Well. Here we are. The Chiba episode. We were there for a few days, and a lot happened in those few days...I faced and over came so much while I was there! I was proud of myself! But DANG was Chiba a hot mess for me!
Let's get into the stuff I talk about in the episode!~
Chiba/Wisconsin Sister State friendship~
(click the image to enlarge it)
So, for those who don't want to read the plaque, our relationship with Chiba prefecture started in 1990 with the Kikkoman Factory (Walworth county). The Friendship Square is a symbol of this friendship! It is made with Wisconsin Limestone and is surrounded my Chiba's prefectural tree, the Maki! This was a really sweet little site near Kanda University of International Studies! I had no idea this existed until this trip to Japan! My mind was blown with the amount of times "Wisconsin" came up in casual conversation and how they knew about specific counties within the state itself! Unless you are from here, no one has any clue that this state exists!
What is Keigo (敬語)?:
So, I'm really bad at summarizing things, so thanks to a website, I am going to hopefully explain it better...and possibly with better examples...
Kei (敬) means "to admire" and go (語) means "language.
"To use keigo is to show your consideration and respect for a person older than you or someone with a higher social standing. Age isn’t the only factor. It can be based on a different position or experience in a company, like your senpai (someone who’s more senior). Your speech will differ accordingly to the person in front of you: a friend, a colleague, a chief or a client; and to whom you a referring to yourself, your friend, colleague or client." -coto academy website
Examples: I also took these from the website as I am head empty.
(casual)お土産をもらった。Omiyage o moratta I got a souvenir.
(formal)お土産をもらいました。Omiyage o moraimashita I got you a souvenir
(keigo)お土産をいただきました。Omiyage o itadakimashita. I got you a souvenir
The joke on the site was that the longer the word, the more formal it is...As far as I am concerned, that is true, hahaha! If it sounds fancy, that is probably because it is fancy! I know it might not mean much to most, but hopefully you can now visually see the difference between the casual, formal and keigo versions. Keigo doesn't even end with with same word!? Japanese people struggle with it, and you expect my dumb foreigner brain to understand it?! It's so hard. But it sounds really cool when you master it...some day...*sigh*
Squatty Potties:
All first time travelers to Japan learn about onsen/public bathing and squatty potties.
Like I said, it is a porcelain toilet, but in the floor, and you squat. It's really easy! You face the plumbing and then you do your thing!
They have these signs in most tourist areas so that people don't misuse the toilets. They aren't always the cleanest toilets, but honestly, I don't mind them at all! Especially in tourist areas! No line for those toilets! Why would I stand in line for a sitting toilet when I can use the squatty right away! I mean...yes...it did almost backfire on me this time...BUT usually I am a fan!
The Umihotaru:
Apparently "umihotaru" means "sea firefly" Which sounds super charming! It is also in the middle to Chiba and Tokyo Bay. It is five stories with shopping, a food court and an observation deck! I'm not a fan of water or being out in the middle of water...or on big bridges...especially on a bus...not my favorite thing. But this was actually pretty nice! I don't know if I would recommend it? BUT! If you plan on driving from Chiba to Tokyo, it's a cool rest stop!
I forgot they fed us before the speech...
Hamburg with a side salad, fries, carrots and rice! I think they had tea in the middle? It was pretty tasty even though I am not always a fan of hamburg.
The Government Building in Chiba:
These are all the pictures I have of the court room meeting area? Thingy? (the seat I am sitting in belonged to Uchida Etsushi (内田悦嗣).) I was so anxious for the rest of it, I forgot to take pictures of anything else.
Kensaku Morita (森田健作) - Former Governor of Chiba Prefecture:
So...I misremembered him completely. He did NOT have salt and pepper hair...This sweet looking man scared the heck out of me...To be fair, I "scared" him first.
He was born in 1949 (he was 64 when I met him) and he was the governor from March 2009 until April of 2021 when he officially retired! He had just been re-elected when we had gotten there (March of 2013).
I'm going to leave his IMDB link because he has been in quite a few things! I think the last movie he was in was in 2006 (so the same year I came back from my study abroad program).
But yeah! He is/was a handsome man and I can see why he was popular! And really nice.
Here are some songs of his that I found. The second link is an absolute bop! He is also dressed in a kendo uniform.
After all of this we got to have dinner at a family restaurant
I'm not a huge fan of eggy tonkatsu...Or tonkatsu in general (tonkatsu is pork cutlet that is breaded. I don't really like pork all that much)...I don't think I ate all of this because I had post speech anxiety stomach...But I ate as much as I could. It wasn't anything special, but it did what it needed to do!
They also had a doggy outside. They were really friendly and was super excited to have pets and people to visit. So I guess that's it! That's all I have! Thank you so much for listening to my podcast and then coming over here to see my pictures, info dumps and the like! All of your support means the world to me!!
What adventure should we go on next?
Until next time!~
More on Keigo:
Umihotaru:
All images that are not mine, I have borrowed from google
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