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*Pachinko
A highly popular computer-operated pinball game, played as a gambling. First appeared in Nagoya in 1930. Most of the players are men. Pachisuro (short for "pachinko slot") is a variation. It is popularly believed that pachinko is one of the major industries of the Korean-Japanese population.

Para-para
An ingenious style of dancing to Eurobeat in disco, with characteristic motions of the hands reminiscent of dances held at O-bon. First made appearance in the latter half of the 1980s, became popular in 1994-95, and popularity recurred in 1999-2000 among the youth, especially kogyaru-type teenage girls. [2000]

Parasaito shinguru (parasite singles)
Unmarried men and women in their 20s and 30s who willingly live in their parents' home, partly because they don't have to pay rent and do much housework. [1999]

Pasokon (PC)
Short for personal computer. Along with English (Eigo), it is considered an essential skill for salaried workers to survive in the economic recession. [1980s]

Pia
The most prestigious and most comprehensive listings magazines for cultural events, published since 1972 in its Tokyo edition (and now also in regional editions). The publisher sponsors the "Pia Film Festival" (PFF) for up-and-coming independent film-makers. Other major listings magazines include "Tokyo Walker" and "Tôkyô Isshûkan" (also with regional editions).

Pokeberu (pocket bell)
Pager, once highly popular among teenage girls and boys in the mid-1990s. Soon replaced by cellular phones. The youth often rang each other's pager just for the sake of feeling that they were not alone in the world. [Mid-1990s]

Pokemon
Short for Pocket Monster. A game machine software, which became sweepingly popular among children in Japan since around 1996. By the end of the decade, Pokemon was exported to Western countries and became a huge hit.

Ponzu
Mixture of soy sauce with vinegar or citrus juice.

Puchi iede (petit runaway)
Act of running away from one's parents' home for a short time, without clearly-defined resolve for disobedience or independence and often based on a caprice. Petit iede have increased in number because of the increasing indifference of the parents to their children's lifestyle. [1999]

Purikura (print club)
Automatic photo and vending machine that dispenses a sheet of small adhesive stickers with your face printed on them. A hit among the youth. [1996]

Puro yakyû (professional baseball)
The most popular professional sport in Japan. Currently there are two leagues, the Central League (Se Riigu) and the Pacific League (Pa Riigu), each consisting of six teams. The season starts in spring and ends in autumn. At the end of the season the champion teams from each league play a national championship match called the Japan Series (Nihon Shiriizu), in which four wins brings victory. According to Asahi Shimbun's opinion poll in January 2000, by far the most popular team was the Yomiuri Giants (usually called Kyojin) with a rating of 34%, followed by the Kansai-based Hanshin Tigers at 12%. According to Yomiuri Shimbun's opinion poll in February 2000, Kyojin's popularity rate is 36% and that of Hanshin is 8%.

Pûtarô
Those who continue, after graduating from school, to pursue what they like to do and avoid having a permanent job. [1988]

R

*Rabu hoteru, or rabuho (love hotel)
Hotel that provides rooms for lovemaking.

Rajio Taisô (Radio Exercises)
A fixed set of physical exercises invented in the late 1920s. There are two versions, taking 3-4 minutes each, both of which elementary school pupils learn by heart. Piano accompaniment and narration is broadcast on the radio early in the morning, and is often practised as a chônai-kai activity during the summer vacation.

*Rakugo
A baudeville art, liked by many people, in which a single performer tells a story. Somewhat refined in style. The theater for rakugo is called yose, and the performer is called a hanashi-ka or rakugo-ka. The punch line is called ochi.

*Râmen
Chinese-style noodle soup that became very popular in the 20th century. The soup comes in various flavors: miso flavor (miso-aji), invented in Sapporo in the 1950s; soy sauce flavor (shôyu-aji), pork flavor (tonkotsu aji) and salt flavor (shio aji).

The history of Japanese râmen began in the Yokohama Chinatown in the 1890s or 1900s. In the post-war era, many local cities got to boast their own version of râmen, like the Sapporo râmen (miso-flavored), Kitakata râmen and Hakata râmen (pork-flavored).

Other variations include châshû men with slices of roasted pork; tam men (with vegetables in salt flavored soup); kanton men (Cantonese noodles) in thick caramel sauce (? ; yet to be verified); paitan râmen in white soup; negi râmen with leek; wantan men with wonton; champon men (see champon); tenshin men (Tianjin noodles) with an omelette (? ; yet to be verified); yaki-niku râmen and sutamina râmen (stamina noodles) topped with sautéed meat and vegetables. (See also hiyashi chûka.)

*Rejâ rando (leisureland)
Colleges and universities. Since the 1970s it has become common that, once a student has entered a college, however prestigious it may be, he/she stops studying and enjoys working part-time and playing around.

Reishi shôhô; Reikan shôhô (psychic medium trade)
Fraudulous business in which the agents frighten the client saying that the spirit of the dead is doing him/her harm, and then talks him/her into paying an enormous amount of money in exchange for ghost-laying. This became a serious social problem around 1990 when a certain internationally known politico-religious movement systematically carried out reikan shôhô. [1980s?]

Renkon
Lotus roots, eaten in slices.

Rettô Kaizô (Remodeling the Archipelago)
Slogan by Prime Minister Tanaka Kakuei, whose politics typically relied on the construction industry. [1972]

*Riberaru (liberal)
As in the US, means "not so rightist", "more friendly to the socially vulnerable" in the political terminology. Opposite of "conservative" (hoshu). [Mid-1990s]

*Risutora (restructuring)
Downsizing. Redundancy. [1990]

Rôjin-ryoku (old-age power)
Catchword coined by writer Akasegawa Gempei (1937-). At a time when Japan faces an unprecedentedly rapid ageing of the population, this word encourages people to look at old age in positive and affirmative terms, instead of regarding it as something negative and undesirable. [1998]

Roku san san yon sei (6-3-3-4 system)
Current Japanese system of schooling normally consists of 6 years in elementary school, 3 years in junior high school, another 3 years in senior high school and 4 years in college. Only the first 9 years are obligatory, but about 95% go on to senior high. More than 40% go to full college or 2-year-term community college.

Rokuyô (six-day week calendar)
A fortune-telling calendar based on the lunar calendar and the Chinese yin yang theory, marked in many calendars in circulation. Composed of Senshô, Tomobiki, Sembu, Butsumetsu, Daian and Shakkô, with Daian the most auspicious.

Rôkyoku
A working-class vaudeville art that became popular after the modernist revolution (1868). The story, often dealing with the theme of giri-ninjô inner conflict, is narrated by a single performer, accompanied by a shamisen (string instrument) and often interrupted by ditties sung by the performer himself. Rôkyoku is now liked only by elderly people. It waned in popularity and was replaced by enka some time after the war. Also called Naniwa-bushi.

Rorikon (Lolita complex)
Unusual romantic attachment for little girls. In a broader sense, tendency for adult men to have an unrealistically sweet illusions about young women. [1982]

Rûzu sokkusu (loose socks)
Wearing visibly slack socks, which came into fashion among high school girls in the latter half of the 1990s. [1996]

Ryokan
Japanese-style inn.

Ryôkan (1758-1831)
Zen Buddhist hermit, poet and calligrapher. His personality and lifestyle have enchanted many a modern intellectual.

Ryôtei
Traditional-style high-class Japanese restaurants, typically used by politicians, businessmen and men of letters. Geisha often work in such places. They often put up signboards saying "kappô", meaning Japanese cuisine.

S

*Sabi
(See wabi)

Sadô
Tea ceremony. Mostly practiced by women as a hobby these days.

*Sakakibara jiken (Sakakibara incident)
On May 27, 1997, a severed head of a 11-year-old boy who had been missing was found in front of a junior high school in Kôbe City. On June 28, a 14-year-old boy was arrested as the culprit, who also confessed to a random killing of a 10-year-old girl in March. The tender age of the arrested boy, soon sent to a "medical reformatory", shocked the whole nation. The Sakakibara incident was followed by a number of cruel murder cases committed by boys and girls below the statutory punishable age of 16, causing much debate on the prospective revision of the Juvenile Law. Sakakibara is part of the pen name used by the arrested boy in his claim of responsibility.

Sakura (cherry blossom)
Often used as a symbol of the nation. In early April (in the case of the most populated part of Honshû, the main island), cherry-blossom viewing parties (hana-mi) are held beneath the blossoms. Each spring, the Meteorological Agency releases forecasts for the day of sakura blooming. The most popular sakura variety is the horticulturally created Somei Yoshino, which comes into bloom before the leaves ever emerge. Ume (apricot), which blooms earlier, is another symbolic blossom of early spring.

Sambai-zu (threefold vinegar)
Mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar or mirin.

San-ga-Nichi (The Three Days)
The first three days of the year, when people usually don't have to go to work.

San kê (The Three Ks)
Kitsui (hard), kitanai (dirty), and kiken (dangerous), said of menial work. Young people got to hate this sort of menial work, which then fell in the charge of socially vulnerable people and immigrant workers. [1990]

Sankô (Three Highs)
Attributes of the ideal man dreamt of by young women during the Bubble Economy: high stature (tallness), high income, and high educational background (diploma from a prestigious university). [1987]

Sansai (plants of the mountain)
Edible wild plants, including mushrooms and ferns, which in the popular imagination come from the mountains and the bucolic countryside.

Sanshô, Sansho
One of the herbs used in Japanese cuisine. Unagi (eel) is eaten with sanshô powder.

Sanshoku hirune tsuki (full board with a daytime nap)
Self-depricating expression for the position of a housewife, who does not have to work hard for her living. She is entitled to three meals, and even has enough time for a nap during the daytime. [1966]

Sanshu no Jingi (Three Divine Treasures)
Refrigerator, washing machine and television - electric household appliances which the general public typically wished to be able to buy. So named after the Three Divine Treasures in the old myth of the Japanese Dynasty. [1955]

San'ya
Big skid row, or slum area, for day laborors in Tôkyô, located in Taitô-ku.

Sarada Kinembi (Salad Anniversary)
Title of a best-selling book of selected tanka (31-syllable verse) by schoolteacher Tawara Machi (1962-), characterized by a novel use of everyday words and expressions. [1987]

Sarakin
Short for sarariiman kin'yû (salarymen's finance). Money-lending business targeted at individual consumers. [1975]

*Sarariiman (salaryman)
Male salaried worker in the private sector.

*Sashimi
Fish meat eaten raw with soy sauce and wasabi. Also called o-tsukuri.

Sataka Makoto (1945-)
Outspoken professional critic of the economy and many other aspects of social and political life. He became a famous figure in the mid-1990s.

Sazae-san
Heroine of an influential animated TV drama depicting a family, consisting of Sazae herself, her parents, husband, younger brother, younger sister and her little son. All of them have names related to fish or the sea. The original manga story was composed and drawn by Hasegawa Machiko (1920-92).

Sazanka zuyu (Sasanqua tsuyu)
(See Natane zuyu)

Seimei handan (name diagnosis)
School of fortunetelling that diagnoses if your name brings fortune or misfortune. Some people change their name according to the fortuneteller's advice, or change the kanji representation of their name while keeping the same pronunciation.

*Seiza
Manner of sitting on your knees with legs folded on tatami. Seiza is practised when you are supposed to express reverence to a guest or a senior, or when you are supposed to concentrate your mind while practising some art.

Sekihan (red rice)
Rice cooked with the azuki bean, eaten on celebratory occasions.

Sekiyu Shokku, Oiru Shokku (Oil Shock)
The First Oil Crisis of 1973. The public ran to stock up toilet paper, which soon disappeared from the shelves of shops. Prices rose by more than 20% in one year (kyôkan bukka = raging prices).

Sekkotsu-in, Hone-tsugi
Small clinics that cure bone fracture and dislocation.

Sekuhara
Sexual harassment. [1989]

Sembei
Salty rice cracker, sort of o-kaki.

Sempai; Kôhai
Senior colleague and junior colleague in high school, college, enterprises or clubs.

Sengo minshu-shugi (postwar democracy)
An ideological trend that has been dominant in literary and political-thought over many decades since the 1945 defeat in the war. Characterized by somewhat idealistic humanism, pacifism and egalitarianism. Lost influence and became a popular target of mockery in the 1990s as the Cold War ended.

Senja fuda (thousand-shrine sticker)
Sticker used by pilgrims and tourists, often seen pasted on wooden structures in Shintô shrines and Buddhist temples, carrying the family name and sometimes the family crest of the visitor.

*Senryû
Comic variant of haiku (17-syllable poetry) practised by a wide range of people as a hobby.

Sensu
Traditional fold-away type paper fan. Often used as an accessory rather than to send wind.

Semi (cicada)
A summer without cicadas is unimaginable in Japan. There are many different species with different ways of buzzing : abura zemi, kuma zemi, minmin zemi, tsukutsukubôshi, higurashi, etc. In autumn, dragonflies (tombo) fly and crickets (kôrogi) chirp.

Seppuku (belly-cutting)
Ritual suicide of the former samurai (warrior) class. Hara-kiri is a misnomer that is never used in the vernacular. The suicide of the celebrated writer Mishima Yukio (1925-70) by means of seppuku shocked the whole nation.

*Sêrâ fuku (sailor blouse)
School uniform and symbol of high school girls. Became a fashion in 1924/25.

Setsubun
February 3 or 4, the last day of the winter in the lunar calendar. There is a tradition of throwing beans both inside and outside the house, picking up those fallen inside and eating as many grains of them as your own age. Sometimes people wear the mask of an ogre and play the game of chasing him way by tossing beans at him.

Sezon (Saison)
A big enterprise group that played a leading role by heralding the advent of the new fashion- and image-oriented mass consumption culture in the 1980s with a distinguished artistic sense. Its leader Tsutsumi Seiji (1927-) is also known as the poet and writer Tsujii Takashi. Its logos include Seibu department store, Seiyû supermarket, Wave (a music shop), Parco (shopping complex) and Loft (a variety store).

Shâbo (sharbo)
Mechanical pencil (shâpu pen, shâpen) combined with a ball point pen (bôru pen). Available for about 500 yen.

Shabu-shabu
Meat slices and vegetables cooked in hot water in a pan on the table. In the late 1990s, the word "nôpan shabu-shabu", or a shabu-shabu outlet where employees appear with no underwear, came to be well known as high bureaucrats were revealed to have been wined and dined in such a place. [Around 1950]

Shakkin Ô (The Debt King)
The state finance fell in a critical state in the late 1990s, making Japan the most debt-ridden among all major industrialized nations. On December 12, 1999, Prime Minister Obuchi Keizô facetiously called himself "the world's biggest Debt King" in a symposium in Matsuyama, inviting much criticism. [1999]

Shakuhachi
A traditional wind instrument resembling the recorder. Not practiced by many people nowadays. In popular imagination, sometimes associated with itinerant Buddhist mendicants (komusô).

Shamisen
A traditional lute-like musical instrument with three strings. Called sanshin in Okinawa, where it is an undispensable element of the local musical tradition. Not practiced by many people these days. In popular imagination, sometimes associated with geisha and the demimonde. Genres of shamisen-accompanied songs include naga-uta and ko-uta. Tsugaru jamisen is a genre of traditional shamisen music based in Aomori Prefecture, which is unexpectedly seeing a small revival of interest since around 1999 with the emergence of young brothers Yoshida Ryôichirô (1977-) and Yoshida Ken'ichi (1979-).

Shashin shûkan-shi (photo weekly)
Weekly magazines providing photo-illustrated stories, dealing with scandalous and sensational subjects. There have been five which fell into this category: Focus (1981-2001), Friday (1984-current), Emma (1985-87), Touch (1986-89), and Flash (1986-current). [First half of the 1980s]

*Shiba Ryôtarô (1923-96)
A highly influential writer who wrote period novels on leading figures of historical times. Many people became familiar with historical figures by reading his novels. Shiba is often compared with Fujisawa Shûhei (1927-97) who wrote period novels about ordinary people.

Shiberia yokuryû (Detention in Siberia)
When the World War Two ended, about 600,000 Japanese citizens were held prisoners by the Soviet Army and were put to forced labor in Siberia. About 10% of all detainees are thought to have died under severe labor and the harsh natural environment.

*Shibuya
Busy commercial quarter in Tôkyô's Shibuya-ku, which became by far the biggest focus of youth consumer culture in the 1990s, such as fashion, music and cinema. One of the foci of the Shibuya mode is the "Shibuya 109 (One-Oh-Nine)" building, which houses the famous boutique "Egoist". In around 1999, Shibuya got to be called "Bit Valley", coined from "Bitter Valley", the literal translation of "Shibuya". According to the literary critic Kawamoto Saburô ("Zattô no Shakai-gaku" (Sociology of the Throng), Chikuma Bunko, 1987), the typical haunt of the youth was Shinjuku until around the College Conflict, but it moved to Shibuya in the 1970s and the general mood of the time shifted from argument and politics to entertainment and hobbies, from thick emotions and seriousness to light emotions and jokes. If Shinjuku is the quarter of the men and of the night, Shibuya is the quarter of young women and of the daytime.

Shichi-fuku-jin (Seven Lucky Gods)
Six male and one female gods, worshipped as gods of luck in popular faith. Became popular in the Edo period.

Shichi-Go-San (Seven-Five-Three)
A traditional ritual for children aged 7, 5 or 3. They are dressed in kimono and taken to a shrine on November 15.

Shichimi tôgarashi (seven-taste red pepper)
Red pepper powder, which is typically used with Japanese-style noodles (udon and soba) or with tonjiru (pork soup).

Shichirin
Charcoal cooking stove, traditionally used before the advent of the gas cooker.

Shichû suimei
A school of fortune-telling based on the yin yang wu xing theory (traditional, and later superstitious, Chinese natural philosophy).

Shigin
The art of reciting classical Chinese poetry (translated in to classical Japanese) in a very characteristic tune. Now practised by elderly people.

Shiitake
One of the most representative mushrooms eaten in Japan. Others include shimeji, enoki-dake, nameko, matsutake etc.

Shijûku nichi (49 Days)
In Japanese Buddhism it is said that the soul of a dead person remains between this and world and the next for 49 days after death. A service may be held on Sho-Nanoka, the 7th day of the death.

Shikii
Doorsill, threshold. It is considered bad manners to step on a shikii.

*Shima-uta (Island tunes)
Traditional-style tunes of Okinawa, distinctly different in style from min'yô of the Japanese mainland. Makes an important part of the ethnic identity of the Okinawans. Rinken Band, Nênês, and "Kina Shôkichi and Champurûs" are the three prominent artist groups that adapted Okinawan musical tradition to the modern taste and enjoyed high popularity.

Shime-nawa
Straw rope indicating a sacred place in Shintô.

Shinjinrui (new humans)
Young people whose bold, unfettered behavior and ideas took by surprise the elder generations. Pairs with kyûjinrui (old humans). [1985/86]

Shinjû
Suicide pact by a couple in love or a family in financial difficulty.

Shinkansen (Bullet Train)
Fast train of the TGV sort operated by the JR group. Shinkansen was first opened for commercial operation on October 1, 1964, just in time for the Tôkyô Olympic Games, between Tôkyô and Shin-Ôsaka.

Shinran (1173-1262)
Buddhist thinker and founder of the Jôdo Shinshû sect, whose original thoughts have had a large impact on many modern intellectuals.

*Shintô
The vernacular religion of Japan, which has mingled with Buddhism in many respects.

Shirogan^eze (Shiroganese)
Generic term for fashionably dressed women in their 30s, typically encountered on the streets of the Shirogane district of Tôkyô. Coined from the Italian "Milanese". [1999]

Shirubâ shiito(silver seat)
Priority seat for the aged or disabled, found in public vehicles. Few people actually pay attention to this system. [1973]

Shiso
One of herbs used in Japanese cooking.

*Shitamachi (Lower town)
Typically working-class district in Tôkyô, referred to with a sense of closeness and attachment. Originally, Shitamachi only referred to the present-day Chûô-ku and part of Chiyoda-ku, but the definition has incessantly been enlarged since the Meiji era, and now includes a vast area in the easten half of Tôkyô.

Shôchikubai (pine, bamboo and apricot)
Three plants associated with good fortune. Matsu (pine), take (bamboo) and ume (apricot) are often used in the naming of meal sets in Japanese-style restaurants, in either the ascending or descending order of price.

Shôchû
Japanese-style distilled spirit.

Shochû mimai (heat sympathy)
Greeting cards sent in mid-summer, but far less obligatory than nenga-jô. After the last day of summer in the lunar calendar (early August), the greeting changes its name to zansho mimai (lingering heat sympathy).

Shodô
Calligraphy using rice paper (washi), Chinese ink (sumi) and a writing brush (fude). The ink stick is dissolved in an inkstone (suzuri). The first writing of the New Year is called kaki-zome. Called shûji as a lesson for children.

*Shôgi
Sort of chess, Chinese by origin, played on a 9-by-9 grid. There have been several young shôgi stars in the 1990s, such as Habu Yoshiharu (1970/71-).

*Shôji
Papered sliding door with wooden grating.

Shôjin ryôri
Traditional vegetarian cuisine.

Shôkô (incense burning)
Act of picking up some incense powder and dropping it on a small heap of burning incense placed before the altar in a Buddhist funeral or memorial service.

Shokuba no hana (flowers of the workplace)
The byword for the position of female workers in private enterprises which was typical until the 1980s. Another name is "tea-serving" (o-cha kumi).

Shônan
Area in Kanagawa Prefecture including municipalities such as Kamakura, Shigasaki, Hiratsuka, Fujisawa, Zushi and Hayama. Retains a high profile in the popular imagination, with such associations as the ocean, the sun, the beach, surfing, and young playboys and playgirls dating and driving. The highly popular rock group Southern All Stars has its spiritual root in Shônan.

Shotoku Baizô (Doubling the Income)
Slogan by Prime Minister Ikeda Hayato, an unlikely dream which surprisingly came true. [1960]

*Shôyu
Soy sauce. Used in other Asian countries too.

Shûmai (shaomai)
Chinese-style steamed meat dumpling.

Shuntô (Spring Strife)
Unified labor offensive for higher wages that has been carried out in spring every year since the 1950s. With the changing social background, this style of labor offensive is now facing a turning point.

Shusse uo (promoted fish) Fish whose names in Japanese change as they grow older and larger, such as buri or suzuki.

Snakehead
(See Jatô)

Soba See udon.

Sodai gomi (large-size refuse)
Man retired from his enterprise who is regarded as an annoyance by his wife and children. [1981]

*Sôpu rando; sôpu (soapland; soap)
Brothel. Other terms for sex industry outlets include hotetoru, sending prostitutes to hotel rooms on order; kyabakura (cabaret club), a bar where the client is surrounded by young girls but is seemingly not allowed to touch their bodies; rampabu (lingerie pub); pinsaro (pink salon); fasshon herusu (fashion health); and deriheru (delivery health), sending prostitutes to private houses on order. [1984]

Sômen
Thin Japanese noodles, often eaten cold in summer.

Soroban (abacus)
Even in the age of electronic calculators, the use of soroban is still taught to children. The art of soroban calculation is called shuzan. A Japanese abacus has one bead for five and four beads for one in each column.

Sôshiki bukkyô (funeral Buddhism)
Refers to contemporary Japanese Buddhism that has lost much of its capacity to respond to the mental and spiritual questions of people and has been relegated, in people's eyes, to something only associated with funeral ceremonies.

*Sôsu (sauce)
An indispensable seasoning liquid that is usually laid on the table along with soy sauce (shôyu). It was first put on sale in Ôsaka in 1894. In Tôkyô, the sôsu is viscous and dark brown, while in Kansai it is of the Worcester type (Usutâ sôsu) and more fluid and black. Tonkatsu (pork cutlet) is often eaten with a special tonkatsu sôsu.

Sôsu-gao (Western sauce face); Shôyu-gao (soy sauce face)
Face with Western-looking traits and face with Japanese-looking traits. [1988]

Sotsugyô ryokô (graduation journey)
As the general society became more affluent, it became common for college students to make a trip, either home or abroad, just before they graduated and began to work. The expenses are covered either by the students themselves, by their parents, or by both parties. [Mid-1980s?]

Subuta (vinegar pork)
Popular Chinese dish. Pork cooked with vegetables in a thick sweet-and-sour sauce.

Sugawara no Michizane (845-903)
Man of letters and bureaucrat, who became a high-profile politician but was demoted to Kyûshû late in his life in a conspiracy schemed by those who feared his power. Since the latter half of the Heian period, he is worshipped as a deity of learning, and is enshrined in many Shintô shrines, such as Dazaifu Temmangû (Fukuoka Prefecture), Kitano Temmangû (Kyôto) and Ôsaka Temmangû.

Sukiyaki
Beef, chicken, vegetables, tôfu and mushrooms cooked in hot water in a pan on the table. Flavored with soy sauce and sugar, and eaten soaked in raw egg. Eaten in winter. Invented in the late 19C.

*Sumô
Traditional wrestling, fought by fat men who wear nothing but a loincloth. One of Japan's most popular professional sports. There are six tournaments every year, each session lasting for 15 days beginning on Sunday and ending on Sunday. The matches are relayed on TV and on radio, and the last match always ends at 6 p.m. The wrestlers have to go through a strict system of apprenticeship. Sumô's popularity dipped a little after the "Waka-Taka" (sibling wrestlers Waka-no-hana and Taka-no-hana) fad of the first half of the 1990s. Similar sports exist in Korea and Mongolia. (See also yokozuna)

Sunakku (Snack)
Drinking place for men where they can talk to hostesses. Prices are hefty.

Supagetti jôtai (spaghetti state)
Inhuman condition of death often encountered in hospitals, in which people die bound up in tubes for the life support system, while the family members are left outside the room and are not allowed to attend the moment of death.

Supôtsu Shimbun (Sports Newspaper)
Tabloid newspaper targeted at a male readership, principally dealing with professional sports.

*Sushi
Vinegared rice eaten with seafood or vegetables. Includes maki zushi (sushi roll) rolled in nori and eaten in slices; inari zushi (fox sushi) rolled with aburage (deep-fried thin slices of tôfu); nigiri zushi (hand-crushed sushi), small pieces topped with seafood; oshi zushi (pressed sushi) pressed in a square box and topped with fish meat; and chirashi zushi topped with fried eggs, fish meat and vegetables, etc. With sushi, there is a special set of jargon, like agari (tea), o-aiso (bill), shari (white rice grains) and gari (ginger).

Sutajio Jiburi (Studio Ghibli)
The most successful and respected maker of animated films, known for its high craftsmanship and artistic achievement. Miyazaki Hayao (1941-) and Takahata Isao (1935-) are the leading filmmakers.

T

Tabi
Traditional split-toed socks.

Tai (sea bream)
Fish considered to be a high-grade food in the popular imagination.

Taihei-yô gawa (the Pacific side), Nihon-kai gawa (the Japan Sea side)
The climate differs significantly on both sides of the central mountain range. In winter, the weather is very clear and dry on the Pacific side, while the snowfall is heavy on the Japan Sea side, especially in Niigata Prefecture.

Taiiku-kai kei
Sport club type, said of a temperament typically observed in high school or college sport circle members. See also bankara and haikara.

Takara-kuji (public lottery)
Public lottery outlets, typically kept by an elderly woman, are found in many busy commercial districts. Apart from the lottery, by far the most popular public gambling is on horse racing (keiba), predominantly practised by working-class men.

Take-no-ko (bamboo shoot)
A favorite foodstuff eaten boiled. Memma, made from take-no-ko, is an important ingredient for râmen.

Tako (kite)
One of traditional toys, usually flown in winter.

Tako-yaki (grilled octopus)
Small round pancake, grilled on an iron plate, containing small pieces of octopus. Associated with Ôsaka. Took the current style in around 1950.

Takuan
Yellow pickled radish, eaten with rice.

*Takuhaibin
Delivery service by a private enterprise. Often referred to as Takkyûbin, the trademark of Yamato Un'yu. The first takuhaibin service was started in 1974, and became popular with the appearance of Yamato Un'yu's Takkyûbin in 1976. Became influential around 1981.

Tamagotchi
An electronic game machine featuring an animal, which you have to bring up by daily caring for it. An international hit. [1997]

Tama no koshi (golden palanquin)
Marriage of a woman from a rich or prestigious family and a man of a more modest family background. The opposite case is called gyaku tama (inverse palanquin), coined in 1989.

Tanabata
July 7, a festival of Chinese origin. Vega (Orihime or Shokujo, the Weaving Princess) and Altair (Hiko-Boshi, the Prince, or Kengyû, the Bull-Puller), separated by the Milky Way, are said to meet each other on this day. People write their wishes on slender pieces of paper (tanzaku) and tie them on bamboo grass (sasa).

*Tanaka Kakuei (1918-93)
Politician who served as Prime Minister from 1972-74. Native of the snowy Niigata Prefecture and becoming a success story in the central government, he incarnated the countryside's deep-rooted desire for financial subsidy and development, and is remembered as something of a legendary hero, although the huge negative legacy of his typically plutocratic politics is still dogging the country to this day. He was arrested in 1976 for the Lockheed corruption case. His political line (Tanaka Faction -- Takeshita Faction --- Obuchi Faction --- Hashimoto Faction) has been occupying the central place in the power balance within the Liberal Democratic Party, and has produced many Prime Ministers (such as Nakasone Yasuhiro, Takeshita Noboru and Obuchi Keizô). His mansion is located in Mejiro-dai in Tôkyô's Bunkyô-ku. His daughter Tanaka Makiko (1944-), also an LDP politician, is an outspoken maverick, and is one of the most popular politicians in today's Japan. Tanaka had a brain attack in 1985 after his protégés Takeshita Noboru and Kanemaru Shin disobeyed him, and became unable to carry on with his political activities.

Tanjô-bi (birthday)
The practice of celebrating birthdays is less commonly observed than in Western countries, although it can be important in families with children and among young women.

*Tanka
31-syllable poetry (5-7-5-7-7). Practiced by many (mainly elderly) people as a hobby. Called waka in old times. A tanka poet is called a kajin. The Okinawan equivalent to tanka is ryûka, with a syllabic structure of 8-8-8-6. (See also Salad Anniversary)

Tanki daigaku; abbr. Tandai (Community college)
College with a two-year term as opposed to regular ones with a four-year term. More than 90% of tandai students are women.

Tanuki (raccoon dog); kitsune (fox)
Two animals often appearing in folk tales as habitual cheats. Kitsune are associated with the sort of Shintô shrines called inari. It is somehow believed that kitsune like eating o-age (fried slices of tôfu), whence the name of kitsune udon (noodles topped with o-age). Tanuki are said to get together in the backyard of a Buddhist temple under the full moon and beat their own stomach like a drum to make music.

Tarako supagetti (cod roe spaghetti)
A dish exemplifying the Japanese ingenious capability for adapting foreign food to the Japanese way.

*Tatami
Mat made of rush. The size of Japanese-style rooms is measured by the number of tatami, and most typical sizes include 4.5, 6 and 8.

*Tatemae (professed opinions)
(See honne)

Teishu genki de rusu ga ii (A good husband is one that is doing well and is away from home)
Catchword describing the secret desire of many seasoned housewives. [1986]

Te-jime
Collective hand-clapping ceremony, performed to indicate the ending of a meeting. Consists of three sets of ten claps - 3 x (3+3+3+1) - followed by a long applause. There is also ippon-jime, consisting of only one big clap.

Tempura
Vegetables or fish fried with coating. Ten'ya is a fast-food chain specializing in tempura.

Ten-tsuyu
Sauce for tempura.

Terayama Shûji (1935-83)
Playwright, poet and filmmaker of a legendary talent.

*Terekura (telephone club)
Sex industry outlets where men sit in their compartment and wait for phone calls by potential sex partners. A hotbed of enjo kôsai. As of the end of 1998, 2,881 terekura are registered with the police. As of 2000, non-shop type businesses, just offering telephone lines, account for about 60% of all terekura. [1986]

Teriyaki
Grilled meat or fish flavored with a sweet and salty sauce.

Tiramisu (tiramisu)
Italian dessert which became a target of public obsession for a short time in the early 1990s, after it was featured in the women's magazine Hanako. [1990]

*Tôfu
When eaten cold, called hiya yakko. Variations include age-dashi dôfu (fried tôfu, eaten warm and often served in a drinking bar); Kôya dôfu (frozen dried tôfu, eaten cold); tamago dôfu (egg-flavored); goma dôfu (viscous and sesame-flavored).

Toki (Japanese crested ibis)
A wild bird that used to inhabit the Niigata region in large numbers but became an endangered species in the 20C by overhunting. Japanese toki is destined to become extinction because there is only one female left, but the breeding center has starting breeding Chinese toki, which is considered to be the same species.

Tokkuri
Flask for sake (Nihon-shu).

Toko no ma
An alcove in a tatami room, which is regarded as the most venerable corner. Art objects are placed therein.

Tokuyô hômu
Short for tokubetsu yôgo rôjin hômu, a special sort of home for the aged, staffed by specialists in nursing for the aged. [1990s?]

Tôkyô Daigaku; abbr. Tôdai (The University of Tôkyô)
The most prestigious university in Japan, the second best being Kyôto University. The Japanese universities tend to be ranked in a highly centralized hierarchy, in which the seven former Imperial Universities, or the universities of Tôkyô, Kyôto, Tôhoku, Hokkaidô, Kyûshû, Ôsaka and Nagoya hold a special status. The most prestigious private universities include Waseda and Keiô, both in Tôkyô.

Tomo-bataraki (two-income)
Two-income couples are typically found among progressively-minded intellectuals and among families of average or modest income.

Tonkatsu
Deep-fried pork cutlet with coating, usually eaten with sauce, shredded cabbage and a bowl of rice. Took the current form in the period between the 1900s and the 1920s.

Tora-bako (tiger box)
Detention cell for a drunken person. [1961]

Torabâyu (Travail)
Influential wanted ad magazine for women. In slang, torabâyu suru means "change jobs". [1980]

Torendii dorama (trendy drama)
Weekly serial drama on TV, targeted principally at young women.

Torii
Red-painted wooden gate seen at the entrance of a Shintô shrine.

Tôrô (lantern)
Lanterns, usually made of stone, typically found in Shintô shrines and Buddhist temples.

Tororo
Shaved yam.

Toshi-koshi soba (year-crossing soba)
There is a habit of eating soba noodles on the night of the New Year's Eve.

Toshi-shita no otto (younger husband); Ane-san nyôbô, Toshi-ue zuma (elder wife)
In the mid-1990s, marriage between an older woman and a younger man became in vogue. According to a census by a national research institute, the wife was older in 23.2% of the couples who married in 1993-97. [1995]

*Tsuke-mono
Generic term for salty pickled vegetables eaten with rice.

*Tsukkomi (bully)
(See boke)

Tsukuba
Name of a city in Ibaraki Prefecture, about 50km northeast of Tôkyô. An artificial city of science and technology was constructed here, and an international science exposition was held here in 1985. In the 1980s, however, suicides by scientists occurred frequently, as the living environment was slower to develop. Now hosts a large number of national research institutions.

Tsukuda-ni
Shellfish, seaweed, small fish or other things boiled down in sweetened soy sauce.

Tsukushi (horsetail)
Fern-like plant that grows in spring and often gathered to be cooked into tsukuda-ni.

Tsuppari
Delinquent or defiant high-school student. [Early 1980s]

*Tsuru (crane) and kame (turtle, tortoise)
The crane and the turtle/tortoise traditional symbolize good luck and longevity.

*Tsuyu
Rainy season that begins around June 10 and ends in late July at the latitude of Tôkyô and Ôsaka. Brought about by a front zone separating the air mass of spring and that of summer.

U

Uchi-geba
Interfactional conflict, sometimes of the violent sort, often seen among the far-left radicals. Geba comes from the German Gewalt. [1970]

Uchinâ-guchi
Okinawan language, which is usually called a dialect for political and historical reasons. The Okinawan dialect is said to be changing rapidly across generations, due to the pressure and influences from the standard Japanese (Yamato-guchi).

Uchiwa
Round-shaped paper fan that cannot be folded away. Typically distributed at summer festivals.

Udon; Soba
The most representative of Japanese noodles. The udon/soba soup is black and salty in Kantô and light-colored and less salty in Kansai. Soba is more often eaten in Tôkyô, while Kansai is the best place for eating udon. Famous local brands include Sanuki Udon (Kagawa Prefecture) and Shinshû Soba (Nagano Prefecture). Soba/udon are eaten either hot or cold (hiyashi).

Tanuki udon/soba (raccoon dog udon/soba) comes with tenkasu (fluffs of tempura); kitsune udon/soba (fox udon/soba) with o-age (fried slices of tôfu); tempura udon/soba is topped with tempura; kamo namban udon/soba with duck meat and leek; karê udon/soba with curry soup; chikara udon with mochi (rice cakes); nabe-yaki udon is served in a heated pot with meat and vegetables; zaru soba comes cold on a bamboo tray; mori soba is almost the same as zaru soba; and kasane soba comes cold on a pile of several bamboo trays.

Ueno Chizuko (1948-)
Leading feminist thinker of the 1980s.

Uguisu jô (warbler lady)
Young woman who calls out a candidate's name loudly from a sound truck during an election campaign.

Uirô
Sort of sweet cake.

Ume-boshi
Salty plum pickles, eaten with rice.

Unshû mikan
Mandarin orange. Eaten in winter, especially around the New Year, while sitting in kotatsu and watching TV. If you eat too many oranges, the soles of your feet turn yellow (kampishô).

Uruchi
Non-glutinous regular rice, as opposed to sticky rice (mochi gome) used to make rice cakes (mochi).

*Usagi goya (rabbit hutch)
Reference to the fact that the Japanese live, on average, in much smaller houses than citizens of other industrialized countries. [1979]

*Ushinawareta Jû-Nen (The Lost Decade)
The decade of the 1990s that elapsed in confusion while people tried in vain to settle the political, economic and social entanglement caused by negative legacies of the frivolities of the Bubble Economy. [2000]

Utada Hikaru (1983-)
American-born singer-songwriter with a prodigious sense for music who sold a record number (more than 7 million copies) of her debut album "First Love" in 1999. Her appearance radically swelled the number of listeners of R&B (rhythm-and-blues) style music, which was becoming popular since a few years earlier. Along with the eccentric avant-garde style singer-songwriter Shiina Ringo (1978-), Utada made the year 1999 a memorable turning point in the J-pop scene.

Utsurundesu ("This Is Photographable"/"This is infectious")
Trademark of a disposable camera put on sale in 1986. Soon after, Yoshida Sensha began to publish a serial absurdity manga under the homonymous title "Utsurundesu" (This is infectious) in the weekly Big Comic Spirits, which became a smash hit among the youth in around 1991. [1986]

Uyoku (far-right)
Far-right groups, usually linked with gangster groups, which often operate sound trucks to blast music like military songs, enka or min'yô. They often put pressure on leftist movements, dirty politicians, business wrongdoers and even unwanted religious cults.

W

*Wabi; Sabi
Basic concepts in Japanese esthetics, both words meaning a liking for the charm of solitude, unpretentiousness etc.

Wafuku; Yôfuku
Japanese-style clothing and Western clothing. Today, wafuku is worn only in limited situations.

*Waido shô (wide show)
TV variety shows, typically broadcast during the daytime and watched by many housewives. Show-biz personalities are invited as guests and talk about various things, not least gossip.

Wajin
Ethnic Japanese, as opposed to the ethnic Ainu (now living in Hokkaidô).

Wakame
A type of seaweed, most likely to be found in miso soup. Other commonly eaten seaweeds include kombu and its thinly sliced flakes, tororo kombu, etc.

*Wakayama doku karê jiken (Wakayama poisoned curry incident)
On July 25, 1998, arsenic was thrown into pots of curry cooked for a summer festivity of the neighborhood of Sonobe in Wakayama City. Four people were killed and more than 60 other people were poisoned. On October 4, former insurance saleswoman Hayashi Masumi, 37, was arrested, but she still denies her guilt as of 1999. It turned out that she and her husband had been involved in many cases of insurance fraud. The poisoning incident was immediately followed by a large number of imitation crimes nationwide, and an elderly man was killed by a poisoned beverage in Suzaka City, Nagano Prefecture.

Wakon Yôsai (Japanese soul, Western mind)
Manner of eclecticism, advocated by some Japanese intellectuals of the early modern era (post 1868), in which advanced knowledge and technology of the West are taken in without affecting the traditional Japanese mentality, somewhat romantically idealized.

*Wâpuro (word processor)
Electronic typewriter-like machine for writing Japanese text. Capable of transforming hiragana (phonetic alphabet) inputs into kanji (Chinese characters). The hiragana can be input either as they are or in Roman transcription, but the majority of people use the Romanized method of input. The first wâpuro "JW-10" was put on sale at 6.3 million yen by Tôshiba in 1978. Wâpuro became popular since around 1983.

Waraji
Sandals woven of straw.

Wari-bashi
Disposable wooden chopsticks, often used in restaurants in order to save washing them.

Wasabi
Hot, green spice used in Japanese dishes. Grated root of a horseradish-like plant. Besides natural wasabi, there is also synthetic wasabi.

Washi
Japanese-style rice paper. Now used only in limited occasions, like decorations and calligraphy.

Washitsu (Japanese-style room); Yôshitsu (Western-style room)
Washitsu is a room with a tatami floor. Yôshitsu is a room with a carpeted floor. Most people's houses have both types of rooms.

Washlet (Wosshuretto)
Trademark of a toilet appliance that is able to warm and rinse. Put on sale in 1980.

Washoku; Yôshoku
Japanese-style and Western-style meals. Yôshoku often refers to the Western cuisine that was introduced in the early modern era and became, with Japanese adaptations, truly popular among the mass in the 1920s. The habits of eating meat and of drinking milk came in as part of yôshoku, too. The three major items of yôshoku in that sense are karê (curry), tonkatsu (pork cutlet) and korokke (croquette).

Y

Yaki-imo; Ishi-yaki-imo
Baked sweet potatoes, often sold by cruising peddlers in winter.

Yaki-niku (grilled meat; Korean barbecue)
Now an indispensable part of the Japanese popular cuisine first introduced by restaurants run by the Korean-Japanese minority in the post-war era. Became popular since the mid-1960s. Korea-towns where yaki-niku outlets are typically concentrated include Tsuruhashi in Ôsaka, Akasaka and Ueno (especially the Ueno Arirang Street in eastern Ueno) in Tôkyô, and the Kawasaki Korea-town in Hama-chô, Kawasaki-ku. See also horumon. [Post-war]

Yaki-soba
Fried râmen (Chinese-style noodles). In spite of its name, this has nothing to do with Japanese soba. Variations include kata yaki-soba (fried while the noodles are still hard; gomoku yaki-soba with meat and vegetables in thick caramel sauce; gomoku kata yaki-soba with both; and sôsu yaki-soba (sôsu-flavored).

Yaki-tori
Skewer of roasted chicken meat. Usually eaten along with an alcoholic beverage.

Yaku-doshi
An age at which you are supposed to be likely to experience difficulties, according to the ying yang-derived superstition. 42 for men and 33 for women, counted in the old way with the year of your birth as age 1 and the next year as age 2. Officially, there seem to be other ages designated as yaku-doshi, too. Yaku-doshi corresponds to mid-life crisis in contemporary terms.

Yakuza
Mafia or its members. Also called bôryoku-dan (violence syndicate) or gokudô. As of the end of 2000, mafia members numbered 43,400, with quasi-members numbering 40,200. (See also katagi)

Yamamba gyaru (mountain monster gal)
Young playgirls of the kogyaru type with monstrous makeup, who multiplied in Tôkyô's Shibuya in 1999. Typically have a sun-tanned (ganguro) face painted white around the eyes, hair decolored, lips painted white and in thick-soled boots (atsu-zoko). A yamamba is a female ogre living in the mountains who appear in Japanese folk tales. [1999]

Yama-no-te (mountainside)
Hillside residential quarters in Tôkyô, typically inhabited by upper-middle class people. (See also Shitamachi)

Yamatai-koku (Yamatai state)
The name of the most powerful state in the 3C Japan governed by the shaman queen Himiko, as described by the official chronicle of the Chinese dynasty of Wei. The chronicle also describes the manners and customs in the archipelago in great detail. However, very little else is known about this enigmatic state, including the correct pronunciation of its name, and there are two contradicting theories about its whereabouts: in Kyûshû and in Nara Prefecture. This topic has long been stirring up interest and romanticism among the general public.

Yamate (mountainside)
Mountainside residential quarters in the Hanshin (Ôsaka-Kôbe) District, for more affluent people than on the seaside. Three railway lines run parallel in this district (Hankyû - JR - Hanshin from mountainside to seaside), and the layers of passengers are said to be distinctly different.

Yamato
One of elegant ways of calling Japan. It originally refers to a region in today's Nara Prefecture.

Yamato nadeshiko (Japanese pink)
Gentle and graceful woman, supposedly embodying a traditional virtue of Japan.

Yamatonchû
Mainland Japanese, as opposed to the people of Okinawa (Uchinânchu).

Yammama
Young mother who was influenced by the delinquency culture in her teens. Etymologically, a combination of yankii (Yankee) and mama (Mom). [1994]

Yankii (Yankee)
Defiant, delinquent teenagers, either male or female, such as the bôsô-zoku (Hell's Angels).

Yôkan
Sweet cake, blackish and in a rectangular shape.

*Yome (daughter-in-law) and shûtome (mother-in-law)
In Japan, family conflicts most typically occur between the mother and the wife of a man who is at the center of a family.

Yôshoku See Washoku.

Yokozuna
Highest title for sumô wrestlers, held by a maximum of four people at a time. Once nominated a Yokozuna, the title is held until retirement. Lower titles are Ôzeki, Sekiwake, Komusubi, Maegashira 1-14/16 (with 2 wrestlers in each rank), Jûryô 1-13 etc. in descending order.

Yon-koma manga (four-frame comic strip)
A style of comic strip, typically used for those printed on the penultimate page of the daily newspapers.

Yoshimoto Kôgyô
A big and influential comedy enterprise based in Ôsaka, which became popular nationwide in around 1991. Its base theater is Namba Grand Kagetsu in Ôsaka.

Yoshimoto Takaaki (1924-)
Thinker, literally critic and poet who had a huge impact on post-war Japanese thought. He distinguished himself with his maverick manner of thought and had a charismatic influence on the half-literal, half-political-minded youth of the 1960s. It is said that, even in the 1990s, the Japanese thought scene is still divided between those who agree with Yoshimoto and those who do not. Internationally-known writer Yoshimoto Banana is one of his daughters.

Yoyogi
Placename in Tôkyô's Shibuya-ku which is a byword for the Japan Communist Party since their HQ is located in the area.

Yuba
Foodstuff made by drying the membrane that is formed on the surface when soybean milk is boiled.

Yûkan
Evening edition of a daily newspaper. (See also chôkan)

Yûkara
Long epic, an important oral tradition of the Ainu (in Hokkaidô).

Yukata
Japanese-style light gown, often provided in inns and hotels as pajamas. Tanzen (or dotera) is a padded Japanese-style jacket worn over a yukata.

Yuta
Okinawan shaman, influential among the population. Female shamans are commonly present in North-East Asian cultures (e.g. Korea). On the Japanese mainland, itako (female shamen, such as those at Osore-zan, Aomori-ken, who call the spirits of the dead and speak on their behalf) represent what little is left of the female shaman culture. Cocco (1977-), female singer-songwriter from Okinawa, claims to have the susceptibilities of a shaman.

Yuzu
Sort of citron. One of herbs used in Japanese cuisine.

Yuzu-yu (yuzu bath)
There is a habit of putting yuzu balls into the bathtub around the Winter Solstice (Tôji).

Z

Za-buton
Floor cushion of a square shape.

*Zainichi
Korean-Japanese minority, the second biggest ethnic group in Japan after the Japanese. Short for zainichi Kankoku Chôsen-jin (Korean residents in Japan). Having suffered unjust racial discrimination until the 1980s, second- and third-generation members have been playing an important role in the literary, artistic, intellectual, sports and show-biz scenes of Japan.

Basically, the zainichi are those who came to and settled down in Japan during or immediately after the colonial era (1910-45) as well as their descendents. As of the end of 1998, there were 554,875 permanent residents of Korean citizenship, and the number is on a gentle decrease. The new wave of South Korean immigrants from the 1980s on, which has a distinctly different cultural identity, is called the "newcomers" (nyûkamâ). [Post-war]

See online resource by Mr. Fukuoka Yasunori:
"Koreans in Japan: Past and Present" (1996)
and
"Beyond Assimilation and Dissimilation: Diverse Resolutions to Identity Crises among Younger Generation Koreans in Japan"(1996).

Zakkyo biru (multi-use building)
Concrete buildings rented piecewise by different establishments, like restaurants and bars, business offices, association offices etc. Typical in Japanese cities.

Zenekon
Major construction enterprise. Short for "general constructor". [1993]

Zôni; O-zôni
Soup containing rice cakes and vegetables, a special meal for the New Year. Differs from region to region.

Zôri
Straw or rubber sandals with a thong (hanao) to be caught between the big toe and the next toe.

Major resources:

• Asahi Shimbunsha (ed.), "Asahi Kii Wâdo 1999" (Asahi Keywords 1999), Asahi Shimbunsha, 1999 (in Japanese).
• Gendai Yôgo Nijis-seiki Jiten (20th-Century Encyclopedia of Contemporary Words), supplement to the 1998 version of "Gendai Yôgo no Kiso Chishiki" (Basic Knowledge of Contemporary Words), Jiyû Kokumin Sha (in Japanese).
• Gendai Yôgo no Kiso Chishiki (ed.), "Nijis-seiki ni Umareta Kotoba" (Words Born in the 20th Century), Shinchô Oh! Bunko, 2000 (in Japanese).
• Gurûpu Shôwa-shi Tanken (Group for the Exploration of the Shôwa History), "Shôwa Ryûkô-go Jiten" (Dictionary of Shôwa Buzzwords), San'ichi Shinsho, 1987 (in Japanese).
• Inagaki Yoshihiko, "Heisei Shingo Ryûkô-go Shô-jiten" (Small Dictionary of Heisei New Words and Buzzwords), Kôdansha Gendai Shinsho, 1999 (in Japanese).
• Inoue Tadashi and Suntory Fueki Ryûkô Kenkyûsho, "Gendai Katei no Nenjû Gyôji" (Annual Events in Contemporary Households), Kôdansha Gendai Shinsho, 1993 (in Japanese).
• Kanda Fuhito (ed.), "Shôwa Heisei Gendaishi Nempyô" (Chronological Table of the Contemporary Era, Shôwa and Heisei), Shôgakukan, 1997 (in Japanese).
• Kobayashi Nobuhiko, "Gendai [Shigo] Nôto" (Contemporary [Dead Words] Notebook), Iwanami Shinsho, 1997 (in Japanese).
• Kobayashi Nobuhiko, "Gendai [Shigo] Nôto II" (Contemporary [Dead Words] Notebook II), Iwanami Shinsho, 2000 (in Japanese).
• "Kono Jûnen" (Last Ten Years), YOMIDAS Land, Yomiuri Shimbun's Web site (in Japanese).
• Kosuge Keiko, "Nippon Râmen Monogatari" (The Japan Râmen Story), Kôdansha Plus Alpha Bunko, 1998 (in Japanese).
• Kosuge Keiko, "Nippon Yôshoku Mono-gatari Taizen" (The Complete Story of Western Dishes in Japan), Kôdansha Plus Alpha Bunko, 1994 (in Japanese).
• Kosuge Keiko, "Okazu Hyaku-nen: Aji na Nihon Kindai-shi" (100 Years of Dishes: A Tasty History of Modern Japan), serial weekly column in Asahi Shimbun, January to July 2000 (in Japanese).
• Kure Tomofusa, "Gendai Manga no Zentai Zô" (General Picture of Contemporary Manga), Futaba Bunko, 1997 (in Japanese).
• Miyatsuka Toshio, "Nippon Yakiniku Monogatari" (The Story of Korean Barbecue in Japan), Ôta Shuppan, 1999 (in Japanese).
• Nagata Hisashi, "Nenjû Gyôji wo `Kagaku' Suru" (`Science' of Annual Events), Nihon Keizai Shinbunsha, 1989 (in Japanese).
• Naichâzu (ed.), Tarumi Kengo, "Okinawa Iro-Iro Jiten" (Dictionary of various things on Okinawa), Tombo no Hon, Shinchôsha, 1992 (in Japanese).
• Ôtani Kôichi, "Zoku Ôsaka-Gaku" (Ôsakalogy Part II)", Shinchô Bunko, 1997 (in Japanese).
• Shimokawa Kôshi and Katei Sôgô Kenkyûkai, "Meiji Taishô Katei-shi Nempyô" (Chronological Table of Home Life in Meiji and Taishô Periods), Kawade Shobô Shinsha, 2000 (in Japanese).
• Shimokawa Kôshi and Katei Sôgô Kenkyûkai, "Shôwa Heisei Katei-shi Nempyô" (Chronological Table of Home Life in Shôwa and Heisei Periods), Kawade Shobô Shinsha, 1997 (in Japanese).
• Takeuchi Osamu, "Sengo Manga Gojû-nen Shi" (History of the 50 Years of Post-War Manga), Chikuma Library, 1995 (in Japanese).