Clark Kent
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You know you live in the countryside when . . .
By - 04-16-2010 04:11 PM
Originally Posted at: The Japan Times Online
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Okayama Prefecture is considered Japan's inaka (countryside). When I first came to teach at a university here, my students, who were all from the local small towns, would introduce themselves as being from inaka, and then laugh as if this was the funniest thing in the world. To me, the word "countryside" has a nice image: rolling hills, green grass, and cows. But I get the feeling that inaka in Japanese is more like saying you're from "the sticks." It just doesn't sound as good. "The sticks" sounds kinda scratchy.
Equally confusing, however, is that the definition of inaka in Japanese can include highways, tall buildings and lots of traffic. The image is not the same as small-town living in the United States, for example.
Read More...
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The Japan Times Online
By - 04-16-2010 04:11 PM
Originally Posted at: The Japan Times Online
====================
Okayama Prefecture is considered Japan's inaka (countryside). When I first came to teach at a university here, my students, who were all from the local small towns, would introduce themselves as being from inaka, and then laugh as if this was the funniest thing in the world. To me, the word "countryside" has a nice image: rolling hills, green grass, and cows. But I get the feeling that inaka in Japanese is more like saying you're from "the sticks." It just doesn't sound as good. "The sticks" sounds kinda scratchy.
Equally confusing, however, is that the definition of inaka in Japanese can include highways, tall buildings and lots of traffic. The image is not the same as small-town living in the United States, for example.
Read More...
------------------------------------
The Japan Times Online
