日語閱讀工具

今天在「火狐」下載了一個叫rikaichan 的add-on，對閱讀日語網頁很有幫助。啟動了這個小幫手，只要把滑鼠放在網頁中日語詞彙的第一個「字」(假名或漢字)，相應的詞典解釋、讀音等資料就會出現，甚至會顯示選取的動詞所屬的時式，非常方便。




知道日本語能力試驗從2010年起改制，1級考試的難度很可能加深，正在考慮是否趕在2009年參加最後一次舊制日本語能力試驗1級。由大學一年級起學習日語，始終希望「有始有終」，考取一級資格算是對自己的一個交代吧。


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rose-tinted travel

I have been reading several blogs by Westerners living in Japan. Reminds me of that alternately frosty and stuffy year in that backwater town of Wakuya up in the Tohoku region.

It is without question that I always wear my designer rose-tinted glasses (UV 100) to look back at those days, including the following episodes:

• that day wandering around in Shinjuku and seeing the smallest lap-top I had ever seen (I was pretty low-tech, and still am);
• that boiling 5-hour bus trip up north;
• the first time I entered town and got lost in a road that was later to beone of the roads that on which I travelled every day;
• the first sniff of tatami mats, which reminded me of one of those preserved veggies in Chinese cuisine (the kind you would steam with fresh fish or minced pork);
• the first (and only) time I went to a local church in the nearby town of Tajiri, where I became the youngest in a congregation of about 10;
• the trip to Morioka, Tazawako (Lake Tazawa) and Akita, during which, when arrived at Tazawako JR station, I went to a phone booth and called the YH and asked for a room and a lift to the place (I had no mobile phone in the first 4 months in Japan);
• the spontaneous trip to Matsushima (one of the “three scenic spots” in Japan, famous for its islands (shima) on which pine trees (matsu) grow in bulk), after which I walked 7-8 km out of not wanting to wait for an hour for the next train;
• the trip to Tokyo, less than one week from the first Matsushima trip aforementioned, during which I met with my good ol’ mate, wrote a song (after I did my first bit here) and enjoyed the onigiri(s) he brought from the combini where he did his arupaito;
• all those bangs on my front door by the neighbour downstairs after I stupidly did something noisy (like walking around on the thin wooden floor on bare feet, or doing my laundry at 10pm);
• all those lessons where I enjoyed good responses from the kids, and those where they were dismally (and understandably?) unattentive;
• when I asked students “what is your name” for about the 138^th time;
• when I suddenly became animated in class and got no response from students despite my nearly acting like a clown;
• when I practised my 10-K run by the main road where trucks passed by with considerable turbulence, and then missed the school 10-K “marathon” (that’s what it was called) due to flu;
• when I travelled to Towadako and Oirase with the mate I visited earlier (see above) just one day after the 10-K “marathon”, seeing the koyo (autumn leaves), more of which in yellow rather than red.

And, of course, a lot of mundane, routine and quiet, often boring, days.

And the above only covered the first 3 months of my year in Japan. More later, if you would bear with my unimpressive reminiscence. There’s really no laughing-the-guts-out kind of funny story to tell, but I can post a few picts here to make it more tasty.

賞櫻旅的浮淺與虛幻

完成賞櫻之旅，欲總結所得之際，發覺把京都僅視為賞櫻勝地，實在對京都不公平。這個千年古城的深厚文化底蘊，不是一個「路過幾天」的旅客可以完全領略的。就像北京的古風，也不是造訪幾天就可以了解的。

這七天六夜，「景點駁景點」、仍然以自助餐心態旅行。這樣，無論到哪裡、事情做多少有關當地的資料搜集，也是一樣。「空降」某地，匆匆看過，像自製旅行團一樣，下車（不過把旅遊巴士換作火車），拍照，買手信，登車。有沒有問過自己，為甚麼不停下來？為甚麼要在這裡拍照，在裡留下腳毛？畢竟，甚麼是景點？巴黎鐵塔，世界馳名，不訪鐵塔，不能說到過巴黎。誰說的？有沒有問過自己，是否真的喜歡觀塔？在代官山買的，在香港真的沒有一樣好的同類貨品嗎？還是只有代官山令你感覺良好？

更甚者，其實脫離了旅行團式一板一眼的行程，不代表自助遊的行程就會令旅客經驗到更真實的當地民風。我還是記掛著怎樣由東山往哲學之道、甚麼時候要到二条城，忘了往小巷後街走。結果，我的凝視，跟千千萬萬遊客的凝視，聚焦一處。遊客成了我的背景，我也成了別人的背景。

另一方面，在二年坂跟其他遊人摩肩接踵地瀏覽清水燒陶器和宇治茶葉的經驗，是否當地人（居民？政府？）為遊客度身訂造的？在賞櫻熱點看到的，是不是真實的京都？櫻花未必是一場人為的「大show」，坐在垂櫻下野餐聊天的媽媽和孩子，也切切實實地過著家庭生活；但櫻林附近難免充滿一群慕名而來的本地和外國遊客，畢竟櫻花是吸引人造訪日本的一大理由。實情是，櫻花每年都有，陪伴著日本各地無數的人度過生活的微細小節，就像香港人每年經歷颱風一樣。如果每年都目擊櫻花盛開以至散落的人，都會為這美景歡呼喝采，或許我們這些視賞櫻為「一期一會」的人生體驗的旅客，也可以在柴米油鹽中找到與別不同的滋味，在重複的步履中碰上如沐浴櫻林般的驚喜。

Bosukoro (1)

The little kid found himself deep in Japan’s suburban peace. Without a car or a mobile or internet access at his 2DK* apartment, he returned home after work in late afternoon. He went for a run. He did the household chores. He made dinner. He ate. He washed the dishes.

He sat there, quietly. Just like that.

No sound.

Then what?

All of a sudden, he found something. Something inside.

It started with a tune. Then the accompaniment. Then it all started beating, synchronizing, warming up. The kid hurriedly fetched music note paper and hopped on his bike. Riding through the little conservatory, the sturdy little houses and across the Ishinomaki train line.

Bosukoro, and the piano, is the destination.

Bosukoro was more a place of exchange, laughter and warmth than your average local eatery. Neighbours of Wakuya town gathered, chatted, ate, drank, sang and practiced English, all in this tiny restaurant/bar/open-to-all clubhouse.

The owner, the sturdy middle-aged Mr Ono, uttered a low but enthusiastic “hi”, which sounded somewhere between Japanese and English, when the kid entered. The baseball game went on as the sleepy summer evening slowly progressed. A quiet evening for Bosukoro indeed.

Mr Ono let the kid use the piano right beside the bar table. The same tune went on and on but Mr Ono was as patient as ever while the kid trudged through note after note, scribbling on the sheet. He grinned as the pencil marks accumulated.

It’s a good tune. Indeed it is.

As Bosukoro is about to close, the kid carefully closed the piano and replaced the souvenirs where they belonged. Mr ?no had so many friends and good-will presents that they have taken up the precious little space left on to of the instrument.

There is was, Mr Ono, humming relaxingly, with a glass full of beer in hand, saying “yeah it’s nice”. The kid guessed he was referring to the song.

It was the beginning of Crossroad. Maybe it was. Or maybe it was just another collection of memories in that place in that town in those days.

*2DK: 2 rooms plus a dining-kitchen.

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23-3-2006