After she was done crying, they grilled her on her relationship with Leo in the disguise of gently teasing her with cat puns. Luckily, Yamauchi had running water and a garden hose.
What kind of life did she want? What did she want to really do now that “to stay hidden” was no longer the foremost of her needs? Not even Shiva was looking for her; in rewriting Sato’s history at Hiroshima, she’d changed her own past in a thousand little impossible ways so that everything was the same and yet completely different. With her mother dead, she was sole heir to her family’s massive wealth. She could pay back her advance and never have to write for money again.
Of course, she couldn’t stop writing; the need would always be there. All that had really changed was that she now knew the truth: she had power to know the future and to change it. Perhaps the compulsion was heaven’s way to make sure she owned the responsibility of having such a god-like ability.
She grew aware that Leo watched her with quiet intensity. Wanting her. Afraid that completely free, she’d walk away from him.
She went to him and hugged him tight. “I love you,” she said just in case he didn’t know.
“I love you,” he whispered fiercely. “What do you want to do?”
She picked up Atsumori’s katana. “I want to go to Dupont, Louisana.” Leo raised an eyebrow in confusion. “There’s a demon there that I need to kill.”
“We need to kill.”
“And then Hawaii. There’s someplace I’ve been wanting to go.” She reached out to take his hand. “It’s been my refuge for a very long time. I just didn’t realize until recently that it’s a real place. It’s where I live with you.”
Wen’s Not Completely Accurate
GLOSSARY
of Japanese Terms
* * *
Amaterasu—Sun goddess
Arigatou—Thank you
Baka—Stupid, an insult, obviously.
Bonito (flakes)—Fish that has been dried in a cave, allowed to grow
mold, hardened to the consistency of wood, and then shaved off
into tissue-thin wafers. Very odd but tasty stuff, has the weird
habit of wiggling when on steaming hot food.
Chigo—Celestial child, sort of a envoy to the gods.
Chotto matte kudasi—Wait a moment, please. Sometimes uttered
as “chotto” if the person is being super informal.
Cosplay—Dressing up as your favorite manga or anime character.
Desu—Handy Japanese word that Americans can abuse by assigning
the meaning of “is” to it.
Doko iku no?—Where are you going?
Eh?—Not so much a word as a question mark sounded out.
Fukuro Shinai—Shinai is the name of the bamboo sword used in
kendo. Fukuro means bag, but when combined with shinai, it
means a bamboo sword wrapped with leather or “in a bag.”
No, I don’t understand it.
Gaijin—Anyone not Japanese. The term means “outsider” and
reflects a core philosophy of Japanese thinking. In almost every
part of the Japanese life, a person is part of a group and anyone
not in their group is an outsider. The “group” might be their class,
or the people they work with, or their neighborhood.
Whenever a group of Japanese takes a picture, they always take
it twice, once with everyone but the initial photographer, and
then the initial photographer and someone else taking the photo,
because it would imply that the initial photographer wasn’t
“part of the group” if he didn’t appear in the picture. This is also
reflected in the language—how you address someone is
completely dependent on if they’re in your group or outside of
your group. Americans living in Japan—if they’re not working
for a company—discover quickly that it’s very difficult to
socialize with Japanese because they’re not part of a group.
One reason Miriam attends the office drinking parties is
that it’s one of the ways that company employees display that
they’re part of the same group.
Gacha—Gacha is a company whose product is vending machines
that dispense random toys inside of hollow balls. One ball is a
variable price per machine, some as cheap as 100 yen ($1),
others more expensive. (Since the 100-yen coin is as common as
quarters, it’s simple to have the change to do this.) The toy is
usually a figurine from anime. Each machine will have a
common toy and a mix of more rare and sought-after toys, to
encourage people to buy many in an attempt to get the one they
want. It’s common to find an entire wall of these machines
where manga, anime, and related products are sold. The toys are
usually surprisingly well made for being only $1.00 US. I have
one sitting on my desk, Akira-sama from Lucky Star. Do a
YouTube search on “Lucky Channel Akira.” Be sure to watch it
in original Japanese with subtitles—the voice actress is brilliant!
Gion—At one point the Buddhist priests tried to replace the native
Shinto religion. They took over Shinto shrines and claimed that
the gods enshrined were actually Buddhist gods of different
names but similar aspects. Gion is the name of the Buddhist god
that they chose to represent Susanoo. The Yasaka Shrine for a
time was known as Gion Temple. In the 1800s, however, the
Emperor allowed the Shinto temples to return to their names
and original god’s name. By this time, however, the area where
the Yasaka Shrine stood had become known as Gion. This section
of Kyoto is world famous for its geisha. (Inari is actually the
Buddhist god of rice that could be male, female or both. He was
chosen to represent Susanoo’s daughter Uga-no-Mitama and
son Uka-no-Mitama, who were gods of agriculture. Since Inari
was more popular than the Shinto gods, he remains Inari.)
Geisha—counter to what Westerns believe, Geisha are not
prostitutes but very skilled trained entertainers. From a very
early age, they’re taught everything from the proper way to open
a door elegantly to elaborate traditional dances. They take music
lessons and dance lessons. Corporations consider it a status
symbol to provide geisha to serve drinks and dance and play
music at business meetings. However, it should be noted that
when you bring a rich and powerful man together with
beautiful women, affairs do happen.
Hai—Yes.
Haiden—Hall of worship.
Happi—Lightweight jacket worn during festivals that usually was
a unifying symbol on it. At one time the symbol was the mon of
the samurai family that the person worked for. Over time it’s
been replaced by other kanji. Sometimes it simply says “Matsuri,”
which means festival. Sometimes it has a sponsor name in kanji.
Since this is very traditional, it’s almost never anything as crass
as a “corporate logo,” but the idea is the same.
Honden—A small upraised building with a steep gabled roof where
the actual god is housed. This area is off-limits to all but the
priests of the temple, and the doors are generally kept closed
except during special festivals.
Inari—Inari is the god of good luck in business. Inari uses kitsune,
or fox spirits, as his messengers and thus most of Inari’s shrines
are
littered with statues of foxes. The statues are usually in pairs,
representing male and female. They often hold an old-fashioned
key to a granary in their mouth. It is believed that a third of the
Shinto shrines in Japan are dedicated to Inari and total thirty-two
thousand plus countless little roadside and field shrines.
Irashaimase—Welcome. All employees of any business shout
this out as soon as they see anyone enter the store. It can be
amazingly annoying if there are several employees and a large
number of people entering the store.
Jogan—the Japanese only recently started to use the European
method of telling time. Prior to that, the date was based on the
year of the reign of the Emperor in power. 18th year of
Jogan, thus, means that it was the eighteenth year of the reign
of Emperor Jogan.
Kaguraden—Kagura is the sacred dance of the shrine maiden, thus
the kaguraden is the stage on which the shrine maiden dances.
Kami—A powerful spirit which is often worshipped as a god.
Reflecting the structure of the Japanese society, there are greater
and lesser kami.
Kamishimo—This is a two-piece outfit. The top piece is a vest with
wide stiff shoulders. The bottom piece is a hakama (pleated
pants that look like skirts) of the same material. The two pieces
are worn over a kimono, usually of a contrasting color.
Kanji—Japanese writing
Katana—A samurai sword
Katajikenai—Thank you, but its origin is from the days of samurai
and isn’t used now. It means more like “I’m grateful and indebted.”
Keitai haizara—Portable ashtray. Because the Japanese wouldn’t
think of throwing their cigarette butts on the ground.
Kendo—The martial art that uses wooden practice swords
in lieu of katana.
Kirin—Asian flying horse with a horn. Like a unicorn
but way more cooler.
Kudasai—please.
Kunitsu-kami—A god of the Earthly realm.
Kusanagi—Grass Cutter—One of the three imperial regalia. A
sword passed from the Sun Goddess to her grandson, the first
emperor of Japan. Last used in 1989.
Maneki Neko—Literally “beckoning cat”—A statue of a cat,
normally calico bobtail, with one paw upraised.
It’s believed to attract and house a lucky spirit that will bring
you good fortune and money. There are several legends that
explain how this belief came into existence. The earliest known
statues were given out at a temple in Osaka. One of the most
common legends is that a wealthy man was standing under
a tree during a rainstorm when he saw a temple cat seemingly
beckoning to him. He dashed into the rain to investigate,
and a moment later, lightning hit the tree he been standing
under. The wealthy man then heaped riches upon the temple
in repayment for his good fortune. There is an elaborate
iconology attached to the statue, including which paw is
upraised, the color of the cat, and anything it’s wearing,
such as a belled collar. I frequented one Japanese restaurant
in Massachusetts, and one year they gifted me with my
favorite Maneki Neko, a ceramic Weebles Wobble statue
with both paws upraised. It has a little bell that
rings if the cat wobbles.
Mansion—A no-deposit apartment building. Normally a Japanese
landlord requires a large non-refundable deposit called
Key Money. There are no housing laws so landlords can and will
refuse to rent to gaijin. Mansion are more expensive because
they don’t require Key Money and will take gaijin renters.
Matsuri—Festival.
Mazu—Almost (I think).
Mizu—Water.
Mikoshi—Small buildings and boxes that can house the gods so
they can be carried about. Many festivals feature parades of the
gods through town so the gods can “visit” the area.
Mon—This can be considered the family crest of a clan. They are
circular with a stylized symbol in the middle, most often flowers,
leaves, and insects. It was used often in warfare on flags so you
could see in a glance who was where on the battlefield. They are
quite beautiful in a simple, elegant fashion.
Moshi moshi—Standard Japanese way to answer a phone.
Basically it’s “hello” but best if you kind of think of it as
radio-speak for “over” because it’s not something you say to
Nani—What.
Nani o osagashi desu ka?—A phrase used by salesclerks to ask
if you need help, basically “What is it you need?”
Noh—Noh is a traditional type of Japanese theater.
Nomikai—This is a social event requiring all employees
to go out and drink with each other. Everyone is
seated at one table at a restaurant which is often dedicated to
this kind of gathering. There is bar food available, and the beer
is often low alcohol content because it’s expected that everyone
will drink at the same rate regardless of age, sex, or weight.
Noren—A curtain that usually hangs from the top of a door frame
to part way down. Sometimes they only hang low enough that
the customer needs to duck to enter the shop. Sometimes they
will hang down to almost waist level. Usually found only at
businesses. They often will have lettering in kanji, either being
the name of the shop or a greeting. Other times they will
feature art. Traditionally they are meant to keep out dust and
wind, but in modern times they’re often used to create the
illusion of privacy. They are hung up at the start of the day
and taken down when the shop closes.
Obakemono—A word used to group all shape-shifting yokai
together. These include bakeneko, kitsune, and tanuki. All three
can be benevolent as well as dangerous.
Obi—Wide belt used in wearing kimono and yukata.
Ohayou gozaimasu—Good morning. Very formal version of it.
Ojamashimasu—I intrude on you! It’s the ritual greeting
that one calls as they enter the house of someone. It stems
upon the fact that traditionally houses had a small “foyer” area
that wasn’t really considered “the house” that guests would
enter without knocking. In this sheltered area, guests could be
out of the rain, take off their shoes, etc., all the while shouting
that they’ve come for a visit. It’s because of this custom
that apparently staff at onsen will pop in and out of guests’
rooms with very little warning.
Okonomiyaki—A fried cabbage pancake topped with BBQ sauce,
mayonnaise, and any number of possibilities. The name literally
means “what you want” to indicate the freedom to chose what
you like to top the pancake. It’s usually considered Japanese
“pizza” in that regard, and can be found at restaurants where
it’s cooked on a barlike counter, or on grill-topped tables,
or on portable grills at festivals.
Onsen—A hotel that features hot-spring baths. These are very
popular with the Japanese. The “
baths” are fed by water heated
via the volcanic nature of the Japanese islands. The hotel
provides bathrobelike yukata, all meals and access to baths that
are a mix of single gender, mixed gender, indoor, outdoor,
private, and public. I’m told that the staff often follow
the Japanese habit of entering a room and then announcing
that they’re there.
Otaku—“Fan,” with the implication of extreme.
What the person is a fan of can vary even though in USA,
otaku is used as a fan of anime/manga.
Oyakodon—A rice bowl with sautéed onions, chicken and egg.
Sometimes given nicknames like “mother and child,” generation
bowl, etc., to indicate that both the chicken and the egg are the
same creature, just different stages of its life. (And yes,
this is one of my favorite Japanese dishes.)