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Greetings from American Expat in Shibuya

Shibuyaexpat

先輩
19 Jan 2005
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Hi all! This seems like a very fun and lively forum.

Please allow me to introduce myself. Technically, I'm from the States (specifically, San Diego, Calif.), but have had a very gypsy-esque upbringing: born in S. Korea, lived in Germany and France (until 3 yrs old), lived in Tokyo (age 4-5), went back to S. Korea, and then grew in States (7 States). Next stop, maybe London or Germany, depending upon which way the wind blows.

Am currently working for a major Japanese corporation, and trying to survive on my non-existent Japanese language skills. (Having an Asian face, I am not afforded the Japanese-at-reduced-speeds or direct-to-English as my Caucasian counterparts). Thus far, living here has been one side-splitting adventure after another. Case in point: I recently went on a business trip in Shizuoka and started to talk with a Japanese co-worker. He mentioned that my group has many beautiful women. Knowing that some of them had expressed interest in going out after work, and trying to be sociable with my new acquaintance, I was thinking that a "group date" would be a good idea. Having a vague recollection of the word, I blurted out "we should do a go-kan with some of the women." At which time, his face turned completely white (not to mention the face of my boss who is a woman). He kindly (and silently) corrected my error (go-kon, not go-kan) and I've been terrified of the latter word ever since...
 
Welcome to the forum ShibuyaExpatirate!
I hope you have tons of fun with us.
You probably already know, but the lang. support threads are excellent,
and your old Japanese should come back in no time!
By the way, that was a great story! 🎈
 
Konnichiwa Shibuyaexpat-san!

Welcome and Hajimemashite. Please never use "go-kan". 😄
Yoroshiku ne! 🙂

NANGI
 
I'm even stupider than Fantt. What's go-kon?

JREF dict tell me go-kon is ナ津ェツ債ェ "word root."
It also says go-kan ナ津敘?ツキ "exchange."
 
JustJosh said:
So maybe they thought he was interested in partner swapping. :D
You may be right.
So here's my hasty conclusion:

Swapping isn't cool on your first group date in Japan in a business context.
Squabble or etymology is more preferable.
For example, "What is the root of Asahi dry?"
I think I'll enjoy that line of dating! :D
 
Fantt said:
Ok. I'm stupid. What's go-kan?

Well, to answer lexico first, go-kon is a group date. As I understand it, the way it works is that a guy and a girl invite their respective friends (girl invites girls, guy invites guys) and they meet to have dinner (typically) and then if things go well, drinks, dancing, etc. In Korea, it's called "mi-ting."

Now, Fantt, go-kan is...well...this is embarassing, but, it means rape. Definitely not a word you want to mistakenly throw around. Still, it's those embarassing moments that make you remember things, I guess.
 
I was just told this story by a female coworker who studied in the States:

Growing up in Japan, she'd always been interested in what all the excitement over Halloween :halloween was over in the U.S. Well, when she got into an American college, she was determined to find out, and upon meeting her freshman year, dorm-mate, she asked in a VERY heavy Japanese accent, "Where's the Halloween party?" :win: Her roommate, who had been very charming and welcoming suddenly became curt and snapped back, "I don't know!" Perplexed by this response, she thought that she would ask another dorm-mate. She was equally surprised by this second person's similar reaction. :auch: After a couple of days, and with Halloween drawing near, she was getting desperate :unsure: and asked her roomate once again. Finally, the roommate responded, "Listen! I don't know what things you're used to in Japan, but in America, we don't advertise HEROIN parties!!" :bikkuri:
 
ツ坂?。ニ坦ニ停?慊 ツ「gou-konツ」ツ comes from ツ坂?。窶慊ッニ坦ニ停?愴恥ニ男ニ棚ニ停?慊 ツ「goudou konpanionnツ」
It means basically group blind date followed with orgy.

ax
 
Advertising Opium in the US

Shibuyaexpat said:
the roommate responded, "Listen! I don't know what things you're used to in Japan, but in America, we don't advertise HEROIN parties!!" :bikkuri:
Thanks for sharing that, ShibuyaExpat. It's amusing to see that the Japanese girl could distinguish between /hae:louwi:n/ and /heroin/, but her American friend could not between /harowin/ and /heroin/. This seems to support one observation by a linguist that consonants have more weight in distinguishing words than vowels. Of course with the exception of people attuned to the sounds of inggurishi!

Your story reminds me of my first year in the US, or was it the second. I heard on the radio an advertisement of "Opium!" It was repeated several times, by an enticing, female voice, seemingly under the influence. I remember it was for a certain department store, although I will not mention its name. I had expected that certain "corrupt" Americans were so degenerate that they wasted their busy lives in the pursuit of intoxication, but that was too much for me. For heven's sake, kids might have been listening to that radio commercial!

Consequently I picked up my telephone book, got their number, and called up the radio station. They tried very hard to explain to me that it was only the name of a perfume, but I was already so infuriated, that it made little difference. I kept shouting into the phone, "It is wrong, wrong, wrong! You cannot advertise using the name OPIUM! You are a bad influence to the whole population!" Eventually I hung up, and calmed down. They were obviously mixing some humor in the commercial, but it was so artless that a foreigner fresh off the plane like me could hardly find any amusement in it! I can laugh about it now, but I still hate shallow marketing schemes that lack originality.
 
sounds like wild advertising...Opium......but radio shows these days will do anything for a buck...and that is sad :(
 
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