Eight Million Gods-eARC (46 page)

Fukuro Shinai
—
Shinai
is the name of the bamboo sword used in

kendo.
Fukuro
means bag, but when combined with
shinai,
it

means a bamboo sword wrapped with leather or “in a bag.”

No, I don’t understand it.

Gaijin
—Anyone not Japanese. The term means “outsider” and

reflects a core philosophy of Japanese thinking. In almost every

part of the Japanese life, a person is part of a group and anyone

not in their group is an outsider. The “group” might be their class,

or the people they work with, or their neighborhood.

Whenever a group of Japanese takes a picture, they always take

it twice, once with everyone but the initial photographer, and

then the initial photographer and someone else taking the photo,

because it would imply that the initial photographer wasn’t

“part of the group” if he didn’t appear in the picture. This is also

reflected in the language—how you address someone is

completely dependent on if they’re in your group or outside of

your group. Americans living in Japan—if they’re not working

for a company—discover quickly that it’s very difficult to

socialize with Japanese because they’re not part of a group.

One reason Miriam attends the office drinking parties is

that it’s one of the ways that company employees display that

they’re part of the same group.

Gacha
—Gacha is a company whose product is vending machines

that dispense random toys inside of hollow balls. One ball is a

variable price per machine, some as cheap as 100 yen ($1),

others more expensive. (Since the 100-yen coin is as common as

quarters, it’s simple to have the change to do this.) The toy is

usually a figurine from anime. Each machine will have a

common toy and a mix of more rare and sought-after toys, to

encourage people to buy many in an attempt to get the one they

want. It’s common to find an entire wall of these machines

where manga, anime, and related products are sold. The toys are

usually surprisingly well made for being only $1.00 US. I have

one sitting on my desk, Akira-sama from
Lucky Star
. Do a

YouTube search on “Lucky Channel Akira.” Be sure to watch it

in original Japanese with subtitles—the voice actress is brilliant!

Gion
—At one point the Buddhist priests tried to replace the native

Shinto religion. They took over Shinto shrines and claimed that

the gods enshrined were actually Buddhist gods of different

names but similar aspects. Gion is the name of the Buddhist god

that they chose to represent Susanoo. The Yasaka Shrine for a

time was known as Gion Temple. In the 1800s, however, the

Emperor allowed the Shinto temples to return to their names

and original god’s name. By this time, however, the area where

the Yasaka Shrine stood had become known as Gion. This section

of Kyoto is world famous for its geisha. (Inari is actually the

Buddhist god of rice that could be male, female or both. He was

chosen to represent Susanoo’s daughter Uga-no-Mitama and

son Uka-no-Mitama, who were gods of agriculture. Since Inari

was more popular than the Shinto gods, he remains Inari.)

Geisha
—counter to what Westerns believe, Geisha are not

prostitutes but very skilled trained entertainers. From a very

early age, they’re taught everything from the proper way to open

a door elegantly to elaborate traditional dances. They take music

lessons and dance lessons. Corporations consider it a status

symbol to provide geisha to serve drinks and dance and play

music at business meetings. However, it should be noted that

when you bring a rich and powerful man together with

beautiful women, affairs do happen.

Hai
—Yes.

Haiden
—Hall of worship.

Happi
—Lightweight jacket worn during festivals that usually was

a unifying symbol on it. At one time the symbol was the mon of

the samurai family that the person worked for. Over time it’s

been replaced by other
kanji
. Sometimes it simply says “
Matsuri
,”

which means festival. Sometimes it has a sponsor name in
kanji.

Since this is very traditional, it’s almost never anything as crass

as a “corporate logo,” but the idea is the same.

Honden
—
A small upraised building with a steep gabled roof where

the actual god is housed. This area is off-limits to all but the

priests of the temple, and the doors are generally kept closed

except during special festivals.

Inari
—Inari is the god of good luck in business. Inari uses
kitsune
,

or fox spirits, as his messengers and thus most of Inari’s shrines

are littered with statues of foxes. The statues are usually in pairs,

representing male and female. They often hold an old-fashioned

key to a granary in their mouth. It is believed that a third of the

Shinto shrines in Japan are dedicated to Inari and total thirty-two

thousand plus countless little roadside and field shrines.

Irashaimase
—Welcome. All employees of any business shout

this out as soon as they see anyone enter the store. It can be

amazingly annoying if there are several employees and a large

number of people entering the store.

Jogan
—the Japanese only recently started to use the European

method of telling time. Prior to that, the date was based on the

year of the reign of the Emperor in power. 18th year of

Jogan, thus, means that it was the eighteenth year of the reign

of Emperor Jogan.

Kaguraden
—
Kagura
is the sacred dance of the shrine maiden, thus

the
kaguraden
is the stage on which the shrine maiden dances.

Kami
—A powerful spirit which is often worshipped as a god.

Reflecting the structure of the Japanese society, there are greater

and lesser
kami.

Kamishimo
—This is a two-piece outfit. The top piece is a vest with

wide stiff shoulders. The bottom piece is a
hakama
(pleated

pants that look like skirts) of the same material. The two pieces

are worn over a kimono, usually of a contrasting color.

Kanji
—Japanese writing

Katana
—A samurai sword

Katajikenai
—Thank you, but its origin is from the days of samurai

 
and isn’t used now. It means more like “I’m grateful and indebted.”

Keitai haizara
—Portable ashtray. Because the Japanese wouldn’t

think of throwing their cigarette butts on the ground.

Kendo
—The martial art that uses wooden practice swords

in lieu of
katana.

Kirin
—Asian flying horse with a horn. Like a unicorn

but way more cooler.

Kudasai
—please.

Kunitsu-kami
—A god of the Earthly realm.

Kusanagi
—Grass Cutter—One of the three imperial regalia. A

sword passed from the Sun Goddess to her grandson, the first

emperor of Japan. Last used in 1989.

Maneki Neko
—Literally “beckoning cat”—A statue of a cat,

normally calico bobtail, with one paw upraised.

It’s believed to attract and house a lucky spirit that will bring

you good fortune and money. There are several legends that

explain how this belief came into existence. The earliest known

statues were given out at a temple in Osaka. One of the most

common legends is that a wealthy man was standing under

a tree during a rainstorm when he saw a temple cat seemingly

beckoning to him. He dashed into the rain to investigate,

and a moment later, lightning hit the tree he been standing

under. The wealthy man then heaped riches upon the temple

in repayment for his good fortune. There is an elaborate

iconology attached to the statue, including which paw is

upraised, the color of the cat, and anything it’s wearing,

such as a belled collar. I frequented one Japanese restaurant

in Massachusetts, and one year they gifted me with my

favorite
Maneki Neko
, a ceramic Weebles Wobble statue

with both paws upraised. It has a little bell that

rings if the cat wobbles.

Mansion
—A no-deposit apartment building. Normally a Japanese

landlord requires a large non-refundable deposit called

Key Money. There are no housing laws so landlords can and will

refuse to rent to gaijin. Mansion are more expensive because

they don’t require Key Money and will take gaijin renters.

Matsuri
—Festival.

Mazu
—Almost (I think).

Mizu
—Water.

Mikoshi
—Small buildings and boxes that can house the gods so

they can be carried about. Many festivals feature parades of the

gods through town so the gods can “visit” the area.

Mon
—This can be considered the family crest of a clan. They are

circular with a stylized symbol in the middle, most often flowers,

leaves, and insects. It was used often in warfare on flags so you

could see in a glance who was where on the battlefield. They are

quite beautiful in a simple, elegant fashion.

Moshi moshi
—Standard Japanese way to answer a phone.

Basically it’s “hello” but best if you kind of think of it as

radio-speak for “over” because it’s not something you say to

someone face-to-face.

Nani
—What.

Nani o osagashi desu ka?
—A phrase used by salesclerks to ask

if you need help, basically “What is it you need?”

Noh
—Noh is a traditional type of Japanese theater.

Nomikai
—This is a social event requiring all employees

to go out and drink with each other. Everyone is

seated at one table at a restaurant which is often dedicated to

this kind of gathering. There is bar food available, and the beer

is often low alcohol content because it’s expected that everyone

will drink at the same rate regardless of age, sex, or weight.

Noren
—A curtain that usually hangs from the top of a door frame

to part way down. Sometimes they only hang low enough that

the customer needs to duck to enter the shop. Sometimes they

will hang down to almost waist level. Usually found only at

businesses. They often will have lettering in kanji, either being

the name of the shop or a greeting. Other times they will

feature art. Traditionally they are meant to keep out dust and

wind, but in modern times they’re often used to create the

illusion of privacy. They are hung up at the start of the day

and taken down when the shop closes.

Obakemono
—A word used to group all shape-shifting
yokai

together. These include
bakeneko
,
kitsune,
and
tanuki.
All three

can be benevolent as well as dangerous.

Obi
—Wide belt used in wearing kimono and
yukata.

Ohayou gozaimasu
—Good morning. Very formal version of it.

Ojamashimasu
—I intrude on you! It’s the ritual greeting

that one calls as they enter the house of someone. It stems

upon the fact that traditionally houses had a small “foyer” area

that wasn’t really considered “the house” that guests would

enter without knocking. In this sheltered area, guests could be

out of the rain, take off their shoes, etc., all the while shouting

that they’ve come for a visit. It’s because of this custom

that apparently staff at
onsen
will pop in and out of guests’

rooms with very little warning.

Okonomiyaki
—A fried cabbage pancake topped with BBQ sauce,

mayonnaise, and any number of possibilities. The name literally

means “what you want” to indicate the freedom to chose what

you like to top the pancake. It’s usually considered Japanese

“pizza” in that regard, and can be found at restaurants where

it’s cooked on a barlike counter, or on grill-topped tables,

or on portable grills at festivals.

Onsen
—A hotel that features hot-spring baths. These are very

popular with the Japanese. The “baths” are fed by water heated

via the volcanic nature of the Japanese islands. The hotel

provides bathrobelike
yukata,
all meals and access to baths that

are a mix of single gender, mixed gender, indoor, outdoor,

private, and public. I’m told that the staff often follow

the Japanese habit of entering a room and then announcing

that they’re there.

Otaku
—“Fan,” with the implication of extreme.

What the person is a fan of can vary even though in USA,

otaku
is used as a fan of anime/manga.

Oyakodon
—A rice bowl with sautéed onions, chicken and egg.

Sometimes given nicknames like “mother and child,” generation

bowl, etc., to indicate that both the chicken and the egg are the

same creature, just different stages of its life. (And yes,