Japanese Lesson from Games: Nobody on the Right

Posted on December 30, 2019 by japannewbie

Fire Emblem Three Houses is FILLED with advanced Japanese phrases and vocabulary. The game is entirely voiced, and you can replay any dialog you want as long as you don’t leave the dialog sequence. The Nintendo Switch is region free, and many (not all) games, including Fire Emblem, have the full Japanese text and audio available in the U.S. release of the game. No need to import from Japan! This is an amazing resource for gamers who are learning Japanese. Here’s my latest grab!

Fire Emblem Vocab - Migi ni Deru — migi ni deru mono ha inai yo na

Japanese: 右に出る者はいない

Hiragana: みぎにでるものはいない

Romaji: migi ni deru mono ha inai

Literal Meaning: No one comes to your/his/her right.

This expression is used to indicate that someone is top of their class, a master of their profession. When lined up in order of skill, no one will be placed ahead of them.

Apparently, back in the day, it was typical for formal Japanese settings to be arranged so that people of higher rank, or more seniority, would be positioned on the right.

I tweeted this as well! Check my Twitter account @Japannewbie for more occasional Japanese language tidbits from games.

Tokyo Friends Club

Posted on December 7, 2019 by japannewbie

I was looking through my old blog archives and came across a post I wrote in 2002 about a Tokyo Friends party that I went to in Tokyo. I checked the hyperlink to see if it was still alive, and wow! They still exist!

I have no idea what their events are like now, but back in the day it was a cheap and easy way to meet other young foreigners and Japanese interested in interacting with foreigners and practicing their English.

If anyone has been more recently than I… say within the last 15 years, let me know what it was like!

Naoshima, Japan’s Art Island

Posted on December 7, 2019 by japannewbie

If you’ve been to Japan a few times and are looking for a new destination, or if you’re just way into art and handmade items, I highly recommend Naoshima, sometimes referred to as Japan’s art island.

I went to Naoshima in 2005. Looking back at my notes from that visit, I notice that I wrote that the entire island had only one cafe, called Cafe Maruya. It looks like Cafe Maruya’s blog hasn’t been updated since 2012.

I’m sure there are literally dozens of cafe’s on Naoshima now. Dozens!

If you plan to visit Naoshima, I’d recommend at least staying for two days. There’s a lot to see and it’s a long trip.

Here’s a solid Naoshima video from Nov 2019.