Mina-san,

So what do you think about the speaking style of these 2 guys? Using べ is getting popular in Tokyo recently. It’s similar to the べ that we saw in the Aomori-ben lessons. But be careful with this one, it’s really, REALLY casual. But in the right time and place, you’ll definitely turn some heads if you drop this.

Yes, that’s what I need most!
Men casual speaking is so hard to understand, especially in noisy bars (bonus audio suggestion: noisy bar ).
I can’t wait for the next 4 lessons!

From the lesson, it sounds like visiting a maid cafe is a bit more involved than, say, going to Hooters here. (I realize the waiteresses are dressed a bit different, as well). I look forward to hearing the details of your visit.

Some friends and I visited a maid cafe in Akihabara back in December. It was kind of weird, but not nearly as strange as they’re made out to be.

When you walk in (and throughout the time you’re there), the girls call you お兄さん, which we all found a little awkward. As mentioned in the podcast, all the girls are dressed as French maids, but they weren’t any more friendly than any other waitress in Japan. You really need to know your Japanese, since the menu is completely in Japanese and asking 英語がわかりますか gets you back only one response　とても難しいです. Also as mentioned in the podcast, the food isn’t anything special, but if you order the omorice, they’ll draw a kitty cat with ketchup over it as you watch. For a price (I forget exactly how much, but something like $5 for some amount of minutes), you can have the girl of your choice play a game with you. Usually they’re simple games involving preschool toys. For example, my friend played a game with a toy alligator where you take turns with the maid pushing down the alligator’s teeth. Pick the wrong tooth and the alligator snaps and you lose the game. Sorry, I don’t have any photos of any of it since photography is not allowed.

Oh, and (to steer matters away from the feather-dusters), I really like the addition of Naomi先生！She is very knowledgeable, and yet she keeps her improv 日本語 at a very straightforward level appropriate to beginners. .. Unfortunately, her talents may have been wasted on this particular episode.This level of slang doesn’t seem useful to the beginners.

グレッグ

JP101 crew/listeners!

I agree with you Jockzon-san! “Great lesson”
I like this guys style, keep it up! I can’t wait for the next lessons.

Mina-san!

No more Mac comments you know that Windows Vista is 100% better you denied your own truth, don’t fool yourself and other listeners anymore please. S_R_C

Ah there should be an なくて in there somewhere.

ウワッ！すごいイントロ。この話題きょうみがあります。大変でしたね、なおみ先生。「メイドバーに行かない」と言えませんでしたね。

I find Natsuko-san’s reaction to Peter-san’s invitation interesting. “We?” as if they were really going and trying to back out. メイドバーの便りを楽しみます。(^_^)

In the future, I would really like to see a causative form lesson. I’m not clear on what I read in books and I don’t believe there is a JPOD lesson about it.

I agree with digitaljo. That point about causative forms ran by faster than a pomeranian at dinner!

Javizy-san!

*singing a 60’s song*You make me so very happy, I’m so glad that you came into my life my friend!

Thank you maybe I can help you upgrade to Windows Vista has a gift, When is your birthday:???:

e-mail me at Sakuraeagle84@hotmail.com or PM with your e-mail for more details ok! S_R_C

Alainさん、
＞＞Men casual speaking is so hard to understand

yeah, i agree and a lot of other listeners have said the same thing. so we’re focusing on a few things for these 2 episodes (it’s good to slip them in at this beginner season 2 level, i think - text books totally avoid the gender issue).

Chrisさん、
that’s an interesting analogy…
they’re famous for chicken wings, right? （笑）

Rahimさん、
in my neighborhood there is a maid cafe, and the maid are 100% オタク.
they seem more interested in playing nintendo Wii with customers than serving food. also they know all the choreography to their favorite anime characters’ dance routines!

グレッグさん、
＞＞naomi先生 is great! i don’t think her talents were wasted on this episode, but we *definitely* pushed her to the limits. her pitch accent on the line いいじゃん！行くべ! is priceless!!!
i think she’ll agree tho, it’s never to early to raise awareness of the difference of male/female differences in japanese. unfortunately they are inescapable.

bakanekoさん、
どういたしまして！
sadly, photography is not allowed in maid cafes because, well, there are some wierd stalker-type people out there.
however, next wednesday peter, natsuko and naomi will talk about their experience at the maid cafe. it’s hilarious!! I promise to put up a link to the website for this place, so you can see the かわいいメード！

Sindyさん、
thanks! 2 more episodes here about guys style, then we’ll take a look at more guy’s style in a different series, then we’ll come back with the maids’ perspective to breakdown female style. loads of good stuff coming up!

Javizyさん、
glad you like the intro!
ushijimaさん and kishimotoさん and i love デスノ！！

//digitaljoさん and グレッグさん、
your wish is our command!
we’ll be doing 3 beginner season 2 and 2 lower intermediate lessons on the causative in the coming months!! i’m also looking forward to them!

whew!
じゃあ、今からメードカフェに行くわー！

marky

javizyさん
Ｓｉｎｄｙさん

マーックとワーックもいいです。

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET-unfrUImI&mode=related&search=

ＴＲＳ－８０ｍ１０２もいいです

クリストファーさん

アップル広告は彼らのファンと彼らのためのシールドです！！

They know only evil and pevert people have a Mac, he said it the true: “People Use me Private”

クリストファー Are you a Mac owner too S_R_C

It would be fun to learn to talk like a maid! (”Oh, wonderful sir, how may I serve your royal greatness”)

Marky, I’m definately interested in 武士 japanese since I’m a sucker for language history

あばよ！

Mina-san,

i just found this hilarious television series about a ex-hostess who gets in trouble and finds a job at a maid cafe. it’s a comedy that spends most of its time making fun of オタク and メード.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9041126514412445243&hl=en-AU
this is the link to episode 1, you can find the subsequent episodes on the right hand side.

oh, there are english subtitles too.

marky

Marky-san -
Yes, they are known for their wings, but they are even more well known for their waiteresses.

Sindy-san -
I have 3 macs, several PCs, a Model 102, and a couple SGI boxes. I was trying to find a Japanese version of the Novell version of that, but I couldn’t. My laptop runs Windows, and only one of the Macs is running MacOS (8 I think). This doesn’t include the embedded machienes, which almost all run some varient of linux.

Here’s the English version of the Novell spoof series I was referencing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDc9I3z7ab4

Chrisさん mentioned wings at the maid bar and it made me wonder, are there Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants in Japan? If I end up staying in Japan for a long time, this will be one of the things from home I will definitely miss, along with Taco Bell and Wendy’s

Then again, there will be MOS Burger and Yoshinoya, not to mention excellent sushi bars

I really gotta stop eating so much fast-food!

スカット

Chrisさん、the rahmens are really popular with foreigners. none of my japanese friends know much about them. i think it’s cuz their comedy is more western and at times academic. whereas most japanese comedy on tv tends to be of the low brow/slapstick variety. that said, the rahmens japanese culture bits on youtube are darn near the funniest things i’ve ever seen in my life! (that sushi one should be required viewing for anyone with an interest in japan! eating the salt outside of the sushi shop… omg that’s too funny!!!)
i recommend shimura ken’s バカ殿 character, there are loads of clips on youtube!

スカットさん、
there are buffalo wings here!!
also, if you can get on the military bases, they have taco bell.

If the series is to be acted out, I think Sakura should play the lead maid *cough*.

Since we’re throwing suggestions for future series out there, I think it’s about time there was some sort of yakuza series. The sound in the lessons has come a long way, but I’ve noticed a distinct lack of gunshot and screeching tyre sound effects. Plus, I’m pretty sure Yoshikai either is or used to be a yakuza

Sindy, I’d rather not risk running Vista on this hunk of junk, but for the record, my birthday is in July

ところでさ、i run vista TOO！

Maxiewawa-san!

Thank you for correcting me out! My Japanese is terrible, I wanted to say that I don’t mind being that girl that gets pay just to kiss you but anyway too bad. You a very handsome Chinese so that’s why I said that to you ok!

Chris-san!

Thanks for your honest answers, at least you are a Neutral guy and I appreciated very much.

Javizy-san!

Ok so you need a new PC right? then good luck my friend because your birthday already past so until next July 2008!

PS: feel free to add me on your IM, lets keep in touch ok!

Marky-san!

You are so sweet and smart lets keep it up my friend!

Joao Paulo-san!

Nice try! I’m surprise that you have a Mac since you seem a nice Brazilian guy.
Good luck my friend, I will pray for you too until the end because the Virgin already lost hope! The stigmata guy said the true. S_R_C

Sindy-san! It’s ok. It’s not your Japanese that was wrong, I’m just not a Chinese.

クリストファーさん、i’m not sure how i found that. i was just kidding around with Yuki here sending him stupid links to オタク stuff and メード stuff and somehow i stumbled across that. what was even better was that it had english subtitles, so even beginners can enjoy it. really funny stuff!

and the yakuza storyline doesn’t cross with the maid storyline, but it does tie into the 萌え theme that we’re bringing up next week.

i can’t wait!!

marky

Maxさん
Is your idea to do all 5 parts to this series in the video?

I’ll probably record a video for you over my weekend (Sun-Mon). If not, I’ll get it on my long weekend the following week.

Markyさん
That’s a perfect idea. Ｉ hope we get enough appropriate video responses to make it possible. I think that’s also an idea for a bonus track, once they make it to the マイドバー

Are the maids friendly to female customers as well? I went to a Hooters in Pasadena, and the service was terrible. The waitresses spent all their time chatting with guys at the other tables. I think they didn’t want to waste their time on us because we were less likely to tip them extra for flirting.

The guys as maids … woo! それをみてみたい! Think you can get Yoshi-san to make a cameo?

Is “あれ” better there? “それ” sounds funny for some reason.

let’s ask a native speaker, but me and me bad japanese would use それは見てみたい “as for that, i’d like to see it!”

I think it would sound even more natural to just drop the それ and say 見てみたい. As in something like:

男のメード？見てみたい！

Jasonさん、well, that definitely solves the problem

about the grammar nerd topic, we have the topic: All About Japanese
http://www.japanesepod101.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=2
which is kind of like a grammar nerd topic. lol

and not to confuse the issue, but
それは見てみたい
それを見てみたい
それが見てみたい
are all grammatical and these all mean the same thing