After a night spent reading my journal from when I started it back in 2002 up until I came home from Japan in 2006, I can officially say that a.) I’m glad I’m no longer a twenty-something, b.) I’m SO glad I went to Japan and grew the hell up (well, at least a little) and c.) I miss Japan like a phantom limb.
Sabishii
Comments
6 responses to “Sabishii”
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Usually kittens bring sweetness and light but in the week or so since Yuki and Kokoro came to live with you I notice your posts have become darker. I wonder, is it the grittiness and ennui of the city or baby demon cats?
Seriously though – thank you for expanding my vocabulary – I have learned three Japanese words yuki, kokoro and sabishii. Sabishii in particular engaged my interest – I don’t think there is an English equivalent.
I looked the definition up in the “Cojak Hanzi” dictionary which because of my age and dorkiness I will now refer to as the Kojak Fonzi dictionary.
I think you need to come to Cleveland for “Tsunami Thursday” at Sushi Rock – 1/2 price sushi and music so loud it makes everything irrelevant.
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The kittens are bringing sweetness and light, but I’m in the midst of final edits on my next novel, set in Japan–hence all the Japanese words lately, I think–and I think I’ve just reached my fill of the political stuff that’s around at the moment. Tsunami Thursday sounds awesome, but tonight I have to go on the Louie Free radio show. I hope he doesn’t ask me to talk politics! 😉
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Oh and, Sabishii–closest English equivalent is lonesome.
🙂
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It is a great word – I am going to add it to my collection of favorite words.
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Your friends in Japan miss you a lot, too. So try to visit here again, maybe for our local cons. SF Seminar in May 3rd, for example, is willing to pay you some, if you give us a lecture or join our panel discussion. I’ll try and find some tidbit works for you again, probably enough to pay the flight. Also you can see a bunch of our fans at Wiscon or Worldcon in Denver. Maybe for those your publisher can split the flights. So don’t despair. Japan won’t vanish nor sink.
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Oh, thank you, Yoshio! I will try to come for the seminar in May if I can! But if I can’t, I will definitely visit Japan again. I absolutely have to, many times over and over again for the rest of my life, hopefully.
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