A Japanese Lesson １

I’m very glad that Aonuma-san ( he was Logistic Manager in Achilles Corp ), has plenty of time to teach me some famous japanese words I never get it before when I was in college to learn Japanese. His English is excellent so he can teach me and Hari, my colleague, those nice words
Every weekend he will send us an email content of those famous words, see below

Lesson no. 1
今日はさむいですか。Kyou wa samui desuka ? ( is it cold today ? )This word I used to say to the Japanese people I met. But Aonuma-san has taught me other words to express the same thing.
In Japan, a cold day continues by this winter. The temperature of this morning of the factory area is below the freezing point. I today pick up a Japanese dialect in this leasson.
"SAMUI"　さむい means "cold" in English, and it is said "SHIBARERU"　しばれる or "CYAPPUI"ちゃっぷいin the dialect. These words are used as follows: Is it cold today? -->"Kyou wa chappui?" 今日はちゃっぷい。 or "Kyou wa shibareru?"今日はしばれる。

Lesson no. 2
This week's lesson is the word which is used well by beautiful female high school students in Japan.
"Bimyo"びみょ - びみょ~ or ビミョ~ or It's in the gray area./So-so.../Can't tell!/I don't know about that!, a former plan is not yet fixed, and it is a colloquialism to be able to use immediately at time when it is not possible for an answer when anything is uncertain and is doubtful.

Lesson no. 3
Today's Japanese Lesson is: "Obei ka!おべいか。" (pronounced "oh-bay-car!")"Obei ka!", おべいか。 is the catchphrase of a Japanese comedy duo Taka and Toshi,who began their career in 1994 and finally became very popular last year.
"Obei ka!" おべいか。 literally means "You're not from the Western society!", but to make it sound more simple, let's just say "You are not an American!" in this article. In a typical Taka and Toshi skit, Taka acts as if he was an American. Then Toshi tells him not to be silly by saying "Obei ka! おべいか。(You are not an American!)" because they are both, obviously, Japanese and not American.

Tea World

Saya penggemar berat kopi dan teh. Apapun jenis tehnya, saya menyukainya. Ada black tea, jasmine tea, green tea dan sebagainya. Adapula Rosella tea yang terbuat dari kelopak bunga rosella yang dikeringkan, rasanya asam segar, yang memilki khasiat menurunkan kadar kolesterol dalam darah.
Saya punya pengalaman lucu karena menemukan teh dengan sensasi rasa mengejutkan. Tehnya dicampur soda. Saya sampai terkaget – kaget dengan rasanya. Salah seorang teman saya menyukainya hanya karena tehnya berwarna mirip wisky, jadi kadang – kadang dia mengkhayal kalau sedang minum teh bersoda tersebut dia seakan – akan minum wisky, ada – ada saja. Saya kurang menyukainya karena memang saya tidak terlalu suka minum minuman bersoda.


Waktu saya berkunjung ke Jepang, saya menemukan banyak ragam teh dan banyak cara mereka dalam menikmatinya. Teh tersebut dikemas dalam botol siap minum dan bisa dibeli di vending machine ( jidoohanbaiki ) baik panas maupun dingin atau di supermarket terdekat. Ada green tea yang murni tanpa dicampur apa – apa termasuk gula, ada pula green tea yang dicampur aroma buah dan melati, ada teh oolong ( urong cha ) yang saking senengnya saya, hampir tiap hari pas makan di Jepang saya selalu minum teh ini ( customer saya yang di Jepang sampai hapal dengan kesukaan saya dan langsung memesankan teh ini bila sedang makan bareng dengan saya ), ada teh yang lebih nikmat kalau ditambah susu dan perasan air lemon dan sebagainya. Sebenarnya teh oolong mirip dengan teh hitam yang sering kita minum di Indonesia, tapi rasanya lebih enak, ndak pahit, tawar tapi enak. Diminum dingin atau panas sama enaknya.

Saking sukanya saya dengan teh, saya kadang - kadang nitip pada teman – teman yang sering pergi keluar negeri untuk membelikan teh khas negara yang mereka kunjungi.
Kalau teh hijau Jepang, saya sering dibawakan customer saya dari Jepang yang berkunjung ke Indonesia, mereka sangat menghargai teh bahkan menjadikannya suvenir khas Jepang dengan mengemasnya sangat elegan dan indah. Saya malah menjadikan kaleng tempat teh tersebut sebagai wadah menyimpan perhiasan karena saking bagusnya.

Ada pula Earl Grey Green Tea, teh asal Inggris yang dibawakan salah seorang teman, waktu saya tuangi air panas, aroma lemon yang segar segera tercium padahal rasa tehnya tawar seperti teh hijau pada umumnya.. Saya sempat pula dibawakan berbagai macam teh dari hotel tempat dia tinggal yang dikemas dalam bungkus satuan. Ada teh yang dicampur lemon dan jahe, ada pula teh yang dicampur rashberry dan peppermint dan lain – lain. Tapi kalau saya perhatikan sebenarnya apa yang orang Inggris sebut teh ternyata bukan daun teh beneran Waktu teh dengan rasa lemon dan jahe saya buka, ternyata di dalamnya tidak ada daun teh, melainkan potongan –potongan jahe dan lemon yang dikeringkan. Rasanya sama nikmatnya dengan wedang jahe namun juga beraroma lemon segar.
Ingredients ( keterangan bahan ) yang ada dalam bungkus teh masih saya simpan, supaya saat saya kepengen lagi minum teh ini saya bisa membuat sendiri tanpa harus jauh – jauh pergi ke Inggris hehehe.
Beberapa teh yang saya punya, menurut keterangan di kemasannya, biasanya dinikmati dengan susu. Tapi saya lebih suka menikmatinya begitu saja tanpa campuran apa – apa termasuk gula ( menurut saya gula justru merusak aroma dan rasa tehnya ).


Ada cerita lagi tentang cara menikmati teh di Jepang. Di sana, ada seni menikmati teh yang disebut cha no yu. Kalau anda pernah melihat film Karate Kid II, pasti anda paham apa yang disebut cha no yu atau upacara minum teh. Tehnya berwarna hijau kental dan agak berbusa kalau diaduk. Kebetulan saat masih mahasiswa dulu saya berkesempatan mengikuti ritual upacara minum teh ini bersama seorang perempuan warga Jepang yang tinggal di Surabaya dan beberapa mahasiswi Universitas Dr. Soetomo Jurusan Sastra Jepang. Waktu itu upacaranya digelar outdoor di Gedung Cak Durasim Surabaya dalam rangka Pameran Budaya Jepang ( Bunkasai ). Karena masih pagi dan tidak banyak yang mengikuti maka saya bisa merasakan suasana sakral dari upacara minum teh ini. Bayangkan saja, di pagi yang hening dan hanya terdengar suara kicau burung, mencium bau teh hijau dan denting porselen peralatan minum teh Jepang yang cantik. Kabarnya untuk bisa melakukan upacara ini seseorang harus menjalani pelatihan khusus, makanya saya sangat terkesan ketika seorang mahasiswi yang mengenakan yuukata ( kimono katun khas Jepang ), mampu memperagakan cha no yu tersebut. Gerakan yang dilakukan ketika menjumput daun teh, mengambil air dan menuangnya ke dalam ketel dan mangkuk minum, semuanya telah diatur, tidak berlebihan namun sangat anggun. Waktu kita disodori mangkuk tehnya, kita melakukan gerakan memutar mangkuk minum tersebut sebelum meminumnya. Keseluruhan upacara ini menghabiskan waktu sekitar 15 menit, rasanya saya seperti bermeditasi, namun seorang teman yang duduk bersimpuh di sebelah saya malah terkantuk – kantuk dan sempat menitip pesan agar membangunkan dia begitu tehnya siap, dasar !

Menurut sejarahnya, kebiasaan minum teh Jepang ini pertama kali dibawa oleh pendeta dari Cina ke Jepang pada sekitar abad ke delapan. Sehingga, kebiasaan minum teh ini pada awalnya sangat populer di kalangan para pendeta saat itu. Baru pada abad ke 12, seorang pendeta bernama Eizai mendemonstrasikan upacara minum teh ini kepada Minamoto Sanetomo sehingga menyebar ke kalangan samurai. Kemudian pada abad ke 14, kebiasaan minum teh ini mulai populer di kalangan rakyat biasa.

Upacara minum teh, selain disebut sebagai cha no yu sering pula disebut sebagai cha do, dan dianggap mewakili ajaran Budha dan Zen.
Cha do tidak hanya sekedar upacara minum teh biasa, namun di dalamnya terdapat nilai filosofi yang tinggi terhadap kesetaraan , harmoni dan kemurnian.
Mengandung nilai kesetaraan karena pada saat anda mengikuti ritual minum teh ini, tidak peduli jenderal, pejabat tinggi atau orang biasa akan memulainya dengan saling membungkukkan badan sebagai tanda penghormatan. Di dalam ritual minum teh ini tidak ada lagi batasan kasta atau kelas seseorang dengan orang lain. Sedangkan nilai harmony ditunjukkan dengan aspek – aspek yang mengiringi upacara minum teh tersebut seperti hubungan antara orang – orang yang melaksanakan ritual tersebut, rangkaian bunga ( ikebana ), mangkuk teh beserta peralatan lain dan sebagainya.
Kemurnian jiwa sangat penting dalam cha do, karena hanya dengan kemurnian hati dan jiwa kedamaian pikiran bisa diperoleh. Sederhananya, coba saja anda menikmati secangkir teh anda dengan jiwa dan hati yang tenang dan bandingkan ketika anda menikmatinya ketika anda terburu – buru dengan urusan pekerjaan, anak, istri, suami dan kerumitan hidup lainnya.

Ini adalah pengalaman pribadi saya, mungkin bisa jadi berbeda dengan orang lain, tapi baik di kantor dan di rumah, saya memilki cangkir keramik wadah biasa saya menikmati teh atau kopi. Perasaan saya mungkin terasa lain bila saya terpaksa minum tidak menggunakan alat tersebut. Ini mungkin sugesti atau tidak, tapi menikmati teh dengan wadah dari keramik akan terasa berbeda bila saya menikmatinya dengan gelas kaca atau bahkan gelas plastik. Sesibuk apapun, saya selalu menyempatkan diri menikmati secangkir teh meski hanya 5 menit, rasanya seperti usai bermeditasi.
Sering kali pula saya mendapat ide – ide menulis sambil menikmati secangkir teh.
Tepat seperti yang diucapkan oleh master teh Sen Soushitsu XV yang mengajarkan sebuah pemikiran the thought of " Peacefulness through a Bowl of Tea." Chado is also deeply influenced by Zen thought. In a sense, the ideal spirit of chado is a kind of religious mind. The essence of chado can be understood as the guiding principle for life for each person. The spirit of chado is universal.

Untuk lebih detail mengetahui bagaimana ritual teh ini, anda bisa mencarinya di wikipedia.com atau lewat search di yahoo dengan memasukkan kata ‘cha no yu’. Nah selamat bersurfing ria dan menikmati teh anda...hmmmm.........


Buku Sumber
"THE WAY OF TEA" Copyright ・1993 by Tankou-sha

ASHIKAGA GAKKOO,THE OLDEST SCHOOL IN JAPAN

Known as Japan’s oldest university, Ashikaga School is presently a national historic site. Ashikaga Gakko is in Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, approximately 70 kilometres north of Japan’s capital city, Tokyo, the school brings to mind the majestic appearance of the Japan of days past. Furthermore, in 1990, several huge wooden buildings of the old Ashikaga School were restored.Some historians say that Ashikaga School was founded by Onono Takamura, a great scholar and courtier in the beginning of the Heian period ( 794 – 1185 ) The principal was a Zen priest from generation to generation. Confucianism, the science of divination, Chinese medicine and so forth were taught there. Seibyo ( temple of Confucius ) Nyuutokumon ( gate ), the school gate and Kyodanmon ( gate ) are the only traces of the now defunct school, where stands a library housing a number of ancient documents ( national treasures )

Code of the Samurai – is it Relevant Today ? –

I was impressed after reading 2 great novels of Eiji Yoshikawa, MUSASHI and TAIKO. Then somebody gave me a bilingual handbook about BUSHIDO written by Nitobe Inazo. It’s really complicated book but very interesting . Nitobe Inazo said in his book, ( 武士道は、日本を表徴する桜の花と同じように、わが国土の固有の桜である。その花は、ひからびた古代道徳の標本となって、わが国の歴史の中に保存されているというわけではない。それは現在でもなお、その力と美をもって、わが民族の心の中に生きつずけている。武士道は明白な形態はとらないが、それにもかかわらず、その道徳的雰囲気の香りは、今なおわれわれに力強い感化をあたえている。) Bushido is a flower no less indigenous to the soil of Japan than its emblem, the cherry blossom; nor is it a dried-up specimen of an antique virtue preserved in the herbarium of our history. It is still a living object of power and beauty among us: and if it assumes no tangible shape or form, it not the less scents the moral atmosphere and makes us aware that we are still under its potent spell　.And I do believe that these codes of samurai are relevant today, you will realize it ,especially when you have close relationship with Japanese People. Below is the summary from some books I read about Bushido and Samurai. I hope you are all will enjoy it THERE ARE 3 GREATEST SAMURAI AND WARLORD IN JAPAN, NOBUNAGA, HIDEYOSHI AND IEYASU. WHEN ONE QUESTION TO BE ASKED TO THEM, WHAT WILL THEY DO IF THE BIRD DOES NOT WANT TO SING, THEY REPLIED :NOBUNAGA : KILL THE BIRD !HIDEYOSHI : MAKE THE BIRD SING !IEYASU : WAIT !( TAIKO – EIJI YOSHIKAWA )

1. KEEP DEATH IN MIND ALL TIMES, every day and every night , from the morning of New Year’s Day through the night of New Year’s EveIf people comfort their minds with the assumption that they will live a long time, something might happen, because they think they will have forever to do their work and look after their parents – they may fail to perform for their employers and also treat their parents thoughtlessly. But if you realize that the life that is here today is not certain on the morrow then when you take your orders from your employer and when you look in on your parents, you will the sense that this may be the last time- so you can not fail to become truly attentive to your employer and your parents. In any case when you forget death and become inattentive, you are not circumspect about things. You may say something offensive to someone and get into argument. You may challenge something you might as well have ignored and get into a quarrel.Or you may stroll about in resorts where you have no business, not avoiding crowds, where you might bump into some oaf and get into an unexpected brawl. You could lose your own life, get your employer bad publicity and cause your parents and siblings difficulties. All this trouble comes from inattentiveness when you fail to keep death in mind at all times.When you always keep death in mind, when you speak and when you reply to what others say, you understand the weight and significance of every word as a warrior by profession, so you do not engage in futile arguments.People of all social classes, high and low, constantly overeat, drink too much and indulge in their desires to an unhealthy degree, all because of forgetting about death. This puts a strain on their internal organs, so they may die remarkably young or else become sickly or invalid. When you always keep death in mind, even if you are young and healthy, you already know how to take care of yourself. You moderate food and drink, avoid sexual addiction and behave prudently.When you assume that your stay in this world will last, various wishes occur to you and you become very desirous. You want what others have and cling to your own possessions, developing a mercantile mentality.The question now is HOW TO KEEP DEATH IN MIND ?The Idea is to take care of your public and private duties day and night and then whenever you have any free time when your mind is unoccupied, you think of death, bringing it to mind attentively. It is said that in the great hero Kusunoki Masashige’s instructions to his son Masayuki, he told him “ always get used to death”( TAIKO-EIJI YOSHIKAWA )

2. EDUCATIONWarriors stand in a position above the other three castes and are supposed to be professional administrators, so they need to study and gain an extensive understanding of the principles of things.

3. FAMILIAL DUTY For warriors, taking good care of parents is fundamental. If people do not care for their parents, they are not good, even if they are exceptionally smart, well-spoken and handsome.In the way of warrior ( Bushido ), it is essential to do right from root to branch. If you do not understand the root and branch, there is no way for you to know your duty. Parents and employers, familial duty and loyalty – these differ only in name, for there is no difference in the sincerity of the heart. If a man who is not caring toward his parents at home does go into the service of a lord, he keeps his eyes on his employer’s balance sheet and as soon as he sees any little slip his attitude changes: in an emergency he will flee or turn traitor. These are cases like this past and present; this is something to be ashamed of, something to be wary of.(note : it may explain one of the reason why the turn over of employees in Japanese Company is not so high as in other place, the loyalty is the reason )4. PRINCIPLES OF WARRIORS ( BUSHIDO )In the code of warriors there are two kinds of principles with four level. Two kinds of principles are ordinary principles and emergency principles. The ordinary principles include principles of knighthood and principles of weaponry. The emergency principles include army principles and combat principles.The principles of knighthood include washing your hands and feet and bathing morning and night, keeping your body clean, shaving and dressing your hair every morning, dressing formally according to the season and circumstance, and always keeping your fan in your belt, not to mention your long and short swords. When dealing with guests, you treat them courteously according to their status and avoid useless talk. Even when you partake of a bowl of rice or a cup of tea, you are always careful not to be slovenly.As for the principles of weaponry, the first thing to learn is swordsmanship, then lancing, riding, archery, shooting and any other martial arts. Your duty is to study, practice and master them, so you can be ever ready with them.Once you have cultivated these two levels, the principles of knighthood and the principles of weaponry, you lack nothing in the way of ordinary principles. In the eyes of ordinary people you will seem like a good warrior, worthy of employ. However, warriors are fundamentally emergency men. When there is a civil disturbance, they set aside their usual knight ways for the moment, adopt military terminology for their superiors, comrades and subordinates, doff their formal suits and put on armor, take up weapons and head for the enemy’s ground. These are all sorts of manners and forms of doing this collectively referred to as army principles.Next are combat principles. When your enemies and allies clash in battle, if your dispositions and maneuvers work as planned, you gain victory; otherwise, you lose the advantage and suffer defeat. There are traditional secrets to these various maneuvers and dispositions; these are called combat principles.A warrior who has cultivated the four levels of ordinary and emergency principles to perfection is considered a top class knight. If you have accomplished the two levels of ordinary principles, you are competent for service as a knight, but if you have not mastered the two levels of emergency principles, you can not be a samurai commander, a group leader, a magistrate or anything like that.