2003年04月07日 月曜日
Silly Japanese on American T-Shirts
by Joichi Ito
Humor
People are always making fun of stupid English on Japanese T-Shirts. Well here's a site that sells stupid Japanese on American T-Shirts. Thanks Kevin and Dave!
Posted by Joichi Ito at 2003年04月07日 16:13
Comments
Wow - that's a wild series of joke shirts you found there Joi! If I was a real punk, I'd try wearing this shirt around the palace: "Respect the Emperor, Expel the Foreign Barbarians." What would the <a href="http://www3.tky.3web.ne.jp/~edjacob/fringe.html">black trucks</a> think? Maybe they would be confused. Maybe they would think we were both talking about other foreign groups. Maybe they would punch me in the teeth! Most of these shirts made me laugh in shock and even cover my mouth - if I ever saw a foreigner wearing them in Japan? I'd think they were brave, maybe boorish depending. Bravo for using humor to hit touchy issues! In the streets, or a crowded subway, I think these would make people very uncomfortable, and maybe that's not the worst thing - challenging assumptions. Or affirming them, in the case of some of these shirts!
Many of these shirts are absolutely hilarious--and some I don't understand. For example, does anyone have insight into the origins of the phrase お前の母ちゃんは出臍 ("your mother has a protruding navel")? I've never heard it before and, judging from the description on the website, it's the kind of phrase that's insulting just because someone arbitrarily deemed it as such, not because of anything literal. Perhaps something along the lines of "You're a monkey's uncle!"?
As an entirely tangential thought, this post calls to mind Abercrombie & Fitch's <a href="http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13294">incendiary line of t-shirts</a> last Spring.
お前の母ちゃんは出臍 is a long-standing insult among Japanese kids. It's kind of old fashioned so you probably don't hear kids these days saying it.
I don't know, some definitely had their funnies, but I think it simply add's to the Japanese cultural presumption that the stereotypical foreigner is clueless in this country. The humourous English on Japanese items is mostly from odd gramatical mistakes ("this drink you new life it bring!"); the "humourous Japanese" text on those shirts (some of them incorrect -- へのへのもへじ is missing the じ) ultimately begs the question "Who gets the last laugh?"
...um i think if i could read japanese characters and i saw someone wearing the "Dirty American Devil" t-shirt in Japan, particularly the camo one, i would think they were a belligerent asshole. i guess it would depend on who was weariing it though. ok...if i saw this guy wearing that shirt, i might throw something at him. I might throw something at him if he was wearing the "looking for japanese girlfriend" shirt too. but then again, maybe i'm being hypersensitive...
damnit! i still have probs with "simple html..."
<a href="http://home.nycap.rr.com/martytheparty/bio.ht5.jpg">THIS</a> guy might get my coffee tossed at him.
From my limited exposure to Japanese culture I don't think most of these shirts would go over very well if I wore them walking the streets in Tokyo.
However, I know my Japanese friends here in the States would find it hilarious were I wearing any of them (particularly the "looking for Japanese boyfriend" shirt). My guess, though, is these shirts would only be found funny as an inside joke between Japanese & Americans who knew each other.
My take? I've told all my friends to order them for me for my birthday and Christmas!
This is funny that there is a site about this because my boyfriend & I, who are American & are currently living in Fukuoka, Japan, are always laughing at the English shirts that Japanese people wear. They make absolutely no sense! The English is so grammatically wrong that it makes the people wearing them look dumb. More than anything, sorry for them that they are wearing something that they probably think means something when in fact all of the shirts we have seen mean nothing at all. As far as Americans wearing shirts with Japanese on them....that is extremely rare. You just don't see that in America. If so it's usually one character & there's nothing wrong or ridiculous about that.
Cookie-
I guess you have been overseas a while? Everyone here is wearing shirts with Japanese writing on them. you can get them at places like Abercrombie, etc... I wish I knew Japanese so I could point and snicker, as you do overe there.. :)
I love Japan English shirts. I don't usually have any trouble understanding what they mean and the grammar has a nice charm to it. I find them much more interesting than the stupid shirts I see written in English in the States. (Top Ten reasons to drink Beer on the Friday night *gag*)
Some of them are even quite poetic. But then again, it doesn't surprise me that people laugh at them--I mean people laugh at the way African Americans talk too and often times that lexicon is more communicative that more mainstream English
Nice blog, just wanted to say I found you through Google
Nice page!
Just wondering if anyone knows where I can buy good Japanese T-shirts. Not too stupid, though!! =P
Here's a few shops at cafepress.com that sell Japanese shirts:
Baka Gaijin "Stupid Foreigner" Gear
Younin "Undercover Ninja" Gear
Kunoichi "Female Ninja" Gear
I bought a Baka Gaijin hoodie and an undercover ninja tee-shirt and I really like them.
Enjoy!
Another worth a try is this Jsign shop. They have a heavy emphasis on Japanese road signs/entry signs.warning signs I think. Some good stuff though.
JSign
I especially like the chikan train pervert one and the money tshirt .
Oh , Cookie !
You'll be surprised just how many Japanese actually know what those shirts mean. When I see engrish and ask my Japanese friends what it means they are amazed I don't understand. They seem to understand it perfectly.
e.g A tshirt with "Be evolved in the happy pastime of your pleasure"
Make no sense to me . But Japanese will know straight away that it means "Try harder every year" . Odd