Week 3 begins
Trip Start
Jul 29, 2006
1
4
28
Trip End
Ongoing
Shizuoka, Japan
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
So the Japanese have a tendency to wear t-shirts with English words on them... these words attempt to make sense, but often times, fail miserably to do so. They are pretty great... I think I'm going to by some just for kicks. Here are some examples of these "English" t-shirts: "What Coin Cidence!" "He was drunk noon to morning," "Get Free, Fly Juicy!"
... or my personal favorite was a t-shirt worn by a housewife who had taken her three young children to the mall and had just bought them lunch at McDonalds in the food court. Her shirt read "Primal Desire before Lovers" I honestly do not think she had a clue what her t-shirt actually meant!
So you probably know that the Japanese take off their shoes virtually everywhere! It's true... most Japanese restaurants and bars will require you to take off your shoes. When you go to the bathroom, traditionally there are generic bathroom slippers set aside for the use of the general public. Beware to the big-footed American for you will many times find yourself barely squeezing into these slippers.
It is also customary for people to take off their shoes when coming into your residence. Perhaps this is childish, but I was amused and found it quite comical when my furniture movers arrived yesterday to my apartment and removed their shoes. There they were, 4 Japanese men moving in my couch, assembling my coffee table, all in their tube socks.
But hey, its a great way for the floors to stay clean.
Finally, I wanted to mention an interesting little tidbit I picked up yesterday. This one's for all my coworkers from the states. In Japan, the term used to address a teacher is "sensei." I was told that this term is, in fact, a collective term used to address teachers, doctors, and lawyers. YES- TEACHERS, DOCTORS, AND LAWYERS! It is amazing that somewhere in this world, these professions are actually grouped together. If you're ever tired of being called a bitch or an asshole in the American classroom, you can always come to Japan, where you will be referred to as "sensei," roughly translated as "master." How cool is that?!
Comments
Sensei Pagonas
Thats hilarious how they wear English text teeshirts that somehow got something lost in the translation... so funny. It reminds me of how I met a girl in Australia, and I regrettably had to tell her her Chinese tatoo was written upside down.
Did you learn any 'facts' about Americans? When I was in New Zealand and Australia, I learned lots of 'facts'.
Did I mention I love your blog?
too funny
i wonder if it was an American designing these shirts to mess with them or if it was a Japanese person who tried the translations--because primal desire before lovers---seems too complicated to translate lol--it must be an entertaining time over there!