2011年12月16日
School Bags (Feedback)
Thanks for educating me on the topic of "randoseru" this week. As I said in my last comment, I still cannot believe that people pay so much money for a child's school bag, but I guess that if parents (or grandparents) want to buy these bags, then that is up to them. As Moo said, however, I think there is a danger of parents using their children as a kind of possession to compete with other families. This cannot be healthy, either for the children or for the parents.
I'll have to ask my mum, but I'm pretty sure that I used a cheap sports bag when I was in primary school, and I think all the other kids did the same. If I told her how much Japanese parents pay for their kids' satchels, she would probably have a heart attack! Actually, I was also thinking that it is not a good idea to have every child taking identical bags to school. Surely that must get confusing.
Anyway, here is some feedback on your comments.
Artificial leather school bags are not that expensive.
("Not that 形容詞" is a useful phrase to learn if you don't know it.)
You know, there are more than 100 parts to make for one ランドセル. So it takes time to make one.
(For that price, I would expect a team of three or four to work on it for about six months! And then come to my house every night for six years to clean it for me!)
I enjoy reading this blog every week :) Thanks for sharing the interesting topic!
(Hi Moo. Thanks for your comment. Nice to have you with us.)
I can't believe it too, David.
(I can't believe it either, David.)
So she's thinking to do so too.
(So she's thinking of doing that too.)
Junior high students use one with less cost, like a small overnight bag, a backpack etc, which costs around 5000yen. They use it for three years. I think these bags are enough for elementary kids too.
(Absolutely!!)
As you know, a child is said to have six pockets in Japan.
(Hi Anne. Sorry, I don't understand this. Can you explain a bit more?)
Some of you might remember the story in this January that an anonymous guy named Tiger Mask donated school satchels for children who could not afford to buy them.
(Some of you might remember the story from last January about a guy who went by the name of "Tiger Mask." He donated....)
You enter an elementary school and are of the age to study hard.
(Study hard? They are only six years old!!)
I haven't posted a comment for a long time, but I try to read this blog as often as I can.
(Hi Ling. Nice to hear from you. Glad you are still with us.)
throwing away would be a waste so we sold it on the internet.
(throwing it away would have been a waste, so we sold it on the internet.)
but if some day I need to buy one for my grandchild, I don't think I have the guts to buy a cheap one even if I'm not rich,
(I don't think I would have the guts to buy a cheap one even if I wasn't rich.)
so they didn't want to be thought they could not afford a new satchel for their only girl.
(You can't translate the passive 思われたくない like this in English: so they didn't want people to think that they could not....)
Manufactures might set high prices for Randoseru because people buy them even if they were too expensive.
(I think that is probably very true!!)
Wow, parents are so competitive at there.
(Parents are so competitive there.)
The restaurant was filled to capacity. I sang a lot of Christmas songs with a piano and a flute.
(Congratulations. But you would have to say "I sang a lot of Christmas songs, and I was accompanied by a piano and a flute.")
Wish I were there and listened to your songs.
(I wish I had been there to hear your songs.)
This habit just shows Japanese national character; conformity.
(Very true. That's why it is so difficult for me to understand. Conformity is not a good thing in my country.)
Randoseru that my niece's child has cost 80,000yen.
(That is just madness.)
It is blast from the past!
(That's a blast from the past!)
I't a wonderful thing that Japan has never ceased to amaze you, is it not?
(It depends. Sometimes I am amazed for good reasons, and sometimes for bad reasons. I'm afraid randoseru fall into the latter category!)
I got "Randoseru" and new clothes in order to enter a elementary school.
(I got ... when I started at elementary school.)
That's it for today. Have a great weekend, and see you again on Monday.
Bye for now.
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Comments
Thanks Anne. I've never heard that expression before.
davidbarker- 2011年12月16日 23:04
Hi David,
Thank you for teaching me how to express "思われたくない" in English. I'll be sure to say "I don't want people to think that ~" next time.
Hi mintia,
Nice to meet you, and thank you for the link. I didn't know that "randoseru" originated from the Dutch "ransel" meaning "backpack", and also it was used in army in Japan at first.
- tsuneko
- 2011年12月17日 00:23
Hi David,
Thank you for your feedback. I didn't know that you can use "go by" like that, either, and "a blast from the past" is new to me.
>I was also thinking that it is not a good idea to have every child taking identical bags to school. Surely that must get confusing.
I think so, too. Actually, we used to have identical paint-boxes, calligraphy bags, and sewing boxes, so it was very confusing!
Hi Moo and mintia,
Nice to have you with us. Look forward to reading your comments.
Hi Tsuneko and ksk,
Thanks for you messages:)
Hi Ling and Amica,
Glad to see you back on the blog again:)
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Tomo
- Tomo
- 2011年12月17日 00:29
【correction】
Thanks for you messages:) → Thanks for your messages:)
- Tomo
- 2011年12月17日 00:41
Hi David,
Thank you for your feedback. It is very useful as always!
It seems that you are not the only foreign person who thinks Randoseru are so expensive. I read some comments of foreigners about the price of Randoseru.
http://blog.livedoor.jp/dqnplus/archives/1508248.html
>Conformity is not a good thing in my country.
Differnt cultures have differnt virtues.
Hi Anne,
I didn't know the expression,
" a child is said to have six pockets."
Hi everyone,
What is your plan for weekend?
I have to start clean up the house 大掃除。
Weather forecast said the temparature will drop down so take care not to catch cold!
Fumie
- Fumie
- 2011年12月17日 06:46
Hi minta,
I'm afraid I haven't said hello to you yet. Nice to have you with us and thanks for sharing the site. I found that the Emperor Taisho was the first person to wear Randoseru. It's really interesting to know its history.
Hi Fumie,
As I said,these days I guess it could be '7 or 8 pockets' incduling aunts and uncles.
>Differnt cultures have differnt virtues.
---Yes, exactly!
By the way, I've already started the end-of-year cleaning little by little.
It's chilly this morning!
Bye for now,
Anne
- Anne
- 2011年12月17日 07:43
Hi David,
Thanks for your feedback;)
Good night and sweet dreams,
amo
- amo
- 2011年12月17日 23:47
Hi David and everyone,
It was a really shame that I couldn't join in here this week again, because I have been awfully busy!
So I haven't read all through everyones' comments ;d
Anyway, my son is going to enter to the kindy this coming April, I'm sure I will give him a cheaper kindy bag etc that put some mark to let his new class mates and teathers know differences.
Paying lots of money means willing to gathering lots of attention,I think.
There is no use to think about gathering mothers' attention in my son's kindy(息子の通園予定の幼稚園では、お母さん達の注目を集めることは意味がない・・・って言いたいんですけど、正しい構文が浮かばない！Does anybody know a good idea? Please!) . Lucky us!
Hi newcomers,
Nice to have you with us ^^
noriko
- noriko
- 2011年12月18日 07:27
Hi David and all,
I realised that my post was rejected because it was season's greetings, which was irrelevant to David's feedback. It's a shame that I couldn't share a lovely pic with you.
Ash
- ashmoleanmuse
- 2011年12月18日 09:27
Hi ashmoleanmuse,
We don't reject anyone's comments unless they are offensive or abusive, but the server automatically rejects comments that include files (and sometimes links). If you tried to include a picture in your comment, that would be why it was rejected. Sorry about that.
- davidbarker
- 2011年12月18日 23:11
Hi noriko,
I tried thinking about your question.
Here are my versions:
> It's no use trying to impress the other mothers.(I'm not sure if using the word impress' here makes sense or not,though...)
> If I spent a lot of money on a bag, the other mothers might pay attention to it, but it's not sensible.(賢いことではない、と言う意味で。）
>If I spent a lot of money on a bag, the other mothers might pay attention to it, but that's a pointless/senseless thing to do so.
I'm not sure if I could figure out what you had wanted to say, but I assume you can translate " 意味がない" in various ways.
By the way, is your son going to kindergarten next April? Your son must be thrilled with it!
A kindergarten my younger son went asked parents to make a bag, so I made it for my son^^) It's an old story,though.
Hi ash,
So sorry about that, but as David mentioned, this could happen to everyone! It happened to me, and when I want to share the site, I spilt the address like "http + (the rest of the address)."
Bye for now,
Anne
- 匿名
- 2011年12月19日 00:42
Hi David,
Thanks for the clarification.
Hi Anne,
Thanks for the tip.
Ash
- ashmoleanmuse
- 2011年12月19日 15:13
Hi David,
Thanks for your feedback.
>Some of you might remember the story from last January about a guy who went by the name of "Tiger Mask." He donated....)
---When I wrote this, I thought the part "in this January" was weird, but I could not figure out how to write.
I learned the expression "went by(go by)" and the way to express. Thanks.
>a child is said to have six pockets in Japan.
---this means that one child has mother,father and two sets of grandparents, six in all. It means there are six people to buy some things for him/her. Pocket means wallet. It could be 7 or 8 pockets.
Have a lovely weekend, everyone,
Anne