Mina-san,

Today’s location is バミューダ・Bamyūda - hello to all of our listeners in Bermuda!

Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!

This reminds of when I used to run up the escalator at Kita-Senju station to catch the Tsukuba Express. I would always be faced with the “josei senyou sharyou” and be forced to turn on my heels and make a dash for the second car. This would invariably end with the doors closing in my face and the words “kiken desu kara densha no kakekomi jousha ha oyame kudasai” (it’s dangerous so please don’t rush onto the train) ringing in my ears.

Airth-san, now that’s funny! Thanks for sharing. I once just giri giri made a train, and it was so packed that I had to force my way in. I thought things were fine, but the door opened again, and I was forced out!!! As the train pulled away, I just watched it fade into the distance, as I was still in shock!

Naz-san, it is relatively new. There are lots of valid arguements for it and against it. I can definately understand why the rail services offer it, and if I were a woman during rush hour, I would definately make use it! It is usually in effect during certain times during rush hour. e.g. 7:30-9:30 am 5:30-7:30 pm. I’m not sure about the times, as we’re in the office for most of the day.

It’s more a case of what men get up to in other cars that necessitates a women-only car.

jeje, very funny Airth-san (and informative), thanks a lot for sharing

Peter-san about the only women cars in the trains, I have the same opinion, if I was a women in cars so full of people (is dificult to imagine) I really understand this kind of service.

Katie-san,
Yes, I have heard that sometimes men “grope” women on crowded trains. I guess it may happen elsewhere, too. Of course, trains in Japan may be even more crowded than in other countries??? I’m surprised that JPOD did not mention this on today’s lesson.

>Katie
Yes, that’s the main reason.

I heard that there are also the women only convenience stores. They sell makeup stuff, underwears for women besides the common goods! I’m not sure that those stores go well.

Peter-san, now *that’s* funny! Unfortunately, I’ve been there; it’s like being a pea popped from its pod. The embarrassing thing is when you are stranded on the platform with all those faces pressed up against the window staring at you. You have to try and pull off a nonchalant look that says, “hey it’s OK, I meant to do this. Really!”

The gropers are called ちかん(chikan). I first remembered this word by imagining the people who do this as a bunch of ‘chickens’; of course, you have to kind of twist the pronunciation at the end, but it worked for me.

A good tip is to keep your hands held high when you are on a crowded train. That’s one reason why you often see people holding books right up to their faces. If it’s not impossible to read it’s impossible to turn the pages, but you reduce the risk of a false “chikan” call. This is also useful when the man breathing into your face has just staggered directly from an izakaya - ugh.

Perhaps we could have a video lesson on how Japanese people fold their newspapers on the train. A truly practical use of origami that I’d never seen anywhere else in the world.

I seem to remember a lesson about this: “ashi wo funde, kao wo nagutte…”

In Shanghai we don’t have chickan, we have dorabou (thieves). 大嫌い

Mina-san,

Here are some statistics from 2004 - the top 10 railway lines ranked by reported incidents. (Original site: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/痴漢)

* 1位　217件　JR埼京線 (JR Saikyo Line)
* 2位　188件　JR中央線 (JR Chuo Line)
* 3位　121件　JR総武線 (JR Sobu Line)
* 3位　121件　京王線 (Keio Line)
* 5位　119件　JR山手線 (JR Yamanote Line)
* 6位　105件　東京メトロ東西線 (Tokyo Metro Tozai Line)
* 7位　95件　東京メトロ千代田線 (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line)
* 8位　86件　東急田園都市線 (Tokyu Denentoshi Line)
* 9位　80件　小田急小田原線 (Odakyu Odawara Line)
* 10位　79件　西武池袋線 (Seibu Ikebukuro Line)

I first remembered this word by imagining the people who do this as a bunch of ‘chickens’; of course, you have to kind of twist the pronunciation at the end

If you’re Cajun, no need to twist.

The word ‘yokatta’ is the past tense form of ‘yoi,’ correct?

Yes.

So, the english translation should’ve been “it WAS good that …” instead of “it IS good that …”

Is that right?

Not necessarily. よかった, unless it’s specifically being used as the past tense of よい (like in, 天気はよかったですね。), is more of a “set phrase.” It encompasses BOTH the “it is good/nice…” and “it was good/nice” meanings. Is it grammatically correct to have them both? No, not really, But that’s how it’s done. The present tense version usually works better in English.

Go Katie!

Airthさん, Thank you so much for the memory device. ジョン

Katie-san I don’t think you headbutt him in his parts right it must had been somewhere else! Airth please don’t get depress I know this symptoms and they are terrible then you end up being under medication and this lesson is not worth depressing ok! S_R_C