You are listening to this week in Japan, the show that brings you the most trending news stories and cultural insights from Japan. Today is September 11. And we're coming to you live from Roppongi Tokyo. I'm your host, Julian Domanski. And joining me as always, is my co host and founder of Ryu Tokyo. Yasuharu Matsuno.
Hey guys, welcome back. So the air con my bedroom just broke down last night.
Really?
Yeah, I had a difficult time for you. It's probably because I've been using it all the time this summer.
Yeah, mine's been on non stop for like, four weeks. Maybe. It's just It's ridiculous.
Anyway, don't worry, I'm ready to get into this week's news. So let's get started.
Good to hear it. So in this episode, we're going to be discussing the following big news stories. Tokyo's curfew is lifted for bars, actor Yusuke Iseya is arrested for possession of marijuana. A plane is forced to land when a passenger refuses to wear a mask. Japan's biggest New Year celebration prepares for no audience for the first time ever, and the proper way to onigiri sparks up a heated debate online. Next week. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is expected to lift the curfew, which previously asked establishments that serve alcohol to close by 10pm. This will include karaoke bars and snack clubs. Recently, Tokyo has seen a downward trend in the number of new coronavirus cases, and the virus alert was even lower to level three out of four this Thursday. level four meant that the infections are spreading. This Monday the number of cases dropped down to 77, the lowest number seen since July and the first time to break under 100 in two weeks. Nevertheless, Tokyo remains the area with the highest concentration of cases by far in Japan, with 22,400 cases reported as of this Thursday. Governor Kobe has reminded citizens to remain vigilant of a possible resurgence of cases That being said the central government is looking to include the Tokyo area into its domestic travel subsidy. The capital city was originally not included in order to prevent a rapid spread of infections, but residents in the area may soon be able to enjoy discounted domestic travel rates from as early as October 1. Yeah, so this curfew was imposed around May time. which point it was like its highest level.
Yeah, originally.
Yeah. And then it went down and then went back up again. Now it's back. I'm kind of wondering what what's the point of putting a time limit on going out in the evening? If you can still go out in the evening? It seems a bit stupid.
Yeah, I initially thought so. You know, I had the exact same thought. But when I went out for drinking with my friends, recently, I noticed that if a restaurant is closing by like 10pm, your last order is like 930, or even like 9pm right. So fully enjoy the like eating out like drinking experience. like such a limitation that tells you to go out and drink in the first place. Because let's say if you start drinking from like seven or 8pm, then you can only enjoy the time for a couple of hours. So maybe you just, you know, decide to stay at home or invite your friend to your apartment.
Oh, yeah. Okay. I mean, that's kind of the thought that I had anyway, but I guess they never really mentioned that or I don't know, really, no one ever really said it. Right.
Yeah,
that was that was the only logical explanation I could think for doing such a thing. So before, I think when it was more severe, right. There was a limit. There was 8pm.
Yeah.
And that basically made the bars just pointless, right? Because most people finish it like six or seven o'clock from work. They're thinking Well, what's the point maybe get a one, one beer and like a quick snack or something and then go home, right? Which I'm sure You know, there's a lot of guys who like probably want to, even if it's one beer, they'll go for the beer.
Yeah.
But on top of like having to wear that masks and all the extra precautions and distancing and stuff. It just makes it seem very unappealing. It doesn't make me wonder, though, because I was actually out with some friends the other day. And the friend that I was with, we went to this bar, and he knew he was like school friends with the guy who owned the bar. And he got to 10pm. And my friend said to the barkeeper, like, oh, are you going to be closing there. And he was on and that's fine. You know. So like, I think there wasn't, there wasn't many people in the bar that weren't in our group, but because like, my friend knew the bar owner, he just stayed open. Anyway, I'm past 10pm. I guess it's not like a government enforceable rule is it? These kind of curfews
right But in principle, if you operate after 10pm, then you won't be able to apply for the subsidy. whichever Believe is about like nijuman or 200,000 yen per month. Which is not like that significant. If you own a, you know, successful like restaurant business, then you probably earn a lot more by not following the rule. But at the same time, you know, you don't want to make a bad impression towards your customers. So yeah, like, yeah, I think it's a very difficult like balance. So about this, go to travel campaign. I'm sure many of you may know what this is. But it's basically a program where the government subsidizes your expenses for travels within Japan, I believe up to 35%. But Tokyo was excluded from the campaign because we had high number for the last couple of months. and Koike-san the governor of Tokyo demanded the Minister of Economy Nishimura-san that I mean, he Nishimura-san is the guy Who's in charge of the go to travel campaign. And she demanded that when the government includes Tokyo as part of the campaign from October, make sure that the percentage for the subsidization be higher than 35%. And, you know, the logic?
I guess, because we missed out on some of that.
Yeah. Right. And citizens of Tokyo are paying the equal taxes, basically.
Oh okay. Yeah. Makes sense, I guess,
logically, but at the same time, like,
I think like you just, I don't know. I don't care. Like, you know
Yeah me neither.
But the reason that we all pay equal taxes, is that like, it's fair, right? Because like, bad things don't always happen to everybody. So like, you could say, like, Oh, yeah, Tokyo pays the same amount of tax. But we just had a typhoon right down in like Kyushu. And you know, it wasn't the worst we've seen in recent history, but like four people died and many poor homes were destroyed. You know, but Tokyo doesn't have to deal with it. That kind of stuff, right? But you don't see people doing Kyushu be like, Oh, you know, we will more we want to pay less tax whatever. That seems a bit stupid.
Yeah. So I also find this demand from Koike-san a bit irrational because as you're saying, it's also has a lot to do with like psychology, you know, right. People in the in the countryside, you know non Tokyo residents, like residents of Tokyo are kind of like spreading the virus, right. Yeah. And even though the numbers are much lower now, they still have that like strong impression, you know. So even if Tokyo will be included in the go to travel campaign, I'm not sure residents of Tokyo will be welcomed by people from other areas.
Yeah, I think so. So let's move on to our second story of the week. Japanese actor Yusuke Iseya was arrested this Thursday September the eighth for the possession of cannabis at his home in Tokyo. He is well known for Numerous acting roles including that of popular manga swordsman, Ruroni kenshin and Jotaro Cujo from the jojos Bizarre Adventure live action movie. The 44 year old actor has admitted to the charges, saying that the marijuana in his home was for personal use. Iseya was suspected of having around eight grams of weed in his home. But after police conducted a search, they found four bags of cannabis that totaled over 20 grams. The estimated street value in Japan is around 120,000 yen, or $1,100. Iseya admitted to being a frequent user despite clearly understanding the Japanese law. He is expected to face full charges and could be facing a potential fine of over 500 million yen. It would be the highest fee ever paid by an entertainer. So I guess this is his career is just finished now.
Um, yeah, I mean, it should be over, you know, influenced by I've seen some people on Twitter and like other places online Saying that Oh, now, you know, Marijuana should be like really legalized in Japan or something.
Oh, really?
Yeah. But it was kind of like unexpected, you know, he did commit a crime, right? But Like I've seen, like such comments more than usual. And it's probably because he's been a very popular actor.
Sure. Yeah.
So he's got many supporters too.
Yeah, I think that's always the case when like, there's a particular crime whether you agree with it or not. And so let's say in this, you know, in this example, it's smoking weed. Like, it's the personality of the perpetrator usually reflects in like, people's outrage, like for him or against him, because he was a bad person who smokes weed. They're like, Oh, yeah, just send him to jail forever. But you know, it's a favorable actor, and he's got like a lot of fans and he's got successful career, then it seems to like diminish his behavior like In the eyes of his fans, you know, but I always feel like the punishment really outweighs the crime in these kind of cases.
Yeah, I see what you mean. But I just don't trust someone who intentionally breaks a law in Japan. I mean, I think smoking weed in the US where it's legalized and smoking weed in Japan, where it's illegal, is a totally different story. You know, and it's for him like, allegedly, he's been smoking for many years, like 20 years. And so to break the law, like, you know, for such a long term continuosly kind of shows his true personality, I think,
I guess so. Yeah. So for you, it's not so much about the act of smoking weed, or like the consumption of drugs, but it's more of like just breaking the law.
Yeah, I see that aspect of the problem more Seriously.
I could understand that yea.
If it's just about like drugs, it's like his or her like personal like problem right. It's still illegal and drugs in Japan are not as common as in like some other countries and to have connections with those people, most likely anti social people probably have some connections with the yakuzas and stuff um, yeah, it's quite, you know, a slippery road.
I guess. So yeah. When you when you put it like that, and yeah, that kind of brings me on to an interesting point. As we mentioned the story right there. The street value of 20 grams of weed, which is like nothing 20 grams. So yeah, the street value in Japan was 120,000 yen for the same amount in America, England had to Google this last night because obviously it's I guess, it fluctuates.
That's interesting,
depending on what the flavor that you buy, it's around. Two to three hundred dollars. And in the in the UK it's 200 pounds, but that's about $300 for the same amount. So in Japan, the drug is four times as valuable. Which would also imply like you say, only kind of the worst kind of people will be doing it and growing it and distributing it.
Yeah, that's what I thought. What's funny is that he just played a role as an instructor of the police academy a few days before he got arrested. And as he also mentioned in the news section, right, he also played the the main capture of Joseph's Bizarre Adventure. You know, Jotaro as well.
yeah, I didn't know I didn't know him. But then I when I saw his face, I recognized him because I've seen that movie.
Oh, you did?
the live action? Yeah.
Oh, nice
I saw it in the cinema. I didn't understand the word of it. But like, I know the story already. So yeah, we'll see with my wife But because I knew I knew the story I could follow along pretty well, that when I saw his face then I could, like, envisage him without the white cap. Because he's like season four Jojo Jotaro
Oh, I see. Oh, I didn't know
he's got the white suit.
Okay, it wasn't season three.
Yeah. So basically this movie follows the story from season four, which is sitting Morio-cho town with the Josuke as the main character but Jotaro turns up kind of midway through, and yeah, he's got he's kind of classic white suit on compared to the black suit that he wears in Stardust Crusaders with the same kind of the gap, right?
Yeah, yeah, Jotaro was the main character of the season three.
Yeah. But yeah, I thought kind of the guy suited the look. You know, kind of you know, even though he's not like ripped the Jojo characters are all just tanks. They're all massive, But like when I saw him in the cosplay and stuff, I thought the whole cast of that movie Actually, there they were kind of they fit the part I thought it was pretty cool. so yeah, like with all these celebrity drug scandals, too. Isn't it like it's a good ending unfortunately for Iseya-san
right, it's a shame and just don't do Weed in Japan.
Okay, so let's move on to our third story of the week. A peach aviation flight out of Hokkaido bound for Kansai was forced to land in Niigata. This Monday, when a man refused to wear a mask. All airlines have requested that passengers wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. And as reported by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, transport and tourism, this is the first time that the request to wear a mask has become an issue on a domestic flight in Japan. According to the airline and other passengers on board because the man refused to wear a mask. passengers will move to other seats and the flight departed as normal. After this, however, the man started to become more aggressive and began shouting things like it's unscientific and write it down if you're going to demand it, in reference to wearing a mask on the plane. When he's shouting continues, the captain decided to make a temporary landing in Niigata. The captain asked the crew to request the man to get off the plane to which he cooperated as a result of the unscheduled stop the plane which held around 220 passengers was delayed by over two hours. unscientific. What is this guy on about? Like? What a nutjob.
Yeah, allegedly, this guy demanded scientific proof. But what's ironic is that this type of guy usually is the most unscientific person. You know, refuses to accept any logic. And you know, who just believes what he wants to believe
This is the kind of man that probably believes the earth is flat or like, you know, the moon's not real those kind of crazy conspiracy.
Yeah I mean, science or logic is nothing to them
just of the window. Yeah. I mean, it's not the first case we've seen in Japan of you know, people refusing to wear masks, but um, I think it's probably a first for like a flight being redirected.
Yeah. Well, Pretty much not redirected because it was on the almost halfway between like Hokkaido and Osaka.
Oh okay, so it's kind of already at Niigata, right. It's just a slight diversion.
Yeah, it's a slight diversion. But I think the captain has made the very right decision. Yeah. I admire his courage and leadership to to make the emergency landing. Because if he doesn't, then it kind of sets the bad standard or, you know, bad example. You know, if you keep like shouting and complaining, then you don't need to wear the mask in the workplace. And especially on the flight, you know, where like, people are packed and enclosed, right.
I totally agree. It's kind of how it is not the UK in the US. You know, people just complain until they get their own way. So yeah, I really admire this guy just been like, no, this is ridiculous. I don't need to give you evidence because it's already been proven by like millions of scientists. You know, and especially in Japan as a country, you guys have been wearing surgical masks in flu season to prevent the spread of flu, right. For how many years? Like, that's because it works. so ridiculous.
Yeah. I mean, that's why it's a shame that this happened in Japan. And it's also kind of like, unbelievable. Yeah, that this man is still not arrested. Did you know that?
No, no. I mean, is there a charge Can Can he technically be charged for this?
I think, if the airline sues him, then he could be arrested for the forcible obstruction of business. But I think the airline is also thinking about their their branding as well. And most of the Japanese corporations that you know, offer these kind of like services are quite like soft on their customers. So it's, it's really up to the company, I guess.
Yeah. He's the okyakusama wa kamisama desune.
Yeah, that's, you know, as we kind of discussed, like, it's been changing these days, you know, yeah, it's no longer that customers are gods, and people are starting to notice it. But as a matter of fact, like 120 people were affected by a nice emergency landing and they've more or less incurred some some losses, you know, either like, either or time or money wise.
Yeah. Yeah. You know, you know, actually Yasu, I was on that flight. And I was going to Osaka to sign a big deal with an oil Baron for trillions of yen,
trillions?
trillions. Yeah. 10s of trillions. So I think I should be reimbursed. At least, I'll only answer 10% of the deal. That's fair.
Yeah. Maybe a couple of trillion.
Yeah just a couple. Yeah, I'm not greedy. Oh, yeah. But you know, Don't ask for tickets. I lost them. Don't ask for anything. any proof because I lost it all. But that would be that would be too scientific.
Weren't we having a phone call during that time.
No no, that was my twin you were talking to, Jolyon
Jolyon. Okay, yeah. Good luck with the lawsuit. I hope you win
I could do with a few trillion. So obviously this story is kind of ridiculous right now, but I thought it was, their kind of is a small silver lining. So many people in Japan have been shocked by this man's behavior. Right? But that's because this behavior in Japan is unusual,
of course.
So that's kind of why sees the silver lining. It's like, it's outrageous, but it's rare. Because even like, in the UK, for example, this kind of thing is like almost a daily occurrence.
Really?
Well Yeah, like, maybe not the plane being landed. But just people out in public, with no regard for the people safety. Refusing to wear masks. Just being dicks basically causing a scene and then eventually getting their own way. Because they just refuse to back down. So like, as much as like, maybe Japanese people will want to test this man and think this is outrageous. I think you should all consider yourself lucky to live in a society where most people follow the rules.
Yeah, I agree. Yeah. I mean, I've lived abroad for many years, you know, in several different countries. But yeah, I actually feel lucky that I, I'm based in Japan now during the covid crisis. I feel more safe living in a society where people really care about like others. I mean, sometimes it's a bit too much. You know, people think like too much about, like causing harm to others. that's Yeah, there was a bit of a downside to it. But yeah, for this kind of, during this kind of crisis. It's a good thing for sure.
Yeah, definitely. So on to some entertainment news. Next Kotaku Utagasen or more commonly known simply as Kotaku is an annual New Year's Eve television special that is broadcast by NHK and airs live on national TV, radio, and some international TV programs. simultaneously. The show splits the most popular music artists of the year into two different teams, with the red team consisting of all female artists, and the white team consisting of all male artists. At the end of the program, both the judges and audience vote on which group had the best performance. for artists, an invitation to participate in Kohaku is considered a milestone in their career due to the larger reach of the program, which has been broadcasting annually since 1953. However, this Thursday, NHK announced that this year's Kohaku to gossan will be held without an audience for the first time in history. The television broadcasts will also be shortened by 15 minutes compared to other years. More details about this year's unique Kohaku are expected to be released closer to the date, but for now the station has stated that we will take thorough measures to avoid infection of the performers and staff with coronavirus. So I think this is News that probably doesn't surprise anybody. You know, because of the current situation in the world. But I myself have never actually seen this show. And I've only heard of it
oh really
I've heard of it many times, but I've just never watched it. Maybe I've just seen clips. Could you maybe tell me a little bit more? tell the audience a little bit more?
Yeah. So most people in Japan simply refer to this event as Kohaku. And ko means red and Haku means white. So yeah, as he explained, you know, male artists and female artists explain into two groups, and they kind of like compete, you know, based on the performance. And at the end of the show, the audience gets to vote. Okay, you know, which team performed better
Oh okay, yeah, kohaku That makes sense. So Uta is sing, song right? what's a gasen?
Gasen Or katsen means a battle.
Oh Okay.
Yeah, so like Singing Battle.
Okay Make sense? Red White singing battle?
Yes. Yeah.
It's very logical.
Yeah. But it was almost like a Super Bowl of Japan. You know. It used to be the TV show that's got the highest like ratings throughout the year. And I just found this number on Wikipedia. But in 1960s, the highest ratings it's got was 81.4%.
Oh, wow.
So it means that more than, you know, if they're like hundred televisions, yeah, then more than, you know, 80 of them were like tuned into kohaku, you know, and still today. I think it was last year. The ratings was like, around like 40%. So it's almost that like, one out of two people in Japan Are tuned in on Kotaku on the New Year's eve.
Oh wow, yeah, I mean, I guess like for someone who's like just looking at the numbers that might seem like a big drop off, right. But when you consider, like, how much stuff was on television in the 60s, wasn't a lot of stuff, right?
Yeah. And you know, as you imply, like, now we have like Netflix. you know, All the other kind of entertainment. But still like people watch Kohaku because I think the biggest selling point is that they have the most trendy artists of that year. So
I guess like, in that way, it's like, it's almost built itself into this brand now where like, they don't have to try and get the artists to come on. Right. The artists want to be on that show because they consider it like an honor. Right. So it's almost like like a self, you know, funding self fueling machine. Just keep rolling. Because people want to be part of it. That's kind of interesting.
And I think people still prefer the live performance by the artists than the recorded onces, so for example the one you told me gurenka sang by Lisa, that's got almost like 70 million views.
Yeah, it's just crazy right? Half of those are me. I really like that song. That's a great performance.
Right And what I found interesting is that you don't listen to her song everywhere, you know, on Spotify or you know, and it's perfectly recorded. But I think the reason why many people love this video still is that it's quite real you know, it's first take and there is no post and like edit yeah thing yeah I think people enjoy the the live like real action by the the musicians or artists in general.
Oh certainly I mean, I think like Live albums are still quite popular, right? So a lot of artists. I personally don't listen to them. I prefer it to sound perfect.
Oh, me too actually. But
But I think Yeah, generally they do sell quite a lot from any genre.
So I think this trends of kohaku is there to, you know, they gathered the most like popular artists of today, and they let them perform live. So that's probably why they still boasts the high ratings.
Yeah. Interesting. So yeah, for this time, obviously, there'll be for performing on stage and just there won't be any crowd there. Right. But it's not the end of the world. I can imagine it being kind of disheartening if you are one of the artists but at least they didn't have to cancel the whole event.
Yeah. You know, totally. Yeah.
Yeah. But I think, you know, over the last few months, a lot of performers have kind of been developing ways to do this, you know, kind of thing live, you know, and you know, miyavi kind of big rock guitarist in Japan right?
how do you know him?
I've taught some songs to some students. Yeah. I mean, even if I hadn't I think I would have heard of him by now. But yeah, I actually found his YouTube channel a few weeks ago. It just kind of popped up in my feed actually, but he was doing like a live broadcast. He's got like a little studio in his house. And that was pretty cool. Yeah, he just has like a webcam. And you're just like talking to the audience and stuff and he's like, What song do you want to hear? And then you know, he just like every between every song he was just chatting and then you'd be like, Okay, what you guys want to hear this song whatever. And he you know, he has like tracks and stuff he can play from his computer. And he just did like a custom setlist and just playing through the songs and you know, singing and stuff.
Oh Cool.
That's really cool. Yeah, and it sounded good. But it'll be interesting to see. This might be the first Kohaku Utagasen I actually watch there's like, because I've never checked out before but now that it's kind of piqued my interest. And checking out so It'd be interesting to see.
I mean, they've got many anime song singers these days to attract the young audience as well. Oh, and I bet Lisa will also be on the show.
Yeah, I'd love to see that. Cool. Okay, so let's move on to our random story of the week. You may think that proper chopstick etiquette should be your biggest worry before having a meal in Japan. But did you ever consider your onigiri manners. Michiko Honda, an etiquette coach and vice principal of infinity finishing Academy in Fukuoka city has shared some rules for eating the iconic rice ball snack that has left even Japanese people debating what is right. According to Honda when eating an onigiri the bitten portion must never be shown as it is unsightly. Also, when taking a bite, one should keep their onigiri horizontal to their mouth afterwards, so as not to show the bitten portion. splitting it in half and taking bites is also not an option. If rice manages to get stuck on your hands while eating as it's often does. The natural response may be to lick it off. However, according to Honda, any rice that gets on the hands should be wiped off with a hand towel. Furthermore, any onigiri included in a bento box are assumed to be eaten with chopsticks. But these onigiri etiquette rules are not followed by the majority of people in Japan. onigiri are usually seen as a casual foods that can be eaten on the go if needed. So yeah, certainly an old story. kind of finish up our show here, but just yeah, just odd. I don't think I've ever eaten onigiri with chopsticks. And I've never seen Japanese people do that either.
Um, I don't know where to start. But I've been eating onigiri since a small child. And I've never heard of such rules. That's my short answer. And not just me, but many people on Twitter are saying that there's no such thing as the proper way of eating onigiri. because as you mentioned onigiri is meant to be a fast food, you know? It's something you eat on the go when you don't have like much time Sure, still need to, like get some like carbohydrates and you know get like enough energy for the day.
Definitely.
I just saw the original like blog article written by this person. And it reads quite funny. You know. So she starts by saying, in order to fully enjoy the taste of onigiri you must eat beautifully. You may not want to worry too much about small things and just get a bite of onigiri However, there are a few things you would want to follow. And then like, you know, first make the bite mark on the onigiri like unnoticeable Yeah, and you know, use chopsticks and things like that. But it's, it's ridiculous.
Yeah. So there are lots of shapes and sizes when I give you the common lots of varieties, but whenever I hear the word onigiri I immediately go To the classic like triangle shape.
Yeah, that's the most classical
You know, like hundred yen family mart ones. So like those are pretty big and pretty dense. So like it's not impossible to pick them up with chopsticks, but it's very inconvenient. And it's very difficult like why don't you take the first bite They kind of because they're wrapped in seaweed, right. Once you break the nori, the wrap, it starts to fall apart, because it loses its like structural integrity. So one of the reasons to eat it with your hands as well is becuase you can kind of keep it all together right in one piece.
Um, yeah, it kind of defeats the whole purpose I think. And um, onigiri is also a popular like snack. You know, when you go out for a picnic, but yeah, if we need to, like follow her rules, then you know, it means that we may need to carry the the chopsticks. Oh, we don't need it, it's like what's what's the point?
Yeah, that's it. You're leaving in the house and you like know wallet, phone keys. chopsticks make sure that we're prepared.
You know, I must admit that there are many rules and protocols in Japan when it comes to eating certain types of food. So for example, most probably the most famous one is sushi, right? That way you kind of like hold it and dip sushi into like soy sauce and stuff. And put like, wasabi, there are some like specific protocols. I mean, even though like you don't need to like follow all of them, there's some like guidelines to it right?
But even those are designed to enhance the flavor right? So let you know you don't you're not really supposed to put soy sauce on the rice. Or like, you know, if you put the wasabi under the fish or on top of the fish or whatever
exactly yeah,
but I don't know, just eating onigiri with a chopstick. It doesn't, eating onigiri with chopsticks. It doesn't enhance the flavor at all.
Yeah, but you know, the way I see it is that you know, if you quit new rules or manners on certain things right? Then of course you become the expert of those rules, right? Because they are set by you
true. Yeah.
So I see it as a scam, you know?
Yeah, that's what I feel like.
I create a new business or become a new authority.
it's like Scientology for onigiri she's trying to make a new cult. That's what I thought when I saw like, infinity finishing Academy. It sounds like a cult. What does that mean?
I also agree.
no meaning. So weird. And also infinity and finishing are like opposites. Right?
Yeah.
Infinity doesn't end
contradicts itself. Yeah.
The first red flag. Obviously, I can't have you know, I can't have a native opinion as Japanese but it looks like a lot of people on Twitter agree with your opinion, right? Yasu Some some kind of comments here. onigiri is eaten by hand. It's not designed to be elegant, which is completely true, right? that's why it's just like a brick like a brick of rice. One guy says what, it's going to look a lot worse if the Rice Bowl breaks and falls when you're trying to half it, which again is true, because the too big, it's just too big. One person I like this person is coming, they're trying to compromise. They say, maybe they should make rice balls bite size to avoid all this confusion. So they're not really like, you know, kind of protesting this person's advice, but they're just saying, you know, well maybe make them more compatible with chopsticks. So yeah, I would agree with a lot of these. And one thing I would say is like, most onigiri is like 100 yen right? So like, I think like, having a proper way to eat something has a direct correlation to the price right? The more like expensive food is, the more you treat it with respect I find but like I don't like the old lady who liked Your onigiri like factory in the middle of nowhere. It's gonna like walk past you in the street and like shaking her head like, I made that I made that onigiri. And you're not eating it with chopsticks?
Yeah. I agree. Yeah. Generally there is a correlation between the price and the number of like protocols that you follow right. So yeah, I mean, the most obvious examples may be the French restaurant right. There are many, you know, rules that you need to follow when you use a chopstick. Oh, well.
not chopsticks right
The way you use like fork and knife.
yeah, true like with European restaurants you have like six different types of knife and fork. You know, you can't use the dessert spoon for like, soup or whatever. It's very confusing. I don't know all those rules because I never go to that kind of restaurants. It is Yeah. It's like the more expensive the meal is, the more confusing it becomes.
And I think every Every culture has that kind of, like rules.
I think so. Yeah.
But yeah, for onigiri
Yeah. A bit overkill.
overkill. Yeah, the exact word.
So that wraps it up for all the news stories this week. Let's move into our final segment of the show Word of the Week.
Okay, so today I'm going to introduce you and interesting wasei eigo or Japanese English phrase. As always, wasei eigo is a Japanese language expression based on English words that do not exist in standard English. The Word of the Week is my pace, or mai pesu. Have you heard of this one?
I have heard of this word. Hmm.
So can you explain?
A Well actually, this one is quite self explanatory. It's like going at your own speed right? It's like your, your pace. My pace. no?
Tell me more
That's not it? That's the way I've heard it before. It's like, it's like doing it in a way that you're comfortable with my pace. I mean, I don't know if there's more like subtle meaning to it. that's the way that I've heard it be.
Yeah, of course. You know, it's derived from English. So it's, it's, of course, not not too often. It's almost right. But as you as you said, just now they're like subtle like nuances. So my pace is a word that's often used to describe like, other people around you. So for example, if someone tells you, Julian sugoi mai pesu da yo ne, then like, what, what do you think about that?
Oh, if you say in that way, it's more like I'm being like inconsiderate to other people. I'm just doing it at my own speed, but I'm not paying attention to what's around me. Is that kind of how it sounds?
Yeah, yes. So yeah, if I need to choose between positive or negative, then it's slightly negative. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Japanese people genuinely like people that can conform to the society, Or, you know, groups, groups of people, right. And, and many of them actually don't like eccentric people with unconventional or sometimes innovative thinking. So, you know, especially if you're a boss, like, tell us you kimi wa hontoni mai pesu da na, you know, you're really my pace. Then, you know, you may want to double check what he or she really means because it can mean like, I mean, it can still mean positive in a way that you you have your own pace, and you're not easily affected by like others. Yeah, at the same time, you know, as I was saying, like, traditionally Japanese It or Japanese people don't favor such people. And what's also interesting I think, is that the word my pace is also using the second person or the third person. so he is my pace. you are, anata wa my pace.
Yeah, you wouldn't say like, my pace de, because you're not going at your pace, or could you say that?
Like, yeah, you'll never say like your pace.
Yeah. Yeah. Like he is my my pace.
Yeah,
Yes that's what I mean, yeah. Interesting, huh. You know, it's kind of funny, actually. Because I think the last time I heard that word being used was actually a gaijin. That used it. So maybe they used it incorrectly. And that that gave me
in Japan?
maybe that gave me the wrong impression. But a friend of mine, actually. He was just talking to his girlfriend and we were just joking around and he called her my pace. or something like that, but it's kind of what you're talking about. As he said it as a joke. You know, we were all laughing. But now I'm thinking like, Oh, yeah, maybe he used it mildly, like incorrectly, even though we all understood, we all laughed about it. But maybe, yeah, maybe it was used without the subtlety that you're implying it has.
Yeah. But um, I would also say that the Japanese society in the way people think are also changing. And, you know, we're finally starting to notice that we need to have more ideas from outside from, you know, really unique people with unique ideas show that can change the society is kind of like, you know, to keep like evolving and innovating.
definitely. Yeah.
So that's why it's not as negative as it was in the past. but yeah, you kind of get the the nuance, right.
Yeah, sure. If you think of like, my Pace celebrity who's the first person that comes to your mind?
Maybe it sounds like a very random example but it just you know, came into my head. So you know Conor McGregor
Oh Okay,
yeah the UFC champion. Yeah, he's he's very my pace, right?
Oh super my pace right. Yeah
he's got a very strong style. He keeps like mocking and provoking his opponents. But he himself I think it's quite like my pace
yeah he's he's behaviors very calculated, but he's kind of against the grain. Yeah, he's very like, tactical in like controlling his, like opponents mindset. and I think we can attribute that to his, my pace. personality.
Yeah Interesting.
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Okay, everyone, so stay healthy, stay safe, and if anyone calls you my pace, then be sure to double check your behavior. And make sure to fall in line with society. And be sure to check back next week for the very next episode of this week in Japan. Transcribed by https://otter.ai