一つの方法だけに... / 人々も社会の「きまり」 ... / 八年間日本にいた私は...

[eeky]

Hi, I hope these are my last questions on this wretched text about the Japanese "rule-based" society that I am finding so tough!

1. This sentence directly follows the sentence しかし、これがタイの悪いところだとも言い切れない that I asked about previously:

一つの方法だけにこだわらないということは、場合によ っては視野の広い判断を下すことを可能にする。

My translation:

場合によっては = Depending on the circumstances,
可能にする = it is possible to
視野の広い判断を下すことを = judge (things) with a wide outlook
一つの方法だけにこだわらないということは = (and) not be preoccupied with just one method (of doing something).

Assuming this is not a million miles away:

a) What is the function of the first は? It doesn't seem to be marking a topic; is it contrastive somehow? I'm conscious also that I may not have properly accounted for "という".

b) What is the exact function of にする?

c) How does 視野の広い判断を下す work grammatically? I'm assuming 判断を下す means "pass judgement" but I'm not sure how 視野の広い connects with it grammatically. Is it like 視野の(=が)広い判断 = "judgement that has a wide outlook"?


2. 人々も社会の「きまり」に縛られなくて、精神的に余裕がある。タイにあこがれているある日本人の若者が、 タイには社会に縛られていることから解放される快感が あると語ってくれた。

Out of this I get: "People (in Thailand) are not bound by the rules of society and (so) have room to think. Some Japanese youths who are attracted to Thailand have told me that, in Thailand, they experience a pleasant feeling of liberation because they are bound to society."

a) This doesn't make any sense. It would make sense if the last part said *not* bound to society. Where am I going wrong?

b) Also, in the second sentence, are the Japanese youths saying that they, the youths, feel that way when they are in Thailand? Or are they making a more general statement about how people feel in Thailand generally?


3. 八年間日本にいた私は、いつの間にか日本社会の「きま り」になじんでしまって、タイで働く日本人と同様、タ イの「何もきまらない」ところにいらいらしはじめてい る。

My attempted translation: "I have been in Japan for eight years, and, before knowing it, I have grown accustomed to the rules of Japanese society, in just the same way as Japanese people working in Thailand begin to get frustrated at Thailand's lack of rules."

The "in just the same way" part of this makes no sense: in fact, the two outcomes (growing accustomed and getting frustrated) are virtually opposite. What have I misunderstood?

 

[undrentide]

1. 一つの方法だけにこだわらないということは、場合によ っては視野の広い判断を下すことを可能にする。

My translation:

場合によっては = Depending on the circumstances,
可能にする = it is possible to
視野の広い判断を下すことを = judge (things) with a wide outlook
一つの方法だけにこだわらないということは = (and) not be preoccupied with just one method (of doing something).

a) What is the function of the first は? It doesn't seem to be marking a topic; is it contrastive somehow? I'm conscious also that I may not have properly accounted for "という".

は often indicates there's alternatives.
場合によっては depending on the situation (sometimes it does, sometimes it does not, etc.)

b) What is the exact function of にする?

は often indicates there's alternatives.
場合によっては depending on the situation (sometimes it does, sometimes it does not, etc.)

b) What is the exact function of にする?

to make.
可能にする to make (something) possible

c) How does 視野の広い判断を下す work grammatically? I'm assuming 判断を下す means "pass judgement" but I'm not sure how 視野の広い connects with it grammatically. Is it like 視野の(=が)広い判断 = "judgement that has a wide outlook"?
/QUOTE]

Yes, your interpretation is correct.

2. 人々も社会の「きまり」に縛られなくて、精神的に余裕がある。タイにあこがれているある日本人の若者が、 タイには社会に縛られていることから解放される快感が あると語ってくれた。

Out of this I get: "People (in Thailand) are not bound by the rules of society and (so) have room to think. Some Japanese youths who are attracted to Thailand have told me that, in Thailand, they experience a pleasant feeling of liberation because they are bound to society."

a) This doesn't make any sense. It would make sense if the last part said *not* bound to society. Where am I going wrong?

タイには in Thailand
社会に縛られていることから解放される快感 pleasant feeling of being released from the social bound
がある exists
と語ってくれた。 told

「社会に縛られていること」から解放される modifies 快感
Some Japanese youths who are yearning for Thailand told that they found in Thailand a pleasant feeling of being released from being bound to the society.

Does this make sense?

b) Also, in the second sentence, are the Japanese youths saying that they, the youths, feel that way when they are in Thailand? Or are they making a more general statement about how people feel in Thailand generally?

It could be either. General feeling I get from the sentence is, though, it is something they find/experience themselves (cannot tell the reason for it - maybe the culture of the society in Thailand is different from that of Japan, or they simply do not realize there's different rules in Thailand so they feel there's none that bind them.)

3. 八年間日本にいた私は、いつの間にか日本社会の「きま り」になじんでしまって、タイで働く日本人と同様、タ イの「何もきまらない」ところにいらいらしはじめてい る。

My attempted translation: "I have been in Japan for eight years, and, before knowing it, I have grown accustomed to the rules of Japanese society, in just the same way as Japanese people working in Thailand begin to get frustrated at Thailand's lack of rules."

The "in just the same way" part of this makes no sense: in fact, the two outcomes (growing accustomed and getting frustrated) are virtually opposite. What have I misunderstood?

Having lived in Japan for eight years, I've got quite accustomed to the rule of Japanese society without knowing it, and (as the result) is getting frustrated at Thailand's lack of rules just as the Japanese working in Japan.
(Accustomed to Japanese culture, the writer is reacting to Thai culture in the same way as Japanese people.)

 

[Toritoribe]

a) What is the function of the first は? It doesn't seem to be marking a topic; is it contrastive somehow? I'm conscious also that I may not have properly accounted for "という".

If you are asking about は in こだわらないということは, it's a topic marker, and also indicating the subject.

Not to be preoccupied with just one method makes it possible to judge (things) with a wide outlook.

b) Also, in the second sentence, are the Japanese youths saying that they, the youths, feel that way when they are in Thailand? Or are they making a more general statement about how people feel in Thailand generally?

ある日本人の若者 means "a Japanese youth", and not the plural.

 

[eeky]

Thank you both. Everything is clear now, except one more small question ...

ある日本人の若者 means "a Japanese youth", and not the plural.

Is this because of ある? I mean, ある in this usage always signifies the singular?

 

[Toritoribe]

ある can mean both of "a certain" and "some" depending on the context.

ある日本人の若者が、語ってくれた。
ある者はタイにあこがれ、ある者はタイにいらだってい る。

But, in the example sentence, the one who has told the writer would be a specific single person. If it refers to "they", I would use something like ある日本人の若者たち, 何人かの日本人の若者 instead.