The Japanese often take something very simple from the English language and develop it further than we have. Adverts for vitamin drinks aimed at salarymen who need something, anything to keep them alive through their excruciating working day, offer the chance to "pawaa uppu!" (power up). I've also heard of people taking a "steppu uppu" in their careers.
The other day I saw a sign by the roadside urging drivers to be attentive to one another, to "manaa uppu." I'd love to use this term when someone's speaking too loud on their mobile on the train back in London - "Manner up, biatch!"
I guess this "uppu" logic could be applied to the history of the Japanese nation: long periods of quiet followed by short bursts of turmoil, whether it be the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 or the rise to fascism by 1939/41. Ie, when things go wrong in Japan, they really fukku uppu.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment