Letter #2: Deal with it

I’m wearing a hoodie, it’s like late autumn today. I’ve just come back from quick grocery shopping, and I noticed limited-edition lemon-flavored snacks are replaced with limited-edition sweet potato or chestnut-flavored snacks. That’s one of the signs to know that autumn is here in Japan. (The first sign is seeing the Tsukimi Burger ad.) There are Halloween decorations everywhere.

I also noticed the small grocery store I’ve just visited had an unknown singer’s poster on the wall. I didn’t ask, but I’m pretty sure he was the owner of the store. I heard his demo tape (or more like recorded voice) playing in the store several years ago and it left me a big impression. Not because it was impressive (I can’t lie, sorry) but because of the idea of playing his own music in his own store.

Do you sing? In the shower? In the car? I’ve been listening and trying to sing “I Can Speak Spanish” by Jimothy Lacoste.

The other day I was explaining the Japanese structure to Japanese learners. I haven’t really paid attention to Japanese grammar (because it’s my mother tongue), but I thought what I wrote on the paper may be the biggest reason I find English straightforward.

English is direct. They want to know if I “want” or “don’t want” AND “what” I want or don’t want immediately. An explanation for this “what” comes later. But in Japanese, you have to listen till the end to know “what” AND what they do or don’t with it. Explanation comes first, and the point comes at the end. And I think this also applies to how we talk.

I’ve been told “What’s the point? Why do you talk like that?” more than countless times when I speak English. Maybe “because I’m Japanese” might have been the correct answer. Sounds like an excuse? 🙂 But it was interesting to look at my first language from a learner’s perspective. Do you know how to say “See ya” in Japanese? 

Have a lovely week.

Matané,
Setsuko