A Rose By Any Other Name

What’s in a name? Today’s subject isn’t any particular place name; it is a term used for famous places as described in an essay on viewing Japanese prints, like ukiyo-e. There is, after all, a long and rich tradition of Japanese wood block printed graphic art of interesting place, such as in the Edo (modern Tokyo) area.

So, here’s part of the paragraph that really got my attention at this site:

The context of meisho-e should be explained further. Meisho, literally “place with a name,” is a term often translated as “famous places” or “celebrated locations.” The earliest known meisho-e were probably painted as a sub-genre of early yamato-e (“Japanese painting”) and were first linked as well toshiki-e (“pictures of the four seasons”) and tsukinami-e (“pictures of the twelve months”).

…This furthers what I call the “Japanese as a language spoken by space aliens” meme. In other words, Japanese is a language with literal meanings absolutely incomprehensible to the Western mind that only Martians could comprehend.

This is laughably false, because the premise above simply isn’t correct.

Your Name Is Your Reputation

In Japanese language, 名 (mei) is indeed used for what we would call name, but it means more than that. It means your reputation, renown, and fame; in other words, not just the name, but what is associated with that name.

So, 名前 (namae; reputation + front) is your name, but it also means the reputation that precedes you. Something that is 有名 (yuumei; have + reputation) is famous because it has a reputation attached. A 有名人 (yuumeijin; have + reputation + person) is a famous person, like Elvis.

For these reasons, a 名所 (meisho; reputation + general place) is a place of renown, a well-known place, a famous place.

Incidentally, the kanji 場 (ba) tends to indicate a specific place rather than a broad one. This is a nuance that is easily missed.

For instance, a 急所 (kyuusho; critical place) uses a kanji usually used for “urgent/ emergency” plus “general place.” This describes, in abstract, the vitals, or vital spots that can be struck for grievous damage. This applies to martial arts, as well as to Monster Hunter video games. While not the same language as 弱点 (jakuten; lit. “weak point”), it fulfills much the same linguistic function.

On the other foot, 足場 (ashiba; foot + specific place) is used for foothold, often in the specific sense of scaffolding (i.e. something you place your feet on to reach high places without falling). It could also be used in a slightly more abstract way, such as a beachhead gained by landing forces during the invasion of Normandy in WWII.

Similarly, an 売り場 (uriba; sell + specific place) is the specific place where you sell something, like a store counter.

場所 (basho; specific place + general place) describes a location.

So, let us not consider famous places to be a matter of standing on top of a particular stone; they are areas, and famous, well known areas at that; places of wide renown.

It’s not about having a name. It’s about why a place has a name to begin with.

This is “Nova Scotia” in katakana. This is the province of Canada (カナダ) in which I live. While largely the same latitude as Japan, it is a world away, with a 13 hour difference between Atlantic Standard Time and Japan Standard Time. This difference becomes an even 12 hours during daylight savings time.

Incidentally, I live (住む、sumu) on the coast at a point between Digby and Yarmouth in the South-West part of Nova Scotia.

Like Japan (日本、nihon/ “nippon”), Nova Scotia has four seasons (四季、shiki). Winters are mild due to the action of the Gulf Stream ocean current; summers are also milder in temperature. Nova Scotia experiences a high amount of wind (風、kaze) and has frequent shifts in weather (天気、tenki). The humidity is also usually quite high, which is a major downside to living here.

Nova Scotia is often hit only partially by major storms and hurricanes. My area, the District of Clare (unofficially known as the French Coast), while economically poor, has the distinction of having an uncanny ability to miss the worst of storms, mainly due to the effects of the Bay of Fundy on local weather and an accident of location. Perhaps this is our reward for living in such a depressed area.

経済が悪いながら天気があまり悪くない。

(The economy sucks but the weather isn’t all that bad.)

湿度除く。

(Humidity excepted.)

Nova Scotia’s beaches are rocky; there is a minimum of sand (砂が少ない). There is an abundance of forests, but they look very similar and getting lost is very easy without trails. So stick to the roads and trails.  森が迷子安い。そのため、道を外すしないで下さい。

Population density is not high. 人口密度が低い。

The main “city,” Halifax, is like a very big town. マインな「都市 」Halifaxは大きい町みたい。

It doesn’t feel like Tokyo at all. 東京と全然違う雰囲気。

Unlike most areas, my district contains a high percentage of French speaking Canadians. French speaking communities are scattered across Nova Scotia. Overall, it’s really not a big deal.

I speak French too, but not everyone does. 私も仏語を話すだけど、それが全般的じゃない。

One thing to mention: Peggy’s Cove is a pretty place, but don’t be an idiot. The signs are there for a reason. Don’t get swept away by the waves by getting too close.

Peggy’s Coveは奇麗な場所だけど、馬鹿しないで。危ないから、海に近づけないで。

Last year another idiot got swept away because he ignored the warnings. Every few years another person or two gets the same treatment because people don’t want to pay attention…

旧年はもう一度の馬鹿が海に命を落とした。警告を無視しただから。無視はだめです。

But it really is a pretty place. With a little caution, it’s a great place for memorable pictures.

本当に奇麗な場所だけど。注意しながら、いい写真を撮るスポットだ。

OK, that’s all for now. I gave my Japanese a shot. – J

You may have noticed from the last couple of posts, but I am not feeling well so I am not doing intensive writing. Rather, I’m trying to point people to other good content on the Web.

Why is this, you might ask? Well, let me give you one little piece of Japanese culture: cluttered web design. Kanji encourage Japanese people to use every millimeter of visual space. It doesn’t work as well as it ought to when translated into English. So, pointing to something specific can perform something of a public service.

In this case, try this specific link to Traditional Dishes of Japan, hosted by the English language version Japan National Tourism Organization web page. It’s a public resource, so why be shy?

Pressed By The Chef’s Loving Hand

So, to “nigiru” is indeed to grasp. Nigirizushi (sushi > zushi, at the end of a compound word; this makes it easier to say) is grasped by the chef and pressed together. It is formed of some sort of meat pressed on top of sushi. The above picture shows ebi, or lobster, in this case. The meat is pressed on top of the sushi while the sushi is in an oblong rectangular box (which simply means that fish/ lobster face forward when being pressed). The sushi (vinegared rice) thus packed provides a stable foundation, and the nigirizushi can then be served as-is.

A variant is known as the gunkan maki (“battleship roll”), using nori seaweed to form a perimeter around the sushi rice that constitutes a “vessel” that can be filled with soft toppings. This invention, pioneered by the Ginza Kyubey restaurant in 1931, greatly expanded the variety of toppings that could be used with nigirizushi.

Now, for pretty much all of the history of sushi, the idea of this being done by a machine was ludicrous, but you may want to take a peek at the video below. Behold – a robot with a silicon hand that can pick up squishy meat correctly, and put it on top of sushi! The idea was to have something that could save time. I doubt it’s economical, but it sure is nifty.

Incidentally, the meat that is put over sushi rice like this is cut in two and served in pairs, allowing the eater to appreciate the taste more (by being, well, less of a chore to handle). This is sensible. I just wanted to mention this to put the above video in context.

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.