Summer song “Boyhood”(Shounenjidai/少年時代) by Yousui Inoue

Every summer I always remember this song, especially at the end of summer.
This song is the biggest hit of Yousui Inoue‘s career.
He had a boy who is somewhat imperfect but can still grow up in future in mind as he wrote the words for this.

Now I’ll introduce my English translation below.

The summer is over and a thistle sways in the wind.
Who do you long for?
In the blue sky my heart is colored by the summer.

Awake at night, A long winter closes the window.
I feel like someone is calling me.
In other words, dreams are following memories.

At a summer festival, in darkness.
As my heart beats.
August is a firework I dreamed of. My heart is colored by the summer.

Awake after a dream,
A long shadow reaches the night, the starry sky.
In other words, dreams are following memories.

The summer is over and a thistle sways in the wind.
Who do you long for?
In the blue sky my heart is colored by the summer.

***

What do you remember at the end of summer?

Japanese emoticon

In Japan there are many different emoticons (or smilies).

There are so many, it may be difficult for you to remember them all.

So I’ll show some examples and explain their meaning. You can find a lot more on wikipedia
here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emoticons#Eastern_emoticons

First you to know the Japanese emoticons stands straightly. You don’t need
to turn your neck to read them. :D

[smile]
(^^) (o^^o) （^人^）(*^_^*)（＾∇＾）（＾∇＾）(=´▽`=)

[Angry]
(♯｀∧´)( *｀ω´)(”_”＃)(｀Д´) (#｀-_ゝ-) (｀ε´メ) (＃｀皿´) (▼へ▼メ) (▼皿▼#)

[Sad]
(;;) (T ^ T) （；＿；）(/ _ ; )( TωT) 。・゜・(ノД`)・゜・。

[Embarassed]
(//∇//) (●´ェ｀●)(*^^*)(/ω＼) (*μ_μ)

[Bitter smile] I think I have to explain this. The Japanese usually try not to show anger.
Why not? We don’t like to conflict with others. But we still want to explain you are trouble with usssssss!
So our face may become strange like this.
^^; (^_^;) ;f^_^;)(~_~;) (⌒-⌒; )

[Depressed]
orz originated in Japan. This guy kneels down in despair.
orz ＿|￣|○
http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=948&bih=463&q=orz&gbv=2&oq=orz&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=463l463l0l1235l1l1l0l0l0l0l70l70l1l1l0
[apology]
These emoticons express Dogeza which was a Japanese traditional manner of apology in the past.
It means you are lower than the other person. But it’s very rare these days.
Sometimes, we do Dogeza to show how badly we feel. It’s quite rare.
Though these emoticons were created from such a serious thing, we use it
casually.
m(_ _)m
m and <> are arms. (_ _) is a head. The guy is bowing.

Since I think Dogeza is interesting for you, I’ll write about it more.
Here’s a funny video about Dogeza. You may not be able to believe it but some people
do it just like this actor!

To tell the truth, I’ve only done it once in my life.
Because of me one guy was criticized by his boss, though it was by accident.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu “PONPONPON” English translation of lyrics.

きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ – PONPONPON

If everyone skips at the intersection,
If you join hands with others and look up at the sky in the middle of a town,
If you want to grab a chance somewhere in that town,
It’s too early for you to cry. All you need do is step forward, Yeah Yeah Yeah!

PONPON! You have only to show courage.
It’s boring to do nothing, don’t you think so?
Put on a headphone and ride on the rhythm.
WAYWAY Make way, that’s my way.

PONPON! Many things are to come.
Are your feeling yourself rapidly getting higher?
POIPOI! Trash it! Who is bad?
Oh yes, Good boy, Ah,
You make me happy.

Every day PON,
Every time is PON.
I want to ride on a merry-go-round.
Every day PON,
Every time is PON.
Maybe That won’t do at all.

PONPON! You have only to show courage.
It’s boring to do nothing, don’t you think so?
Put on a headphone and ride on the rhythm.
WAYWAY Make way, that’s my way.

PONPON! WayWayWay,
PONPON! WayPonWayPONPON!
WayWay! PONPONPON!
WayWayPONWayPONWayWay!

If everyone skips at the intersection,
If you join hands with others and look up at the sky in the middle of a town,
If you want to grab a chance somewhere in that town,
It’s too early for you to cry. All you need do is step forward, Yeah Yeah
Yeah!

PONPON! Many things progress ahead.
Are your feeling yourself rapidly getting higher?
POIPOI! Trash it! Who is bad?
Oh yes, Good boy.
Ah, You make me happy.

Every day PON,
Every time is PON.
I want to ride on a merry-go-round.
Every day PON,
Every time is PON.
Maybe That won’t do at all.

PONPON! WayWayWay,
PONPON! WayPonWayPONPON!
WayWay! PONPONPON!
WayWayPONWayPONWayWay!

How to watch Japanese TV shows abroad

You may be familiar with services like Hulu or the BBC iPlayer which let you watch TV shows on the Internet.

Japan has a similar service which is provided by Yahoo, it’s called “Gyao”. Gyao’s address is http://gyao.yahoo.jp/ . Unfortunately Gyao only works in Japan! If you try to access Gyao outside of Japan you’ll see an error that looks like this:
http://deeptokyo.jp/wp-content/uploads/gyao1.png

The Japanese means: “This service is only available inside Japan”. That’s a shame because, although the TV programs here don’t have any subtitles, they can still be a useful resource of Japanese language learners. Fortunately, there’s a way round that! However you need to pay a little money.
You need to use a VPN service, such as Astrill VPN (https://www.astrill.com/a768e2c91). Which is 25 dollars for 3 months.

Once you’ve signed up with Astrill, you need to connect to one of their Japanese VPN servers. They give you instructions for doing this. Astrill will even work on your iPhone or iPad which both have Gyao apps you can use.

Once you’ve setup and connected your VPN go to http://gyao.yahoo.co.jp .
You should be able to find shows to watch by clicks on the pictures. Gyao also has many Korean and American shows which are subtitled.
Some shows also require a fee to watch, or for you to sign in with a Yahoo Japan account.

In the future I may write an article showing you how to navigate around Gyao.

If you think Astrill might be useful for you,
please sign up using this link https://www.astrill.com/a768e2c91 which gives you a 30% discount and gives me some affiliate points. ^^

Do you know Yoeko Kurahashi?

Yoeko Kurahashi is a Japanese female singer/songwriter with a beautiful, quirky, style.
She creates a musical landscape that is unique to her.
Unfortunately she retired from the musical scene in 2008, however she’s still very popular in Japan.
Today, I’ll introduce you to the song “Doll”. A translation of the songs lyrics is below.

I have no heart to open.
I’m a poor doll.
Even if I’m pinched, I don’t feel pain.
Feel free to do anything you like.

Now I’m leaving, it’s my last chance to be selfish,
Write down three good things about me.
I’ll leave here now, thank you.
Ah, such high clouds.

I don’t know even who you are.
But I still want you to put lipstick on my lip.
Let’s release hands now, good bye.
Ah, I’ll pick gentian.

I have no heart to move.
I’m a helpless doll.
I have no blood, no ear to hear anything.
I’m a helpless doll.

I have no heart to open.
I’m a poor doll.
Even if I’m pinched, I don’t feel pain.
Feel free to do anything you like.

–

What do you think?
If  you like, please tell me your impression.

* This song is contained in the album below. (Amazon.co.uk)

how to brew matcha

Matcha (抹茶/まっちゃ) is a kind of strong green tea. It’s often used in Japanese tea ceremonies.
Have you ever tried to brew matcha by yourself?
If not, it’s a pity. It’s so easy, please try! I’ll tell you how to do it below.

1. Put the tea whisk in the tea bowl. Then pour a little host water in the bowl.

Note: This is to warm the whisk. The whisk is made from bamboo, and it becomes soft as it warms.
This makes the bamboo more supple, and less likely to break while whisking.

2.Remove the hot water from the tea bowl. Add two spoons (2g) of Matcha.

* The spoon traditionally used for Matcha is very small and Matcha is very strong, so be careful.
* Experiment with the amount of Matcha until you are comfortable with the strength.

3. Add a little cold water and mix the water and Matcha very well.

Note: Try and whisk the Matcha until all the lumps have disappeared. This is very important.
If you get this step right, even a beginner can brew delicious Matcha!

4. Pour hot water with a temperature of 80 to 90 degrees in to the bowl. You should use able 60cc -> 70cc of water.
The beat the tea with the tea whisk again, until it froths.

When whisking the tea, hold the tea bowl in one hand while whisking with the other. Hold the whist with forefinger, middle finger and thumb.

~Finish!~

I hope your Matcha is delicious! :)

First post

Hi and welcome to my blog. I’m from Japan and studying English.
Through studying English I found Japanese culture was cool thanks to my language exchange friend. So I got to like introducing Japanese culture to foreign guys.
If you have question about Japan, ask me without hesitation! :)