Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [666]
JAL – Japan Airlines
JAS – Japan Air System
ji – temple
jigoku – boiling mineral hot springs, which are definitely not for bathing in; literally ‘hells’
jikokuhyō – timetable or book of timetables
jima – island; see also shima
jingū – shrine; see also jinja
jinja – shrine
jinja – shrine; see also jingū
jizō – small stone statues of the Buddhist protector of travellers and children
JNTO – Japan National Tourism Organization
jō – castle
JR – Japan Railways
JTB – Japan Travel Bureau
juku – after-school ‘cram’ schools
JYHA – Japan Youth Hostel Association
kabuki – a form of Japanese theatre based on popular legends, which is characterised by elaborate costumes, stylised acting and the use of male actors for all roles
kaikan – hall or building
kaikyō – channel/strait
kaisoku – rapid train
kaisū-ken – a book of transport tickets
kami – Shintō gods; spirits of natural phenomena
kamikaze – typhoon that sunk Kublai Khan’s 13th-century invasion fleet and the name adopted by suicide pilots in the waning days of WWII; literally ‘divine wind’
kana – the two phonetic syllabaries, hiragana and katakana
kanji – Chinese ideographic script used for writing Japanese; literally ‘Chinese script’
Kannon – Bodhisattva of Compassion (commonly referred to as the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy)
karakuri ningyō – mechanical puppets
karaoke – bars where you sing along with taped music; literally ‘empty orchestra’
kasa – umbrella
katakana – phonetic syllabary used to write foreign words
katamichi – one-way transport ticket
katana – Japanese sword
kawa – river; see also gawa
ken – prefecture
kendo – oldest martial art; literally ‘the way of the sword’
ki – life force, will
kimono – brightly coloured, robe-like traditional outer garment
kin’en-sha – nonsmoking train carriage
kissaten – coffee shop
ko – lake
kō – port
kōban – police box
kōen – park
kōgen – high plain (as in the mountains); plateau
koi – carp; considered to be a brave, tenacious and vigorous fish; many towns have carp ponds or channels teeming with colourful ornamental nishiki-goi (ornamental carp)
koinobori – carp banners and windsocks; the colourful fish pennants that are flown in honour of sons whom it is hoped will inherit a carp’s virtues. These wave over countless homes in Japan in late April and early May for Boys’ Day, the final holiday of Golden Week. These days, Boys’ Day has become Children’s Day and the windsocks don’t necessarily simply fly in honour of the household’s sons
kokumin-shukusha – peoples’ lodges; an inexpensive form of accommodation
kokuritsu kōen – national park
kotatsu – heated table with a quilt or cover over it to keep the legs and lower body warm
koto – 13-stringed instrument derived from a Chinese zither that is played flat on the floor
ku – ward
kūkō – airport
kura – earth-walled storehouses
kyō – gorge
kyūkō – ordinary express train (faster than a futsū, only stopping at certain stations)
live house – nightclub or bar where live music is performed
machi – city area (for large cities) between a ku and chōme in size; also street or area
machiya – traditional Japanese townhouse or city house
maiko – apprentice geisha
mama-san – woman who manages a bar or club
maneki-neko – beckoning or welcoming cat figure frequently seen in restaurants and bars; it’s supposed to attract customers and trade
manga – Japanese comics
matsuri – festival
meishi – business card
mikoshi – portable shrines carried during festivals
minato – harbour
minshuku – the Japanese equivalent of a B&B; family-run budget accommodation
misaki – cape
mon – gate
mura – village
N’EX – Narita Express
NHK – Nihon Hōsō Kyōkai (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
Nihon – Japanese word for Japan; literally ‘source of the sun’
nihonga – term for Japanese-style painting
ningyō – Japanese doll
ninja – practitioners of ninjutsu
Nippon – see Nihon
nō – classical Japanese drama performed on a bare stage
noren – cloth hung as a sunshade, typically carrying the name of the shop or premises; indicates that a restaurant