Nov 23

WIT Life #58: 勤労感謝の日

Anecdote Article, Japan Trends, Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life Add Comment (2)

WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Translator/Interpreter/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03).  Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.

As we get ready to prepare our turkeys, stuff ourselves silly and max out on football, yesterday Japan celebrated their own day of appreciation with 勤労感謝の日(kinrou kansha no hi) or Labor Thanksgiving Day.  More than anything else this gave Japanese citizens a three day weekend to relax and enjoy.  The keyword for how this long weekend was spent was 「安・近・感」 (an/kin/kan), meaning “cheap, close and feeling.”  The first two words are self-explanatory, and the last one refers to the experience, such as getting a sense of the season.

For Tokyoites, this meant to going to places like famous hot springs area Hakone for some soaking and leaf watching.  One tourist stated her reason for coming with her family as, “Hakone is close to home and we wanted to see the leaves changing color.”  From Tokyo Hakone is easily accessible by train, but with the newly implemented 1000 yen flat highway fee the holiday roads were congested with cars.

An even more local spot that is pleasing denizens of Tokyo is 皇居 (koukyo), or the environs of the Imperial Palace.  Known as “runners’ paradise,” this roughly 5K loop surrounding the residence of Japan’s imperial family has a variety of scenery that keeps athletes as well as walkers and tourists entertained.  In response to the recent running boom in Japan (approximated to have started when the Tokyo Marathon was instituted in 2007), some shower and changing room facilities have been built by the palace.  Previously runners’ only option for getting clean after a workout were nearby sentos, but those interviewed on this morning’s news unanimously agreed that it was much more convenient now.

For those of you here who are lucky enough to have a four-day Thanksgiving weekend, does 「安・近・感」 come close to describing how you will be spending it?  In this battered economy, chances are similar patterns will be seen here in the States as well.