Comments on: Japanese Culture Class #17 - Animals and Their Meanings http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/ Learn Japanese with Daily Podcasts from Tokyo Whether you are Japan-bound or a seasoned speaker, our lessons offer something for everyone. We incorporate culture and current issues into each episode to give the most informative, both linguistically and culturally, podcasts possible. For those of you with just the plane ride to prepare, check our survival phrase series at Japanesepod101.com. One of these phrases just might turn your trip into the best one ever! Yoroshiku O-negai Shimasu! Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:29:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.11 by: mikuji http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-6076 Tue, 20 Jun 2006 11:46:35 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-6076 Hi 皆さ I am sure some of you know this already but in 京都 二条 城 (にじょう　しろ）, the Nijou castle in Kyoto, I discovered that ウグイス uguisu (鴬) is used in the word 鶯張り uguisu-bari or 'nightingale floor' - an ingenious mechanism to alert of approaching visitors (and strangers). The cutest alarm system I ever came across! In this case the uguisu was translated as 'nightingale'.You can find more about the floors and what they sound like at these links: http://www.theotori.com/Audio/floor.wav http://www.kansai.gr.jp/culture_e/build/archi.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightingale_floors Cheers Hi 皆さ

I am sure some of you know this already but in 京都 二条 城 (にじょう　しろ）, the Nijou castle in Kyoto,
I discovered that ウグイス uguisu (鴬) is used in the word 鶯張り uguisu-bari or ‘nightingale floor’ - an ingenious mechanism to alert of approaching visitors (and strangers). The cutest alarm system I ever came across!

In this case the uguisu was translated as ‘nightingale’.You can find more about the floors and what they sound like at these links:

http://www.theotori.com/Audio/floor.wav
http://www.kansai.gr.jp/culture_e/build/archi.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightingale_floors

Cheers

]]> by: Orlina http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5153 Wed, 17 May 2006 14:48:45 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5153 Sophieさん, I love magpie too, in fact just in front of my window they is a huge tree, and when I was younger (don't know why I don't do it anymore) i used to watch them through binoculars. I like it when they decide to annoy a cat. One of them comes close to the cat, and when it tries to catch it, the bird fly away. And then it sound like they are laughing at the cat. They can go on like that for hours (and me watching them, drawing them...) Poor cat! But it's too funny:twisted: I think the only bird who annoy me it's the pigeon...just because I see to much of them here in Paris -_-' Sophieさん,

I love magpie too, in fact just in front of my window they is a huge tree, and when I was younger (don’t know why I don’t do it anymore) i used to watch them through binoculars.
I like it when they decide to annoy a cat. One of them comes close to the cat, and when it tries to catch it, the bird fly away. And then it sound like they are laughing at the cat. They can go on like that for hours (and me watching them, drawing them…)

Poor cat! But it’s too funny :twisted:

I think the only bird who annoy me it’s the pigeon…just because I see to much of them here in Paris -_-’

]]> by: Sophie http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5142 Tue, 16 May 2006 18:33:06 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5142 Orlinaさん, My favourite bird is the magpie. They display quite advanced behaviours like joining in groups to mourn dead magpies. The Australian magpie is quite different from our European ones, but their singing is really interesting : http://www.anbg.gov.au/sounds/magpie.mp3 Check out the Australian raven too, it's so strange : http://www.anbg.gov.au/sounds/raven.mp3 I've also seen crows on a pebble beach drop shells or snails on the rocks from high above in order to break them. Orlinaさん,

My favourite bird is the magpie. They display quite advanced behaviours like joining in groups to mourn dead magpies.

The Australian magpie is quite different from our European ones, but their singing is really interesting : http://www.anbg.gov.au/sounds/magpie.mp3

Check out the Australian raven too, it’s so strange : http://www.anbg.gov.au/sounds/raven.mp3

I’ve also seen crows on a pebble beach drop shells or snails on the rocks from high above in order to break them.

]]> by: Orlina http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5139 Tue, 16 May 2006 17:37:33 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5139 Wow! No wonder they were considered as wise companions of the Greek Gods. In latin 'Cras' means Tomorrow, and it sounds like the 'cawing' of Crows, so they were considered as good fortune-teller messenger of Gods ^__^ Which contrast with the way occidental people view them nowadays. When in China and Japan they represent filial fidelity[right?](because they feed the parents, which other bird don't), in Europe, Crows are really bad-considered and associated with death. Can't understand why -_-' Wow!
No wonder they were considered as wise companions of the Greek Gods.
In latin ‘Cras’ means Tomorrow, and it sounds like the ‘cawing’ of Crows, so they were considered as good fortune-teller messenger of Gods ^__^

Which contrast with the way occidental people view them nowadays. When in China and Japan they represent filial fidelity[right?](because they feed the parents, which other bird don’t), in Europe, Crows are really bad-considered and associated with death.

Can’t understand why -_-’

]]> by: Daita http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5132 Tue, 16 May 2006 16:27:31 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5132 interesting about Ebisu.. I went to the Sapporo Museum in Ebisu, it was pretty cool! got to see the history of the beer etc.. plus I got to take pictures of myself next to a giant beer can LOL! interesting about Ebisu.. I went to the Sapporo Museum in Ebisu, it was pretty cool! got to see the history of the beer etc.. plus I got to take pictures of myself next to a giant beer can LOL!

]]> by: Peter http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5106 Tue, 16 May 2006 10:28:16 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5106 Nateさん、very good point! Danielさん、it seems to be an animal free-for-all.:wink: Orlinaさん、 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1209_041209_crows_apes.html Nateさん、very good point!

Danielさん、it seems to be an animal free-for-all. :wink:

Orlinaさん、
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1209_041209_crows_apes.html

]]> by: Orlina http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5105 Tue, 16 May 2006 10:07:32 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5105 Peterさん I didn't know they were such genius! I like them even more now...(if that is possible) Thanks for the info :mrgreen: Peterさん I didn’t know they were such genius! I like them even more now…(if that is possible)
Thanks for the info :mrgreen:

]]> by: Daniel Beck http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5094 Mon, 15 May 2006 19:16:33 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5094 Nah, I don't have anything agaist penguins. Just wondering how they made the top of the list. Plus, I was mostly referring to Opus, who himself had a complex about the purpose of penguins in the universe. :smile: -Daniel B Nah, I don’t have anything agaist penguins. Just wondering how they made the top of the list. Plus, I was mostly referring to Opus, who himself had a complex about the purpose of penguins in the universe. :smile:

-Daniel B

]]> by: Nate http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5090 Mon, 15 May 2006 17:57:51 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5090 Interesting lesson. Tie fiesh sounds interesting but I am not sure I would want my meal staring back at me. Mata ne. ネイト Interesting lesson. Tie fiesh sounds interesting but I am not sure I would want my meal staring back at me.

Mata ne.

ネイト

]]> by: Peter http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5089 Mon, 15 May 2006 17:44:03 +0000 http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/05/13/animals-and-their-meanings/#comment-5089 Piculumさん、thanks for the tips!:grin: Will pass it along, and we'll make sure to let everyone where we heard it. Digitaljoさん、should be coming at you soon, and will look into your inquiry. Sophieさん、very good point!:grin: Bobさん、as always, a pleasure hearing from you! Only thing better, is when you drop in! Thanks again!:grin: Very interesting info! You are a man skilled in many trades! Danielさん、have a bad experience with a penguin??:wink: Nickさん、too funny! Did you know the sloth is quite the swimmer!:shock: I always heard they couldn't, but apparently their short hind legs are quite good for this. Jasonさん、interesting!とても興味深いコメントです。 Robさん、another fine animal! Saraさん、wow, you and Bob really know your stuff!:grin: Nazさん、hmm...we're trying to figure it out.:roll: Keep us posted if the problem continues. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu. Orlinaさん、not at all!:grin: Crows are some of the smartest animals! Some of them over here actually use cars to crack nuts by timing the traffic lights!:shock: They place the nut down during a red light, then when it turns green the moving cars crack the nut, and when the light turns red again and the cars stop, they swoop in to get the nut inside! They even move the nuts if the cars miss. :shock: Piculumさん、thanks for the tips! :grin: Will pass it along, and we’ll make sure to let everyone where we heard it.

Digitaljoさん、should be coming at you soon, and will look into your inquiry.

Sophieさん、very good point! :grin:

Bobさん、as always, a pleasure hearing from you! Only thing better, is when you drop in! Thanks again! :grin: Very interesting info! You are a man skilled in many trades!

Danielさん、have a bad experience with a penguin?? :wink:

Nickさん、too funny! Did you know the sloth is quite the swimmer! :shock: I always heard they couldn’t, but apparently their short hind legs are quite good for this.

Jasonさん、interesting!とても興味深いコメントです。

Robさん、another fine animal!

Saraさん、wow, you and Bob really know your stuff! :grin:

Nazさん、hmm…we’re trying to figure it out. :roll: Keep us posted if the problem continues. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

Orlinaさん、not at all! :grin: Crows are some of the smartest animals! Some of them over here actually use cars to crack nuts by timing the traffic lights! :shock: They place the nut down during a red light, then when it turns green the moving cars crack the nut, and when the light turns red again and the cars stop, they swoop in to get the nut inside! They even move the nuts if the cars miss. :shock:

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