru means "do for
(someone else)."'
kudasai after the -te form of another
verb makes a fairly polite request.

-? !

nani o, which often occurs in fights,

is an expression that reflects a tlaring temper. Here it could also be
taken as the beginning of a sentence
" What in ... (Don't be} ridiculous! You mean gatients don' t
like Nani o baka-na koto itte-irun
you?" (PL2)
da ("What kind of ridiculous thing
li ~~c. l "( ~ t.: I') WJ(J)
Dr. Shibata: ;fl .
~-g-?1:\..-'.:b /v f!.o
are you saying?").
Watashi wa isha to slrite ata rimae no
koto 0
itte-iru
nda. ararimae = "natural/proper/matter of
lime as-for doctor as naturallmaller of course thing (obj.) am saying (explan.) course" and ararimae no koro =
''I'm saying what is o nly natural a s a doctor."
"what is natural/a matter of course:
" I'm onlv savine: what anv doctor would sav." (PL2)
the explanatory n da in this case also
provides emphasis.
Akae:awa: t!.' t!. -/)' I? .::. -f
~~l:(i L"'
!vi:T!
koso is an emphatic particle, and
Da, dakara koso
kongaete lroslrii
ndesu!
dakara koso is like "all the more beso/therefore all the more want you to think/consider (explan.)
''That's the verv reason whv I ask vou to be considerate !" (PL3) cause that is so ''that's the very
reason why .. :
ltoslrii after the -te fonn of a verb
means " (I) want (you/someone) to
Dr..Jinbo: -f? "'t:T~'o -ftl t:~ ffl}l')t.:("t'b
~tt."i-tt"!v P o
do (the action)."'
desu ko. Soreja
So
kaeritakme mo
kaeremasen
ne.
that way is it? in that case even if want to go home cannot go home can you?
''I see. In that case vou can't e:o home even if_you want to can vou?" (PL3)
J{-}Jlj:-:; 0

Nani 0,
baka na!
Kanja daro!
what (obj.) foolish/ridiculous patients surely

Patient:

..

.
..
.

~:-t -/J{ .::.lvt.t

~~ 0
W!A (J) IJj'j 1: ~"'f.:< li't.tv' Lo
byonin no kao de
Ee.
Desu ga konna
aitaku wa nai
shi.
that 's right is so but this kind of sick person s face with don't want to meet and

" No. But I really don' t want to meet (my clients} with such a sickly face either." (PL3)
so desu ka literally asks "Is it so?" but it has the idiomatic meaning of " I see."
soreja is a contraction of sore de wa, literally, " if it is that" --+ "in that case."
kaeritakwe mo is a conditional form of kaeritai, the "want to" form of kaeru ("come/go home'')-+ "even if (you)
want to go home." Kaeremasen is the PL3 negative form of kaereru ("can go home"), the potential form of kaeru.
ne here doesn ' t so much seek agreement/confirmation as it offers sympathy .
ee indicates agreement, usually "yes," but since Dr. Jinbo asked a negative question, agreement becomes "no."
aitakunai is the negati ve of aitai, the "want to" fonn of GLI ("meet"); inserting wa adds emphasis.

Dr. Jinbo: b -IJ' I'J "i L f.: o

Wakarimashita.
understood

-/){

-t- tt. t: ~ lmlli'f "i 1:1:

ffil~T

J: -J 1: ?flt/i l t L J: -? o

karada ga kaifuku sum yo ni

body (subj.) will recover so that

.
..
.

1-' L 1: b

Soreja
yoji made ni sukoslri demo
in that case 4 :00
by
even a lillie
clriryo shimas ho.
let's treat

''I understand. In that case let's treat (vou) so that vour bod_y will at least recover a little bv 4
o' clock." (P L3)
wakarimashita is the PL3 past fonn of wakaru. Since wakaru means "come to know/understand," its past fonn is
often equivalent to English "understand" rather than " understood."
made = "until," but made ni ="by"
yo ni after a verb can mean "so that (the action takes place)": kaifuku suru yo ni ="so that (you) recover.''
shimashO is the PL3 volitional ("let's/1 shall") fonn of suru ("do").

Patient: -flvt.t

$-

-/){ \:~.:b lvi:T-IJ'?!

Somra
koto ga dekiru
that kind of thing (subj.) can do

n desu ka?
(cxplan.-?)
"Can r ou do something like that?" (P L 3)

M ANGAJIN

77

*7-Jv Hote l

*
Q*
~-.

~~

t:."'
!!

~t:i

.:

1t

1:t IJC:

'/}

Sn t.:: ~
O) ;t-l;t ~
.t:r~ - "C

78

M ANGAJIN

IV
0)

0 1. '
OQ

*r Jv
~

Dr.Jinbo:

-f<7)1J'~?f'),

fl.

Sono kawari,

s 1 JJ

<7)

wataslzi no

in exchange for 1ha1

iu

>;:

koto

Hotel

ett.:>lvt
kichinto

':t -:>"C

<t!.~v' o

mamolle

kudasai.

(subj .) say lhings (obj.) exaclly/fully obey/adhere 10 please

" But please adhere exactlyjo what I say." (PL3)

i
~
>;: ~ lv 1.'" fl;y i 1.'" $11~ 1.'" f,f.; lv 1.'"'

-r

Mazu kusuri

nonde sanji made heya de

medicine (obj.) drink-and 3:00 unlil

firsl

*"(

:=11.f 'f. 1: b 1 - Jl .:. .:. ......,

yaswzde,

room in rest/sleep-and

,$fll.

>;: ~~t J.> o

sanjilw n ni mii iclzido koko e

kite
shinryo
o ukeru.
3:30
al more once here 10 come-and examina1ion (obj.) receive

"First of all., ta ke that medicine and rest in vour room until 3:00 then at 3:30 come back here for
another examination." (PL2)
1\fi :d.; C:>
f&: 1.'"

tJ' tJ' f'J "'? It <7) l2i ~ 1.'" ~ "C ~ C:> 1

'IT-o
Kaeuara

aro de

-r

kanarazu kakaritsuke no isha de

when go home aflerward withoul fai l

family doc10r

mite morau

koro.

al receive exa minalion lhing

" When you g_et back home be sure to have vour familv doctor examine-YQ..u.'' (PL2)
Patient tt '-',

~ t)

Hai.

1Jt t

1 .:. ~-.,_,iT o

a riga to gozaimasu.

yes/okay

thank you

" Oka y, thank_you ver much." (PL3)

sono kowari is an expression meaning ''in reiUrn/in exchange for that.'" She is essentially saying that she will do

Dr.Shibata:

what she can to improve his condition (e.g. by giving him some medicine), but. 'in exchange," he must do his pan
- i.e., it will only work if he docs his pan.
mamou e is the te form of mamoru ("obey/abide by [rules/instructions!"). Kudasai makes a relatively polite request
- though the firmness with which she speaks here makes it close to a command.
nonde is the-re form of nomu ("drink,'' or in the case of medicine, "take''); yaszmde is the -te form of yasumu ("resll
sleep"); and kite is the le form of kuru (' 'come''). Each of these -te forms indicates an action that precedes the next
mentioned action in chronological sequence.
kaeuara is a conditional "when form o f kaeru ("go home").
kakt1ritsuke is used in speaking of doctors (and other health care professionals). referring to those one goes to regu
larly - "(one's) regular/family doctor." Kakari is from the verb kakaru. which is used in the expression islza ni
kakaru for the meaning 'put oneself under the care of a doctor." and tsuke is fro m the verb rsuku ("stick/be auached
to").
koro (lit. "thing") added to the end of a non-past declarative sentence can make a gentle command/admonition.

i'v'~t .[!.~

>;:

tt~1J,L"C'-''-' t.~ Jj:v'tJ'!

Zuibun

amayakashite-iru

ktmja

ja nai ka.'

very/quite paticnl (obj.) are pampering/spoiling are you not?

" You certainly_pamper your patients, don ' t you?" (PL2)

Dr. Jinbo:

IJ~1J' l-"C v'l.>

ltR

Amayakaslzire-iru

1.:~/j:v'

*rJv

rfii'Jl

ho

.:tl

wa.

Kore ga hoteru no clziryii

wake ja nai

1J~

am pampering/spoiling situation is not (fern. cmph.) 1his (subj.) h01el

<7)

lj:<7)

J: o

na no

yo.

' 1reaunent (explan.) (emph.-is)

" It's not pampering. That's the way you do treatment at a hotel." (PL2)
amayakaslzire-iru is from amayakasu ("pamper/coddle/spoil"). lanai ka is literally a question, but as his scowl suggests. he is saying it more as an accusation.

Dr. Shibata: 'l5

tJ<

.:. lv 1j:

Kimi ga

komza

/W 1.'" .:. lv 1j:

roko ro de

komw

.'J.1 .(!1
kanja

<7)
110

lv lj:
ko1ma

.:.

itH/i
clziryo

t 1.- "( v' "( liv-tt lj: H

o

you (subj.) I his kind of place at this kind of pmiems of/for this kind of treatment (obj .)

shire-ire wa ikenai!
mus1 n01 go on doing

" You must n!tgo on doing this kind of treatment for this kind of patient at this kind of place!"
(PL2)
Yalzari

tlaigaku byoin e modoru beki da.

after aiUrcally universily hospital to should/must reiUm

" You really_must return to the university hospital!" (PL2)

konna ("this kind of") can be quite neutral. but it can also be spoken in a derogatorylbeliuling tone, which is the case
here.

slzite is the -te fom1 of suru, and -ire wa ikenai after the-re form of a verb means "must not continue (doing the action)."
heki da/desu follows verbs to give the meaning "should/ought to/must."

Dr. Jinbo: .:. lv lj: .'J.I.fl ?!

Konna kanja ?

" This kind of..natient?" (PL2)

To be continued . . .
M A N GAJI N

79

V ocabul ary S umm a r y

From A[Jer Zero, 12 42

From Calvin and Hobbes, 12 26

oi=1J
Mit

boryoku
ejiki
hakai
kudaku
kyoryfi
satsuriku
surudoi

lit~

li: <
~'ll
;f;:~

i.li.v'

violence
prey/victim
destruction
crush (v.)
dinosaur
massacre/slaughter (n.)
sharp

From Basic Japanese, 12 28

rn

awa
hitohada
honki
jidai
kanjo
natsukashii
onaji
sugata
tsumetai
ushiro
yoru

A JilL

*~

~ft
WJ~
tj:-:::> iJ l
Iff]

"'

I.:

~
ff;'t.: "'
{&_.?

w:

bubble
human skin
serious( ness)
time/era
account/bill
fondly remembered/longed for
the same
figure/s hape
cold/cool
back/behind
night

From Selected Works , 12 34

~

71/X.J.
7J 7'-t Jv
ag~,.

~~I)

~tr
-T~

box
hako
packed in a can
kan zume
7 Jv kapuseru hoteru capsule hotel
dark/dim
kurai
lights/lighting
shomei
read
yomu
budget (n.)
yosan

From Garcia-kun, 12 36
/f-1~

furin
harau
jinsei
ka zoku
mainichi
rodosha
uwasa
wake
zangyo

1L-?

A~

**
~8

1jjj)j~

~
~

7l~

immorality/affair
pay (v.)
(human) life
fam il y
every day
laborer
gossip/common talk
reason/situation
overtime work

From Sarari-kun, 12 38
~Ji:

atama
kaijo
kanzo
kyayo
samitto
seihin
shiraberu
yasumu

~ tJ}j

ijf J!l

it*

-lT ~ ;;

~0
DD

ir.JA::.J.>

ittr

head/mind
meeting place
liver
rest/relaxation
summit (meeting)
product(s)
check/examine/look into
rest/take time off

From Obatarian, 12 40
)'\ / 7J 7-

*:i:
~ilitl

J~/7v;;

-tt-1/~

hankachi
kaho
meishi
panfuretto
sain-kai

handkerchief
family treasure
business card
pamphlet
autograph session

~clt)J.>

fl.llfl
.:r..-tt-

IB!: -::> -ct.><

1$r
l*.:E
II!

fill

~~

EI:E

:iMfJ.>
7!tJ.>
~~i
M~

l!tllf&

atsumeru
bukkaku
esa
hotte oku
jinja
kabunushi
kai
kami
kiki
medama
nigeru
nokoru
sakasama
sawagi
y firei

gather/accumulate
( Buddhist) temple
bait/(animal) feed
leave as is/ignore
(Shinto) shrine
shareholder(s)
floors/stories
god(s)/spirit(s)
crisis
eyeball(s)
run away/escape
remain/be left over
upside down
uproar
ghost/apparition/phantom

From HOTEL, 12 51
i:t~iJ'i"

:fri.JA
jf}J

<

iJI~.tl::.cl6~

""Fl

~~
WJ~t~

IEHi!i" 1.>

.~.~

~\$
~BiT 1.>

M~i"J.>
~
<;1=1.>

cl6 ~'i 1..-v

iW:J.>

*:I*
l*lt-+
fljlfill
~~1n,tj:

iiii"
~<

.~Jjji

~;Z::r-

It\' l "'
~~
~i"

:tfiE
*jlj1$B':J'.::.
jjg~i"~

~~

jflj~
ii~Jj\T 1.>
~iT

WJ't J.>
~tl!i

-:::>{>~

;i':l'HtJ.>
fl!%'-lj:
7~~

amayakasu
byonin
hataraku
hikitomeru
i
ish a
jokyoju
kaifuku suru
kanja
kaze
kincho su ru
kitai suru
kusuri
mamoru
mezamashii
modoru
nagatabi
naika
nakama
namaiki-na
naosu
odoroku
onshi
oshiego
oshii
rikon
sagasu
saino
seishin -teki ni
shinpo suru
shi111yo
shodan
s hfiri suru
sumasu
tasukeru
totsuze n
tsumori
tsuzukeru
yiislzfi-na
zan.nen

pamper/coddle/spoil
sick person
work (v.)
stop/restrain
stomach
doctor
associate professo r
recover
patients
coldlflu
tense up/become nervous
expect/anticipate
medicine
obey/abide by/adhere to
s tri ki ng/spectacu Iar/bri II iant
return/come (go) back
long trip
internal medicine
friends/associates
audacious/brazen
cure/fix (v.)
be surprised
teacher( s)/mentor(s)
student (of a teacher)
regrettable/wasteful
divorce (n.)
look for
talents/gifts
psychologically
progress/advance
(doctor's) examination
business talks
repair (v.)
finish/bring to a close
save/help
suddenly
intent
continue
superior/excellent
disappointment/regret

The Vocabulary Summary is taken from material appearing in this issue of M ANGAJtN. It's not always possible to give the complete
range of meanings for a word in this limited space, so our "definitions" are based on the usage of the word in a particular story.

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