Howdy ya’ll. Hmm, my Texan is bleeding through. But enough about that. I have another possible thing of interest for the viewing public. I am, right now, located off the shores of Lake Biwa in the Land of the Rising Sun. That’s right, I’m in Japan! I’m shacking up in the small city of Hikone which is, like I said, on the shores of Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. I’m here to further my grasp of the language, but I thought it would be great to share some of what I learn and the culture of this great nation here.
I’ve done a fair amount of exploring through out Hikone during the time I’ve been here, and I must say it’s a nice little town. The city has a little over 100,000 people, but it always seems to be bustling with some activity or another. One thing I have noticed in particular is that the lake is so big that quite a few people go out to surf in it. Travel, for me at least, is usually done by bike. I haven’t ridden in years so it’s been a little rough for me. It all works out , though, since everything I need, like food, is fairly close.
Hikone is located in Japan’s Shiga prefecture, which is just a few hundred miles from the center of the country. It’s about an hour’s distance from Kyoto by train, give or take a little, and about two hours from Tokyo. Hikone rests on the Nakasendo path, which was one of the five most important trading routes during the Edo period (1603-1868). Nakasendo was especially convenient out of all the roads because there weren’t any rivers in its path, so travelers didn’t have any impediments blocking their way. This made it very popular.
The most famous historical place in Hikone would have to be, by far, Hikone castle. It was completed in 1622 and is one of the few remaining castles that was neither dismantled following the Meiji Restoration or destroyed during World War 2. It’s one of the oldest castles keeping its original structure, making it a huge cultural treasure. It’s gorgeous.
Before I sign off I’m going to leave few japanese language tidbits. I’m going to update this blog weekly, most likely every monday. At the end of each I’ll have some small japanese hints for all those who are interested. I think some basic japanese phrases will do for now. I’ll get into more complex stuff, like grammar and vocabulary, at a later date.
Good morning: Ohayoo (add gozaimas to the end of this to be especially polite).
Good afternoon: Konichiwa.
Good evening: Konbanwa.
Goodbye: Sayoonara.
Thank you: Arigatoo (gozaimas can be added for extra politeness here also).
Excuse me; I apologize: Sumimasen.
Thank you for the meal (said before eating): Itadakimasu.
Thank you for the meal (said after eating): Gochisoosama.
How do you do?: Hajimemashite.
Nice to meet you: Doozo Yoroshiku.
People from Japan don’t use the roman alphabet for writing. The words I’ve written above are what they would call “romanji,” which just means japanese words written using the roman alphabet. There are actually about three japanese alphabets and the written language uses all three extensively. These alphabets are called “hiragana,” “katakana” and “kanji.” Kanji are chinese symbols that were the first written japanese language, while hiragana evolved some time later. Katakana is used to write out foreign words. Hiragana is, by far, the most widespread.
Here is chart of all the hiragana if you wish to learn:
That’s all from me for now. I’ll be back next monday with more stuff from the other end of the world. Sayoonara!
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