Most Useless Japanese in a Minute

New video coming soon

Dr. Zwayb — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 15:52:08 +0000

Octopus Dumpling Soda Creates Confusions outside Japan

Dr. Zwayb — Tue, 08 May 2007 13:20:50 +0000

I came across the picture of this shocking soft drink: A soda that has a flavor of tako-yaki, or octopus dumplings (tako means octopus, yaki means to gril.). The label of the soda can boasts typical Osaka look, and the cartoon of a red octopus saying it’s tasty while drinking the octopus soda. The can also says it’s filled with red ginger (flavor). OK…we have Ginger Ale here in US (and the rest of the world). That may taste OK, but what about the flavors of octopus, flour based dough, green laver, mayonnaise, and Japanese vegetable sauce that tastes like very thick Wooster sauce?

So, I googled for a blog post from brave people who dared to buy and drink this scary drink. Result: none.

The truth is that the Japanese people did not go crazy as to create such a drink in real world; it was a fake drink appeared in a drama called H2 Kimi to Itahibi. The source of this realistic picture seems to be originated from the blog of the actress Nana Yanagisawa, who appeared in H2.

If you are a curious person and looking for an American version of odd sodas like this, check out the Turkey & Gravy Jones Soda. This one is real.

(via <3 yen)

blog: Is she over 25 years old?

Dr. Zwayb — Sun, 06 May 2007 13:31:16 +0000

Ranting of Lesson 2

Yeh, it’s really useless. I even did not tell you the meaning of “Hah chee gee dah yo. Zen in shoo go!” in the video.

“Hah chee” means eight.
“gee” means time, or o’clock.
“dah yo” is like “it is…”
“Zen in” is everybody
“shoo go” means to get together

So as a whole, it means “It’s 8 o’clock. Everybody gets together!”
Note that I am spelling out these words so English speaker can easily guess the pronunciation closer to the natural Japanese.

Actually this is from a Japanese show in 80’s:

The guy screams this phrase is Chosuke Ikariya, the leader of the comedian group called the Drifters. The show went really long from 1969 to 1985, and it was quite popular til the end.

So, I guessed Japanese people who have natural responses to this phrase are most likely over 25 years old

Lesson 2: Is she over 25 years old?

Dr. Zwayb — Sat, 05 May 2007 17:50:28 +0000

Otaku in the Height of Art

Dr. Zwayb — Fri, 04 May 2007 21:16:31 +0000

I came across with the picture above from Moeyo Akiba-jin blog (written in Japanese). OK…I may not succeed, but I need to convince you that I am not one of those people who are turned on by these female dolls. I just thought it is worth showing you these pictures here because they are astonishingly detailed works.

See more possibly work-unsafe pictures: 1, 2, and 3. I actually started to think the curvatures and expressions of these dolls are already in the height of art although they are not my kind of art…

As far as my experience goes, most of Americans who speak Japanese are guys interested in Japanese cartoon, or “anime”. I never saw an American cartoon which is targeted only for adults. In Japan, there are tons of those kinds, and some guys are going too far as to produce these detailed doll works, and some keep them as their imaginary girl friends…yuck.

As you may have already known by now, they are often called “otaku” in Japan. Otaku is a new word. In traditional Japanese, otaku simply means “you” or “your home.” Some say otaku which refers to those fanboys is originated by the fact that those fanboys called each other “otaku.” They are often looked as oddness for they often lack a real people skill.

And yeah, now otakus are spreading out in USA.

P.S. Oh my god…look at these body pillow cases!

blog: Iowa deh saafin wo shee yo!

Dr. Zwayb — Fri, 04 May 2007 13:05:09 +0000

Ranting of Lesson 1

I bought this T-shirt at Hollister Co. few years ago. I just picked that T-shirt simply because I liked the color and fabric. But to confess, I did not have very much knowledge of the geography of states, and I was not 100% sure whether you can surf in Iowa or not…I noticed the guy on the T-shirt was surfing in front of the barn and silo (?) only after I brought the T-shirt back home and took a close look at it…but I love this T-shirt!

1st Lesson: Iowa deh saafin wo shee yo!

Dr. Zwayb — Thu, 03 May 2007 18:30:37 +0000

Now check all the lessons