There are a few things I just need to know

So nobody seems to know why at least one Japanese person will always pull a peace sign when there's a photo being taking - heck I've even started doing it. I've asked countless times and the general response is somewhere along the lines of I don't really know, we just do. It's one of the many inexplicable Japanese actions which come down to a phrase which loosely translates to "that's just the way it is". Alas I can't remember the phrase and everytime I try I invariable end up saying "I don't give a damn", lol.

Another secret I need in on is why Japanese girls/women are always giggling. It's kind of this nervous giggle like "oops we did something we should have", even between good friends. It's everywhere - at work, on trains, in bars - there is truly no escaping it. One of my new visions of hell (if it exists) is a massive hall full of Japanese women, all stoned out of their tree, and someone cracks a joke...

Life advice just keeps on rolling

So I had the same client I mentioned in my previous post and somehow we got on to the topic of marriage. He told me how he was making a film "From meeting to marriage" and so I asked if his girlfriend knew about it. The reply "No, she's not in it...". Needless to say I quite look forward to his lessons - always entertaining

Life advice...Japanese stlye

So in my job I do a lot of role playing. No weird fetish stuff, just acting out a real life scenario so people can practice various situations they might encounter. Anyway, today we were doing a lesson on giving recommendations / advice. I posed a few hypothetical questions to my client and got some pretty entertaining response.

• I'm always fighting with my girlfriend, what should I do? Response - "You should break out with her". After establishing that "break out" probably wasn't the right phrase to use in this situation my client decided to put it more simply "You should get rid of her". So I told him that wouldn't work because I wouldn't have a girlfriend. His reply "Why don't you go to a club, I'm sure you'll find another one".

• Next was - I'm short on money, what can I do? Response - "You could go to a Pachinko parlour." Pachinko parlours are basically rooms packed with slot machines.

Needless to say, my client also learnt the definition of "questionable advice" today. A little over three months down the line and this place still cracks me up.

Engrish 102

More giggle provoking phrases caught along the way.

"It's my depends" - translation "It depends on me"

"Hair...warmer" - translation "Hair dryer"

Am also beginning to wonder if I'm a teacher or an underpaid entertainer - today I had a guy pack out laughing in the middle of a role play only to eventually look at me and say "You're a funny guy". I was reading the textbook at the time....