What does Daita mean?
One of the official place names near Shimo-Kitazawa is Daita. It seems to have a mythological origin and a possible tie in to the original creation myths of Japan. Continue reading What does Daita mean?
Tag: japanese
The Difference Between Donkeys and Oxen
In yesterday’s blog, Why is Hanzomon called Hanzomon?, I posted this picture: In the picture comments, I said something about “donkey people” as a joke. Someone pointed out that these are actually oxen. I know. It actually cracked me up that I got e-mails about this. Not so much that I wanted people to think I didn’t know the difference between a donkey and an ox as much as I was happy that people ere actually reading Japan This! Rest assured, it was just a joke. I know the difference between donkeys and oxen. lol Oh, and thanks for reading! Continue reading The Difference Between Donkeys and Oxen
What does Hanzomon mean?
半蔵門Hanzōmon (Hanzō Gate) It’s Hanzō Time! Today’s place name is from a request from a reader who’s working near Hanzōmon Station. Thanks for your request, Nate! Anyone else who interested in making a request about Tokyo place names, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll be sure to get to it! This one is pretty much straight forward. It’s named after a famous samurai named 服部半蔵 (Hattori Hanzō). The dude is semi-mythical and even in the Edo Period he was a bit of a legend. He was portrayed as a crucial figure in the seemingly destined rise to power … Continue reading What does Hanzomon mean?
KAOMOJI – Japanese Smileys
Today I’m showing a list of my favorite 顔文字 (kaomoji) – or japanese smileys. In America we use really boring ones like : ) ; ) but the Japanese have really elaborate ones. And when you enter certain words, certain smileys will come up. Most Japanese cellphones have user customizable dictionaries, so if you want certain words to convert to certain smileys, you can program it that way. As an iPhone user, I don’t have a customizable dictionary. So the best I’ve been able to do is make lists in the Notes section and copy and paste them when I … Continue reading KAOMOJI – Japanese Smileys
