Japanese Basics

I thought this would be neat to share some basic phrases with you all:


Domo (dohh-moh; Thank you or Hi!)

le (eee-eh; No or Don't mention it.)

Hai (hah-ee; Yes)

Wakarimasen (wah-kah-ree-mah-sen; I don't understand.)

Shiriiriasen (she-ree-mah-sen; I don't know the answer to that question.)

Zenzen (zehn-zehn; Not at all or It was nothing.)

Ii desu ne (ee-ee deh-soo neh; That's a great idea!)

Yatta(yaht-tah; Yahoo! I did it.)

Gambatte(gahm-baht-teh; Go for it! or Try your best!)

Omedeto (oh-meh-deh-tohh; Congratulations!)

Yokoso (yohh-koh-soh; Welcome!)

Shinpai shinaide (sheen-pah-ee shee-nah-ee-deh; Don't worry!)

Makasete (mah-kahTseh-teh; Count on me!)

So, so (sohh, sohh; You're right, you're right!) Used when you agree with someone's statement. This phrase is similar to what you mean when you say "yeah" in the middle of an English conversation just to let the other person know that you're listening.

Dame (dah-meh; You're not allowed to do that or That's bad!) Used when you want to stop someone from doing something or when you want to say that something is bad or impermissible. You'd never say this phrase to a superior or to someone older than you. You can say it to children, siblings, or very close friends.

Enryo shinaide (Don't be shy)

Japanese guests often refuse food or drink offers at least once. If you're the host, say enryo shinaide (ehn-ryoh shee-nah-ee-deh).

Mottainai (What a Waste/It's too qood)

Say mottainai (moht-tah-ee-nah-ee) to object to waste. You can also say it if someone lacks a true appreciation for something valuable.

Osakini (Pardon me, but I'm ieavinq now)

When you have to leave a gathering early, say osakini (oh-sah-kee-nee; literally means earlier) to display your thoughtfulness for others.

Sasuga (I'm impressed by you, as usual)

Sasuga (sah-soo-gah) literally means "as might have been expected," but it's commonly used as a compliment. If a friend wins a competition, say pasuga.

Gambatte (Try your best!)

The Japanese believe that the effort is more important than the result. If a friend's going to take an important exam, say gambatte (gahm-baht-teh) to her.

Shoganai (There's no choice/There's nothing that can be done)

When you're in a jam and none of the possible solutions will work well, choose one and say shoganai (shohh-gah-nah-ee), which shows that you've resigned yourself to the situation.

Okage-sama de (Luckily/Thanks to you)

If someone asks ogenki desu ka (oh-gehn-kee deh-soo kah; How are you?), answer with the modest okage-sama de (oh-kah-geh-sah-mah de) rather than genki desu (gehn-kee deh-soo; I'm fine). The original meaning is that your well-being is due to God and others, including the person you're talking to.

Gokuro-sama (Thank you for your trouble)

If you're the boss, say gokur5-sama (goh-koo-rohh-sah-mah) to each of your workers when they say good-bye to you at the end of the day.

yoroshiku (Pleased to meet you/1 appreciate your helping me)

You can say yoroshiku (yoh-roh-shee-koo) when you first meet someone, as in you're pleased to meet him. You can also say it after asking a favor of someone, in which case it means "I appreciate your helping me."

Taihen desu ne (That's tough)

Use this phrase to show sympathy, such as when your friend tells you about her difficulties.

Kamakura Era

n 1185, the Minamoto family took over the control over Japan after defeating the Taira clan in the Gempei war. Minamoto Yoritomo was appointed shogun in the year 1192 and established a new government, the Kamakura Bakufu. The new feudal government was organized in a simpler way than the one in Kyoto and worked much more efficient under Japanese conditions.

After Yoritomo's death in 1199, quarrels for supremacy started between the Bakufu of Kamakura and the Imperial court in Kyoto. Those quarrels for supremacy found an end in the Jokyu disturbance in 1221 when Kamakura defeated the Imperial army in Kyoto, and the Hojo regents in Kamakura achieved complete control over Japan. By redistributing the land gained during the Jokyu disturbance, they were able to achieve loyalty among all the powerful people throughout the country. The emperor and the remaining governmental offices in Kyoto lost practically all effective power.

Chinese influence continued to be relatively strong during the Kamakura period. New Buddhist sects were introduced: the Zen sect (introduced 1191) found large numbers of followers among the samurai, which were now the leading social class. Another new Buddhist sect, the radical and intolerant Lotus Sutra sect was founded in 1253 by Nichiren.

In 1232 a legal code, the Joei Shikimoku was promulgated. It stressed Confucian values such as the importance of loyalty to the master, and generally attempted to suppress a decline of morals and discipline. Tight control was maintained by the Hojo clan, and any signs of rebellions were destroyed immediately.

The shogun stayed in Kamakura without much power while deputies of him were located in Kyoto and Western Japan. Stewards and constables controlled the provinces tightly and loyally. Indeed, the Hojo regents were able to bring several decades of peace and economic expansion to the country until an external power began to threaten Japan.

By 1259, the Mongols had conquered China and became also interested in Japan. Several threatening messages of the powerful Mongols were ignored by Kamakura. This resulted in the first Mongol invasion attempt in 1274 on the island of Kyushu. After only a few hours of fighting, however, the large naval invasion fleet, was forced to pull back because of bad weather conditions. This was very fortunate for the Japanese since their odds against the large and modern Mongol force were not favourable at all.

Due to good preparations, the Japanese were able to maintain a strong defence for several weeks during a second invasion attempt which occurred in 1281. But again, the Mongols were finally forced to withdraw mainly because of bad weather. Kyushu remained in alert for a possible third invasion attempt, but the Mongols soon had too many problems on the mainland in order to care about Japan.

The consequences of the many years of war preparations against the Mongols were fatal to the Kamakura government since they resulted only in expenditures and no profits. Many of the loyal men who were fighting for Kamakura, were now waiting for rewards that the government could not pay. Hence, financial problems and decreasing loyalty among the powerful lords were some of the reasons for the fall of the Kamakura government.

By 1333 the power of the Hojo regents had declined to such a degree that the emperor Go-Daigo was able to restore imperial power and overthrow the Kamakura Bakufu.

Edo to Tokyo

Edo era (1603-1867)

It was not until 400 years ago that today's one of the largest cities in the
world, Tokyo, or former called Edo, came into the stage of history.

Ieyasu Tokugawa won the battle of Sekigahara in 1600, the most important battle in the history of Japan, and soon took control of the country. In 1603, he established his government in Edo.

Kyoto remained as the official capital, for the emperor stayed there, but it was the Shogun Ieyasu who was the most powerful man in the country.
Soon, people and economy started to gather in the new city in the east.

Ieyasu dedicated his life in making the basis of Tokugawa family Shogunate which he succeeded, and his successor kept on ruling the country for more than 250 years, until 1867.

This was the period called Edo era. People lived mostly in peace, and culture like Kabuki or Ukiyo-e bloomed. The population of the city was already over a million in the 18th century.

In 1853, American general Perry came over to Japan with 4 battle ships huge enough to frighten people of Edo, who had not experienced war for over 2 centuries. Perry demanded Edo government to open the country, that had been closed long against foreign countries.

This started the Meiji restoration - end of Tokugawa shogunate and the
restoration of imperial rule, through civil wars and great confusion.
In 1868, the emperor moved to Edo and renamed the city to Tokyo. Thus, Tokyo became the capital of Japan both officially and substantially.


Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa era (1868-1945)

From the hunger for foreign culture, and the fear of the country falling more behind from western countries, people of Japan, especially those in Tokyo, absorbed western civilization greedily. Telecommunication service started in 1869 and the steam locomotive in 1872. People started paving roads, and built western styled buildings with bricks and stones.

Nothing seemed to stop the modernization, but in September 1923, Great Kanto Earthquake broke down the city. Actually it was more the fire that caused the damage - 140,000 deaths and 440,000 building demolitions, equivalent to 1.4 times the national budget at that time.

People had to build up the city once again from rubble, but their desperateness lead to the opening of subway in 1927, Haneda airport in 1931, and Tokyo port in 1941.
But at the same time, Japan started to follow militarism, and the war with the United States, began. Tokyo was air-bombed nearly 130 times, among which the largest attack on March 10th 1945, killing 100,000 Tokyo residents.

When Tokyo fell into the hands of American troops in August 1945, the population of the city had fallen to 3 million, about the half of the number before the war.


Showa and Heisei era (1946-)

Under the control of general McAurther and the American GHQ (general headquarters), Tokyo started its third regeneration. In 1947 the new constitution came into effect, and in 1949, the 23 special ward system started in the present style.

In 1952, GHQ left Tokyo and Japan regained its sovereignty. But it was the Tokyo olympic games in 1964 that made Japanese people feel the real restoration. Same year, Shinkan-sen (bullet train) started its service between Tokyo and Osaka.

This period through 60's and 70's that gained rapid growth is called "high-level economic growth period". Though it came to an end in 1973 by the oil shock, Japan's economy started to boom again in the 80's - but this time, thing were different.

Land and stock prices went sky high. Banks were so confident that the rise would never stop, so they would ask companies to make huge loans to buy more land. It seemed impossible for an average citizen to buy a house in Tokyo.

But, the next decade came with the burst of the economic bubble. No one believed that a bank would go bankrupt, but even major banks had to face tough realities.
90's in Japan is called "a decade lost". The economy remained stagnant, or went even worth.

Now, four years after the arrival of the new century, signs of recovery started to show at last.

And Tokyo is trying to open a new phase, as a true international city. Under the government run "Yokoso! - welcome Japan campaign", Tokyo is trying to archive visits of foreign people more than ever. The goal is 10 million people annually by the year 2010.