Just in Tokyo: Page 30

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30 - Just In Tokyo

Physical Language

Besides some basic Japanese words, you can have fun with some
of the Japanese physical gestures, in context:

A pinky held up out of a fist alone is a sign for girlfriend; a thumb
alone is a sign for boyfriend. (Accordingly, if you do the "hang loose"
gesture from America, fist with thumb and pinky extended rocking
back and forth, you might be implying sexual flexibility.)

Most Japanese will generally understand if you hold your thumb up
like "right on" and you're a man, you're not asking for homosexual
relations or inferring that the nearest man is your boyfriend. But you
might shift your "right on" gesture to be the thumb and index finger
making a circle with the other fingers extended, "okay," a gesture
Japanese might understand to mean "I'd like my change in coins."

Two single index fingers extended over your head on either side like
horns is a gesture for an angry wife. I would say, angry anyone,
except that the traditional headdress worn by a Japanese bride was
said to be for the purpose of covering her horns.

Holding the left hand flat, palm up, and taking the right fist upright,
circling over the left palm, imitating a mortar and pestle, that may be
a Japanese gesture for flattery.

Point at your nose to refer to yourself, not at your chest. It looks
funny in your home country!

Japanese Writing

There are three written scripts used in Japan. While this might
initially sound complicated, difficult, obfuscating, and inefficient, it
allows great variation in personal expression through writing and
typography.

Hiragana

Hiragana is the relatively simple-looking curvaceous phonetic script
used to spell out native Japanese words. Invented by a Japanese
monk in the 800s, it was intended for women to use since they were
thought to be unable to manage the complex Chinese/Kanji charac-
ters. Accordingly, many of the first literary works published in Japan
were composed by Japanese women using hiragana. Notably, The
Tale of Genji, composed by Lady Murasaki (Lady Purple) just before
Christ was 1000 years old.