Greetings From Yokohama!

[Ewok85]

Yokohama is a beautiful place, much nicer than Tokyo. Got there one morning when i slept a little too much on the train into school

Btw, Kanagawa is still kantou i beleive.

 

[Riven]

Beautiful pictures PLayaa !! I can guess how much you enjoy !!
Hearing you all talking about it and seeing those pics makes me that I can't go Japan without seeing Yokohama. How far is it from Tokyo ? By trian or Shinkansen ? I will spend 5 days in Tokyo in July (and rest in Chubu, Kansai), I am sure I will miss something if I can't see Yokohama.

 

[playaa]

Yokohama took about 45 minutes...

 

[den4]

It's like gyouza except it's steamed instead of fried. I think in the U.S. they call 'em "pot stickers" in Dim Sum restaurants.

Alt. spell. Shumai

pot stickers are the gyouza.
Shumai, at least in the Trader Joes I've seen locally are merely called Shumai. And yes, they are steamed, not fried, and are good...especially at China Town....where you can go to their yamucha (Dim Sum)

 

[playaa]

By local trains... 35 minutes from Shibuya station on the Toyoku Express Line, cost 400yen ☝

 

[m477]

Hey cool, that's the same hotel I stayed at when I went to Yokohama last year! If you have time, Kamakura is close by and is one of the best historical tourist attractions in all of Japan. Also, now is a good time to go check out Yokosuka if you are a Shenmue fan.

 

[Golgo_13]

I did my best to get some girls, but I do not know how to approach the situation.. So any help on that will be great.. I know it would be better if I could speak in Japanese and say something along the lines of... Excuse me would it be ok for me to take your picture?
Then maybe I could tell them You are very beautiful, Thank you. So if someone can give me the translation for that, much appreciated and my photos would come out better rather then snap shots!

It would be best if you appoach groups of girls instead of someone alone (but you knew that already!).

"Anata tachi wa sugoi kirei dakara shashin tottemo iidesuka?"

Anata tachi = you (plural)
wa = are
sugoi = extremely
kirei = pretty
dakara = therefore
shashin = photograph
tottemo iidesuka = may I take

You owe me big time bro !

 

[Keiichi]

It would be best if you appoach groups of girls instead of someone alone (but you knew that already!).

Yep. go for the groups. It's less intimidating to (a) girl unless you know her.

Hmm... I think I'd like to go to Yokohama too. Sounds like fun since you say it's nice and clean.

 

[Golgo_13]

It's like gyouza except it's steamed instead of fried. I think in the U.S. they call 'em "pot stickers" in Dim Sum restaurants.

Alt. spell. Shumai

Liz,

Also the shape is different. Shumai are round dumplings no bigger than 3 cm in diameter. Gyouza is bigger and half-moon or crescent shaped, and generally contains ground pork and chopped vegetables only. Shumai might come with shrimp, pork, crab, etc. and less veggies. Shumai also has a softer, more delicate dough cover. Try it next time you're in Japan.

Playaa,

Kobe, another port city near Osaka is a bit similar to Yokohama. It also has a China Town and you can get great food there. But no LA Laker who is under indictment for sexual assault! :sorry:

 

[Keiichi]

Also use shoyu with gyouza. It's good and less dry that way. Shumai doesn't really need it, but oh well. Try it anyways.

 

[kirei_na_me]

Oh yes, gyouza with the shoyu/chili oil mixture is so good. I'd take one piece of nikuman over all the shumai and gyouza in the world, though! Gyouza and shumai are also much, much easier to make than nikuman or anman or any other -man. Here I go drooling again...

 

[Lina Inverse]

Walking down the streets of Yokohama it is so beautiful, more so then Tokyo by far, I went into a Zoo and took plenty of pics.. I did my best to get some girls, but I do not know how to approach the situation.. So any help on that will be great.. I know it would be better if I could speak in Japanese and say something along the lines of... Excuse me would it be ok for me to take your picture?
Then maybe I could tell them You are very beautiful, Thank you. So if someone can give me the translation for that, much appreciated and my photos would come out better rather then snap shots!

Ok, I'll try my best to provide you with some translations
First of, it's very important to start off every question with a "sumimasen" (excuse me).

Sumimasen, anata wa daikawaii des(u) yo. Watashi wa shashin suru koto ga dekimas(u) ka? - the (u) is not pronounced
Excuse me, you are very cute. Can I make a photo?

@Golgo13
You translation is off a bit...
Anata tachi wa sugoi kirei dakara shashin tottemo iidesuka?
Anata - you
tachi - plural
wa - particle indicating the subject, cannot be translated
sugoi - often used as interjection with similar meaning as English "cool"
kirei - pretty
dakara - because
shashin - a photo (not 'to photograph')
totemo - (written with one 't'!) absolutely
ii - good
desu - it is
ka - particle that indicates that the sentence is a question, equals a question mark
"You cool pretty because a photo absolutely good is?"

So, your sentence doesn't make much sense, I'm afraid...

 

[Golgo_13]

Ok, I'll try my best to provide you with some translations
First of, it's very important to start off every question with a "sumimasen" (excuse me).

Sumimasen, anata wa daikawaii des(u) yo. Watashi wa shashin suru koto ga dekimas(u) ka? - the (u) is not pronounced
Excuse me, you are very cute. Can I make a photo?

@Golgo13
You translation is off a bit...

So, your sentence doesn't make much sense, I'm afraid...

No, no, no, honey. You're translation is off. Your sentence doesn't make any sense.

"Sumimasen, anata wa daikawaii des(u) yo. Watashi wa shashin suru koto ga dekimas(u) ka?"

WTH is that?!?!?! "Daikawaii"? NO BODY says that. There's no such word.

It's "Sugoku kawaii" or "Totemo kawaii"

People "toru" shashin. NOBODY "suru" shashin.

"Dekimasuka" is asking if one is able to do something.

_______ shitemo iidesuka is asking for a permission to do something. Thus, "Shashin o tottemo iidesuka" is "May I take a photo."

If you don't believe me, go ask Elizabeth.

 

[Keiichi]

I believe Golgo's sentence is correct, including the tranlation (except the wa = are part. Not sure you can translate it like that, but it still works).
I've never heard of daikawaii also. I don't think you can plug "big" to an adjective and it being "very ---".

 

[Lina Inverse]

So Elizabeth told you? It's still wrong, I'm afraid

大 DAI, TAI, oo(ki), oo- big, oo(i ni) much, very (common prefix for superlatives)
大金 (taikin) much money
大可愛い (daikawai) very cute

Alternatively, you could also use "ittate" to mean "very".

"dekiru" simply expresses the ability to do something, nothing more. "dekimasu" is the polite speech level. It is not asking people for something.
See this page for the proper use of "dekiru":
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/dekiru.htm

 

[Elizabeth]

I think Golgo is correct as well. The mo ii form is more like permission to still call someone even if it's late in the evening or use someone else's belongings or something, so taking their picture would fall under that category. But I'm at work and really don't have time to think clearly about it now.

 

[den4]

It would be best if you appoach groups of girls instead of someone alone (but you knew that already!).

"Anata tachi wa sugoi kirei dakara shashin tottemo iidesuka?"

Anata tachi = you (plural)
wa = are
sugoi = extremely
kirei = pretty
dakara = therefore
shashin = photograph
tottemo iidesuka = may I take

You owe me big time bro !

heh heh heh...sounds like nampa shiterundesu ne

 

[Elizabeth]

I think Golgo is correct as well. The mo ii form is more like permission to still call someone even if it's late in the evening or use someone else's belongings or something, so taking their picture would fall under that category. May I as opposed to can I? But I'm at work and really don't have time to think clearly about it now.

 

[kirei_na_me]

Lina, my husband is a native Japanese person and he says it doesn't really make any sense. He says Golgo's is perfect and 'normal' Japanese. Golgo is Japanese, after all.

Besides, almost everyone in Japan can understand the English phrase, "may I/can I take picture?", I think.

 

[Lina Inverse]

Lina, my husband is a native Japanese person and he says it doesn't really make any sense. He says Golgo's is perfect and 'normal' Japanese. Golgo is Japanese, after all.

Besides, almost everyone in Japan can understand the English phrase, "may I/can I take picture?", I think.

Well, if you say so... it's still not very polite though.
Besides that, Golgo isn't Japanese. He's a native New Yorker and is now living in Los Angeles (look here).

 

[kirei_na_me]

I don't want to answer for Golgo, but Golgo was born in Japan and came to the U.S. when he was a child. Maybe 9 years old? He should be here soon to answer.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

Good Thing.....

playaa ain't drowning, by the time you decided who was the best to throw the life-ring, he'd be going down for the final time!!

Frank

 

[kirei_na_me]

I am husband of kirei_na_me. First one(Golgo's) is totally fine. Nobody is going to get mad if you ask that way. That's not proper written Japanese language, but that's 'normal' speaking language. That's not impolite. Nothing is missing, nothing is 'too much'.

By the way, 'daikawaii' is never said. 'Dai' means big, literally. It doesn't mean 'very'. If you say 'ittate' kawaii, people will think you are weird, because that is very old fashioned written Japanese.

"Daikawaii"? NO BODY says that. There's no such word.

It's "Sugoku kawaii" or "Totemo kawaii"

People "toru" shashin. NOBODY "suru" shashin.

"Dekimasuka" is asking if one is able to do something.

_______ shitemo iidesuka is asking for a permission to do something. Thus, "Shashin o tottemo iidesuka" is "May I take a photo."

All of this is correct.

 

[Elizabeth]

"dekiru" simply expresses the ability to do something, nothing more. "dekimasu" is the polite speech level. It is not asking people for something.
See this page for the proper use of "dekiru":
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/dekiru.htm

It isn't, you are correct there. Dekiru is a statement of ability or logical possibility. Which is why it isn't used for asking permission. Can I take your picture is a question of whether you can use a camera. May I is a polite way to sidestep inconveniencing and embarrassing anyone.

 

[Lina Inverse]

Well, in German it's common consens to ask "can I" (Kann ich) when asking for permission. "May I" (darf ich) is considered as old-fashined and overly polite and would get you odd looks most times.