Edojin is the journal of Rémi's stay in Japan. He obtained a working holiday visa with a plan to stay in the country for up to a year, moving in October 2009. Everyday, he will explore the culture, meet the people, and learn the language while sharing his experience with the world in writing, photos, and videos. This site is presented by Rémi's personal site, Rémino.

Remember, Girls, Farting Is Okay!

Tue, 2009-12-15 23:00
53 days

Onara Team

オナラは本当にはずしくないよ！ねぇ、私は男の人だから、そう言うね。かわいい日本人の女の人もオナラを出来るかな。

Girls, have you ever been in a situation when your stomach was growling or your intestines were working, but just weren’t comfortable farting?  End these embarrassing situations just by listening to “Onara hazukashikunai yo!” (Farting isn’t embarrassing!), as previously featured on Twitter.  In the music video, three girls forming the group Onara Lovely dance and release pink hearts sliding down between their butt cheeks while Satopuu, the lead dancer, sings the lyrics guaranteed to convince you that ripping a good one isn’t just acceptable for guys, but for girls too!

Would the effectiveness of this little gig be lowered if I reveal that the singer is a cross-dresser?  The young man is Satoshi Kanada, an actor and comedian who was born in the prefecture of Aichi, not far from my girlfriend’s hometown.  Him and his partner Akiyoshi Kawashima form the Tokyo comedian duo, Hannya.  I suppose he spends his spare time dressing up in the way typical young city girls do in Shibuya.

The video is made to defend the righteousness of farts to children as it is included in the kids show “Pirameki” on TV Tokyo.  Not only they talk about cutting the cheese, but they also have a tough-looking mascot resembling Mr. T in a 3D style from the 80’s.  (Remember “Money For Nothing” or the first “Virtua Fighter?”)

If you like the video above, here’s another one.  It’s the same dance, but the introduction scene is with a different reluctant girl.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, “onara” is the Japanese word for “fart.”  Consider this your bonus Japanese vocabulary word for today.  Please use it wisely.

Will you start dancing or singing this song after every fart from now on?  If you’re interested, and you can read Japanese, learn the lyrics!  Also, be warned, farts from women can smell just as bad as men’s.

"Your Japanese Is So Good!"

Mon, 2009-12-14 15:29
51 days

日本語は上手ですね！

日本語でちょっと話したら、日本人はいつも「日本語は上手ですね！」と言ってくれます。違うと思います。

Please forgive my lack of artistic talent filled with a blend imitating XKCD and LOL-Comics.  The strip above was drawn with my index on an iPhone simply to illustrate a recurring dialogue usually happening when I meet a Japanese person.

I exaggerated, but it’s to show that I only need to say little in Japanese to get a surprised face from my interlocutor with the exclamation of how fluent my Japanese is.  If my girlfriend is around me, she will gladly note how people who speak French as their first language has a splendid Japanese pronunciation.

This may be true.  What I know is the Japanese like to compliment over the top.  I can converse in Japanese, yes, but it’s certainly not fluent.  I’ve met other foreigners who have a great ability to speak the language.  At least, this is better than being teased about my French accent when speaking English.  It’s weak, but noticeable.

Oh yeah, and the Japanese do not get sarcasm really well.

Ever got complimented by a Japanese for something mundane?

Home Sweet Saitama

Thu, 2009-12-10 13:09
47 days

London Pub in Ikebukuro Station

やっと彼女と一緒にさいたま市に引越しました。このへんは静かで便利です。私たちは新しくて広いアパートでの生活を毎日楽しんでいます。

Six weeks after my arrival in Japan, my girlfriend and I moved in our new apartment in the city of Saitama last Monday.  It took a while, but it was worth it, and we’re both glad we finally made it.

Finding an apartment was relatively easy.  Sure, it was harder than doing such in Canada or for a JET programme participant, but with the help of my girlfriend and our agent, it was quicker than any other foreigner here without a stable job can hope.  After visiting other apartments, we knew this spacious one at an affordable price was a sure bet.  Once we made our decision, it took around a week to finalize the paperwork.  The gas was promptly turned on the day we moved in, while our furniture arrived.  We chose to rent most of our furniture from a partner of our rental agency, costing less than buying everything if rented only for a year.  With my uncertainty to stay in Japan for more than 12 months, we believed this was best.

Our snappy fiber-optic Internet connection was hooked up the day after.  The amazing speed makes DSL and cable feel like dial-up.  With the lack of a solid Internet connection for the past weeks, we were jumping with joy when we were able to get on with our online lives.  I’m finally able to upload photos and videos again, and I can’t wait to share them.

Talking of stability, I think what we find is best at the moment is having a sense to be settled at last.  There are still many unknowns ahead, and one is how to get a consistent income.  Nevertheless, after having traveling and moving here and there for weeks, we’re glad to have a steadier place to stay, from where we won’t have to move out again for the months to come.  Besides, our recent instability was setting me aback in many of my projects and work.  While I’m working at oiling my rusty gears of daily routine to get back into a usual 9 to 5 work schedule, my girlfriend has been exploring the area and buying things for the apartment.  Since now, everyday I’m putting more trust into our new life in Saitama.

The city of Saitama is the capital of the same-name prefecture, neighbouring north to Tokyo.  Our new place is in a residential area only a five-minute walk away from the local JR train station, from where we can get in Ikebukuro in half an hour.  A bit expensive to get there, but convenient when needed.  The area here is peaceful, quiet, and not too crowded and is near a few accommodating commercial zones where we get our shopping and groceries done.  It’s really easy to feel at home here.

We also enjoy the space this apartment has to offer, including a bathroom, washroom (the one with the toilet), dining room, kitchen, bedroom, washitsu (a Japanese-style room with tatami mat flooring), and another empty room which I’m using as my office.  This is the first time I have a separate room I can work into, without disturbing anyone else.  In fact, this is the largest apartment I ever had, larger than the two-bedroom apartment I had in Moncton, New Brunswick, at a monthly price approximating what I used to pay in Ottawa.  (Although, it can also be considered to be a bit more expensive over the course of a year, if we factor in the first month, which include our payment for the services of the rental agency and a non-refundable “maintenance fee” to the landlord.)  An apartment in the middle of the urban area of Tokyo half the size of our new home can cost triple or four times the rent here.

All things considered, I’m happy to be here, and so is my girlfriend.  Home sweet Saitama!

Photo: The small London Pub in Ikebukuro Station, Tokyo.  They fit about anything in train stations here.  Souvenir shops, bakeries, restaurants, bars, clothing stores… Wait until you see the shopping mall behind the gate of Omiya station!

Japanese Learners to Test Their Knowledge Tomorrow

Sat, 2009-12-05 23:29
43 days

AKB48

明日、２回目の日本語能力試験の２級を受けに行きます。頑張りたいけれど、勉強しませんでした。私は悪い生徒でしょう。

Like every year, starting in the morning of the first Sunday of December, learners of the Japanese language will write the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), or Nihongo Nouryoku Shiken (日本語能力試験) to test their knowledge of the language tomorrow.

Why?  I’ve been asking myself the same question recently, after taking the test three times since 2006 — the first time was only a few months following my first trip to Japan.  I’m scheduled to go write level 2 tomorrow, the second highest, but since I’m not feeling up for it, I’m wondering right now if it’s worth my time, despite having paid a total of 6,000¥ (around $65 or $70 CAD) to register.  A JLPT certificate is required for many jobs in Japan when you’re a foreigner, but most employers will ask for a level 1 certificate, or maybe 2.  In my case, I carry a level 3 certificate, which means nothing to people here, and I’m certain my Japanese is merely at a conversational level, not suitable for a work environment.  The exam offers four levels, or five starting next year to bridge a steep difference between the second and third levels which people have been complaining about.  Five levels, yet only the two highest count.  Aren’t the lower levels just a waste of time and money?  Looking back on the past few exams, I agree.  My advice for people at the lower levels is to write practice exams at home and wait until they’re ready for level 2 or 1.

Another point about the exam I find strange here in Japan is how inconvenient it is to register.  All my past exams were taken in Toronto, the closest JLPT location from Ottawa.  Getting to the exam in Toronto was a pain: the subway only starts at around 9:15 on Sunday morning while registration starts at 9:30 and the exam is given at York University, located at the outskirts of the city.  I made it at the last minute last year, right when everyone else was done with orientation.  Thankfully, registering was done and paid for online a few months in advance and only took a few minutes.  Only the receipt printed from my confirmation e-mail and a picture identification were needed in the morning of the exam.  In Japan, on the other hand, registration cannot be done online.  It had to be done with the help of my girlfriend while I was in Japan.  She bought a registration form at a book store for 500¥ and asked me to send her a picture of myself.  Thereafter, she sent by mail the form filled with my information, along with my picture and a payment of 5,500¥ for the exam.  Then, while I was visiting her parents a few months later, we received the confirmation receipt by mail, telling us the location of the exam.  Fortunately, I believe this is a trade-off to how easy it is to get to the test location, thanks to the great transportation system in Tokyo.

I’m still not decided on whether or not to honour my 6,000¥ and show up for the test tomorrow morning.  After all, I’m certain not to pass, and my money will be wasted whether I’m there or not.  Besides, can a multiple choice exam, without testing your verbal abilities or kanji (Chinese character) writing, really prove your Japanese language skill?  For me, school is rarely a good option, as I’m usually not a good student.  Maybe I should stick with day-to-day practice to improve my Japanese rather than “forcing” myself to prove in writing to them that my language is not bad.

Photo: The Japanese pop group “AKB48,” composed of three teams of young female singers, totalling 48 “talents,” as people here call them.  The photo was found on the site “AKB48 Paradise.”  If you’re wondering what’s the relation with this article, there is none.  I just happened to watch a documentary on the NHK about the interest in exporting the business model of the group internationally.  Wherever you are in the world, expect some AKB48 copycats soon near you!

Tokyoite Poutine

Fri, 2009-12-04 16:26
41 days

Poutine in Tokyo

久しぶりにカナダ料理のプーティーンを食べられました。懐かしかった！

Lorsqu’on est ailleurs, il est toujours bien de pouvoir manger un repas de la saveur de chez-nous.  Je vous présente la poutine… selon les japonais.

When travelling abroad, I feel it’s the job of any Canadian to seek out for his or her peers where to find poutine, a preparation of french fries covered with brown gravy and cheese which originated from Quebec.

The only well-known place where someone could find poutine was at the Maple Leaf in Shibuya, Tokyo, but sadly the bar closed years ago.  I was told the poutine was merely edible and the imported Labatt Blue was expensive, but being able to eat and drink something familiar was enough to forgive these inconveniences.

Luckily, I’ve heard of a restaurant chain serving poutine named Becker’s, which also serves other North American-style fast food.  One of the available side orders listed on their Web site is poutine, with the choice of gravy, meat sauce, bacon, teriyaki mayonnaise, or tuna and corn.  (The two lasts are new, and I’m certain it could also come topped with shrimp and seaweed before.)

My girlfriend and I tried the Becker’s at the eastern entrance of the Ikebukuro station yesterday, which is the nearest to our temporary apartment.  To my disappointment, there was no poutine, but I could enjoy nice chicken, with salad, spaghetti, wedges, and a croissant.  Yet, I was still hoping to try the Japanese take on the Canadian meal.

With some research on Japanese forums, my girlfriend not only found some Japanese people who like eating poutine, but also one location where poutine was sold.  Despite the complete menu displayed on their Web site, Becker’s apparently doesn’t carry their entire menu everywhere.  The smaller franchise a few minutes from Ikebukuro, between the southern exits in the JR Saikyo line’s Akabane station makes poutine.

I tried it with a chicken teriyaki burger, and to my surprise, the taste and the looks was comparable to poutine in Canada.  My girlfriend helped me film my careful degustation, described in French for my fellow Acadian poutine lovers back home.  Once in a while, eating fatty Canadian foods can’t hurt, but I’ll probably have to stick with miso soup for a few days…

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