Japan
Love & Ramen
Now that I know what the title means, it’s time to take a stab at translating the lyrics. There’s at least one line I have little faith in, and four that simply can’t be translated in a way that preserves the line breaks from the original. And, of course, there’s the subtitle.
From That Sky ～替え玉は硬メンで～
From that sky – “Hey ramen vendor, put some more noodles in this!”
歌詞：つんく 作曲：つんく 編曲：鈴木俊介
買い物行ったら定休日
しょんぼりしてたら
電話がかかってきて
デートが大決定
When I went shopping the store was closed. I was feeling down-hearted, when I got a phone call. Dating is a big decision.
スカートボタンがとまらない
がっくりきてたら
電話がかかってきて
バイキングの誘い
あらま どうしましょう
The skirt button that won’t stay put was breaking my heart, when I got a phone call, inviting me out for smorgasbord. Oh, no, what shall I do?
想像してたのと
なんか違う２１世紀
空飛ぶ車よりほら
やっぱKISSでしょうね
The 21st Century is somehow different than I’d imagined. Hey! If we can’t have flying cars, at least there’s kissing, right?
From That Sky 羽ばたけ
自由な発想で
From that sky, flap your wings with the idea of freedom!
From That Sky 彼方へ
勝利の女神さ
私が女神さ
From that sky, to beyond, the goddess of victory! I’m the goddess!
サウナに行ったら風邪引いた
ゾクッとしてたら
あいつが来てくれた
やばい！スッピンだわ
眉毛 描かなくちゃ
When I went to the sauna, I caught a cold. When I had the chills, he came to see me. Awful! I wasn’t wearing makeup. My eyebrows weren’t drawn!
想像してたより
のんびり２１世紀
並んででも食べたいのよ
有名ラーメン
The 21st Century is more easy-going than I’d imagined. Famous ramen that I want to eat, even though there’s a line.
From That Sky 轟け
未来の恋人へ
From that sky, roar [like thunder] toward a future lover!
From That Sky 恋する
勝利の女神さ
私が女神さ
From that sky, the goddess of romantic victory! I’m the goddess!
From That Sky 羽ばたけ
自由な発想で
From that sky, flap your wings with the idea of freedom!
From That Sky 彼方へ
勝利の女神さ
From that sky, to beyond, the goddess of victory!
From That Sky 轟け
未来の恋人へ
From that sky, roar [like thunder] toward a future lover.
From That Sky 恋する
勝利の女神さ
From that sky, the goddess of romantic victory!
From That Sky 轟け
未来の恋人へ
From that sky, roar [like thunder] toward a future lover!
From That Sky 恋する
勝利の女神さ 私が女神さ
From that sky, the goddess of romantic victory! I’m the goddess!
Cultural notes: another helping
The opening song on the Aya The Witch concert dvd is pretty darn good. It’s the sort of rock song that Aya Matsuura wasn’t really capable of when she recorded it at age 16 (iTunes preview), but pulls off very nicely at 21 (Youtube) (updated many years later to a still-valid link).
But what the hell does it mean? It’s one of the many that’s missing a translation at the Project Hello lyrics site, and their quick attempt to translate the title was obviously wrong.
From That Sky～替え玉は硬メンで～
"From That Sky -- The Substitute Is Rigid"
Romanized, the subtitle is “kaedama wa kata-men de”, where most dictionaries will tell you that kaedama means “substitute, stand-in”, kata means “hard”, and the most plausible choices for the phonetically written “men” are either 面 = “face; mask; surface” or, well, “men”. Someone associated with the site gave it their best shot and gave up.
JMdict has an obscure second meaning for kaedama, though, and when I saw it, I understood:
second serving (ball) of noodles (to add to previously purchased ramen)
While ramen is often thought of as typical Japanese food, it’s a Chinese import, and the name is always spelled phonetically as ラーメン. And as any poor college student knows, the noodles are often sold dried. Hard, that is. Shortened to four syllables in the usual way, 硬いラーメン becomes 硬メン.
So does it really mean “a second helping of dried ramen”, or is that just as nonsensical as the original attempt? The answer lies in the rest of the song, which starts off with the singer’s phone ringing with an invitation to go out for baikingu (one of my favorite loanwords), and later mentions standing in line for… famous ramen. Ta-da.
Do a Google Image Search for 硬メン, and you’ll find two things: bowls of ramen, and the cover of Aya’s second album.
Fun with loanwords
Another fun one from the “Snow Eggs” recipe in 魔女館へようこそ:
アルミのバット
For the kana-challenged, that’s “arumi no batto”. The context is retrieving the poached meringue from the water with a skimmer, and placing it either onto a plate or an “arumi no batto”.
Answer below the fold…
Dear Japan Airlines,
Do you really think that this is the right time to send out a mailing for a 7-night, $3,375 (plus $90 misc fees, plus $580 extra if you’re not sharing a room with someone) vacation tour package?
Fun with loanwords
In the children’s novel 魔女館へようこそ (“Welcome to the Witch’s Mansion”), casting spells involves cooking. There’s a particular recipe that’s very important to the story, and is printed in full at the end of the book. It took me forty minutes to figure out what it was called.
悪い魔法を封じこめるウ・ア・ラ・ネージュ
For the kanji/kana-challenged, that’s “Warui Mahou o Fuuji-komeru U A Ra Neeju”. The first half is a straightforward prenominal phrase, “…which confines evil magic”, but what is it?
First clue: it’s a dessert recipe.
Second clue: the ingredient list consists of eggs, sugar, cornstarch, milk, and vanilla extract.
Third clue: the recipe requires separating the eggs to make メリンゲ (Meringe) and カスタードソース (Casutaadosoosu).
Fourth clue: the end result involves placing the poached meringe on top of the casutaadosoosu.
Answer below the fold…
Honestly, I think it's some of their best work...
Oh, sure, I make fun of the people who design stage costumes for Hello!Project. It’s the least I can do, given the insane amount of effort they expend to overdecorate their helpless victims.
So when they do something simple, with just two colors and no feathers or tulle or ruffles or rhinestones, I think it’s only fair to say something nice. I mean, it’s even age-appropriate!
Dear Hello!Project Costume Designers,
I realize that Ayumi Shibata and the rest of Melon Kinenbi are being kicked out of the agency along with all of the other adults, but do you really think this is a viable option for her post-H!P career, or did you do it to satisfy certain personal needs?
