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In Seibu’s second game last season, pictured above, they lost to the Rakuten Golden Eagles. They ended up losing more than they won in 2007. This year their fortunes took a dramatic turn for the better as they won the Pacific Coast League. Let’s see if the Seibu Lions can go all the way in 2008. All will be decided in a little over two weeks.
Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata (川端康成) is considered a classic of Japanese literature. I became interested in reading it after reading Donald Keene’s memoir which mentioned Kawabata’s suicide and Nobel Prize.
I was a bit surprised Snow Country wasn’t required reading in BYU’s Japanese program I went through. However, given that the book deals with Onsen Geisha and the consuming of adult beverages and BYU censors what their students read, it isn’t too surprising that we were left reading Christian Japanese authors like Shusaku Endo instead.
As I started reading this book I read about 10 pages in English and then the same 10 pages in Japanese. This proved very interesting. Eventually I read it all in English and only certain passages that seemed strange in English in Japanese as well. Not that the translator, Edward G. Seidensticker, did a poor job, but some things just don’t come across as well in English. For instance, in Japanese you can clearly tell who is speaking in the male-female dialogues as females speak differently than males in Japanese (ending sentences with wa, kashira, etc.) In English, Seidensticker doesn’t add “he said” or “she said” at the end of the quotes since that isn’t what it says in Japanese; nor is it necessary in Japanese to figure out who is saying what. However, it can be tricky, or at least unclear, to figure out just who is saying what at times in the English translation.
Also, with respect to the translated version, the writing doesn’t seem very smooth. The Japanese has a better flow. Again, this isn’t really Seidensticker’s fault. I’m not saying I could do a better translation. Rather, some things really need to be read in their original tongue to be fully appreciated.
I don’t imagine the English version of this book is for everyone. In fact, most people who read the English translation will probably say, “He won the Nobel Prize for Literature for that??” But if you enjoy highly symbolic writings, have had experiences with a Japanese girlfriend who left you puzzled, or wish to reflect on experiences you may have had in Japan then Snow Country is certainly worth a quick read (and quick it is at well under 200 pages).
Assuming you are reading the English translation by Edward G. Seidensticker be sure to read the Introduction after you read the book as he packs his Introduction with spoilers for some unknown reason.
Continuing on the subject begun a week ago about Japanese toilets, today’s entry changes the theme from the Japanese squatter to the modern, high-tech Japanese toilet.
The photo above is of the toilet in our hotel in Hakone. In the U.S., on rare occasions, you may run into a very fancy toilet that includes a seat warmer. That is nothing compared to what you will find in Japan.
On the above toilet, not only can you warm the seat, you can wash your butt (おしり) or use a bidet (ビデ). I’m not sure why the bidet doesn’t wash your butt, but they have a different button for each. You can adjust the temperature of the seat and the temperature of the water hitting your backside as well. In addition you can adjust the angle and pressure of the water.
That may sound like a crazy number of features on a toilet, but there are others in Japan with many other capabilities as well. You can have your blood sugar tested as you pee, get a full blown enema, have a talking toilet, or get one that makes fake flushing noises with the push of a button so that those nearby can’t hear your bodily noises.
The Japanese take clean to a whole other level. More on that in a future blog entry…
One other nice thing about many toilets in Japan is the wash basin built into the back of the toilet (a feature we also experienced in Scandinavia this past summer). This allows you to wash your hands when you flush with the water that is going in to fill the tank. Not only does this design save on space but it also saves water (compared to how people wash their hands in the states by going to a separate wash basin/sink).
While in the middle of nowhere we spotted the above two walking ahead of us on the Hakone Loop. I have no idea where they did their shopping as it was before 10 in the morning and there were no stores that we saw within miles. I took the picture to document the thigh-high tights that we observed everywhere on the girls in Japan last year. I’ve yet to see them elsewhere.
The hill was steep at times, and I can’t imagine it was very comfortable in those heels. We were in Togendai.
After several months of off and on reading (I didn’t bring the book with me to Europe during the summer when I was away for more than six weeks) I have finished ハリー・ポッターと秘密の部屋. This was the first book I have read in Japanese in almost twenty years. Clocking in at almost 500 pages, I feel like I’ve accomplished something.
Although daunting at the outset, the reading was actually not that difficult and quite enjoyable. In addition, I picked up some new vocabulary/kanji and had a great review of other vocabulary, grammar, and kanji. Not all of the things learned will come in handy. After all, how often will I need to use words like 屋敷しもべ妖精 (house elf), 杖 (wand), or ほとんど首無しニック (Nearly Headless Nick) in real life? But overall this was a very enjoyable studying routine. I plan to continue it by reading a Japanese book on a daily basis from here on out (in addition to Mangajin, Nihongo Journal, and other things).
The Harry Potter book had furigana next to all of the kanji. For my next read I plan to read something without the furigana crutches. It will probably be slower going, but that is the norm while in Japan which is what I’m preparing for.
I also finished Mangajin #23 as well. If you are interested in purchasing either of these items from me (or the other things previously mentioned) make me an offer.
