Kyota Ko

@themetroclassic

Hi, I’m Kyota, a Japanese culture storyteller & the author of Amazon Best Sellers [Folk Tales of Japan] & [Underdogs of Japanese History]. Book page▼
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Finally, a book on Japanese history that’s purely entertaining and understandable!: Underdogs of Japanese History 11 tales of iconic characters who prevailed against the odds… or didn’t …A samurai prison guard who saw the humanity in even the most savage prisoners, An untalented warlord who was relentlessly obsessed with protecting his people, A lady-in-waiting of ancient Japanese court who turned herself from a single-mom bookworm into a best-selling author and savior of the ruler of Japan, An impoverished samurai clan that overthrew two centuries of oppression… Understanding and relating to the struggles of people of other cultures and of distant pasts, finding ourselves cheering for them, and then rejoicing when they succeed leads to realizing we are one human race after all. Let us embark on a journey to learn Japanese history through the eyes of eleven remarkable underdogs. Available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle ———————— Thank you for sharing laughs and tears all along, so much so that I ended up writing a second book. I hope you like it ☺️! #metroclassicjapanese #japanesehistory #history #samurai #japaneseculture #japan #japao #japon #travel #booklover #bookaddict #book #booklovers #bookstagram #booklove #bookworms #booknerd #books #bookgram #japantravel #japanlover
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7 months ago
Stories of wit, stories of cruelty, stories of horror, and stories of life— Folk Tales of Japan is a collection of 28 memorable tales, each accompanied with insights into its cultural and historical background. There is always some truth in legends and folk tales, and indeed, each story in this anthology is a doorway to understanding the life and ideas of Japanese people back in time. The impermanence of happiness, the awe of nature and the supernatural, and the celebration of nifty workarounds (also, powerful women and rather helpless men) are all integral components of Japanese culture, and are all themes that recur throughout the book. An excellent entry point into Japanese culture for readers who are curious to learn about Japan, and a wellspring of new perspectives for Japanese culture enthusiasts. Available on paperback and Kindle, on Amazon. Author: Kyota Ko #japaneseculture #japanese #japan #japanculture #japaneseart #japanesehistory #booklover #bookaddict #culture #folklore #folktale #story #storytime #metroclassicjapanese
1,445 157
1 year ago
The Japanese word ただいま “Tadaima” doesn’t actually mean “I’m back” ただいま Tadaima It’s a shortened version of ただいまもどりました “Tadaima Modori-mashita.” Tadaima = I have just Modori-mashita = came back Japanese people have had a bad habit of abbreviating the more important parts of everyday phrases. They got rid of the “came back” part and kept the “I have just” part. So Tadaima literally only means “I have just.” That’s like abbreviating “Kentucky Fried Chicken” into “Fried.” FRIED WHAT!!?? I HAVE JUST WHAT !??!?!? FINISH YOUR SENTEEEEEENCE!!! Please subscribe to my channel for more content like this ☺️. ——- Hi, I’m Kyota, the author of Folk Tales of Japan and Underdogs of Japanese History. Please check out my books ☺️: @themetroclassic #japanese #japaneselanguage #etymology #japan #giappone #японія #comedy #language #japaneseculture
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22 hours ago
The Mexican city of Acapulco 🇲🇽 is a sister city to the Japanese city of Onjukuchō 🇯🇵. The reason dates back 415 years. In 1609, the Governor-General of the Philippines then, Rodrigo de Vivero, was on board his ship heading for Acapulco. But a storm wrecked the ship and he and his 300-plus men came ashore on a beach in what is now Onjukuchō in Chiba Prefecture in Japan. Right around this time, the bloody age of nationwide samurai battle royal was just drawing to a close, and the villagers of the little village there were living peacefully. They rescued the fatigued and hungry Spaniards and reported the incident to their samurai feudal lord, Honda Tadatomo. Tadatomo was like the son of a celebrity. His father was literally known as the most talented samurai general in the country, Honda Tadakatsu. Tadatomo came to see the helpless Spaniards with 300 of his soldiers. And what he decided to do was… throw them a party 🕺! Tadatomo coordinated Rodrigo’s visit to the Shogun, the Shogun gave away a freebie Galleon sailing ship, Rodrigo set sail, and safely arrived in Acapulco ☺️. 369 years later, the Mexican President came to Chiba Prefecture to say thanks for the party, and that is how the sisterhood began. I’m guessing he was thrown a welcome party 😁. ¡Salud! ☺️🥂! Photo of a samurai armor replica at Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo. ▶︎ Enjoy more stories like this in my books on Japanese culture and history, available at: @themetroclassic #mexico #japanesehistory #history #samurai #museum #samuraihistory #samuraiarmor #armor #internationalfriendship #bedtimestory #japaneseculture #japan #japao #japon #giappone #японія #metroclassicjapanese
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1 day ago
The etymology of the Japanese word すごい Sugoi is indeed sugoi 😂. Written in Kanji: 凄い The left hand side of the Kanji means “Ice.” The right hand side means “Wife.” So Sugoi was originally used to express something chilling or petrifying. But through time, it came to be used to describe how something is astonishingly great, like how it is used to say “Amazing!” nowadays. Sugoi 😁! ——- Hi, I’m Kyota, the author of Folk Tales of Japan and Underdogs of Japanese History. Please check out my books ☺️: / #japanese #japaneselanguage #etymology #japan #giappone #японія #comedy #language #japaneseculture
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2 days ago
Eastern Japan in the 13th century was a hotbed of meathead samurai 😂. Physical power defined the value of a man, and Wada Tsunemori was born into a samurai family that particularly excelled in this area. One day, the Shogun was so pleased to see Tsunemori’s younger brother Yoshihide dive into the sea and catch three sharks with his bare hands that he offered his finest horse as a reward. In the Middle Ages, this was equivalent to being given a Ferrari. But Tsunemori had always wanted the Ferrari horse so he said, “Sir, please wait! My brother may have strength, courage and agility, but I shall defeat him in a match of sumo with my strength, courage and BIG-BROTHERITY!!!” ! (It literally says that in historical records. Perhaps a word that did not last the test of time 😂) Shogun replied, “WTF is big-brotherity… Okay, show me 😂.” So Tsunemori and Yoshihide took off their clothes and started grappling with each other. Neither could pin the other down for a long time. Watching the brothers’ bout, all the other meathead samurai got so excited that one of them couldn’t help but jump into their muscle match. Just when Yoshihide twitched a little in response to the intruder, Tsunemori activated his big-brotherity. He ran to the Ferrari horse naked, mounted it, and rode off into the sunset. So apparently big-brotherity is the power to create trust issues in the younger sibling 😂. #bigbrotherity Woodblock print by UTAGAWA Yoshitsuya (1822 - 1866). ▶︎ Enjoy more stories like this in my book on Japanese history, available at: @themetroclassic #samurai #woodblockprint #japaneseprint #japaneseart #japaneseculture #bigbrother #japanesehistory #history #siblings #japan #giappone #японія #japao #japon #metroclassicjapanese
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3 days ago
いってらっしゃい Itte-rasshai Broken down into two words: 行って +(い)らっしゃい = Go + Come Centuries before Japan became one of the safest places in the world, public order was non-existent. The royalties of the Imperial Court, the ruling organization of ancient Japan, did not even consider peasants living outside the capital city of Kyoto as human beings. So policing their neighborhoods was hardly a priority. Even if you managed to evade criminals, illness was often fatal. Western medicine did not reach Japan until the 19th century, and it was customary for inns to throw you out to die on the streets if they found out you were sick, so as not to infect their other customers. So the chances for a family member to return safely from a journey was slim. From ancient times, Japanese people believed in the magical power of words. In a belief system called Kotodama 言霊, people believed that whatever you put into words would eventually manifest. So whenever people saw off a family member, they said, “Itte-rasshai = Go, and come back.” The phrase “Itte-rasshai” reminds us of the sincere wishes of Japanese people in the past who wanted to see their loved ones come back alive 🥹. —— Hi, I’m Kyota, the author of Folk Tales of Japan and Underdogs of Japanese History. Please check out my books ☺️: / #japanese #japaneselanguage #japanlife #japan #giappone #японія #japaneseculture
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4 days ago
A trick to enjoy your visits to Shinto shrines more is to keep in mind that Shintoism is not a religion of belief, but more of a religion of feeling. If you visit the most ancient shrines like Suwa Shrine, you come to understand the essence of Shintoism. Suwa Shrine actually consists of four important shrines that surround a huge lake. And each shrine is surrounded by four tall wooden poles. In fact, most if not all shrines in the Suwa area, even these teeny-weeny ones, have four poles surrounding them to mark the sacred perimeters of the shrine. A more common way to mark sacred places is by wrapping sacred trees, rocks, or structures with ropes and paper talismans that are called Shimenawa. But look inside. There is no statue, not even an altar. Just space. But the air is incredibly crisp thanks to the forest surrounding it. You only hear the sound of the stream and rustling of the trees, and it feels very different from the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives. This is the type of space Japanese people feel a “godly presence.” And in such a space, we cannot help but feel gratitude for nature. —— Hi, I’m Kyota, the author of Folk Tales of Japan and Underdogs of Japanese History. Please check out my books ☺️: @themetroclassic #japantravel #travel #nagano #japan #giappone #японія #japaneseculture #japao #japon
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5 days ago
Must-use Japanese: そろそろ Soro soro Although it may sound a little silly, Soro soro is an essential phrase that will get you out of long conversations. Soro soro itself means “it’s about time” or “it’s almost time” and when it is used during a conversation at someone’s home or at a cafe, it conveys that you feel it’s about time for you to leave. Its full form, 「そろそろいい時間ですね Soro soro ii jikan desune」 is the Japanese equivalent of “I think I should get going now” and just saying Soro soro after glancing at your watch will also do the job. Your counterpart will get the message and start wrapping up the talk 😁. —— Hi, I’m Kyota, the author of Folk Tales of Japan and Underdogs of Japanese History. Please check out my books ☺️: / #japanese #japaneselanguage #japan #giappone #japantravel #японія #japaneseculture #comedyvideo
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6 days ago
Since it’s World Poetry Day, I’d like to share the Japanese idea of what poetry is, which may sound like a daunting topic to explore. But it’s not so difficult because a Japanese poet in the 10th century figured it out and left a compelling explanation. My job is to translate it in a digestible manner 😁. A collection of Japanese poems was compiled by Imperial decree for the first time ever in 905, and poetry master Ki-no-Tsurayuki wrote in its preface: [Verses in Japan blossom from the seeds in our hearts and unfurl into words, like leaves upon a tree. The myriad things we encounter, witness, or hear, take shape in the form of words. Who can resist being inspired to poetry hearing the songs of nightingales among flowers or the croaks of frogs echoing through a pond? Poetry shakes heaven and earth effortlessly; even gods and demons are moved to tears, even quarreling men and women come to terms, and even the fury of warriors is soothed by poems.] …In a nutshell, poetry changes your world by changing your perspective, often drawing your focus toward the vast and beautiful universe ensnared in the littlest moments in life. Princess Shikishi, a 12th-century royalty who lost her right to love a man for life to a centuries-old tradition of offering a royal virgin to Kamo Shrine in Kyoto, spent years transforming her yearning for love and the glimpses of nature witnessed from her secluded world into poetry. 山深み 春とも知らぬ 松の戸に たえだえかかる 雪の玉水 Living far in the mountains where even the news of spring seldom reaches, meltwater trickles on and off down my pine door. The Japanese word for “words” is written 言葉, which literally means “leaves of language.” Imagining what her seed of language was when she wrote the poem above helps us take our minds off of ugly thoughts and focus on the abundance of beauty the world has to offer, even in the ugliest of times ☺️. Happy World Poetry Day! Painting by NAKAJIMA Kiyoshi. ▶︎ Enjoy more stories like this in my books on Japanese culture and history, available at: @themetroclassic #worldpoetryday #poetry #japaneseculture #japan #booklover #japao #japon #giappone #японія #japanese #poems #japaneseart #metroclassicjapanese
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7 days ago
Must-use Japanese: 失礼します Shitsurei-shimasu 失礼します basically means “I’m sorry/Excuse me in advance.” It’s a formality said whenever you enter someone’s home or a meeting room at another office to seek forgiveness from the host for any inconveniences you may cause by being there. Actually, it’s also used when you leave the home or meeting room too, to convey a different meaning: “Please forgive me for leaving (so soon).” So the rule of thumb is to say 失礼します Shitsurei-shimasu with a slight bow upon entering and leaving the room you are invited into. Again, it’s just a formality that people are just conditioned to do. Japanese people do not expect non-Japanese guests to do it, so if you do, you win their respect automatically 😁! ——- Hi, I’m Kyota, the author of Folk Tales of Japan and Underdogs of Japanese History. Please check out my books ☺️: @themetroclassic #japanese #japaneselanguage #manners #japan #giappone #японія #comedy #japaneseculture
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8 days ago
An anecdote about a rural governor in ancient Japan teaches us how to deal with negativism from others, and it’s quite amusing how he did it 😁. In Heian Period Japan (794 - 1185), classism divided people even among royalties into: 1. Upper-ranked royalty who held titles associated with high authority and ridiculous wealth 2. Middle-ranked royalty who lived comfortable lives in the capital 3. Low-ranked royalty who lived in the capital but were poor 4. Regional governors, called Zuryō, who ruled rural areas Among them, Zuryō were despised for being stereotypically greedy 🤑. While other royalties lived off of fixed salaries coming from the government, Zuryō could decide how much tax to collect from the people they governed, as long as they submitted the fixed amount they were to send to the central government. Not a few Zuryō took advantage of the system and implemented strict tax collection policies or tyranny, thus the stereotype “greedy.” One day, a Zuryō named Fujiwara Nobutada slipped and fell down a valley on his way to Kyoto. His servants hurriedly lowered a basket to help him up. But the basket they pulled up didn’t hold their employer. It was filled with mushrooms 🍄. So Nobutada was like, “Waaaaa I’m falling heeelp 😫!!! Oh hey, there are mushrooms down here! We can totally sell these 😁” Nobutada finally came up in the second basket, holding an arm-full of mushrooms 😂. The way he dealt with insults was to not care. He knew that he was just a natural businessperson and “greedy” did not describe him ☺️. Painting by NAKAJIMA Kiyoshi. ▶︎ Enjoy more stories like this in my books on Japanese culture and history, available at: @themetroclassic #mentalhealth #japanesehistory #wellbeing #mentalwellness #mindset #japan #giappone #японія
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9 days ago