Go mbeannaí Dia daoibh or Kon’nichiwa as they say in the Land of the Rising Sun, welcome to the Bluffer’s Guide to Irish.
The Bluffer is hoping to visit an tSeapáin - Japan next year and so d’amharc sé ar fhíseáin YouTube - he watched some youtube videos to get an idea of what to expect.
His favourite was 50 MUST know JAPAN Travel Tips – caoga leid agus tú ag taisteal sa tSeapáin is a non-literal translation – and it gave him a flavour of what it would be like holidaying in a country that seems so different to our own.
It was made by Christian le Blanc who quit his job to travel the world. Nice.
So here are some of Christian’s tips that the Bluffer noted:
The first thing he says is that the Japanese are measúil - respectful, dícheallach - hard-working and lách - kind. They will go out of their way to help you find what you are looking for even though they are a very shy, private people.
This, of course, is what the Bluffer knew already and he had an inkling about something else - is breá leis na Seapánaigh a bheith ag ól - the Japanese love drinking!
Drinking cans of beer while walking the streets is not illegal and you can buy booze at many shops.
So, to engage in local culture, he intends to spend lots of time in karaoke bars singing Gleanntáin Ghlas Gaoth Dobhair while necking glasses of sake!
It is also well-known that the Japanese great rule-followers.
Cloíonn siad le gach riail - they submit to every rule, no matter what.
On a long, long, empty road at midnight, Christian saw a girl waiting patiently at na solais tráchta - traffic lights. When he crossed over before the lights changed, thug sí amharc fiata air - she gave him a dirty look.
(The same thing happened to the Bluffer in Berlin so it’s not just the Japanese who are rules-based!)
The Nipponese are also very tidy. Is dream iontach néata iad - they are a very tidy people although Christian found it very hard to find a rubbish bin even in the big cities which is weird because a lot of the locals buy food from siopaí áise - convenience stores which offer good food and is much less expensive than eating in restaurants.
This brings us to another hint - when you are paying for stuff bí cinnte go bhfuil airgead tirim leat - make sure you have cash with you because even large hotels don’t recognise cártaí creidmheasa - credit cards.
If you are worried about carrying a lot of dosh (yen) about with you, Christian also says that Japan is ar na tíortha is sábháilte - one of the safest countries he has ever been in.
Amongst the other things the Bluffer will bear in mind if he does decide to head for a kabuki bath, a walk around the cherry blossom trees, travel on the Bullet train to Horishima or Nagasaki are: taxis are very expensive, smoking is widespread, hotel rooms are tiny, queues are everywhere and the toilets play music to you.
Sounds like it’s going to be class!
CÚPLA FOCAL
an tSeapáin (un chapaan) - Japan
d’amharc sé ar fhíseáin youtube - (dark shay er eeshaan youtube) - he watched some youtube videos
caoga leid agus tú ag taisteal sa tSeapáin (cayga ledge agus too eg tashtal sa chapaan) - 50 hints while travelling in Japan
measúil (massooil) - respectful
dícheallach (jeehalakh) - hard-working
lách (laykh) - kind
is breá leis na Seapánaigh a bheith ag ól (is bra lesh na shapaanee a vay eg awl) - the Japanese love drinking
Cloíonn siad le gach riail (cleean shade le gakh reeal) - they obey every rule
na solais tráchta (ne soleesh trakhta) - traffic lights
thug sí amharc fiata air (hug shee awerk feeata er) - she gave him a dirty look
Is dream iontach néata iad (is jream eentakh nayta aid) - they are a very tidy people
siopaí áise(shupee aasha) - convenience stores
bí cinnte go bhfuil airgead tirim leat (bee kintcha gaw wil aragid chirim lat) - make sure you have cash with you
cártaí creidmheasa (caartee credgevasa) - credit cards
ar na tíortha is sábháilte (er ne cheerha is saowaaltcha) among the safest countries
