Engrish
According to his shirt, this guy isn’t just “huge in Japan”, he’s huge somewhere else too.
Department store chain wants to show concern for shoppers’ mental wellbeing, but some see a message of doom for their physical health.
Look out — Japan’s old capital appears to be rising again, with an army of koi fish behind it.
A source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says they’ll be stepping in to help PM Suga in future.
This is why you should never use automated translation software in a professional setting.
Why Does Engrish Happen? is back with a look at what seems to be where Sailor Moon would park her car.
The popular characters from the iconic TV series dress up in leopard print and sing in Engrish for Japan’s younger generation.
Is there a better way to start your day than with a nice plate of Italian wind salad and “near the broil with salt?”
Here are five awkward, bittersweet moments that’ll make you realise you’ve finally become a seasoned expat…
Nationwide, Japan Starbucks locations appear to be telling foreign customers to learn Japanese or risk anaphylactic shock.
If you live in Asia, you’re probably used to seeing Engrish phrases everywhere. When you’ve grown up reading and writing in kanji, hiragana, etc., the “foreign-ness” of English writing and phrases adds an air of mystery and style. But it’s exactly the same in the west too—people will buy all kinds of products with kanji characters written on them whether or not they know what they mean.
Here are some examples of decked-out cars with random, nonsensical Japanese phrases on them that have Japanese netizens laughing their socks off over.
While Japan’s highest mountain itself is the primary attraction, it’s not the only thing to see in the Mt. Fuji area. There’s also the Fuji Five Lakes, which would be beautiful enough to warrant a visit even if they didn’t have the famed peak serving as a dramatic backdrop.
But while travelers are happy to see the mountain and lakes alike, one thing none of them look forward to is a puddle of piss on the men’s room floor of a local visitor’s center. That’s why one facility has signs asking visitors to mind their aim when using the urinals, but while the Japanese text is a politely worded reminder, the English version seems to be implying that the reader’s penis really isn’t so impressive.
Traveling in a country where you aren’t super confident with the lingo can be extremely daunting, and simple acts like ordering food become a bit of a nightmare. If you don’t speak the language, you won’t know what foods are on the menu or how they are prepared. Dictionaries, both paper and electronic, are definitely helpful tools when deciphering a menu and many restaurants also try to provide at least some English—one of the most used languages in the world—on their menus.
But sometimes, for all their good intentions, restaurants fail. While this may make ordering lunch a little bit trickier, it is at times like these that we are blessed with some wonderfully bad translated food names.
Today’s special dishes come compliments of restaurants in Taiwan and China that just couldn’t quite find the right words to describe their respective delicacies. Look forward to dishes including mermaids, fried Wikipedia and confused pizzas after the jump.
Every country has its own set of rules and customs that visitors may not initially be aware of. To meet the demands of the growing tourism industry, many governments have opted to implement multi-lingual signs and websites. Sometimes, however, the translations cause much more confusion than they prevent, like with this list of jobs foreigners aren’t allowed to do in Thailand.
Recently a similar goof occurred in India, this time due to some curiously mistranslated signage posted inside the Chennai International Airport, leaving visitors both amused and confused.
Once a year, Japan’s Fuji TV broadcasts a marathon program called FNS 27-Hour TV. A huge team of A-list comedians, musicians, and media personalities make appearances during the show, and since its beginning in 1997 it’s been a ratings hit for the network.
But as the younger generation increasingly looks to the Internet for entertainment content, this year Fuji TV wanted to remind viewers that TV is still relevant and worth watching. Oh, and also apparently that they should sleep with white people, if you take the program’s T-shirts at face value.
MOST POPULAR
Now
YouTube video about home-grown, home-cooked, traditional Chinese food causes major controversy
Japanese government discussing stricter copyright laws on cosplay, top cosplayer Enako chimes in
Japan’s legal age of adulthood dropping by two years, but do teens understand what that means?
All words in Evangelion theme replaced by cat meow in official remake by original singer【Video】
120-year-old condom found in Japan
Tokyo ramen restaurant’s brilliant idea: takeout cups of just ramen broth!【Photos】
Man arrested after refusing to wear mask on a plane refuses to wear mask in custody
McDonald’s Japan brings out a new chicken burger with rice buns
Japanese politician posts photo of his dinner, netizens pity him over his depression meal
A+ in kindness — Tsukuba university donates over 19 tons of food to students during pandemic【Vid】
Weekly
- Japan’s legal age of adulthood dropping by two years, but do teens understand what that means?
We finally get our mouthwatering Ichiran Ramen fukuburo lucky bag
Japan now has talking Evangelion ATMs- Japanese government discussing stricter copyright laws on cosplay, top cosplayer Enako chimes in
- Tokyo ramen restaurant’s brilliant idea: takeout cups of just ramen broth!【Photos】
Woman asks for eight-hour taxi ride in Japan, arrested when she doesn’t pay gigantic fare- Japanese politician posts photo of his dinner, netizens pity him over his depression meal
Tokyo airport’s new train line to make getting into, out of the city easier for JR pass holders
Pringles now comes in karaage flavour in Japan
Cherry blossom curry is set to bring spring to your plate even before the sakura arrive
Monthly
McDonald’s releases an Oreo and Spam burger for a very limited time
Top 100 manga of all time chosen by survey of 150,000 Japanese people
Here’s why Japanese supermarkets play “cheap” background music all day, according to Twitter
English mistake on new Japanese beer leads to suspension of sales before its release
We try a rotating sushi restaurant in New Delhi, are surprised to find no rotating sushi- Japan’s legal age of adulthood dropping by two years, but do teens understand what that means?
Japanese media finds out if it’s cold enough to “fry” an egg on the street in Hokkaido
Flying in Japan? Your flight may soon be arriving at “Hatsune Miku Airport”
7-Eleven Japan’s banana milk sparks controversy over deceptive packaging- We finally get our mouthwatering Ichiran Ramen fukuburo lucky bag
Yearly
Nintendo puts out important notice for casual gamers who’ve bought a Switch during the pandemic
Jason calls off Friday the 13th activities due to coronavirus
Studio Ghibli releases 400 images from eight movies free to download online
A Pokémon glitch no one discovered in 18 years has been found…by a pet fish in Japan?!?【Videos】
Customers race to Uniqlo for new summer face masks, but are they really worth the hype?
Parasite movie releases free official wallpapers to download as backgrounds for video calls
Japanese students hold graduation ceremony in Minecraft amid school cancellation
Man sheds half his body weight, looks like a handsome model in just one year
Japan’s one-person bento box-sized rice cooker can give you freshly cooked rice at the office
Akihabara saying goodbye to landmark as giant Sega arcade announces it’s closing for good
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Tokyo ramen restaurant’s brilliant idea: takeout cups of just ramen broth!【Photos】
Man arrested after refusing to wear mask on a plane refuses to wear mask in custody
McDonald’s Japan brings out a new chicken burger with rice buns
Japanese politician posts photo of his dinner, netizens pity him over his depression meal
A+ in kindness — Tsukuba university donates over 19 tons of food to students during pandemic【Vid】
Tokyo airport’s new train line to make getting into, out of the city easier for JR pass holders
We try Burger King’s first-ever bunless burger in Japan
Does changing your smartphone lock to 8376 bring good luck, as one Japanese book title suggests?
Celebrate Spirited Away’s 20th birthday with themed, whimsically embroidered baseball jacket
We experience what a real Okinawan beach party is like with the help of a local
Ippudo serves up plant-based tonkotsu ramen in Japan for a limited time
Not-guilty verdict for man in women’s restroom, he had to go so bad it clouded his judgement
-
