The Half Arsed Traveller: 2015-03-30: Learning Japanese, I think I'm learning Japanese, I really think so

Food & Beverage Review: Natto

Ewa wants to be healthy (just this morning, it's not a radical lifestyle change or anything).

Packaging looks healthy

I read somewhere that some Japanese people think Natto is very healthy.
I also read that it is incredibly pungent and some places have separate seating for Natto eaters but I put that down to the Japanese propensity for saying things are strong or smelly or spicy when I can't detect a thing.

Not appetising so definitely in the healthy food group

Natto is partially fermented soybeans.
Ewa loves soy beans in the Edamame format.

Not sure if the gif makes it look worse or not, good hashi skills though

Ewa is not 100% about the deliciousness of the Natto format.
We have two left and I have agreed that we are not wasteful people and so will eat one with her

Rating: 6/10 (Only because 6 means we will do it again and we have to or be wasteful people throwing out perfectly good food)

We had our class in a cafe because none of the bars were open yet

We had our first Japanese lesson today. Masa san is our nihongo no sensei. She doesn't speak fluent English and so we get some moments of confusion; like when I paid her, she gave me the change, I practised counting it a few times. I have a feeling that I probably gave the impression I was checking her change which I realise is Bad Etiquette in almost any society.

PiPi Style. Asking for a translation of this would only ruin my fevered imaginings (or, worse yet, confirm them)

I suspect she will grow to love and appreciate my idiosyncratic approach to language learning. We have said we don't want to learn to read or write and basically the whole focus should be on how to order food and drinks. She doesn't quite believe this yet and also I doubt there are many Learning Japanese for Drunkards and Gluttons textbooks.

I can't remember if we use the version of One meaning One small thing or the version meaning One round thing

So we spent a bit of time learning Hello my name is Simon and I am from New Zealand which, in my curriculum, would be quite a bit after the Two beers now and do you have an interesting sochu? do you take cards?, can I start a tab? chapter. No waiter has ever cared about my name, I can't explain my job in English and it is only when I have a couple in me that I feel other patrons might be interested in my nationality.
If my approach to learning Japanese works I should write a new series of language books and courses.

Simple, Elegant, Straight Forward

While we are on the topic of Bad Etiquette I have learned that I was indeed rude to all those white fellows nodding to me when I was wandering the other day. 20 odd years ago the foreigner community in Nagoya was tiny.

Too much cool factor! In Poland the North Fish company had Norwegian letters in the wrong places too. Maybe this is the new trend...

They were all relatively aware of each other and so would nod a greeting even if they didn't know (or like) each other specifically. Partially because they never knew when they would need help from each other. All the guys nodding at me were older, like not 20 something's, and so are probably from that community. As is Conrad. Conrad says that the people from that community look at people that don't nod welcomes as rude uncultured beasts (that are also newbies).

Not perfect typesetting skills though

So I was correct in thinking that I had committed a faux pas up there with not saying cześć at the kendo dojo. I might not be any more polite but at least I am getting better at knowing when I have been rude.

Food & Beverage Review: Yado Musashi

http://www.yado-musashi.co.jp/ (although that site made no sense to me)
〒461-0005 Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya, Higashi Ward, Higashisakura, 2 Chome−21−2

Many Izakaya have these little alcoves on the street. I like to think of them as shrines to The God Of Hangovers

Food On Sticks! Hurrah! The google translation of the yelp review included the line "Fat of pigs, I feel delicious best." and I was sold. Musashi is probably the most famous samurai of all times. I doubt they would approve of Kendo played with used sticks at the table.
The menu is all in Japanese and the wait staff speak no English. If we had followed a curriculum more practical to the itinerant glutton we might have been able to at least fail at ordering. Fortunately a partially inebriated group at the next table decided to help us.

Sign of The Devil. Way cooler than the Peace signs.

She knew the English word "Smelt" (for the type of fish) which impressed me, that is damn obscure. I shall revise my proposed Japanese curriculum to include an obscure word which could conceivably come up in conversation and impress people.

I wore the correct T Shirt for Mini-Kendo At The Table by accident

I think if I choose the parameters of this word correctly it will get me looks of awe. I figure it has to be a word that:

Is obscure but most native speakers will know it exists while unsure of the exact meaning

Easy to pronounce and remember

Hints at an interestingly deep knowledge of an area

Could easily be handled by a more common word

Could be used even in cases where the actual word is not needed

Chicken Skin on stick, smoked is better than plain

I continue my search for the perfect quail egg on a stick, these are not them.

Smelt would be one of those words in English

I know there is a fish called smelt, I couldn't tell you exactly what it is off the top of my head

It has no L or R (like mackerel) which could make it hard for me to recognise it if she stumbled on the pronunciation

She must have done something interesting where that word in English was required and remembered, it was a word which seemed more advanced vocab than expected

She could have said small fish instead

If the fish was actually a sardine she could still use the word by saying "it is a little fish, not Smelt but another one" and still get to show off the clever word

I like this idea!

Chicken on a stick

I am sure asparagus must cost more than the sticks but I approve of the substitution

I also like this Izakaya. Seating is of the table over a trench in the floor and everyone sits on the edge in a row, the tables are separated by a few inches so you aren't actually sharing tables but you are sitting a few inches from your neighbour.

Umami is important

I kind of like that balance of Communal and Don't touch my stuff. It also means you can politely ignore drunk sararimen (office workers that go out and get hammered after work and often like talking to foreigners to practice their Japanese, so far they have all been harmless but they can be a bit tedious) that attempt to join you for a conversation.

And that is how you get Facebook friends

When they attempt to have a conversation you can do a Polite "Hi, New Zealand & Poland, 3 Months, We like it" and then return your focus to your table mate. At that point mostly the drunk guy has forgotten any further English so he usually likes the opportunity to exit the conversation as well.