Future Jpop

BЯeaking News: Russia returns islands Kunashir and Iturup to Japan.

That's what happened next: A new breed of Japanese school girls from 択捉島 or 国後島

and the original

Sukiyaki (Ue o Muite Arukou) by Kyu Sakamoto

1963 hit that has nothing to do with it's title




Ue wo muite arukou
Namida ga koborenai youni
Omoidasu haru no hi
Hitoribocchi no yoru

Ue wo muite arukou
Nijinda hoshi wo kazoete
Omoidasu natsu no hi
Hitoribocchi no yoru

Shiawase wa kumo no ue ni
Shiawase wa sora no ue ni
Ue wo muite arukou
Namida ga koborenai youni
Naki nagara aruku
Hitoribocchi no yoru

Omoidasu aki no hi
Hitoribocchi no yoru
Kanashimi wa hoshi no kage ni
Kanashimi wa tsuki no kage ni

Ue wo muite arukou
Namida ga koborenai youni
Naki nagara aruku
Hitoribocchi no yoru
Hitoribocchi no yoru
........................................

Looking up while walking
So the tears won't fall
Remebering those spring days
All alone at night

Looking up while walking
And counting the scattered stars
Remembering those summer days
All alone at night

Happiness lies above the clouds
Happiness lies above the sky
Looking up while walking
So the tears won't fall
Keep walking on while crying
It's a lonely night

Remembering those autumn days
It's a lonely night
Sadness is in the shadow of the stars
Sadness is in the shadow of the moon

Looking up while walking
So the tears won't fall
Keep walking on while crying
It's a lonely night
It's a lonely night

Nice cover of Ghibli's Laputa Kimi o Nosete (Laputa Ending Theme) 天空の城ラピュタwith romaji and translation



ano chiheisen     kagayaku no wa
doko ka ni kimi o kakushite iru kara
taku-san no hi ga   natsukashii no wa
ano dore ka hitotsu ni
kimi ga iru kara

The horizon is shining because
it hide you somewhere.
when I see a lot of lights,
I feel dear because
you are in one of them.

saa     dekake you
hitokire no PAN
NAIFU, RANPU     kaban ni tsume konde
do-san ga nokoshita     atsui omoi
ka-san ga kureta     ano manazashi

Let's go out,
packing a bag with a piece of bread,
a knife, and a lamp.
This burning will that my father gave me.
That look that my mother gave me.

chikyuu wa mawaru     kimi o kakushite
kagayaku hitomi     kirameku tomoshibi
chikyuu wa mawaru     kimi o nosete
itsuka kitto deau   bokura o nosete

The earth is spining, hiding you.
The eyes are shining, and the lights are twinkling.
The earth is spining, putting on you;
putting on us who shall meet each other someday.

-----missed----

do-san ga nokoshita     atsui omoi
ka-san ga kureta     ano manazashi
chikyuu wa mawaru     kimi o kakushite
kagayaku hitomi     kirameku tomoshibi
chikyuu wa mawaru     kimi o nosete
itsuka kitto deau   bokura o nosete

This burning will is that my father remain for me.
That look is that my mother gave me.
The earth is spining, hiding you.
The eyes are shining, and the lights are twinkling.
The earth is spining, putting on you:
putting on us who shall meet each other someday.

Cheburashka Foreva!

Gena and Cheburashka reincarnate as Japanese. Enjoy!

Video about Japan English + Japanese version

Kenichi wrote:
This is my final thesis project. I created info-graphic, motion piece. My objective is to make Japanese people to think about that everything happening here in Japan, isn't that normal. So I created this video from foreigner's point of view, rather than Japanese people's point of view. ...
English version:

and the Japanese one:

Japan - The Strange Country (Japanese ver.) from Kenichi on Vimeo.

Post Pet Momobin ポストペットモモ便 - Episode 2 Transcript

Momo and Komomo can deliver mail from anyone, to anyone. To anywhere in the world, the galaxy, or the universe. Under the sea, high up in the clouds, and around the corner. To the past, the present, or the future. They both work tirelessly to insure that the important letters of people are delivered, while Komomo also works hard to keep the ever distracted Momo on task.

便

• post (service), convenience, service
  
• ベン、ビン
• びん,　たよ.り
  

ポストペットモモ便  posutopetto momo bin

第

• ordinal number prefix (-th; -st; -nd; No.); residence
• ダイ 

consists of two parts,
the top part is:

竹

• bamboo, bamboo tablets
  
• チク chiku
• たけ take

The lower part is:

弟

• younger brother; faithful service to elders, order
  
• テイ、ダイ、デ  tei, dai, de
  
• おとうと  otouto 

Together bamboo and order make 第 - literally means "put bamboo tablets in order".  第二   だいさん　number two

話

• talk; story; tale
• ワ　wa
• はな.す、はなし  hana su, hanashi

Kanji 話 consists of two parts, the left part is: 

言

• say; speech; language
• ゲン、ゴン  gen gon
  
• い.う、こと  i u koto 

the lower part is mouth, so it's a mouth speaking a stream of four words

舌

• tongue; reed; clapper
• ゼツ  zetsu
• した  shita

the lower part is mouth again, but it's a "dry" 干 mouth, most likely cause it's telling stories too much...

Speech  and dry mouth make a 話 - story together.

宇

• roof; universe; heaven
• ウ u
  

宙

• mid-air; air; space; sky; memorization; interval of time
• チュウ chuu

宇宙 - うちゅう - the universe, space
Both kanji are under "roof" but the first one has non-general-use character "from/emerge/go" and the second one has "reason" 由 under the roof - emerging reason under same roof

旅

• trip; travel; journey
• リョ  ruo
• たび  tabi

Now, finally, the transcript: 

第二話 はじめての、宇宙の旅
dainiwa hajimetono uchuinotabi
The second story/episode, The first Space Odyssey.

momobin des deru kai

• deru でる   出る go out   
• kuiくいき limit 
• derukai? no limits

momo to komomo na kyamimo tuke kurerunda ???????

kako kara mirai

• かこ　過去　past
• から　from
• みらい　未来　future
  

umino soko kara uchi o no hatten made

• umino ??? 
• そこから　sokokara - from here
  
• uchi o no  宇宙の  -  in the universe 
• はってん【発展】hatten  - expand     
  
  • はってん まで　hatten  made - till the end of expansion (limits)
  
  

sa, kyo wa doko made yoku no ka na ?

• さ well, now
• きょ today
• どこ まで doko made - how far
• よく yoku ?????

mo one doko kayo  ?????

kudryavka?
hajimete uchi o no tabesutta kudryavka ee

• hajimete はじめて for the first time
  
• uchi o no 宇宙の  in the universe 
• tabesutta たびする  (past indicative) travel 

wake mo wa kara su

• wake わけ reason
• kara　から　 from
• zu ず　figure

mada dare mo itta kono nai  bachoni

• mada まだ not yet
  
• dore どれ who
  
• itta kono nai いった  このない　this did not go
• ba ば　place
  

hitori kiri tsurete ikare anata wa

• hitori - 一人　one person
• kiri きり　only
• tsureteiknai つれていかない【連れて行かない】to take someone (of lower status) along

nani o motte wo deshou ka

• nani 何 what
• motte もって　by means of
• deshou でしょう　possibly

watashi wa  totte wo shiritai n desu

• totte とって for
• shiritaindesu しりたいんです【識りたいんです】I want to know
  

ahh godard sensei ne

professor obviously speaks some kind of slang I can't understand...may be old fashioned samurai??


nanji, sono goto  mu shinan no ga

• sono goto そのごと　this thing 
• shinan しなんする give lesson

saijo uchi ni dobutsu wa inu daitta nya -

• inu 犬 dog

sono nawa kudryavka!

• nawa = namae wa

this phrase about 1957 experiment I can't even get.... so I skip it

soo yokatta ka

•  yokatta よかった【余暇】thats good

in kudryavka's place

kudryavka san!
ari dare mo noyo

• dare だれ　who

ahh okoteiru

• okoiteru おこる【怒る】angry

 tigami tigami tigami tigami!

• tigami てがみ letter

 oshigoto kangio

• oshigoto お仕事 the job
• kangio が完了する complete

It took me too long, have to go... if you can fix what I've done wrong and what I did not get (in red ink) please leave a comment! I really appreciate it!

First Class Ad, 全席

Fuasuto kurasu no okekusama
ファーストクラス の  おきゃくさま
first class customers
 
mainichi oshigoto

まいにち【毎日】おしごと 【お仕事】

daily work hardly

goku no sem ----> goku rou san
ごくのせん ----> ごくろうさん（ご苦労さん）
extremely  special ----> extremey hmmm



ee
dokono fuasuto kurasu  na no ----> dokoga fuasuto kurasu  na no
どこの　ファーストクラス　なの  ----> どこが（何処が）ファーストクラス　なの
where first class name -----> where first class name

toni kaku namae no -------> toni kaku namae ga

とにかく【何処】なまえ　の ------> とにかく　なまえ（名前）が

in any case, name is

BOSS FUASUTO KURASSU!

*red: my impaired japanese hearing was fixed by friend-in-twitter @cyacyai:) ありがと！

全

• whole; entire; all; complete; fulfill
• ゼン zen
• まった.く  matta ku

 King 王 under cover /\

席

• seat; place;
• セキ  seki
  

ファーストクラス　fua-sutokurasu - first class

FLCL ending theme transcript

I love FLCL anime. So I tried to make a perfect interactive transcript of the furicuri ending theme but boring html editing made me tired. So here it is: as is. Sounds are the result of a simple smart.fm hack.



オレンジのスライド映す空 orange no suraida utsusu sora
orenji - orange
no
suraido - slide
映す うつす utsusu, reflect; reflection;
空 そら sora, empty sky

スポンジのプライドぶらさげて suponji no puraido burasakete
suponji - sponge
no
puraido - pride
ぶらさげて　burasakete -　to hung, to suspend

スパイダ- supaida
supaida - spider

生け捕ったその頼ｴは kike totta sono yokan wa - The apprehension that was caught alive

隠さなくたっていいんだ kakusanaku tatte ii n da - It's okay even if I don't hide it
隠くす kakusu - to hide
tatte - although, even though, even if
ii - good

色のついた夢見たいな iro no tsuita yume mitai na
色 iro - color
no
tsui - just
yume - dream
mitai - like
The rest of the song is here.

"Rigth Place" by Kosai Sekine Transcript 骨 肉

Discovered Kosai Sekine at @turtlejp 's Musings of the Digital Turtle blog.



Boku wa hitori skoshi kawatteiru

• hitori ひとり【一人】(one, single) person
• skoshi すこし - little bit
• kawatteiru かわっている【変わっている】- different

Dakara umakuikanai toki mo aru

• dakara だから so, therefore
• umakuiku うまくいく to go smoothly
• umakuikanaiうまくいかない to go badly
• tokidoki ときどき【時々】 sometimes
• toki mo aru ときもある - there are times
  

Demo, boku wa sore wa fua motto wasuraushinai

• fuwa ふわ【不和】 disharmony
  
• motto もっと more
  
• wasurau わずらう【煩う】 to worry about
• wasuraushinai わずらうしない　not to worry about

Nazenara

• なぜなら【何故なら】 because
  

Boku no ma ori no subete no mono ni tadashi ichi ga aru yo ne

• ま【真】 true/truth
  
• ori おり oppotumity
• subete すべて every(thing)
• mono もの　thing
• tadashi ただし however
• ichi いち one
• aru ある there is
• ne ね isn't it?

Kono sekai no toko nakaniwa
Boku jishi ni totte mo tadashi ichi ga ru hatsu takara

• kono この this
• sekai せかい world
• toko とこ place
• nakaniwa なかには【中には】some

• bokujishi ぼくじし　me (respectfully) ???
  
• totte とって for
• tadashi ただし however
• ichi いち me
• aru ある is
• hatsu はつ first
• takara たから that's why

Sou, kono sekai no toko nakaniwa

Boku wa sore wa shinjite ru

• sore それ that
• shinji しんじ【神事】 miracle
• shinjite しんじて【信じて】+る beleive in

The katakana part below kanji means スタッフ【神事】 staff member.

The first kanji is a combination of a non general use character that means "thorn", combined with "woman" and "stop". The thorn=spine here, stop feels in place too. However, I'm not 100% sure what the first kanji combination means together because of the "woman" occurence. Please leave a comment below if you know...

骨

• bone; skeleton; remains; frame
• コツ kotsu
  
• ほね hone

The upper part is "skull and vertebrae" and means "bones".
The lower part:

肉

• meat, flesh
  
• ニク miku
• *

Together they make "the bone that carries flesh", "skeleton".

Japanese Verbs Case Study - "tsukuru 作る"

I've learned something about Japanese verbs. In this post I want to look at one particular verb:

• to make: 作る (つくる) tsukuru
  

in attempt to find out how japanese use it in different situations and in different ways. As well as to find out what I miss.

One thing to say about my native russian: russians have no idea about "sentence's correct words order". They use their own set of noun~endings to mark subjects and objects in a sentence. It is both good (for understanding foreign languages) and bad (for speaking foreign languages). So please don't blame me for "my" japanese translations because they are in fact japanese-to-russian and only written in english for a sake of blogging :).

First, bit of kanji. 作る is made of:

作

• make; manufacture; work; production; prepare; build
• サク、サ SAKU, SA
  
• つく.る tsuku

In fact this single kanji is verb's "base" つく. The first symbol in this kanji is a radical of 人 "JIN/hito" means person here. The second one is "non general use" character expressing "make" and resembling a saw. So I'll remember this as "a person is going to make something with a saw."

First, I go to The Ultra Handy Japanese Verb Conjugator to find out related example sentences from Smart.fm and here they are:

今、朝ご飯を作っています。
いま あさごはん を つくって います
ima asagohan wo tsukutte imasu
now breakfast~wo make~tte is
I'm making breakfast now.

• wo means that breakfast is a direct object, same as in さかなをたべます。 while subject is an omitted "watashi wa".
• tsukutte is a ~te form of tsukuru. ~te here is about continuous action. Here what came to my mind before I realized this, and I was wrong: I see no trace of command ~te in this translation. So my guess the better translation is "I'm to make breakfast now". It's obviously broken English one but my goal is to understand how to use the verbs, and it seems much closer to the original to me.
  

例文を3つ作ってください。
れいぶん を みっつ つくって ください
reibun wo mittsu tsukutte kudasai
example~wo 3 make~te please
Please make three example sentences.

• mitsu/3つ is a surprise to me, cause I thouhgt three is:
• 三 san
• three
• サン SAN
• み、み.つ、みっ.つ mi, mitsu
• I guess that Japanese use kun reading to count things in speech?

アリは土の中に巣を作ります。
アリ は つち の なか に す を つくります 。
ari ha tsuchi no naka ni su wo tsukurimasu .
ant~wa soil~no inside~in nest~wo make
Ants build nests underground.

• First, I think smart.fm is wrong again, ~ha is wrong reading unless Japanese use ~wa for humans and ~ha for animals of which me and google never heard.
• Why soil ends with ~no I could not get until I connected "tsuchi-no-naka-ni" together. Once I did, I've got it: "(in) soil's inside", "tsuchi~no" = "soil's". So it is: Ants in soil's inside~in nest~wo build.
• And the last, Japanese are polite to ants: tsukurimasu.
  

このサラダはトマトとレタスで作られている。
この サラダ は トマト と レタス で つくられている 。
kono sarada ha tomato to retasu de tsukurareteiru .
this salad~wa tomato~and lettuce~from made
This salad is composed of tomatoes and lettuce.

• First, I notice ~to (and) and ~de (from). Please refer to this article to find out why I decided that de=from here.
• Second, it's a first time I encounter passive verb form. And, it's different from passive respectful "make" 作られる tsukurareru.
  
• I try to understand what "tsukurareteiru" is, and look what I read here: Conjugating to the passive form results in the creation of a new ichidan verb (even if the starting verb was godan). This resulting verb can be conjugated to give negatives, past tenses, presumptives, provisionals, polite forms, etc., just as any other ichidan verb.
• My mind is blown off already, but I keep calming myself down. I try to conjugate it and see this. It works! Isn't it insane?
  
• Now I try to understand what this "tsukurarete + iru" means. A verb's te form with iru is used to show present progressive tense. Terefore, my conclusion is that "tsukurarete iru" is "passive present progressive tense", a progressive equivalent of "made off". I don't think a beast like this exists in English. Not much google brings on, besides this wondeful dialog:

...doku ni okosareru kikai tte, dou nan da?
So uh, how exactly does a machine get poisoned?
Shikata nai. Jibun wa ningen ni chikaku tsukurareteiru no da.
It cannot be helped. I am constructed to be similar to a human being.

この畑では麦を作っています。
この はたけ で は むぎ を つくっています 。
kono hatake dewa mugi wo tsukutteimasu .
this field is from wheat made
We're growing wheat in this field.

• Comparing to a previous one, this one is snap.
  
• Except new to me usage of "dewa" as "made of "
  
• Except polite present progressive tsukutte imasu.
  

その椀は地元の職人によって作られた。
その わん は じもと の しょくにん によって つくられた 。
sono wan wa jimoto no shokunin niyotte tsukurareta .
The bowl was made by a local craftsman.

• again, ~ta form of "new-born" tsukurareru (passive make = made) verb
• and another one below:
  

このペンは鳥の羽根で作られています。
この ペン は とり の はね で つくられて います
kono pen ha tori no hane de tsukurarete imasu
This pen is made from a bird's feather.

• Following two sentences show difference between tsukuraremasu and tsukurimasu clearly.

結婚すると新しい戸籍が作られます。
けっこん する と あたらしい こせき が つくられます 。
kekkon suru to atarashii koseki ga tsukuraremasu .
A new family register is made when a couple marry.

祖母は漬け物を自分で作ります。
そぼ は つけもの を じぶん で つくります
sobo ha tsukemono wo jibun de tsukurimasu
My grandmother makes her own pickles.

• while family record is passive and "made = tsukuraremasu", grandmother is active and "makes=tsukurimasu", same below
  

うどんは小麦粉から作られます。
うどん は こむぎこ から つくられます 。
udon ha komugiko kara tsukuraremasu .
Udon noodles are made from flour.

彼女は真心をこめて彼にケーキを作ったよ。
かのじょ は まごころ を こめて かれ に ケーキ を つくった よ 。
kanojo ha magokoro wo komete kare ni ke-ki wo tsukutta yo .
She put her heart into baking him a cake.

• Next is a sentence ending with yo:

夕食に和風パスタを作ったよ。
ゆうしょく に わふう パスタ を つくった よ 。
yuushoku ni wafuu pasuta wo tsukutta yo .
I made Japanese-style pasta for supper.

• Yo is usually used at the end of a short phrase or sentence. Its nuances are not easy to define, but it generally has two purposes: to emphasize an action, or to brag about one. Note: As in English, to correctly use the "brag" version you have to keep a straight, "no big deal" face.

Well, this exercise main result is that it shows I missed Passive or Respectful Expression form of japanese verbs. I need to learn it!

もののけ姫 Mononoke-hime Transcript

Here I try to boost my vocabulary with a few minutes of Mononoke-hime transript, another masterpiece of Hayao Miyazaki. Not like in the post on Tonari no Totoro Transcript, where I had actually to do much of the job, a perfect kana-romaji-english transcript for Mononoke is available. All I have to do is to turn on and hoover my Rikaichan-mouse to find out the words I don't know. I'm going to watch the whole movie shot by shot while referring the transcript. "Mononoke Hime" stands for "Ghost Princess" by the way.

[アシタカ] Ashitaka:

ヤックル
Yakkuru...

[カヤ] Kaya:

兄さまー
Ani-sama! (older brother - sama)

Ashitaka:

ちょうど良かった。
Choudo yokatta. (exactly fine)
Good timing.

ヒイ様が、みな村へ戻れと
Hii-sama ga, mina mura e modore to ( grand-grandma-sama orders, everyone village turn back)
Hii-sama says everyone is to go back to the village.

Kaya:

じいじも、そう言うの
Jii-ji mo, sou iu no (grandpa too, like that; no=ga since it's subordinate phrase)
Jii-ji also says so.

Ashitaka:

じいじか！？
Jii-ji ka!? (grandpa say so?)
Jii-ji?!

Kaya:

山がおかしいって......
Yama ga okashii tte...... (mountain (are) strange; ~tte means it's grandpa's quote)
He said that the mountains are strange......

[少女B] (Shoujo B) Girl B:

鳥達がいないの
Tori-tachi ga inai no (bird ~tachi (pluralizing suffix) less na=ga, subordinate again)
The birds have all disappeared.

[少女A] (Shoujo A) Girl A:

ケモノ達も......
Kemono-tachi mo...... (beasts~tachi(plural) too...)
And all the creatures......

Ashitaka:

そうか 。
Sou ka. (Is that so?)
I see.

じいじの所へ行ってみよう。
Jii-ji no tokoro e itte miyou.
I'm going to check on Jii-ji.

みんなは早く戻りなさい
Minna wa hayaku modori nasai (everyone quickly return~nasai, nasai for simple command)
Everyone hurry back to the village!

[三人] (San-nin) The three {Girls}:

ハイ
Hai
Yes sir!

Ashitaka:

何か来る......
Nanika kuru...... (something to come)
Something's coming......

じいじ、なんだろう？
Jii-ji, nan darou? (grandpa, what seems?)
Jii-ji, what can it be?

[山おじ] Yama-oji {AKA Jii-ji}:

判らぬ。人ではない
Wakaranu. Hito dewa nai
I don't know. It's not human.

Ashitaka:

村の方は、ヒイ様が皆を呼び戻している
Mura no hou wa, Hii-sama ga mina o yobi modoshite iru (village direction (to), grand-grandma-sama everybody to call back to get in)
Back at the village, Hii-sama is calling for everyone to return.

Yama-oji:

来おった......
Kiotta......
It comes......

タタリ神だ！
Tatari-gami da! (cursed god it is!)
It's a Tatari-gami!

Ashitaka:

タタリ神？！
Tatari-gami?!

ヤックル、逃げろ！！
Yakkuru, nigero!!
Yakkuru, run (away)!!

村の方へ行く！！
Mura no hou e iku!! (village area proceeds!)
It's headed towards the village!!

襲う気だ
Osou ki da (to attack intention~da)
It's going to attack!

Yama-oji:

アシタカ、
Ashitaka,

タタリ神に手を出すな。
Tatari-gami ni te o dasu na. (cursed god touch~na)
Don't touch the Tatari-gami.

呪いをもらうぞ！！
Noroi o morau zo!! (curse to receive~zo!)
You'll be cursed if you do!!

Ashitaka:

ヤックル
Yakkuru!

鎮まれ！ 鎮まりたまえ！
Shizumare! Shizumari tamae!
Calm! Calm down!

さぞかし名のある山の主と見受けたが、
Sazokashi na no aru yama no nushi to miuketa ga,
Surely you are to all appearances a mountain god of name,

何故そのように荒ぶるのか？
naze sono you ni araburu no ka?
but why do you rampage like this?

隣のトトロ Tonari no Totoro Transcript

My vocabulary isn't progressing as fast as I wish, so here I try to boost it up with few minutes of Totoro transript. I cheated a bit having Totoro romaji transcript available. Scroll down to start video playing.

aruku aruku (あるく) watashi wa genki Let's walk, let's walk, I feel fine.
aruku no daisuki (だいすき) don-don (どんどん) ikou いこう I love to walk, let's go steadily from this point forward.

sakamichi さかみち TONNERU kusa くさち para An uphill, a tunnel, a meadow,
ipponbashi いっぽんばし ni dekoboko でこぼこ jari じゃり michi みち At a log bridge, a bumpy gravel road.
kumonosu くものす kugutte くぐる kudari くだり michi みち Spiderweb, dive into downhill road.

* Repeat

mitsubachi ga bun-bun ぶんぶんいう hanabatake はなばたけ A honeybee buzzes in a flowergarden,
hinata ひなた ni tokage とかげ hebi へび wa hirune ひるね sunshine on a lizard, a snake in a siesta nap,
batta ばった ga tonde とんで magari まがり-michi a grasshopper leaps flying along the curving path.

* Repeat

kitsune きつね mo tanuki たぬき mo dete でて oide おいで Foxes and racoons too, out, come!
tanken たんけん-shiyou しよう hayashi はやし no oku おく made expedition-way into the woods deep inside.
tomodachi ともだち takusan たくさん ureshii うれしい na Friends so many (I've), I'm so happy.
tomodachi takusan ureshii na I have lots of friends, I'm so happy.





SATSUKI: otousan, kyarameru
Daddy, caramel ?

OTOUSAN: o, arigatou, kutabireru くたびれる ka
Oh, thank you very much, tired?

SATSUKI: uun

OTOUSAN: mou jiki da yo
It's just a little further

SATSUKI: atsu mei kakure~te かくれて
Mei! Hide!

omawari おまわり san janakatta o^i
It wasn't a cop. HI-I-I!

OTOUSAN: ouchinokata donata ka irasshaimasen ka
Sorry to bother you, but are your parents around anywhere?

Ah, Domo.
Thank you.

kusakabe desu hikkoshite (ひっこうしします) kimashita.
We're Kusakabe. We've moved in.

yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
'Your favor is humbly requested'

MAN VOICE: gokurou sama desu
Thank you for your trouble!

OTOUSAN: domo arigato
Thanks a lot.

OTOUSAN: saa tsuita ついた yo
Well, we've arrived.

SATSUKI: hyaa

MEI: a matte
Wait!

SATSUKI: mei, hashi はし (bridge) ga aru ある(there is) yo
Mei, there's a bridge.

MEI: hashi
Bridge?

SATSUKI: sakana (fish) hora (look) mata (again) hikata ひかる(shine)
Fish. See, it flashed again.

OTOUSAN: douどう(how) dai だいい(much), kiniitta きにいる (like) ka
Well, do you like it?

SATSUKI: otousan suteki すてき ne.
Father, it's beautiful!

kino tonneru
A tunnel of trees.

SATSUKI: aa, ano uchi うち (house)
Ah, that house?

MEI: uwaa ahahaha^

SATSUKI: hayaku はやく
Quick!

Well, I see I need to learn ~た (ta) verb form ASAP.

Japanese Kanji for Facial Features 耳 目 眉 自 鼻 口

Here is a picture I found at Eve Kushner's Kanji Blog Post #5 . Her kanji posters are just amazing. Her blog is full of smart kanji posts, sometimes too smart for me :).

I'll be dissecting this image's kanji, learning Japanese words for facial features along with kanji.

耳

• ear
• ジ ji
  
• みみ mimi

耳かき" mimikaki stands for ear stick.
Here is a video ad for Tokyo Mimi Souji - Ear Cleaning (耳掃除) salon:

目

• eye
  
• モク、ボク moku
• め、ま me, ma

Also means class; look; insight; experience; care; favor and more.
Easy to remember - vertical, upright eye.

眉

• eyebrow
• ビ、ミ bi
  
• まゆ mayu

鼻

• nose
• ビ bi
  
• はな hana

Obviously complex of two or three kanji symbols. The upper one is similar to "eye".

自

• oneself
• ジ、シ
• みずか.ら

Ancient meaning was also "nose" deriving from oriental practice of pointing to the nose to refer to oneself. Not like pointing to the chest in the West.

The lower part of 鼻 used to be related to table/display for prominent items. So what was a prominent nose now is just a nose 鼻.

口

• mouth
• コウ、ク kou, ku
  
• くち kuchi

Represents open mouth.
Funny, 鼻口 biko, nose + mouth means "dog's muzzle"

I've learned 6 more kanji: 耳 目 眉 自 鼻 口 !

Applied Kanji Lesson One: 氵水 主 王 注 心 音 意

In this post I decided to break the series of Japanese verbs-related posts and learn some kanji. I did not figured out "my" best way to learn kanji yet, so, I'll be experimenting.
I'm not using japanesepod101.com but videos they produce are fun and professional. I will use few of them as my study subject. Let's start!

So here is the first kanji I'm going to learn:


What I see here is a universal "don't touch it" pictogram followed by a hiragana word that means "burn": やけど(yakedo) – burn. It's quite easy to remember - it's reminds me a barbecue word "yakitori" やきとり【焼き鳥】

彼は手にやけどをしました。 かれ は て に やけど を しました　means "He burned his hand"

BTW, a verb I learned recently was "to do" (来る) suru する. And...Suru…. Makes any noun into a verb...やけどする(yakedosuru) – get burned. Easy enough right?

OK. Back to the topic. The first kanji I see here is

注

I found it. It happens to be in the first 500 kanji set here and it means "pour". Kids learn this kanji in 3rd grade.

• pour; irrigate; shed (tears); flow into; concentrate on; notes; comment; annotate
• チュウ (chu) - "on" reading
  
• そそ.ぐ (soso gu) - "kun" reading

It see two readings for all japanese kanji. The first called "on" reading and it's a chinese reading. What "kun" reading is for? Hmm... I guess it is a japanese reading?

It also visually appears to me that this 注 "pour" kanji has two parts - left vertical set of 3 short strokes and a bigger symbol on the right. Short research ...and yes I'm right.

The left three strokes is a "radical" of kanji 水 "sui", or "shui" in chinese reading that stands for "water" in chinese. "Water" in japanese is "mizu" みず and kanji for it is 水.

A kanji radical is a common sub-element found in different kanji characters. Radicals express the general nature of the kanji characters.

氵

is a "radical" of

水

• water
• スイ sui
• みず mizu

What chinese themselves say about this kanji?

The second part is

主

• master; lord; chief; owner; main thing; principal matter
• シュ、ス shu, su
  
• ぬし、おも nushi, omo

Digging little bit deeper earned me a similar kanji:

王

• king; rule; magnate
• オウ o(u)
  
• *

So, "King 王 with bit extra is a real master 主"

And,氵(water) and 主 (master) together make "master of water" ...
Nop! Write answer is:
Master 主 Pours Water 氵. They make 注 (pour) together.

Now the second kanji barely seen on the picture above:

意

• idea; intention; mind; heart; taste; thought; desire; care; attention; liking
• イ i
• *

It obviously means "attention" in this case. It also happens to be in the first 500 kanji set here.
This symbol looks a way too complex to me to be a radical. Short research... and ...bingo!
The lower part of this kanji is:

心

• heart; mind; spirit
• シン shin
• こころ kokoro

The upper part of this kanji is:

音

• sound; noise
• オン、イン on, in
  
• おと、ね oto, ne
  

The sound 音 of mind 心 is an idea 意. Wow. That was cool.
A thought is a sound from the heart. Even cooler.

Now, to finish this, let's combine everything together.

Two kanji together 注意 pronounced as ちゅうい (chui).

やけど(yakido) + 注意 (chui) = やけど注意 "burn pour attention" or "be careful not to burn yourself"

So, what was the kanji we learned today?

氵, 水 - water - sui - みず - mizu
主 - master - shu - ぬし - nushi　
王 - king - o(u) - オウ - * - ou
注 - pour - chu - そそ。ぐ - soso gu
心 - heart/feelings - shin - ここる - kokoru
音 - sound - on/in - おと, ね - oto/ne
意 - attention/idea - i - イ- i

Seven kanji and one radical! Not bad for a start!

Plus we learned:
やけど - burn - yakedo
やきとり - yakitori

Beethoven-no (ベートーヴェンの) Breakfast/Rice (ごはん【御飯】)

An amazing video (free), breakfast (around $6.50)!

and the same - no subs but better quality

What Is Your Favorite Japanese Word?

Notice a lots of "NO" particles used and few "O" also.

Augmented Reality 1984 Japan

I had another lesson with Eiko-san yesterday. It wasn't a piece of cake. I was introduced to Japanese verbs grammar and this first meeting wasn't a big success for me. I was told by many people that Japanese verbs is not an easy topic and it turns to be a hard thing for me too. I've Livescribe files ready to upload but I feel they are not good because all the lesson was a one big confusion for me. I decided to get verbs grammar slow in a next series of posts.

Meanwhile, some fun stuff: creating useful content in internet becomes easier! If you watch Youtube, you probably noticed a closed captioning feature that was added in 2008. Here is quite aged "Let's Learn Japanese with Yan" video made in 1984 with captions added recently.
I like the way it's done. Enjoy!

Most Popular Japanese Google Words

What Japanese people (females) saying to other people (males) that foreigners seek to understand? I often use Google as a scientific "vox populi" machina and here is the list of the most popular "~anata" search requests Google provides:
(Most popular words with "anata" あなた included)

anata daisuki, anata (ga) daisuki (desu) - I love you
anata daiteyo - Darling, hug me
anata ga - you
anata ga hoshii - I want you
anata ga inai toriai - I want to hold you
anata ga inai toriai atteieru wagamama - I want to hold you when you’re gone, i’m selfish like that
anata ga kirai - i hate you
anata ga natsukashii - I miss you
anata ga suki - I love you
anata ga suki da - I love you
anata ga suki de - I love you
anata ga sukidessu - I love you
anata ga...inai - You are...not here (song title)
anata kanji - あなた, 貴方, 貴男, 貴女
anata kara - from you
anata kimi, anata vs kimi - kimi (きみ；君) is used by males, and anata (あなた) is used by females
anata koto, Anata-no-koto wasure-nai - I will never forget you
anata mo - you too
anata mou suki desu - I love you too
anata ni, Anata ni mo! - Same to you!
anata no kao, Anata no kao chotto mittai na - I want to see you(r) (face)
anata no koto, anata no koto wasure-nai - I will not forget you
anata no koto matteru yo - I'll be waiting for you
anata no koto wo kangaeteiru - I'm thinking of you
anata no manko ho nametai des - I love you
anata no okaasan - your mother
anata no osanazuma - Pick Me, Honey (game title)
anata no oto - The sound of your heart (Macross Frontier anime song title)
anata no sei janai - It's Not Your Fault (another anime song title)
anata no shiranai kangofu sei teki byoutou 24 ji - The Nurse You don't know, 24 Hours in the Sex hospital (hentai anime title)
anata no tomodachi, Anata no tomodachi wo shoukai - Would you introduce yourselves to us?
anata (vs) omae - you formal/informal
anata suki - love you
anata tachi - plural you, you guys
anata wa doko - where are you from
anata wa hentai - you are pervert
anata wa kirei (na) - You are beautiful
anata wa omoidashimasu - you remember
anata wa onani o shimasuka - Do you masturbate? (insulting)
anata wa tenshi - You're an angel
anata wa utsukushii - You are beautiful
anata wa yasashii (desunei) - You're so kind
anata wo ai shite iru - I love you
anata wo aishite yamazu - You are loved Earnestly (gay manga title)
anata wo aishiteiru - I love you
anata wo aishiteru - I love you
anata wo mamoritakute - I want to protect you (Yaoi mature manga title)
hora anata ni totte - (somebody) important to you (song title)
itsumodemo anata ga suki - forever I like you

Why did I made such a list? Just curiosity as well as bit of SEO for my blog :) And oh... so many ways to say "I love you"....

First 3+1 Lessons Vocabulary

I finally made my first words lists:
- Combined list of words uses in first 3 Starbucks lessons. Click "I Know" button below to run the learning application, play Livescribe records in my previous posts to refresh the word usage.

- To prepare for my next week's Starbucks lesson, I made another lists that combines words and sentences:

It looks like the next lesson will be about Japanese verbs. Please review the words to get prepared!

Talk Japanese After Listening 1 (One) CD!

This post is about the best spoken Japanese course I found so far. A Pimsleur Level I is what you may need.

• Yes, It's on 1 (one) CD! It has 30 tracks.
• No, you shouldn't listen all the 30 tracks at once!

The course relies on interactive spoken language training so no textbook is needed!
Pimsleur engages you in conversation, forcing you to answer as a Japanese person would, not as a textbook would encourage. The information is very easy to retain.
Here is the transcript of the first lesson if you're curious.
The lesson introduces some basic words like excuse me, you, I etc.

~~ conversation ~~

sumimasen eigo ga wakarimasu ka? - Excuse me, do you understand English?

iie wakarimasen. nihongo ga wakarimasu ka? - No, I don't understand. Do you understand Japanese?

hai, sukoshi wakarimasu - Yes, I understand a little

anata wa amerika jin desu ka? - Are you American?

hai watashi wa amerika jin desu - Yes, I am American

You listen and repeat. That's it!
At $250-$350 it's not the cheapest CD on the market. Curious? Google it!
Do you know any good audio courses? Please leave a comment if you do.