今晩[こんばん]8時です。何[なに]が、ですって? 勿論[もちろん] (= of course)、RWC2011、オールブラックス対[たい]日本[にほん]の試合[しあい]です。私[わたし]が住[す]んでいる街[まち]、ハミルトンにある、ワイカト･スタジアムで行[おこな]われます。
It’s 8 o’clock tonight! What am I talking about? – of course, it is about RWC2011, All Blacks vs. Japan. This match will be held at Waikato Stadium, located in Hamilton.
上[うえ]の写真[しゃしん]はハミルトンにある日本[にほん]料理[りょうり]屋[や]の前[まえ]にあった宣伝[せんでん] (= sign, advertisement)です。そして下[した]の写真[しゃしん]はトンカツ弁当[べんとう]の写真[しゃしん]です。トンカツはa deep-fried slice of porkのことで、日本[にほん]でとても人気[にんき]がある食[た]べ物[もの]です。日本語[にほんご]で “win”は「勝[か]つ」と言います。全然[ぜんぜん]違[ちが]うことばですが、トンカツの「カツ」と、「勝[か]つ」は音[おと] (= sound)が同[おな]じなので、「カツを食[た]べて勝つ!」というわけです。日本人[にほんじん]はこのような、語呂[ごろ]合[あ]わせをよくします。語呂[ごろ]合[あ]わせとは、rhyming gameとかplay on wordsということです。
今日[きょう]、この大切[たいせつ]な試合[しあい]があるということで、ハミルトンは盛[も]り上[あ]がっています。日本[にほん]の旗[はた] (= flag)もハミルトンの街[まち]にありました!ガンバレ、JAPAN!!
It’s 8 o’clock tonight? What am I talking about – of course, it is about RWC2011, All Blacks vs. Japan. This match will be held at Waikato Stadium, located in Hamilton.
I took the above photo, the first one, in front of a Japanese restaurant in Hamilton today. The second photo above shows Obento, a box lunch, I bought from the restaurant. The restaurant sells its special “Tonkatsu-bento” just today. Tonkatsu is a deep-fried slice of pork and quite popular in Japan. I am sure you wonder why Ton Katsu-bento” today? Here is the explanation – “to win” in Japanese is “katsu”. “Katsu (win)” and “katsu” in Tonkatsu are completely utterly different words, but as you can see, they sound exactly same. So before an important match, we often eat “tonkatsu” wishing “katsu”(= win)! We often do this type of play on words.
We are all so excited in Hamilton today. I saw many Japanese flags in town when I went to the Japanese restaurant today.
Let’s cheer for JAPAN!!
Tracy says:
oh my god!!!
totemo totemo oishisoudesu!!
watashiwa ima ‘fish n chips’ wo tebetari, terebide rugby game wo mitarishiteimasu.
Japan just scored 7 points!!
so happy and exciting!! ganbare~~~~~!
Fumiko Nishimura says:
でも、残念ながら、日本は負けてしまいましたね。。。
次の試合で、是非勝ってほしいです!