University of Yamanashi: A Heavy Hitter

Posted on August 25, 2010 by J Sensei

Yamanashi Prefecture is the part of Japan once known as Kai Prefecture. That’s as in, The Tiger of Kai, Takeda Shingen, who I covered in a “Profiles of Bushido” post a couple of weeks ago. Put another way, this is the prefecture due north of Mt. Fuji. As a result, there is less rain in this prefecture than along the coast.

A Broad Curriculum

You can find details about everything Yamanashi offers, in English, on this page. Click on a component to see the vast offerings. In just the Division of School Education, specialized services in Japanese and English language education, social studies, mathematics, science, music, art, health, technology, and home economics, are offered. That’s a lot.

In 2002, the University of Yamanashi was merged with a major medical university. Thus, the current University of Yamanashi also includes a vast School of Medicine.

In addition, Yamanashi’s Faculty of Engineering doesn’t just talk the talk of improving society through science: it walks the walk, featuring a “Department of Ecosocial System Engineering” and aiding Japan in its push to be a world leader in environmental technology. More juicy info here.

In The Heartland

Yamanashi Prefecture became part of the Shogunate’s core territory. Over the centuries preceding the Meiji Restoration, it received lavish infrastructure spending. Today, it remains a major segment of Honshu (lit.: “main island,” the main island of Japan) in the heart of the country. With Mt. Fuji to the south, and picturesque lakes from which to gaze at it, Yamanashi is also a quality stop for tourists.

The City of Kofu (甲府市)

Yamanashi’s campuses are located mainly in Kofu, the capitol of the prefecture. Kofu is a city of some 201,184 souls. (The “rural” feel of Sapporo has to be contrasted with its population of 1.6 million! However, Hokkaido itself is far less populated than Honshu, so Sapporo is the biggest game in town there.)

Besides being a Mecca for Takeda Shingen fans (which is a good thing, by the way), the city is full of museums, cultural centers, the Yumura Onsen (onsen = hot spring), and precious gem museums from Kofu’s jewelry industry.

I must admit to having a brief encounter with this industry. Once, I translated something related to an exhibition of Kofu jewelry. At the time, I didn’t even know anything about Kofu, but apparently its jewelry industry was far more famed within Japan than it has been in the modern era with stiff international competition. Government support (public-private partnerships and so forth) has been provided with the aim of kick-starting the industry into greater global recognition. Good luck to Kofu’s artisans!

A full two-thirds of the city’s is actually covered by a mix of mountains and forests. Certainly, this is taking the scenic route.

Overall: A Strong Contender

Yamanashi offers a lot of meat for the potential exchange student. In addition, the natural beauty is a definite plus. Considering how utterly packed Tokyo feels, a city of “only” 200k people certainly can’t feel that crowded, either. Definitely worth a look, especially for serial do-gooders who want to be part of improving the world through education, medicine, and technology.

Posted in Japan, Overseas Study, Tourism, Universities | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

About Tofugu’s “Chilled Underwear” Post…

Posted on August 25, 2010 by J Sensei

Some of you might have noticed this post over at Tofugu. I want to reassure the public about something. See, I went to the original link and looked over the blog post there (reading the Japanese, as I am a former translator, yes) and this is what I determined…

Authentic native Japanese people had no earthly clue what this was either.

Having cleared this up, I wish to elaborate that this was a stunt pulled by an “adult department store.” That’s adult as in, not safe for kids, I do believe.

Sometimes weirdness has to be put into a little context…

Thanks for reading!

Posted in Culture, Japanese, Weird Stuff | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Overdoing It: Yari Sugi

Posted on August 25, 2010 by J Sensei

やり過ぎ

In Japanese, “yaru” (やる) is a catch-all verb for doing. It is inherently plain and informal. It is used in expressions like the Japanese equivalent of, “Do unto others before they do unto you.”

“Sugiru” (すぎる、過ぎる) is the verb “To Exceed, To Surpass,” etc.

Combine the two together, and you get the verb yari sugiru (やり過ぎる). Normally, the “yari” part would not be given a kanji; this may be the case when it’s used as a short reference to killing, to make that clear, but it’s colloquially used in far less nasty circumstances.

Very technically, sugi (すぎ、過ぎ) rather than sugiru, is an infinitive verb tense. That is, it’s not absolutely spelled out whether the action takes place in the past or the present; it is a catch-all description. It is similar to putting -ing to the end of a word in English.

So:

Yari Sugi = (You’re) Overdoing It

If used as an expression or an interjection, such as addressing an action and saying, “やり過ぎ！！” (yari sugi!!), this is criticizing the action as excessive and unwarranted.

Though this kind of speech is much too informal for a context of law, take the famous U.S. Constitution amendment banning “cruel and unusual punishment.” Cruel and unusual means overdone and excessive.

Thus, this is a plain Japanese rebuke of behavior that is excessive, that destroys social harmony (和、wa) and causes annoyance (めいわく、迷惑、meiwaku) to other people.

The example that inspired this post was a scene in a video game (Persona 3 FES (for festival), Japanese version) where a member of the student council is confronting a schoolboy over smoking based on hearsay evidence. The schoolboy punches him before heading off. Your character has the option of saying, “Yari sugi,” or, saying what would be in English as, “Hanging tough there.” (The student council member would rather hear #2 than be rebuked.)

In other words, in this case, the rebuke would have been for excessive behavior even though this behavior was in defense of valid regulations and proper school behavior. There is a line that can be crossed where too much Justice is too much of a good thing.

In this case, people certainly could have different opinions about what constitutes “overdoing it.” That’s the magic of language – and a diversity of human opinion.

Posted in Grammar, Japanese | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Learning Through Lyrics, Part 2

Posted on August 24, 2010 by J Sensei

So, let’s move on to part 2.

Second Line

Trust me もう何もおそれないで my dear 見えない糸で

Translation

Trust me / don’t be afraid of anything anymore                  my dear / for with an invisible thread

Vocabulary/ Grammar Notes

Mou

In this case, “mou” stands for the part I translated as “anymore.” That is, anymore, any longer, and so forth. Japanese: もう

Nani Mo

“Nani” is well known for representing “What?” in Japanese. Japanese: なに、何

“Mo” here is a particle. When the two are combined together, they represent nothing; nothing at all. However, as it would be awkward to write, “Be afraid of nothing,” putting it as “don’t be afraid of anything” flows off the English tongue better. Japanese: も

Osorenai De

This is a negative, volitional tense conjugation of osoreru, “To Be Afraid.” The volitional tense normally urges someone to do something; it is asking, not telling. Therefore, rather than saying, “be afraid, be very afraid,” this is saying, don’t be afraid. (Pretty please?) Japanese: おそれない

Mienai

This is the negative non-past (that is, not clearly past, and probably present, but possibly short-term future also) of “mieru,” “To Be Visible.” That is, to be in the state of being visible. Consequently, something that is not in this state is, by implication, invisible. Japanese: みえない、見えない

Ito

This word, “ito,” simply represents thread. It is written in kanji form here. Japanese: いと、糸

De (Particle)

This “de” is not part of the verb. Rather, it is defining what immediately precedes it as something related to a verb, but that is neither the subject, nor a direct or indirect object, to the verb. This is why I use the translation “with.” Japanese: で

This last part dovetails into Line 3, so tune in later to see how!

Posted in Grammar, Japanese, Lyrics, Music | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Sapporo: Modern Japan Without The Crowds

Posted on August 24, 2010 by J Sensei

A Less Crowded Alternative

Recently, I was asked by a Japanese learner from Australia to help him pick a university in Japan where he will study as an exchange student for the entire 2012 year. One of his options is Sapporo University in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island.

Not knowing enough about specific universities, I took it upon myself to do some basic research. It’s the least I can do, and besides, maybe other readers would find this interesting?

Sushi, and Beer

Sapporo is considered by some to have the finest Sushi in Japan. It’s also considerably less expensive sushi than you’ll find in Tokyo.

Sapporo is also a famous producer of beer. A large beer factory is another notable tourist stop.

Efficient Modern Transportation

Like most cities in Japan, the government has ensured a modern, efficient public transportation system. The fact that crowds are less of an issue makes traveling around Sapporo cheap, easy, and satisfying.

It’s Cold Up There!

Being a higher latitude than most of Japan, Hokkaido in general, including Sapporo in particular, is colder on average – to some degree – than the rest of Japan. They even have an ice sculpture festival.

Sapporo University

Sapporo offers bachelor degrees in the categories of arts & humanities, business & social science, and science & technology. Its English website can be found here.

Japanese-language reviews of Sapporo University as a tourist attraction have emphasized that it is ten minutes (on foot) from the nearest train station, is surprisingly vast, and is a virtual sea of green. It’s apparently very, very pretty to look at.

Walking around is no problem for tourists because Sapporo University is an open campus, meaning anyone can walk right in, for free, no questions asked.

A City With A Rural Touch

The real attraction of Sapporo University, and Sapporo itself, is that you can experience modern Japan without the usual crush of people. It’s less crowded, more relaxed, and still offers modern civilization, even with natural beauty close at hand.

Of course, being removed from the cultural epicenters of Japan means making some compromises. Certain things will probably be more expensive in Hokkaido than they would be in Honshu. Hotels don’t seem to have free Internet, for instance.

International Connections

The reason Sapporo comes up as a potential destination for overseas study is because it has “sister school” relationships with a variety of non-Japanese universities. So, the university is not lacking in connections abroad.

Overall

Sapporo sounds like an interesting place to visit. Would I want to live there? Speaking personally, I live in a much more rural place, so yes, I’d probably enjoy it very much. The winters might get cold, but the worst cold in Nova Scotia seems roughly equivalent. City slickers may have a harder time adjusting, but I could really use some of that efficient modern transportation on this end. It’s an interesting mixture of nature and people, occupying a different place on the slider than options in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto.

Posted in Japan, Overseas Study, Tourism, Universities | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Learning Through Lyrics, Part 1

Posted on August 23, 2010 by J Sensei

A Japanese learner asked me to translate the lyrics of a particular song, “Trust me” by Yuya Matsushita, and to explain the vocabulary within. In the interests of education, I intend to do this in manageable steps. I am not being paid for this in any way; this is 100% for educational value.

First Line

I’m here そばにいるから     call me 僕がいるから

Translation

I’m here – because I’m by your side   /   call me – because I’m right here

Vocabulary/ Grammar Notes

Soba

Not the noodle. Rather, this “soba” means side. As in, “I’m right by your side.” Japanese: そば、側

Ni

The particle “ni.” Indicates that the preceding word modifies that which comes after the “ni.” Japanese: に

Iru

In this case, “iru” is the counterpart of “aru.” It is an existence verb affirming the existence of an animate object, which means either a person or an animal. (Plants are living things but are not animate, so “iru” does not apply to them.) Therefore, as a matter of course, this “iru” should be read like the English “am” (I am, you are, we were, etc.) Japanese: いる,　居る

Kara

In a very technical way, “kara” as a suffix means arising out of the previous (part of the sentence). In practice, it can be read like because, since because indicates (in a situation like this) that something is true because of what was stated just prior to the word “because.” Japanese: から

Grammar Notes

Lacking a stated topic/ subject, the reader should assume that the speaker is the unstated topic/ subject and that the phrase applies to “I/ me” (1st person perspective). In this case, the English thrown out, and the second phrase in the line, make this very clear (and is probably one reason they’re included).

Boku

“Boku” is a plain – that is, not rude but definitely informal – 1st person pronoun favored by introverted boys and men. It is rarely used by girls, but it is not unheard of. Japanese: 僕、ぼく、ボク

Ga

The particle ga indicates that the word immediately preceding it is the subject of a sentence. In Japanese, the topic of the entire sentence can be separate from the subject of a verb in the sentence. Japanese: が

Grammar Notes

Because of the particle “ga,” “boku” (that is, the speaker) is the subject of the verb “iru.”

Also, the English used here acts as the conclusion of the sentence, and also, therefore, acts kind of like the topic:

I’m by your side, therefore, I’m here.

I’m here, therefore, call me.

This establishes the tone of the song to follow.

That’s all for this time. Thank you for reading!

Posted in Japanese, Lyrics, Music | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Allure of Japanese Swords: Preview

Posted on August 17, 2010 by J Sensei
Posted in Japanese | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Little Book of Japanese Animals

Posted on August 17, 2010 by J Sensei
Posted in Japanese | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kanji: On-Yomi and Kun-Yomi

Posted on August 2, 2010 by J Sensei

Recently, I was discussing Japanese with someone studying for the old JLPT level 4 test (now the new level 5). He was using smart.fm for vocabulary, which is no crime, but what happened was something that stayed in my mind. I offered a link to my free eBook on mastering early Japanese kanji (including ones he must study for this test). He did not know what on-yomi and kun-yomi meant.

Well, we can’t have that. In fact, my eBook, Mastering Japanese Kanji Volume 1, was focused on getting the information to the student’s mind without a long lead-up and actually lacked what I would consider a normal explanation. I wanted to think that any large book on kanji would explain but…? Well, who knows?

The bottom line is, some people don’t know.

On-Yomi

The so-called “on-yomi” is, quite literally, the phonetic reading of a kanji. This is, mind you, the phonetic reading in Japanese. The sounds may be based on Chinese kanji, like a drama might be based on a true story, but the Japanese tongue says sounds differently than the Chinese tongue for language purposes.

Typically, the on-yomi is used for compound kanji words. This is because on-yomi are designed to be easy to say in quick succession. The same is not true for many native Japanese words, which must be strung together in a more prolonged, less rapid-fire method.

Kun-yomi

The “kun-yomi” is the instructional reading of a kanji, teaching the native Japanese reading associated with that kanji. Many of these are complete words; that is, they are not fragments of words, but are words (kotoba) themselves.

Kun-yomi often include the stems of verbs. Single kanji verbs tend to use the kanji (which represents the stem) and hiragana (which conjugate).

Example: In taberu (To Eat), たべる is the kana. 食べる is the kanji. The 食　part is read as “ta” with the べる read as the “beru,” but essentially, the kanji is a flag indicating the word must be about eating, and by quickly glancing at the kana, the reader knows that “taberu” (To Eat) is the only possible reading of the word (the kotoba) involved.

Example: Water

Let’s take 水 (water) as an example.

On its own, 水 is read as みず (mizu), the native Japanese word for water. The kanji concept also represents water, so in this case, the kanji and the word are in perfect harmony. Mizu is the kun-yomi of 水.

Now, let’s take 水銀. This kanji is read as すいぎん (suigin). The すい (sui) part is the on-yomi of 水. The second part of the compound is ぎん (gin), for “silver.” This word actually means mercury, also known as quicksilver because it appears to behave like liquid silver.

This is a simple example of on-yomi and kun-yomi.

Article first published as Kanji: On-Yomi and Kun-Yomi on Technorati.

Posted in Grammar, Japanese | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Small delay with the sword eBook

Posted on July 30, 2010 by J Sensei

Due to inconvenience to the friend I’m counting on for helping with some final Photoshop graphics for the eBook, I’ll be delaying release until he can finish that (it should be sometime in the next several days) to not diminish the user experience. I was pretty busy myself, getting a food idioms eBook out the door for the English learning crowd.

Posted in Japanese | Leave a comment