Coronavirus, Covid 19 Discussion and How It Has Affected Your Daily Life Chat Thread

[Folly's place]

Obviously I don't remember much! Domo arigato, hope that's right. And we made the mistake of taking a college level class, which spent a lot of time Trying to get us into the written language. What we needed was conversational Japanese instead. And most people we met had some English, after all those years of US control.
Things did get sticky during reversion...
Mary

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Obviously I don't remember much! Domo arigato, hope that's right. And we made the mistake of taking a college level class, which spent a lot of time Trying to get us into the written language. What we needed was conversational Japanese instead. And most people we met had some English, after all those years of US control.
Things did get sticky during reversion...
Mary

Hai seikai. Doo itashimashite. (Yes thats correct. Youre very welcome). I always thought it strange that in foreign language classes they dont teach you conversational japanese. Its mostly chapters like "items in the classroom" or "different countries". Last I checked knowing that "pen" in japanese means "pen" in english or that "France" is "Furansu" doesnt help me get to a hotel or get me around Tokyo

 

[bruceha2000]

Guess we had a small quake and could be felt through the state.

Depending on where you are in upstate NY it might be the same one near Montreal that we felt. I also remember one in 1988/89. Nothing like the ones in So Cal growing up and even those were mild compared to some they've had after I moved to VT in '79.

 

[Folly's place]

Yes, I remember that 'ice tea' is 'ice tea'. At least it was then. Not ocha. I'm afraid to use my three or four remembered phrases with Japanese clients, becuase then they'll think I know more than I do.
It's embarrassing, as an American, that most of use barely know one language, when most/ many people growing up elsewhere have several.
LOVE southern Michigan! No big earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, just very occasional tornadoes. The last big fire was early 1900's, in the north.
And snow is fine, on Christmas eve, at least.
Mary

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Yes, I remember that 'ice tea' is 'ice tea'. At least it was then. Not ocha. I'm afraid to use my three or four remembered phrases with Japanese clients, becuase then they'll think I know more than I do.
It's embarrassing, as an American, that most of use barely know one language, when most/ many people growing up elsewhere have several.
LOVE southern Michigan! No big earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, just very occasional tornadoes. The last big fire was early 1900's, in the north.
And snow is fine, on Christmas eve, at least.
Mary

Yea "ice tea" is a foreign thing. But ocha is hot tea. Japanese people arent really tolerant of people speaking the language poorly, or so Ive been told.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

And most people we met had some English, after all those years of US control.

When did the U.S. control Japan? Japan's post-war constitution became official and they elected a new legislature in 1947. The U.S. and other allies signed a peace treaty formally ending the war in 1951. Did you mean those four years? That was seventy years ago.

 

[Folly's place]

Okinawa was under US control from the end of the war until about 1972. Okinawa had been an independent country for a long time, until imperial Japan took it over, then used it up, and we bombed it to smithereens during the war.
Mary

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

When did the U.S. control Japan? Japan's post-war constitution became official and they elected a new legislature in 1947. The U.S. and other allies signed a peace treaty formally ending the war in 1951. Did you mean those four years? That was seventy years ago.

Just because we signed a peace treaty doesnt mean we left. Just look at iraq...

 

[Folly's place]

We had large bases there, and used them extensively during the cold war, and Vietnam.
Mary

 

[Hayden Goseek]

Have you ever seen a piece of pottery that was labled, "Made in Occupied Japan" ?