Etymology of Sasuga

流石　(Sasuga)
The word represents the feeling you have when a person whom you expect to perform well does, in fact, perform well, and you feel a sense of awe all over again at their amazing feat.

To learners of the language, sasuga is a little frustrating in that it's one of those ridiculous ateji words whose reading and kanji characters don't match. But there's a cute little story about why sasuga is written this way today:

Etymology of Arigato

The word "arigato" (有難う), or "thank you" in Japanese, finds its roots in the word arigatashi (有り難し), an archaic adjective describing rarity.

Words to Express Condolences in Japanese

A quick translation from an all-around useful site on Japanese funerals.

When you want to express condolences to a Japanese friend or acquaintance over his or her loss of a loved one, the appropriate phrases are:

TP#9: 英作文：京都大学2006前期

問題：
子供の頃にわたしが毎週欠かさず観たあるテレビ番組があった。 その主役はどこにでもいそうな犬で、そいつがある町にふらりとやってきては、そこで起こった事件の解決に協力し､人間からほめられる前に姿を消して、また次の町に向かって旅をつづけるのだ。わたしをとりこにしたのは、一つの場所に安住せずに、たえず動きつづける、その姿だったに違いない｡

TP#8: 英作文：京都大学2006前期

問題：
ものの見方や好みは人さまざまである。たとえば、駅前のハンバーガー店は、人々にとってどのような意味を持つだろうか。 多くの人にとっては、ハンバーガーを味わう場であろう。しかし、肉が苦手な私にとっては、ハンバーガーを楽しむというよりは、仕事帰りにちょっと立ち寄り、コーヒー一杯で一日の疲れをいやす、くつろぎの場である。本を持ち込み、書斎代わりに使うことも少なくない。

TP#7: 英作文：京都大学2007前期

問題：
教育とは何かを考えるときに、私が決まって思い出すのが小学校の恩師の顔である。先生は、私たち生徒に、物事に真剣に取り組むことを教えてくださった。その教えは、これまでの私の人生の指針となっている。今から考えると、先生の教えが私の心に響いたのは、先生の尊敬できる誠実な人柄によるところが大きかったように思う。教育において考慮すべきことは、教える内容だけではなく、教える側の人間性でもあるのだ。

解答例：
When I think about what education is, always comes to mind the face of my favorite grade school teacher. He taught us to labor in earnest. That teaching has formed the philosophy of my life. Thinking back now, it is certainly because of my teacher's sincere character that (I respected him and) his lesson resonated with me so profoundly. Thus, in education not only the content of a lesson but the nature of the teacher must be taken into account.

Translation Notes:
恩師 former teacher, old teacher
取り組む tackle, engage in, work on
→ 物事に真剣に取り組む to labor in earnest, to toil in earnest, to tackle our responsibilities seriously
指針（ししん） guiding principle, guideline, philosophy
誠実な人柄（せいじつなひとがら） sincere character, straightforward personality
考慮（こうりょ） take into account/consideration
人間性 humanity, [perhaps] personality

「先生の尊敬できる」という部分を英訳に含めるのがややこしい・・・

TP#6: 英作文：京都大学2007前期

問題：

最近久しぶりに旅行して実感したのですが、田舎の夜空には星が驚くほどたくさん見えます。科学的に考えれば、汚染がなく空気がきれいだからでしょうが、風景はそれを見る者の心を映すとよく言われます。雑事に追われて忙しいだけの生活からしばしの逃避行したあの時の私は、もしかしたら、めずらしく無邪気な子供のように心が澄んでいたのかもしれません。

TP#5: 自由英作文：東京大学2011前期

問題：
次のKiyoshiとHellenの会話を読み、空所①と②をそれぞれ15-20語の英語でうめよ。①と②のそれぞれが複数の文になってもかまわない。
(Nishikawa) Kiyoshi: Have you read today's newspaper? Apparently, in England, it's illegal to sell pets--even goldfish!--to children under the age of sixteen because they may not be able to take proper care of them. Offenders can be put in prison for one year.
Helen: Wow! (1) ________________________________
Kiyoshi: Yes, that's true. But (2) ________________________________
Helen: I guess you're right.

TP#4: 自由英作文：東京大学2011前期

問題：
次の英文を読み，その内容について思うところを50ｰ60語の英文で記せ。
ただし，understand と pain は，一度しか用いてはならない。
It is not possible to understand other people's pain.

TP#3: 英作文：京都大学2005前期

問題：
女性が従来学問の世界で十分活躍できなかったのは、男性中心で作られてきた社会に原因があったことは疑う余地はありません。とくにわが国は従来年功序列の社会でありましたので、出産、育児のため女性が休むことは昇進の面で著しく不利でありました。今後は休んだ後の復職を容易にするとともに、復職後業績を上げれば速やかに昇進できる体制を作り上げて行かねばなりません。

Pain Medication in Japan

So, recently I talked a little about the big pharmacy chains in Japan. But if you're like me, even after you find and walk inside a Japanese pharmacy, you have a bit of difficulty identifying and choosing what you want to buy. Part of this is simple brand unfamiliarity, and part of it is the language barrier--and I'm sorry to say that in my experience, it doesn't get much better with time. Even after I learned Japanese to a tolerable degree, I found that it is a skill of conscious effort. It is still very easy for me to just "tune out" Japanese characters when I'm presented with advertisements, billboards, and product packaging. If I want to know what they say, I have to stop and think about it.

So, anyway, let's get to the point: You've got a headache, you're in Japan, and you want something OTC to take care of it. Here are some of your options:

Off Brand Medications in Japan

Getting over the counter (OTC) drugs in Japan can be an expensive proposition. The Japanese drug market is heavily protected from foreign competition and large pharmacies and drug companies still have a cartel-like lock on the market, even after the liberalization of online drug sales. If you are looking to by in bulk it is actually sometimes cheaper to go to the doctor and get a prescription as prescription drugs are heavily price controlled.

Chain Pharmacies in Japan

This is a list of some of the major nationwide and regional pharmacy chains in Japan where you can purchase OTC medical supplies. This list is by no means complete, but covers many of the major players in the Japanese pharmacy market.

For more information about pharmacies and drugs in Japan, check out Dan's series of articles here on AccessJ:
Pharmacies and Prescriptions in Japan
Over the Counter Drug Laws in Japan
Online Drug Sale Laws in Japan

NISA: Nippon Individual Saving Accounts

Warm up your engines, eager non-instutional investors, because a new type of tax free trust account is coming to town. That's right, I am talking about the much hyped NISA or Nippon Individual Saving Account (shogaku toshi hi-kazei seido 少額投資非課税制度) that is starting up next year. If you are investing in the future (and you should be!), then this new system is a good opprotunity to get your foot in the investment door. Let's take a look...

Tips when Selling a Car in Japan

I'm in the market for a new set of wheels--to replace my old ones. As I mentioned in my previous post, I've met a lot of people as I've visited a dozen new and used car dealerships to ask about buying something new, and about selling the one I have now. Much of the information differs from what (admittedly little) I knew about buying and selling cars in the US. In today's post, I'll continue to share more of my findings:

Japan Factoid: Nintendo playing cards

Most die hard fans of games giant Nintendo have probably heard by now that the storied company was originally a playing card maker. But I bet you didn't know that to this very day you can still buy yourself a brand new set of 任天堂 cards.

TP#2: Difficult Japanese Phrases

Some of the most difficult words to translate are those that are context sensitive, or need wildly different translations depending on context. I'll take a look at four tricky Japanese → English interpretations in context today: ① もったいない (mottainai), ② しょうがない (shou ga nai, also 仕方ない shikata nai), ③ 面倒くさい (mendoukusai), and the pervasive Japanese ④ よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu)。

① 三連休が仕事で潰れそう。もったいない...
I'm going to lose my whole three day weekend to work. What a waste.
Alternatively: What a shame.

Tips when Buying a Car in Japan

I'm in the market for a new set of wheels, and have been to visit just about every new and used dealer in my immediate area, plus a few more across town (and out of town). A lot of the people I've met have been very cool and have shared their tips with me about buying and selling cars in Japan. Much of the information differs from what (admittedly little) I knew about the process in the US. In today's post, I'll share some of my findings:

Translation Practice #1

This is a foray into the world of Japanese university entrance exam translations (大学入試英作文), with some notes on the things I learn along the way.

Without further ado, let's get started! Today's source is a list of 2009 private university problems from the ticc PukiWiki.

四季の移り変わりがはっきりしている我が国で、とりわけ色とりどりの花が咲く春と紅葉に彩られる秋になると、自然がとても美しいと感じる。（津田塾大、2009）

Shinsei Bank: More Free Convenience Store ATMs

More good news for lovers of Shinsei Bank, one of the few personal banking options in Japan that provides services in English and believes in 24-hour ATM access:

Shinsei bank card holders will now not only be able to deposit and withdraw cash at all Shinsei, Yucho Bank, and 7-11 ATMs across the country, but also at Lawson, Family Mart, and Daily Yamazaki ATMs. (As well as associated ATMs in a few other regional convenience store chains). In other words, Shinsei's already fairly convenient network of ATMs just got even better.