Americans tend to generalize Japanese women as quiet, submissive, bowing, non-direct, and so on, and not without reason, as to some extent these are cultural features that one may encounter with Japanese women. And yet over the years it has been quite comical to see how my wife Noriko can disorient people when she doesn’t conduct herself per this stereotype of Japanese culture. It has been entertaining for me, and it has been entertaining for friends, and so in this site I am going to share with you the various “Noriko’s Tales” that have emerged over our 14 years of marriage.
First, there is the language thing. The divide between English and Japanese is absolutely huge. I know because I tried to learn some Japanese a few years ago when I traveled with Noriko to Japan to meet her family. I speak several languages and went after Japanese with confidence, only to fail miserably. Learning Japanese to me was beyond difficult; it was like going to another planet.
And it goes the other way as well, which means that after even 15 years of living in the U.S., Noriko still speaks a very novel and entertaining form of English. Her accent is heavy and her ability to take license with English and its idioms never ceases to amaze me. One of my favorites is “What good for goose good for geese, too….” Or once, when she was annoyed with me during a mutual teasing session, Noriko shouted “Fut the shuckup!” very sincerely, only to break into laughter when she realized what she had said.
Thus language is definitely a key element of “Noriko’s Tales.” I have learned over the years that in today’s society there is a certain “political correctness” that tends to flinch at the idea of creating humor regarding a foreigner’s English, as if it were insensitive to do so. Please leave your political correct beliefs at the door, because there are no ill intentions in the humor. In fact, Noriko is her own biggest fan and loves to fool around with the jokes that arise from her modifications of English.
The second feature of this writing is Noriko’s personality. Yes, there is some bowing and classic Japanese politeness, but such behavior is more than offset by various unexpected features. I will not try to describe them here, as I think that they will present better embedded in the tales themselves. I will say only that being married to Noriko is never dull and there is a lot of “Honey, WHAT are you saying?” going on. Many times Noriko seems to me to be a breathing, walking cartoon character, and one with a helluva good writer. With this blog I have finally resolved to turn on the audio recorder and catch some of the material that flies by on a daily basis!
