Japanese for Eating Out

CONTRIBUTED BY KATHERINE MOORE

Whenever I go out with friends, they quiz me about eating out in Japan.  Some of them are more concern with etiquette, while others are just for fun and good to know kind-of-stuff.  To give you some ideas, here are some things I think it would be nice for you to know about eating out in Japan.

Before the meal

When you enter a restaurant, the employees will greet you with “Ira-shai-ma-se,” which means welcome.  You can reply to this with “Kon-ni-chi-wa” during the day or “Kon-ban-wa” at night.  After you have seated and decided what to order, you can ask “Sumi masen, oo-daa onegai shimasu.” This translates to “Excuse me, I’m ready to order.”

Sumi-masen - excuse me

oo-daa - order

onegai shimasu - please

As soon as you finish ordering, you can say “ijou desu” to let the server knows that you have ordered everything you want.  This translates to “that’s all.”  It ends that weird waiting-for-someone-to-say-something moment.

During the meal

Once you get your food, you can say “itada kimasu” when you’re ready to eat. This means that you are about to start eating.  This is useful for your patron, to let them know that either (1) you are hungry and can’t wait for them to get their food, or (2) you are checking to make sure that everybody got their food and can start eating.  I hope it is more towards later!.  After that, it is mostly (hopefully) saying “oishii,” meaning tasty.  Here are some useful words when eating:

Amai - sweet

Nigai - bitter

Sup-pai - sour

Shiop-pai - salty

Karai - hot, spicy

Atsui - hot (temperature, the same as Summer hot)

Tsumetai - cold (different from Winter cold, which is samui)

Nurui - luke warm (use this when you’re complaining that your food is cold when it should be hot)

To add fun to these words, you can take off all the i’s in the end of every word and replace it with an exclamation point.  This will strengthened your opinion. For example, you can say “Kara!” to show that it is very, very spicy.  It makes you sound cool, too.

After the meal

Now that you are done eating, you can say, “gojisou sama deshita.”  This means you are done eating and appreciate the meal.  You can say this to the server and chef, if you want to be more polite.  You can also say “oishi katta,” meaning “it was tasty.”  If you are really happy and you want to let them know that you will be coming back, you can also say, “mata kimasu.”  Finally, don’t forget to say “arigato gozaimasu” on your way out to thank them for their services.

I hope this helps you familiarize yourself to eating out in Japan.  These are all optional, of course, but are nice things to know.  It doesn’t hurt to be able to say how you feel about your meal and experience in general.  Also, being able to show gratitude to the employees, especially the chef, will gain you respect from them.  It’s a win-win situation.  You are able to say something about your meal, and they are able to understand what you are saying.  Happy dining!

Out of the Archives: Japanese Corner - "Where is..."

This post was originally published on February 26, 2008.

Kaho's Japanese Corner - "Where Is...?"

I'm sure you find yourself in situations where you're somewhere and looking for something, especially living in a foreign country.  The problem is that you don't know how to ask this question when you're in a country whose language you don't speak!  And even if you learned how to say it, you wouldn't necessarily be able to understand the response.  Well, maybe you get lucky and find kind people who would lead you to the directions or accompany you all the way to the place you need to go.  So it doesn't hurt to learn this phrase.

This is a little different story, but when I lived in West Africa, this "where is ...?" question was tricky, because you never know if the person you asked this question was giving you the right answer or not.  I kid you not!  The answer "I don't know" never comes back, but instead, they will tell you wherever the heck they think the thing or place is. 

So, here we go...

"Where is ....?" = ".... wa doko desuka?"
Doko = where
Desu ka = is?

"Where is the bathroom?" = "Toire wa doko desuka?"
Toire = Bathroom (It is a borrowed word "toilette".  The sound of 'r' is almost between 'r' and 'l'. 

"Where is a post office?" = "Yubinkyoku wa doko desuka?"
Yubikyoku (you-been-kyo-coo) = post office

"Where is the nearest convenience store?" = "Koko no chikaku no konbini wa doko desuka?"
Koko = here
No = of
Chikaku = near
Konbini = convenience store
Konbini is a shorter form of 'convenience' pronounced with a Japanese accent.

If you have no clue where you are, but you have a map on you to ask someone where you are.  Make sure that you say this while showing a map to the person you're asking.  Otherwise, you're going to sound like a creature from a different planet.  Just kidding. 
"Where am I?" = "Koko wa doko desuka?"   
The direct translation of this Japanese phrase would be "where is here?"

"Where is McDonalds?" = "Makudonarudo wa doko desuka?"
I'm sure you figured out yourself that Makudonarudo is McDonalds.  Good job.  In Japanese, every consonant is followed by a vowel except for 'n' sound, so McDonalds becomes something like "ma-coo-dough-na-lou-dough". 
Or if you would like to sound like a youngster, you can say "Makku wa doko desuka?"
"Makku" is a shortened form of "makudonarudo".  Have you noticed that Japanese people like to shorten names?

"Kentucky Fried Chicken" is "Kenta".  "Family Mart" is "Fami Ma".   "Mos Burger" is "Mosu ba" (moh-sue-ba) and "Starbucks" is "Suta ba" (sue-ta-ba).  Interesting...

On a New Year's day some time ago, I had been away from Japan for a while and I called my family from overseas to greet them on January 1.  My youngest sister went "Ake Ome!".  In Japanese "Happy New Year!" is "Akemashite Omedeto!"  (Omedeto means congratulations.)  This Akemashite Omedeto got shortened to Ake Ome!  It was a slang phrase that became very popular for one year.  I don't think that people say this any more or at least I didn't hear people use this this year.  It's so hard to keep up with those young people's language.  I'm so out of loop!  Sigh...

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Previous Japanese Corner Lessons:

Kawaii vs. Kowai - cute vs. scary

Ordering Food

Japanese Children's Books, Part 2

As promised, here is the second installment of Shannan's favorite kid's books related to Japan, Okinawa and its cultures.  If you missed the first, it's HERE.  Take it away, Shannan...

CONTRIBUTED BY SHANNAN LEWELLEN

 
My Japan by Etsuko Watanabe is fairly new to our collection, and by far the most informative.  The book details every aspect of daily life here in Japan.  Yumi walks you through her home and city describing the way futons are aired out and then folded, how school children use the same backpack all throughout school, and the proper way to use a Japanese toilet.  At the end of the book several holidays are explained, such as Shichi-Go-San and Undokai.

Our most read book is still Takako and the Great Typhoon by Kelly Garcia.  My three year old loves to point out all the “Tako’s” as we are out and about every day.  This book was written, illustrated and designed by spouses here on Oki!  I think all my kids have it memorized as we have read it almost as many times as The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  They did an amazing job of recreating common sights on the island.  We have bought these books for going away gifts when a friend or neighbor leaves the island, they would also be great gifts for family back home.

These two books are maybe intended for children but I use them more often.  Sometimes the kids will flip through the pages.  First Thousand Words in Japanese and  Let’s Learn Japanese.  The first is an Internet Linked Usborne book what has a pronunciation guide online, which is nice.  However, I find the second book more useful for day-to-day stuff.  The English word is listed along with the Japanese pronunciation.

Lastly there are a couple of books we check out occasionally from Foster Library. Japanese Celebrations by Betty Reynolds does an excellent job of detailing each holiday celebrated in Japan.  I taught preschool this year and loved to use this book on holidays such as Hina Matsuri and Kodomo-no-hi. Japanese Children’s Favorite Stories by Florence Sakade comes with a CD and is great for bedtime stories or listening to in the car.  These are short folktales that are somewhat similar to American folktales with a positive theme such as sharing being the moral of the story.

I hope these book recommendations are able to help your child learn more about this fascinating island we have been so lucky to live on.  Our time here is coming to an end and I am so sad to leave.  Flipping through these books in the past few days has brought back memories and a few tears.  I hope that even after we leave, the books will help keep Okinawa alive in my boys’ hearts.  They have had such an exceptional childhood here; freedom to explore tide pools for hours on end, discovering magnificent treasures from starfish to sea glass.  Lazy weekends spent beachside when their only worry was the fact it would eventually get dark and we would have to leave.  Anpanman and Qoo are their favorite cartoons and drinks,  Every home, restaurant, store and festival we have been to they are always greeted with a warm, inviting, friendly smile.  Okay, now I am getting a little too sentimental...

Enjoy the books, lots of good summer reading fun!!

Japanese Children's Books, Part 1

I'm very excited to pass on to you two installments of posts about children's books that could help your children better understand their Okinawan experience.  And for those of you leaving island soon, these might be great investments to keep the memories alive.  I've divided Shannan's post and will be sharing the rest of it with you next Friday.

CONTRIBUTED BY SHANNAN LEWELLEN

“The more you read, the more things you will know.  The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ~Dr. Seuss

Our home is filled with books.  Books about bugs and volcanoes, how to books, books on parenting, and in the last few years we have acquired many Japanese books.  When we first came to this island four years ago we were clueless about the local culture, traditions, festivals, etc.  We were unaware of which holidays were celebrated here, we all crowded around the first electronic toilet seat we came across in amazement, and timidly had our first bites of onigiri at a Family Mart.  My youngest always makes the ”beep beep” sound when driving his Tonkas© in reverse and would prefer a dinner of soba and edamame over fast food any day.

Once we were settled in, we quickly made friends with families that had been here longer and could help up learn the ropes of living here. We participated in cultural exchange programs, and in the past year I was fortunate enough to teach at a preschool alongside a few locals that have become dear friends.  We have also discovered many children’s books that have helped us better understand the local culture and daily life.

I am going to review a few that we own and a few that I have checked out from Foster Library.  

My favorite book is the first book we purchased: The Way We Do It in Japan by Geneva Cobb Iijima.  This is a story of a young boy named Gregory who moves with his family from San Francisco to Tokyo. The book talks about many things that are different, from deeper tubs in Japan to the backpacks.  Each time the young boy asks about something the dad replies, “That is how we do it in Japan.”  I give this book 5 stars.  It is a cute story that addresses the children’s curiosity and anxiety about moving to a new land.  I think it would be an excellent book for a family that is on their way to Oki and for those already here too! 

Our next favorite book is a book my son received from his sensei.  The book came from Tsutaya (I believe the one close to Torii as I wasn’t able to find it at the one out Kadena gate 5).  This is one of the musical children’s books where you push the button and it sings the song for you.  The pages include the lyrics (if you can read the Hiragana) and most importantly the hand motions.  “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Hands” (not toes ) along with many Japanese children’s songs are included.  My sons’ favorites are the onigiri song (he loves onigiri!) and “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Hands”.  There is also a version with Hello Kitty on the cover that we bought as a birthday gift.  This book has been a hit with all the kids that have played with it.  My friend also found similar books at Toys R Us.  These books are now our go-to gift for on-island birthday parties.

 

 

The next book has fantastic pictures.  It is The Colors of Japan by Holly Littlefield.  This book has beautiful illustrations.  Each color is presented in Japanese along with the kanji symbol and the phonetic pronunciation.  A short story is told of what each color might represent, from the red circle in the center of the Japanese flag to green tea.  I love the artwork in this book, and I love that it has helped my children learn their colors and a bit of history also.

 

Suki’s Kimono by Chieri Uegaki is one of our favorite storybooks.  Suki is a little girl who demands to wear her kimono on her first day of first grade, instead of her new clothes like her sisters are wearing. Initially the kids at school snicker and such, but in the end, Suki is able to tell them about her homeland.  My boys especially love the pictures of the koi-no-bori.

 

Stay tuned!  Next Friday, Shannan will share six more of her favorites!  (HERE it is!)

Out of the Archives: Japanese Corner - Ordering Food

This post was originally published on February 19, 2008

Kaho's Japanese Corner: Phrases to use when ordering food...

"I don't need a raw egg."
Nama tamago, irimasen.

Nama = raw.
Tamago = egg.
Irimasen = don't need

"Do you have a cooked egg (instead)?"
(Kawari ni) yude tamago arimasuka?

Kawari ni = instead
Yude = boiled
Arimasu ka = is there?

Irimasen and Arimasuka are very useful.  Meredith already explained about "arimasuka" in her post about "Yuzu Tea" (yum yum!) which was just posted yesterday.  If you haven't read that one, please go and check it out!

Irimasen can be used in many situations.  If you buy a bento box (lunch box), usually a person at a cashier put chopsticks in a plastic bag with the box.  If you don't need them, you can say "irimasen". 

To take you to a more advanced Japanese level, you can use "kekko des" instead of "irimasen".  Japanese people will be very impressed!  If irimasen is equivalent to "don't need", kekko des is more like "no thank you".

"I don't need a raw egg, thank you."
Namatamago, kekko des
Add some hand gesture and wave your hand just a little.  Don't you look so Japanese!  :P

Since I'm writing about food, there are two more words that I would like to add here.

They are "itadakimasu" and "gochiso sama".

The literal translation of itadakimasu is "I'm going to eat the food you cooked."  You say this to thank the person who cooked.  There is no direct translation of the word itdakimasu in English.  I used to say "itadakimasu", but I hardly use this and I should even if I cook the meal. 

The literal translation of "gochiso sama" is a combination of "It was a wonderful meal" and "thank you for your meal".  You say this at the end of the meal.  You can say this to cooks like sushi chefs, managers and waiters/waitresses when you leave a restaurant. 

Till next week!  Matane!  (See you again!)

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Previous Japanese Corner Lesson:

Kawaii vs. Kowai - cute vs. scary

Out of the Archives: Japanese Corner - Kawaii vs. Kowai

Once upon a time, Okinawa Hai had Kaho - a native Japanese speaker - writing a segment she called "Kaho's Japanese Corner".  As I've been scouring through the over-1,000 posts that we've got in our archives, I've been equally fascinated and ashamed that I didn't see these sooner, or had more of a chance to put her mini-language lessons into action.  I'm saving you from the same fate by offering up these tiny pieces of Japanese language every other Sunday for your education and amusement.
~Heather, your Okinawa Hai Content Editor

This post was originally published on February 13, 2008

Kaho's Japanese Corner: "Kawaii" and "Kowai"

"Kawaii" means cute and "kowai" means scary.  They sound close to non-Japanese speakers and it seems that it's hard to distinguish the pronunciation of the two.  You just have to enunciate correctly to make sure that you do not mix them up.  If you mean to say "cute" to someone's baby and mispronounce it, you could be saying "your baby is so scary!"  No, you don't want to do that.  Actually in some African countries, people say that a baby looks scary to be polite.  By saying that babies look scary, it is believed that bad spirits go away.  Anyway, back to the subject...  Cute and Scary in Japanese are pronounced as below.

'Kawaii'
Ka is car pronounce with a Boston accent
Wa is want without 'nt'
Ii is 'e'

'Kowai'
Ko is coal without 'L'
Wai is why

Please feel free to correct the above pronunciation or put your way of explaining how to pronounce them in the comment section!

Izumi Japanese Class

CONTRIBUTED BY MARY RICHARDSON

Living on Okinawa for a year and a half, I’ve taken several Japanese classes. 

I started with the basic classes at Camp Foster Personal Service Center and moved on to a two-month long class at Kadena USO.  Both courses were helpful and gave me a good foundation. But afterwards, I didn’t know where to turn next. It seems that many of the long-term Japanese programs here are expensive, too academic for my needs, or offered at inconvenient times. 

Well, last summer, I found Izumi’s Japanese School, conveniently located near Camp Lester. I’ve been studying there ever since.

 

Izumi offers both group and private classes. The group class meets on Thursday nights from 6:00-7:30 and costs 4,000 yen/month. Private classes meet according to your schedule one hour/week and cost 6,000 yen/month. Anyone who has researched classes in the area knows these prices are a great deal.

There are definitely benefits to both classes. I really liked practicing with other students in the group class. And privately, I appreciated personalizing lessons based on what was relevant to me. 

Overall, my language goal is simple. I want to interact in Japanese and make a few local friends. 

However, even though I still consider myself a beginner, I can function in situations I never thought possible. I’ve ordered a pizza over the phone, made various reservations for hotels and appointments, and negotiated over price at Yomitan Pottery Village. Often I even understand simple conversations I hear around me in town. 

If interested in basic practical classes, give Izumi a try. You might be surprised how fast you absorb the language.

Izumi Hirata’s Contact phone: 090-1179-1912

Email address: springizumi2005@yahoo.ne.jp

Directions: From Kadena Gate 2, take Rte 23 towards the 58. On the left side, you’ll pass Coco curry and you’ll see a bowling pin sign for the Chatan Sports Center. Turn left there and go straight. You’ll pass the sports center on the right. Continue straight to the high school. Just past the school, you‘ll see a red vending machine on the right side. Turn right there and park. Izumi’s school is on the second level of that building.  

Japanese Corner - How to say "I love you"

While holidaying in New Zealand recently, I was visiting with a friend whose daughter is currently studying Japanese in high school, and her daughter began asking me how to say certain Japanese phrases including, “I love you.” I had to think about it for a moment, because although it would seem to be a fairly easy phrase to translate, it’s not something that typically comes up in everyday conversation. I eventually recalled something along the lines of “ai-shi-something-or-rather,” and was able to later learn from my daughter that “ai-shi-teru” is the phrase I was looking for

There are other ways of saying “I love you,” although I can’t help notice that none of the phrases include a subject. In other words, the person to whom the affection is being directed towards is not mentioned in the expression, for example “ai-shi-teru” literally means “I love.” The other common expressions used to tell someone you love them are “suki desu” (I like), and “dai-suki-desu” (I really like). It’s more or less assumed that the context of the conversation makes it obvious who or what is loved.

But getting back to how you would tell someone you love them in Japanese, there is it seems, a general reluctance to use such words. I’m not saying that Japanese people don’t tell their spouses and significant others that they love them, but they certainly don’t do it as freely as Westerners do. Culturally speaking, they are different to us in that they tend to express their love with feelings and actions rather than with words.

Based on the above premise, it’s probably safe to presume that the use of “ai-shi-teru” (or even “dai-suki” and “suki desu” ) may be a bit risqué for those in new relationships; a guy who wants to tell his Japanese girlfriend that he really likes her might be better off showing her, through the use of affectionate gestures and mannerisms. Coming right out and saying it might be too forward in the early stages of a relationship.

And if being forward and direct is somewhat off-putting, consider how one might go about initiating a relationship. A friend of mine told me that one of his Japanese colleagues advised against being too direct when asking a Japanese girl out on a date. He suggested engaging instead in casual conversation that deliberately but gradually, hinted at the idea of doing something or going somewhere together. Of course this wouldn't hold true in each and every case, as not everyone adheres to cultural norms, but it might be something to consider if you're a single guy here looking to date. 

Speaking the “language of love” in Japan isn’t complicated; it’s just different. We’re used to showing our love with words and actions; the Japanese believe that love can be felt without the need for verbal affirmation. Neither way is right or wrong, and given that both ways seem to work equally well, I would say that love is indeed a universal language that can be shown with, or without words.

Photo by Pamela Oliveras

　

　

　

　

　

　

 

Hanko 21

  In many Asian cultures, a name stamp or seal is often used instead of a signature.  Here in Japan, name stamps are called hanko and are used in business to signify acknowledgment or ownership.  As a foreigner, I have had only a few opportunities to use my name stamp for attendance paperwork at the Japanese school where I work, but enjoy adding my mark at then end of a note to friends and family back home.

  A few weeks ago, I visited Hanko 21 to purchase as stamp as a gift.  If your name is of Chinese or Japanese descent, you can have a hanko written in kanji.  You may also be able to have your name in kanji if your name is easily translated into kanji.  For example, the hanko I purchased was for a friend named Dawn, which is translated to asahi, meaning morning day sun in kanji.  Otherwise, your name will have to be in katakana, the Japanese writing used for all foreign words. 
Once you determine how your name will be written, the staff at Hanko 21 will advise you on the stylistic options (font), as well as the diameter required for your stamp.  My katakana hanko is slightly wider than Dawn's kanji hanko.  The length of name will also determine the diameter of your stamp.  Production is usually quick - mine was ready in one day and cost around $25.

Location:Route 330. From Kadena Gate 2, continue straight and turn right onto Route 330. Hanko 21 is approximately 2 km down on the right side.  (Four Seasons restaurant is a few stores down on the left.) You will turn right at the light marked Sonada North.  There are several pay parking areas or street parking further down the road. 

Telephone: 098-930-0902

Hours: Monday through Friday 0900 - 1900, Saturday 1000 - 1800. Closed Sundays and Japanese holidays.

Japanese Corner - Playground Talk

 

I did something a couple of weeks ago which gravely reminded me that my Japanese language skills are in dire need of attention. I was on my way out with both my daughters, when my youngest daughter’s two little play companions raced over to see if she could play (you may remember these two little boys from a previous post I wrote). Not wanting to disappoint them, I smiled at them and said in Japanese, “Ato de, soji shimasu ka?” Both boys smiled back, nodded their heads, and quickly ran away. As I proceeded to get into the car, my mind started turning over and I realized that I may have said something other than what I had intended to say. My oldest daughter, who happens to speak Japanese, had a look on her face which confirmed what I had been thinking. What I said to the two little boys was, “Can you (come back) later and clean?” What I had intended to say was, “Ato de, asobimasu ka?”, or in English, “Can you (come back) later and play?” Needless to say the little boys did not come back at all that day.

Since then, my youngest daughter has been outside countless times to play with her little friends, and each time she ventures out I sometimes overhear parts of their English/Japanese conversations. It amazes me how despite the language barrier they seem to play without any reservations. In fact they play as if they actually do understand each other! But as I was saying, I sometimes overhear parts of their conversations and when my daughter comes home, I tell her what certain words and phrases mean. The following is a list of some of those words and phrases; you can teach them to your kids too so they can try and converse on the playground with the Japanese kids they meet:

 
Do you want to play? Asobitai? 

Can you play today? Kyo asobemasu ka?

What’s your name?  O namae was nan desu ka? (O namae wa?)

How old are you? Nansai desu ka? (Nansai?)

I have to go now  Ima ikanai to ikemasen

I had fun today! Kyo wa tanoshikatta!

See you tomorrow  Ja, mata ashita

[Note: there are several Japanese pronunciation sites that you can go to if you're not sure how to say certain words, just google "Japanese Pronunciation."]

In the meantime I think I had better start brushing up on my own Japanese language skills…..