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Smiley Smile Stuff => Welcome to the Smiley Smile board => Topic started by: Wata on March 27, 2017, 04:10:22 PM



Title: Hi from Japan!
Post by: Wata on March 27, 2017, 04:10:22 PM

Hello, everyone. I'm Watamushi from Japan. I've been around another forum, so some of you must have seen me.
I had difficulty to register, but with a help from bringahorseinhere?, here I can introduce myself to all. I'm really glad to finally be here.

I'm a new fan, and started to love the Beach Boys in December, 2015. My favorite albums are Friends, Sunflower, Love You and Brian Wilson.

Other favorite musicians of mine: The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Carpenters, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Simon and Garfunkel.

I'm looking forward to have great discussions here -And I have some ideas for threads:
Discuss every BB song thread
Battle of the Songs
Love You Re-Appreciation

It has only been three years since I started to learn English, so my English grammar and words are often wrong. If you're not sure what I mean on my posts, please let me know. That'd help me a lot.


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: You Kane, You Commanded, You Conquered on March 27, 2017, 04:19:32 PM
Welcome!


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: JK on March 27, 2017, 04:23:12 PM
Hi Watamushi and welcome! I always enjoy reading your enthusiastic threads and posts at PSF.

And your English is fine, believe me. Three years----I dread to think how long it would take me to learn Japanese! 


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: bringahorseinhere? on March 27, 2017, 05:51:43 PM
heyyyyyy!!!!!!!! u made it!
Australia to Japan to the Smiley Smile board!
 ;D


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: Wata on March 27, 2017, 09:25:10 PM
Hi Watamushi and welcome! I always enjoy reading your enthusiastic threads and posts at PSF.

And your English is fine, believe me. Three years----I dread to think how long it would take me to learn Japanese! 
OK, I believe you. The Beach Boys have been really helping me to make my English much better.


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: bringahorseinhere? on March 27, 2017, 09:34:09 PM
okay, see how you go understanding this:
columnated ruins domino, canvas the town and brush the backdrop, are you sleeping?  :lol


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: Wata on March 27, 2017, 09:38:25 PM
okay, see how you go understanding this:
columnated ruins domino, canvas the town and brush the backdrop, are you sleeping?  :lol
My quick answer: I'm not sleeping now.

...Seriously, I'm not sure what VDP's lyrics mean at ALL :-\   How about you?


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: bringahorseinhere? on March 27, 2017, 09:45:00 PM
haha! i have no clue whatsoever! i've done some study into the interpretation, but i'm still dumb!
they sound pretty though  :)


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: SMiLE Brian on April 07, 2017, 08:15:26 AM
Welcome, your threads here have been great so far! :)


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: Wata on April 07, 2017, 08:17:46 AM
Welcome, your threads here have been great so far! :)
Thanks! Glad that you enjoy them :)


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: JK on April 07, 2017, 09:33:29 AM
If I'm not greatly mistaken, W, it's your birthday today.

お誕生日おめでとうございます

Hope I got that right...


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: Wata on April 08, 2017, 03:35:27 AM
If I'm not greatly mistaken, W, it's your birthday today.

お誕生日おめでとうございます

Hope I got that right...
Uh, it was one and half hour later than my birthday...but it's alright.

ありがとうございますm(_ _)m


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: Wata on April 08, 2017, 03:39:01 AM
Three years----I dread to think how long it would take me to learn Japanese! 
Bad analogy. Japanese is obviously tougher language than English. I can imagine people studying English 3 years & talking/ writing more or less decently. Like the OP. We understand what he says but he does do mistakes.
I often say the best way to know language perfectly is to live in the said country at least 5 years, talking with locales in real time, in various situations - shopping, hairdresser, veterinarian, railway station etc.
Well, you're probably right. It's been said that Japanese is one of the most difficult language to those whose mother language is English.
I also agree with 'the best way to know language perfectly' you said. Maybe I have to live in the us more than five years to improve my English  ;D


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: JK on April 08, 2017, 03:49:01 AM
Maybe I have to live in the us more than five years to improve my English  ;D

The US?? You mean the UK... ;D


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: Wata on April 08, 2017, 04:04:09 AM
Maybe I have to live in the us more than five years to improve my English  ;D

The US?? You mean the UK... ;D
I'm learning AMERICAN English. So it's the us, not the uk.


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: JK on April 08, 2017, 04:37:52 AM
Maybe I have to live in the us more than five years to improve my English  ;D

The US?? You mean the UK... ;D
I'm learning AMERICAN English. So it's the us, not the uk.

Just kidding (as an ex-pat). You're doing great! :=)


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: SMiLE Brian on April 08, 2017, 04:54:40 AM
The queen's English? ;D


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: Wata on April 08, 2017, 06:41:50 AM
I'm learning AMERICAN English. So it's the us, not the uk.
Interesting - I figured foreigners study standard English which is British English. F.ex. I'm still used to British way of saying words, like everybody as [evribodi], not [evribari], if you can read transcription. & I prefer many British words to American - say, block of flats, lorry, chap. With exception candy instead of sweet, cookie instead of biscuit & few others. Anyhoo, maybe AmE is similar to Japanese in some way?
Well, the English taught commonly at Japanese schools is American English. Plus, The US is more familiar to Japanese and has much tighter connection with Japan than the UK. Therefore American English is the standard in Japan.


Title: Re: Hi from Japan
Post by: NOLA BB Fan on April 08, 2017, 07:24:18 AM
& I prefer many British words to American - say, block of flats, lorry, chap. With exception candy instead of sweet, cookie instead of biscuit & few others.

I've always thought of British English as more quaint, and sophisticated, than American English.
Remember as an 8 year old hearing the Beatles' "You Won't See Me" for the first time, and being fascinated by the first line, "When I call you up, your line's engaged." So much nicer than "When I call you up your phone is busy"!

Also, we had some fun at work when a new faculty member from London said that he had to get his suitcase out of his boot.

Anyway, Watamushi, I salute you for tackling the English language and all the crazy rules or non-rules that we have.
Like how to pronounce "through", "though", "thought", or "tough".   :-D


Title: Re: Hi from Japan
Post by: NOLA BB Fan on April 08, 2017, 08:04:15 AM
What the text under your ava mean?

That's a quote from a very famous American baseball player, Yogi Berra (the cartoon character Yogi Bear was named after him). He was known for his sayings.
A fork in the road means that one road splits in two - you can go one direction or the other. In giving directions one would usually say, "when you get to the fork in the road, go to the left road".
So when he said when you get to the fork in the road, take it, which way should you go?

I see it as an adventure whichever way I go.
The poet Robert Frost said it a lot better than I could, in his poem, "The Road Not Taken." It's a short poem and you should be able to find it online.

"Two roads diverged into a wood, and I/
I took the one less traveled by/
And that has made all the difference."


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: NOLA BB Fan on April 08, 2017, 09:39:51 AM
Do you like baseball since childhood?

Yes, I love baseball for the reason many Americans don't like it - it does not have a time clock, and it can get really slow at times.
I find sports such as basketball and hockey too fast.
It's great to go to a baseball game and get a chance to carry on conversations as the game goes on. I also get a scorecard so that I can keep track of pitch counts, how well the batters are doing, etc. with my old computer I actually had made my own scorecard (using the Excel spreadsheet program) and printed it on long paper.
I also love how old timers argue about guys who were playing 100 years ago. History is very important in the game.

As this is a Hi from Japan, have been interested in how baseball became so popular in Japan. I'm reading a book, "Banzai Babe Ruth", about when a group of star baseball players went on tour in Japan in 1934, and hopefully that book will explain how baseball became so popular.

(Along those lines, have always been curious as how, with groups such as The Beatles, Stones, etc. around, The Beach Boys became so popular in the U.K.)


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: thorgil on April 13, 2017, 07:52:22 AM
(belated) welcome and happy birthday, Watamushi!


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: Wata on April 15, 2017, 01:22:46 AM
(belated) welcome and happy birthday, Watamushi!
Thanks!


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: JK on April 15, 2017, 02:06:15 AM
If I'm not greatly mistaken, W, it's your birthday today.

お誕生日おめでとうございます

Hope I got that right...
Uh, it was one and half hour later than my birthday...but it's alright.

ありがとうございますm(_ _)m

どういたしまして


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: undercover-m on April 17, 2017, 08:15:38 PM
Hi, ワタムシ. I never gave you a proper welcome on PSF or here, but...

SmileySmile へようこそ!

I was born in Japan but raised in the States, and I never grew up learning Japanese. So the only bit I know is from high school Japanese classes, which I have mostly forgotten. Am I right in my wording?


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: Wata on April 18, 2017, 03:54:11 AM
Hi, ワタムシ. I never gave you a proper welcome on PSF or here, but...

SmileySmile へようこそ!

I was born in Japan but raised in the States, and I never grew up learning Japanese. So the only bit I know is from high school Japanese classes, which I have mostly forgotten. Am I right in my wording?
Thanks for welcoming me, and sure that's right. ワタムシ is Watamushi and ようこそ is welcome. Excellent ;D BTW, Smiley Smile is spelled スマイリー・スマイル in Japanese.

Well, I was surprised to know you were born in Japan. Where were you born?



Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: undercover-m on April 18, 2017, 11:43:37 AM
Hi, ワタムシ. I never gave you a proper welcome on PSF or here, but...

SmileySmile へようこそ!

I was born in Japan but raised in the States, and I never grew up learning Japanese. So the only bit I know is from high school Japanese classes, which I have mostly forgotten. Am I right in my wording?
Thanks for welcoming me, and sure that's right. ワタムシ is Watamushi and ようこそ is welcome. Excellent ;D BTW, Smiley Smile is spelled スマイリー・スマイル in Japanese.

Well, I was surprised to know you were born in Japan. Where were you born?
In a place called Toda? I think it's near Tokyo? I've also visited a few times, although not since I was about seven (and I'm three times that age now!).

Whereabouts are you? My (adopted) mother is from Kobe, which is the only city I can remember from my visits.


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: Wata on May 04, 2017, 01:49:26 AM
Hi, ワタムシ. I never gave you a proper welcome on PSF or here, but...

SmileySmile へようこそ!

I was born in Japan but raised in the States, and I never grew up learning Japanese. So the only bit I know is from high school Japanese classes, which I have mostly forgotten. Am I right in my wording?
Thanks for welcoming me, and sure that's right. ワタムシ is Watamushi and ようこそ is welcome. Excellent ;D BTW, Smiley Smile is spelled スマイリー・スマイル in Japanese.

Well, I was surprised to know you were born in Japan. Where were you born?
In a place called Toda? I think it's near Tokyo? I've also visited a few times, although not since I was about seven (and I'm three times that age now!).

Whereabouts are you? My (adopted) mother is from Kobe, which is the only city I can remember from my visits.
I've just googled about Toda, and found that it's in Saitama Prefecture, which is next to Tokyo.

I live in Kyushu island, which is located in the far west of kobe city.

I actually have never been to Honshu island, so technically you've been to the place that I've never ;D

Do you have any plan to visit Japan in the foreseeable future?


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: Wata on May 04, 2017, 01:58:58 AM
As this is a Hi from Japan, have been interested in how baseball became so popular in Japan. I'm reading a book, "Banzai Babe Ruth", about when a group of star baseball players went on tour in Japan in 1934, and hopefully that book will explain how baseball became so popular.

(Along those lines, have always been curious as how, with groups such as The Beatles, Stones, etc. around, The Beach Boys became so popular in the U.K.)
As far as I know, baseball is popular in Japan for more than 100 years in Japan, and a famous haiku poet called Shiki Masaoka did a lot to make it so popular here.

After said that tour in 1934, a Japanese baseball team  went America to play with teams there in 1935 and did pretty well. The team still exists as Yomiuri Giants, and has been definitely the strongest baseball team in Japan over the years.


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: NOLA BB Fan on May 04, 2017, 06:30:35 AM
Yes, in the US the Giants are by far the most famous Japanese baseball team.
Sadaharu Oh became quite famous among baseball fans here for his home runs record.


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: undercover-m on May 05, 2017, 09:45:07 PM
I've just googled about Toda, and found that it's in Saitama Prefecture, which is next to Tokyo.

I live in Kyushu island, which is located in the far west of kobe city.

I actually have never been to Honshu island, so technically you've been to the place that I've never ;D

Do you have any plan to visit Japan in the foreseeable future?
My mother is actually from Kobe—I wouldn't know which part, though. The times I've visited Japan, she's been my translator. So... I don't know how a trip to Japan would go, seeing as I can't speak the language beyond introducing myself and asking where the bathroom is, although I suppose that's enough to barely survive :P.

I love Japanese food, too, although I haven't really eaten any since going vegetarian. Still, I'd live off of Japanese baked goods any day. How are the cherry blossoms over there, by the way?


Title: Re: Hi from Japan!
Post by: Wata on May 05, 2017, 09:59:32 PM
I've just googled about Toda, and found that it's in Saitama Prefecture, which is next to Tokyo.

I live in Kyushu island, which is located in the far west of kobe city.

I actually have never been to Honshu island, so technically you've been to the place that I've never ;D

Do you have any plan to visit Japan in the foreseeable future?
My mother is actually from Kobe—I wouldn't know which part, though. The times I've visited Japan, she's been my translator. So... I don't know how a trip to Japan would go, seeing as I can't speak the language beyond introducing myself and asking where the bathroom is, although I suppose that's enough to barely survive :P.

I love Japanese food, too, although I haven't really eaten any since going vegetarian. Still, I'd live off of Japanese baked goods any day. How are the cherry blossoms over there, by the way?
Cherry blossoms are already gone and the leaves turned green here in Kyushu. Cherry blossoms in full bloom are exceptional things ever- you can even enjoy them when they've fallen down to the ground and decorated the street like a beautiful carpet. I enjoyed seeing them falling and waking on the 'carpet' a lot last month.

BTW, What kind of Japanese baked goods do you usually have?