Owaraigeinin お笑い芸人 (Japanese Comedian)

Laughing is essential in our life. When I am depressed or can't keep energy, I can relax after laughing.

Rakugo is traditional comedy. It is performance of story telling by one person (rakugoka) who is sitting on the cushion (Zabuton). Manzai (Stand up comedy) or comic skit is popular. A lot of comedians who called "Owarai geinin" appear every day in TV show now. "Owarai" means generic name of performance for comedy like Rakugo or Manzai and "geinin" means comedian in Japanese. A unit of a trio has a name. Geinin originally plays comic skit or manzai, however, appear in various situations. For example, Downtown is well-known unit. Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masatoshi Hamada is duo. They have a lot of own TV programs as hosts and these programs are very popular. Off coarse one comedian exists and they who are called "pin geinin" have a special own gag. These gags or phrases in there performance get vogue-word "ryukougo" 流行語 every year.

Japanese comedians belong to agencies. There are a lot of agencies. The biggest agency "Yoshimoto Kougyo" employs a lot of popular comedians. Popular geinin are genius for the art of storytelling. They are used in all of genres, TV, TV commercial, drama, quiz show, radio personality, movies or theater. Yoshimoto is an agency in Osaka, west area in Japan . So these comedians are almost from Osaka and they speak a special dialect "Osaka ben". Yoshimoto has some schools for people want to "owaraigeinin" in each area in Japan. Geinin of Yoshimoto play in theater in Osaka and Shinjuku (in Tokyo).

I like to see "Owarai" in TV. When I want to forget sad or bad news and feel negative, I can relax after having a lot of laugh. Laughing is an important prescription in my life.

Kokurikozaka kara コクリコ坂から From Up On Poppy Hill

I saw new Studio Ghibli film "Kokurikozaka kara"  It is beautiful and I felt nostalgic. The period in this film is early '60 . I wasn't born, however, the background and people's life style remind me of nostalgia. 
I have seem Ghibli film on big screen first time. Also pictures and color is so exquisite on the screen. The details of person, light and shadow, nature... all of them are fantastic. The story has no adventure or spectacle. The film describes normal life in early '60, calm and peaceful. Life is not convenient and there is no exciting materials. However, everyone is peaceful. I was touched. I love ending theme, "Sayonara no natsu" さよならの夏.

Today is memorial day of Hiroshima. We live in invisible fear, it is radioactivity. We can't feel and see radioactivity. Materials are abundant in our life, however, are we happy ?  We have to change our future.  

コクリコ坂から 

Hiyashi Chuka 冷やし中華

What do you want to eat in summer ? There is a dish that I want to eat in summer. It is Hiyashi Chuka. It is cold noodle and so popular dish in summer for Japanese. I ate first Hiyashi Chuka this summer. It was so delicious!

Normal toppings are ham or boiled chicken, cucumber, kinshitamago (sliced tamagoyaki) and tomato and so on. I think Hiyashi Chuka is probably original Japanese dish. Sauce is especially tasty. There are two types of sauce, one is sesame taste and another is soy sauce and vinegar taste. I like both taste.  

I like other Japanese cold noodle, Somen or soba, however, Hiyashi Chuka is my favorite menu in summer.             

Good News - Nadeshiko Japan

Rainy season was over earlier than usual year in Tokyo. Hot summer begun. Since Tohoku big earthquake occurred, we have to save electricity. There is difference this summer. We can know forecast for electric consumption in town or on TV news. And we can predict everyday when a lot of electricity is used and we have to save. But it is too hot to use air conditioner. It must be so hard to spend summer for us. I realize again that electricity is necessary for us to live.
Although we have had a lot of problems since big earthquake on 3.11, we can hear good sports news.
Now women’s soccer world cup is held in Germany. Contract with men’s national team, Japanese women national team is not well-known among ordinary people. The games weren’t on air by public broadcasts. However, according to FIFA world ranking, Japanese national team is fourth. It is so strong. We call it “Nadeshiko Japan”. “Samurai Blue” is the nickname of men’s national team. Nadeshiko なでしこ means a name of flower, Dianthus.


"Nadeshiko Japan" defeated German team at quarterfinal last week. We were so grad to hear about news. Next game is semifinal and opponent is Sweden team. If Nadeshiko Japan becomes No1, we will be happy and encouraged.

Onomatopoeia

How do we explain slight difference or situation to other people in our conversation ?  I think Japanese often use onomatopoeia and it is easy for us to explain things, feeling, atmosphere or situation concretely.  Especially there are a lot of onomatopoeias of repeating one word twice. We can understand several shades of meaning more clearly. 

We can express actual sound by onomatopoeia.
 Pan Pan , Pata Pata : a pat or hitting something
 Don Don : beat a drum 
 Bun Bun : the sound that bees are humming 
 Gishi Gishi,  Mishi Mishi : the sound that something ginds   

For example, When we want to say softness of feather or cushions, we say  "it is so Fuwa Fuwa. ふわふわ. Or when we have dizziness, we say " my head gets Kura Kura くらくら, Gura Gura ぐらぐら, Fura Fura ふらふら." Impression of the situation changes by differences of initial letter. We imagine  "Kura Kura" and "Fura Fura" is slight dizziness but Gura Gura is heavy dizziness. We can express slight differences of dizziness

These words are a few of abundant onomatopoeia. Expression is different by each people, however, it is convenient to give many information and express various situations. 

Makoto 誠 - Sincerity

There is a or some meaning for Chinese Character. 誠 (Makoto) means sincerity, honesty or seriousness. I like this character. I think shape is good. 

Now a book is sold well and reputable in Japan. Author is a football player, Makoto Hasebe  長谷部　誠 and he is a captain of national football team. Now he plays in VfL Wolfsburg of Germany. Football is more popular in Japan after 2010 FIFA World Cup and most of Japanese know about him. his sincere comment after national team was beaten by PK was impressive for me. 

I bought and read his book. He wrote about his philosophy, habit or private life. His personality is sincere and earnest like his name. "Seijitu" 誠実 means sincerity and I like this word. There is a Japanese proverb "Na wa Tai wo Arawasu" 名は体をあらわす. The name expresses the character or substance. He is just like this proverb. 

Sincerity is virtue for human being. "Seijitsu" is important for especially our society and sincere person is confided in our life. Sometimes it is unfavorable to be too earnest, however, I want to be sincere. 
  
The royalty on this book is used as donation for victims of this earthquake.

The Danger Past, and The Japanese Nation Forgotten ?

I don't like to criticize someone or something. Because I feel negative mind. However, I was disappointed about Japanese politicians. 

Japanese PM survives a no-confidence vote in parliament

They think about only protecting their party or own interests. Perhaps most of Japanese were disappointed and disgusted their attitude. Why are they committed to victims of this earthquake?

Opponents don't have effective solutions for correspondence of nuclear power plant problems or recovery of disaster area. They waste our money and precious time.

There is a phrase, Nodomoto sugireba atsusa wasureru 喉元過ぎれば熱さ忘れる.  When hot foods or water pass through our gullet, we feel hot. However, we forget the feeling after the foods have passed. This means 'The danger past, and God forgotten". All of politicians might do their best for victims' life. However, as if the danger past, and the Japanese nation forgotten ? Politicians don't understand how victims are sufferring and the danger don't past now. Don't they think present situation in Japan is crisis? 

It is so shameful things.