AKJ_More Random Bits!

I wish I could come up with a better post title, but these really are just random things that I hope you might find interesting.



First, a photo of the now gone Sakuras, for all those nostalgic people...

Another photo courtesy of Okubo san. The University really did look amazing when the Chery Blossoms were all out.

Next, something that has no photos :(

This is just a segment on some language things that I've noticed here in Nagoya. In all likelihood, I could be wrong...but here goes anyway.


The first thing I've noticed is that the word 小さい (chiisai - small) is not used very much. Instead, the word ちっちゃい meaning tiny is used. I find the nuance interesting - having studied Japanese for several years, I had not come across the latter, which from my recent experience seems more used...


The other thing that I wanted to comment on is a word that is in popular usage amongst female Japanese University students. The word that I've interpreted as めちゃ (mecha) is apparently slang for すごい (sugoi), which basically means amazing or amazingly.

I find it very interesting that I haven't heard the word before, as it probably isn't specific to Nagoya, and the people I've been around in past visits to Japan have been young females too...maybe the usage of the term has grown in the past few years (it's been a few since I was last in Japan), or maybe I didn't listen very well then...either way, it's definitely a very popular word now!



And finally...I've been indoctrinated into the league of Karaoke-goers...

I know that if any of the guys from the I.G.K Tas read this, they'll probably be shocked, and think that if I can sing Karaoke without being embarrassed, well I can do a better Ki-ai* without being embarrassed.

You are probably right...but I can tell you now, I was shocked too. I might never know how one day I woke up and thought, Karaoke, I can do that...(just for context, I have actually been forced to go to a Karaoke session on a previous visit to Japan, and at that time, I utterly refused to sing - my lips were sealed the whole time.)

Anyway, enough philosophising...here are some photos (of everyone else - it's a bit much to ask that I let them take photos of me singing):

* Translates as something like 'spirit shout,' and is the sound made when training with intensity, at certain places in Kata's (patterns of movement), etc.