Do you know the saying, "Akinai wa ushi no yodare"? The literal translation is, "Business is cow drool." It means that, just like cow drool is long and thin as it slowly drips, in business you must endure patiently; you can't rush profits. In business, you have to continue to persevere. Business is something you can't get tired of. In Japanese you can say, "Akinai wa akinai desu." Akinai means business. Akiru means to get tired of something. The negative form of akiru is akinai, which means to not get tired of something. Therefore, "Akinai wa akinai desu" means, "Business is something you should not get tired of."

商いは牛のよだれ

あきないはうしのよだれ

あきない は、あきない です。

Do you know the saying, “Daikon doki no isha irazu”? The literal translation would be, “In radish season, you don't need a doctor.” It means that during the season for harvesting the daikon radish, everyone is healthy and doesn't need a doctor. Daikon doki means the daikon season which is from fall through winter. Daikon are high in nutrition and prepares the stomach and aids good digestion, so it has come to be known to be good for the body since ancient times. It is from this that the saying arose.

大根どきの医者いらず

だいこんどきのいしゃいらず

「大根どき」とは、ダイコンの旬である秋から冬にかけての時期を言います。大根の収穫どきにはみんな健康になり、医者が必要なくなるという意味です。大根は、栄養価が高く、また、お腹の調子を整え、消化をよくするはたらきがあり、昔から体によいものとされてきました。こんなところから、この諺が生まれました。

In Japan, Saba is considered a “blue fish.”It is very popular to eat and fish vendors can sell a lot of it. But, Saba also has a very short shelf life, so it must be sold and eaten quickly. Fish vendors must count out large numbers of fish quickly for their customers. Rather than counting out each individual fish, the vendor would guess about how many fish he had, then tell the customer a higher number. So, for example, a customer might pay for 100 fish but only get 50. When we say “Saba o yomu,” it means that we are lying about something that has to do with numbers. When an actress lies about her age or weight, we can say “Sama o yonde iru.”

鯖を読む

サバをよむ

さかなはとのさまに、もちはこじきにやかせろ

Lords, cook fish! Peasants, cook mochi!


という諺（ことわざ）をご存知ですか？　

これは、貧乏人と殿様を例えに、魚を焼く時のコツを表現した言葉です。

Do you know why this is?

This is about lords' and peasants' knack for cooking fish.

貧乏人は、いつもお腹をすかせていますから、早く食べたくて、まだかまだかと、

せっかちに焼き加減を点検したくなります。殿様は、反対にゆったりと構えています。

Since peasants are always hungry, they want to eat fast, so they keep checking the fish even though it's not done, yet. The lords are opposite: they just sit back and wait.

餅は焦げやすいので、しょっちゅう裏返しながら焼いた方がよいのですが、

魚は片身を七分どおり焼き上げてから、ゆっくり裏返すといいのです。

Mochi is easy to burn, so you have to keep flipping it while it's cooking. However, you only have to flip fish once when it's about 70% done.

ですから、魚は殿様に焼いてもらい、餅は貧乏人に焼いてもらう方がいいということになります。

And so fish is best cooked by lords, and mochi is best cooked by peasants.



AllisonHirakami

Whenever I am translating anything for Nacos, the most difficult expression (and one of the most often used) is, "yoroshiku onegaishimasu." So when Michiko asked me to write about this one, I cringed. It is such a common expression in Japanese with all kinds of different uses, but there is really no English equivalent. It is a little ambiguous and has different connotations depending on the situation. It is very Japanese. Well, here goes my attempt.

The first way I heard it translated was, "please be good to me," and I guess that's how I still think of it when I have to. If you want to break it down, I guess "yoroshiku" comes from "yoroshii" which is the polite form of "ii" or "yoi" which mean "good." "Onegaishimasu" means "Please do it for me." So, I guess you could translate it as, "Please do good for me." Of course, this doesn't make sense, which is why it is so hard to translate. ;-) (笑)

It is a polite enough expression that you can use it with pretty much anyone you meet. If you use this expression, you will definitely make a good impression. It shows class.

One of the most common uses is when you meet someone. Of course you can say "hajimemashite," but inevitably one person or the other―often both―will say, "yoroshiku onegaishimasu." In this case, it has the feel of, "We just met, but I hope we can be friends" or "if the opportunity ever arises, I hope I can count on you" or "I hope you will look favorably upon me" or, I don't know, something like that. It shows that you respect and want the good will of the person(s) you are being introduced to. If you are joining a group, be it a company, a school, a sports team, a club, or any social circle, you would definitely use this expression to show you want the good will of the other members. In any case, it implies you are looking forward to a good relationship with the other person(s).

Another common usage is when you are asking someone for a favor. After you are finished asking for what you want, you would add, "yoroshiku onegaishimasu." This would have the feeling of, "Please take care of it for me." You can use this whether you are asking a superior or a close friend for a favor, or you can even use it when dropping your laundry off at the cleaners. You can even use it when asking someone to look after a person. If you are dropping off your daughter for her first day of school you might say to the teacher, "Musume o yoroshiku onegaishimasu." "Please take care of my daughter and teach her well."

Let's see, depending on the situation, here are some possible things it could mean. Nice to meet you. I look forward to our good relations. Please look favorable upon me. I look forward to doing business with you. Please accept me as one of you. Please take care of me. Please take care of it for me. I'm counting on you. Please do whatever you can for me. Thank you in advance. Please treat him/her well. I'm entrusting my son/daughter/husband/wife/mother/father/good friend to you. I'm counting on your support/cooperation in this matter.

Well, I hope you are not too confused and are able to use this expression well. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.