Episode 4 – Living abroad and discovery of the Japanese culture
日本語– Japanese: writing system and pronunciation
The Japanese language is written using characters, “kanji” (漢字) which require patience and tenacity to learn. These are complemented by “kana”, characters which, to keep it simple, form a phonetic alphabet. These kana can be of two kinds: “katakana” (カタカナ), which are mostly used for writing words of foreign origin, and “hiragana” (ひらがな) , which are frequently used to spell out certain words, as grammatical particles or simply to communicate with people (foreigners or nationals) who for any number of reasons cannot read the kanji (for example in the public transports). Finally, a fourth writing system is also used, the “rōmaji”, which is simply the Roman alphabet.
Let’s use this one for a few quick tips on how to correctly pronounce words and impress your Japanese partners:
“SHI” in Mitsubishi is pronounced just like “shi” in “ship”, but “CHI” in Hitachi is pronounced just like “chi” in “chicken”.
“JI” in Fuji-san (Mount Fuji) is pronounced just like “ge” in “genie” while “GI” in Nigiri is pronounced like “gui” in “guitar”.
When two identical consonants are written one after the other, like the “KK” in Hokkaidō, both should be pronounced, with a slight pause between the two: “K…K”. Vowels are also pronounced separately from each other, no “ea” pronounced like “ee” in Japan! The former would be “E-A” and the latter “E-E”.
The sound of some vowels can also be extended. For example, when saying thanks, a Japanese person would say “arigato gozaimasu”, with the final “o” in arigato being a long “o”. But how to write this: “arigato”, “arigatou”, “arigatō”?
Here, adding a “u” after “o” means that the sound “o” is extended. For various reasons, the long “o” isn’t always written in rōmaji, especially in the international press. But when the writer wants to convey this nuance, he or she should either write “ou” instead of simply “o”, or place a straight bar above the “o”, like so: “ō” (this bar, interestingly enough, is called a “macron”…). For example, while most people actually write “Tokyo”, both “o” sounds are long, meaning that it is equally correct to spell it “Toukyou” or “Tōkyō”.
It should also be noted that the final “u” in words is silent – even though it can often be heard in Tokyo in various settings. For example, “arigatou gozaimasu” instead ends with a longer “s” sound.
For the most part, the Japanese language alternates between consonants and vowels. This means that many sounds commonly found in European languages do not really exist in Japanese. It is not always easy to immediately understand when your name is being called if it contains an “r” (pronounced closer to “l”), a “v” (more like “b”), two consonants back-to-back (a “u” is usually added between the two) or even a “eu” or an “in” (anything goes…).
Also note that the “h” is always aspirated (something that French people really struggle with). This way, you’ll properly say “Hello Kitty” and not “Ero Kitty”, meaning “erotic/kinky kitty”.
With all this in mind, you can now properly pronounce “Kokkai-gijidōmae”, the name of the metro station Julien gets off at in order to go to the JETRO (Japan external Trade Organization) office.
Working in Japan
You left the office but realized you forgot to send a report? No worries. Just sit down at the first CocoDesk you can find in the metro. It has air-conditioning, an Internet connection, a desk and a screen. 15 minutes of use cost only 250 yen (about $2).
In Japan, work is paramount, but even then, there are limits…
For the release on the Nintendo Switch of the eagerly-awaited video game Monter Hunter: Rise on Friday, March 26th, the CEO of the company Mark-On granted a day off to his employees. A lot of them had in fact asked for a leave and he probably rightfully concluded that people would not be able to focus properly.
Food
It is quite difficult to talk about Japanese culture without mentioning food. Some estimate the number of restaurants in Tokyo to a staggering 160,000 and it is quite daunting to pick what to eat first, but here’s an absolutely delicious suggestion: the okonomiyaki.
In the West, we’d call it an omelette or a pancake (it’s a bit of both). The recipe differs from region to region and the Hiroshima take on it is quite famous. Pour some pancake dough on a teppan (a hot plate) mixed with a lot of cabbage (a lot!), some extras (veggies, minced meat, shrimps…), some noodles and flip the whole “pancake” for even cooking. The result is usually drowned under a special sauce bearing the same name, “okonomiyaki”.
The extras can be almost anything. In this restaurant in Shibuya (see photo), the chief’s special is covered in raclette cheese melted with a blowtorch once served.
If you find yourself visiting Onet Technologies’s headquarters in Marseilles, we can only strongly recommend the restaurant KO-ISHI, 25 rue Sainte. Book in advance: it is absolutely delicious and the restaurant is, as is often the case in Japan, quite small.
Remote-controlled
In Japan, arcades are packed with “UFO catchers” or their equivalent. With these machines, the player has to coordinate eyes and hands to accurately control and grasp an object, figurine or stuffed toy placed behind a glass with a small crane. There are an incredible number of variations on that simple principle, including one where the player tries to catch onions. Fruits and vegetables being really expensive in Japan, a skilled player might even make a profit.
Can I come to Japan?
Sadly, it isn’t possible yet and the reopening of the Japanese borders for business or tourism is still quite uncertain.
The cherry blossoms (sakura) will have to wait until spring 2022. This year, it started in Kyoto on March 26th, the earliest date since the year 812! If you find yourself in Marseilles, the 2021 Japan Expo Sud (Marseille Chanot) has been postponed to February 18-20, 2022. So why not go there as an appetizer?
And by the way, do Japanese people know Marseilles? The answer is yes, thanks to Yūto Nagatomo and Hiroki Sakai.