Cork Airport

Thursday 10 April 2008


Waiting to board the flight to Heathrow I make a list of all the Japanese words that I know (most of which I’m sure I can’t spell).

6 Crucial Words (That Tell A Life Story)
1. Konichiwa - Hello
2. Sushi - Yummm
3. San - Honourable
4. Sensei - Revered Teacher
5. Arigato - Thanks
6. Sayonara - Goodbye


Words That Seem To Belong Together
(a) samuri & ninja - warriors
(b) kimono & geisha - hyper femininity
(c) zen, zazen & dojo - austere practice
(d) sumo & sudoko - lots of effort & to what point?

(e) manga & origami - artistic surreal paper work
(f) karate & aikido - fighting as art
(g) bonsai & haiku - minute perfection
(h) noh & kabuki - stylised drama
(i) sake & karoke - can’t imagine doing one without the other
(j) miso, wasabi, teriakyi, yakatori, soya, udon, soba, sashimi



Brand Names & Cities
Sony Tokyo Toyota Kyoto Mistubishi Kawasaki Nissan Osaka Fuji Nagasaki Honda Hiroshima

Words That I Hope Not to Have to Use
Tsunami, Hara Kari, Kamikaze

Words That I Don’t Know Yet But Will Have To Learn Soon
Do You Speak English? I Am Lost – Can You Help Me Please? Thank You - Bring Me Anything Except Blowfish
Up Tokyo!

Last Word
Gaijin – foreigner – awkward me