SUNNY SIDE-UP  ni Dennis Sun May - June Issue What's Love Got To Do With It? Generally, hindi mo makikita ang mga Hapones na naghahalikan sa labas. Displaying affection in public is very rare. Di tulad ng mga Westerners, once they feel it, they express it. And they don't care kung nasaan sila. Minsan nga, nasa loob ako ng densha at meron isang American couple. Siguro, bagong mag-syota pa lang sila. Napakaraming space naman pero dikit na dikit silang dalawa. Hindi naman rush hour. Parang nilagyan sila ng Elmer's glue sa kanilang katawan. Ang mga Hapones, patay malisya at kunwari hindi tumitingin. Ako naman, I was really looking at this couple expressing their love in public. They were hugging and kissing. It was a beautiful expression. Pero I don't know if public display of hugging and kissing between lovers is fit for an Asian country like Japan. Bakit kaya? If it's a case of kissing between a mother and her child, walang problema kahit saan pa niya gawin ito. Why is there a problem between lovers or even between husbands and wives? Sabi ng mga ka-chika kong mga Japanese obasans, pagkatapos manganak ang mga Hapones, no more sex na raw ang mga husbands and wives.  Well, actually, wala ng sex ang wife. Sila raw ay nasa stage na sa pagiging full-time mother and housewife or housemaid, in other words. At ang mga husbands, ibang kwento na iyan.  In Japan, extramarital sex from men seems to be generally accepted and almost expected of men. Ganito rin ba sa Pinas? Itanong ang dating presidente. Marami akong kilalang married Japanese couples na natutulog in separate rooms even if they live in the same house. This is very common practice daw sa Japan. Hindi lang iyan. When the men are transferred to a far away company branch, their wives and children may not move with them kaya binata na naman ang dating ni mister doon sa malayo! Okay lang sana kung magiging dalaga si misis pero paano naman si misis kung meron mga anak? And you think Japanese marry because of love? Basically, that concept is unheard of in this country. You would be surprised to know that half of all marriages in Japan are arranged, either formally or informally. In formal cases, this involves an official matchmaker who arranges the meetings until he gets a good match that would lead into marriage. In informal cases, usually, parents or old relatives would look for someone to match. Hayun, they just wait for a yes or a no. Siempre, tinitignan din ang trabaho ng husband-to-be. May pera ba siya? Ewan ko ba kung bakit? 'Dami kong mga Japanese single female friends and I ask them about their goals and dreams in life. It was sad for me to realize  that most of them only dream of getting married someday. The end. Hello? I ask them about their personal careers? Wala lang. What do they want to accomplish in life? Nothing. Nada. Nil. Nai. According to one Japanese newspaper, Japanese marry because the society (family and work) requires them to be. They may want to have children. They definitely need a promotion in their job. They don't want to be alone when they get old. And what about love? What love? Well, nasa dulo na yata ng walang hanggan. Kayo, alam niyo ba kung bakit kayo pinakasalan ng asawa ninyong Hapon? Maraming iba't-ibang reasons ang meron. Pero sana, habang tumatagal, you both learn to love each other in whatever form it is. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- March-April Issue So, how was your Valentine's Day? Isali ko na rin ang White Day? Were they anything... romantic? Kung hindi, siguro, you haven't learned to express "I love you" in Japanese the right way. Alam mo naman na ang mga Hapon, hindi masyadong marunong mag-express ng kanilang mga emotions. Di tulad natin na kahit pwede naman idaan sa mahinayang na salita ngunit karamihan ay idinaraan pa sa pasigaw. Just watch our Filipino films and compare them with the dramas you see on Japanese TV. Ibang-iba talaga. Sa Japan, some things are better left unsaid or expressed differently. You must have known that in Japanese, "love" means AI and the verb form "to love" is AISURU. Removing "I" and "YOU" in "I LOVE YOU" in Japanese, it can be literally translated as AI SHITE IMASU. In normal conversation, you can use AISHITEIRU. Pero, wait lang mga kumare at kumpare. Iba ang mga Hapones.  They don't say "I love you"  the way and as often as we do. You know, lalung-lalo na tayong mga Pinoy, we are very caring and emotional. We say "I love you" every time to almost every one. Well, that's good because that is part of our culture and upbringing. Pero ang mga Hapon, CHIGAU as in iba.  I even have some Japanese friends who have never said this expression in their whole life. Can you believe that? Generally, Japanese don't express their love openly. Sabi ni Koji san, love between Japanese can be best expressed by manners. Ano kaya ang ibig niyang sabihin? Pero kung kinakailangan na ipahiwatig nila sa salita ang kanilang pag-ibig, preferred nila na gamitin ang expression SUKI DESU which means I LIKE YOU/GUSTO KITA. Kung lalake ka, you can say: SUKI DA or SUKI DA YO. Kung babae ka, it's better to say SUKI YO. Kung talagang malaki ang pag-ibig mo sa kanya, you can add DAI meaning big and say DAISUKI DESU. Actually, aside from AI, meron pang isang salita to connote love and that is KOI. Both AI and KOI can roughly be translated as "love" in English pero meron silang konting differences. Pag-aralan natin: aidokusho  (one's favorite book) aijin (lover) aijou (love, affection) aikenka (a dog lover) aikokushin  (patriotism) aisha  (one's cherished car) aiyousuru   (to use habitually) boseiai  (mother's love, maternal affection) hakuai (philanthropy) ----------------------------------------------- hatsukoi   (first love)  hiren  (sad love) koibito   (one's boyfriend/girlfriend) koibumi  (love letter) koigataki  (a rival in love) koi ni ochiru  (to fall in love with) koisuru  (to be in love with) renai   (love) shitsuren (disappointed love) KOI can be referred to as romantic love or passionate love. It is a longing feeling whereas AI has a broader feeling of love. KOI can be selfish and personal but AI is more general in meaning. According to the Japanese, KOI is always wanting and AI is always giving. RENAI is written with both the kanji characters of KOI and AI kaya it means romantic love.  Kaya kapag sinabi na RENAI-KEKKON, it means it is a love-marriage. The opposite is MIAI-KEKKON and it means  arranged-marriage. Nowadays, Japanese sometimes use the English word "love" that they pronounce as RABU since they don't have "L" and "V" sounds. When young people are so  much in love, they say RABU RABU (love-love). A love letter can be translated into RABU RETAA and love scene into RABU SHEEN. AI is usually used as a female name. Japan's royal baby was named Princess Aiko which means love-child. However, KOI is rarely used as a name. Anyway, iba rin ang meaning ng RABU (love) sa Japan. Most likely, they connote this word to sex. Alam mo naman na very popular ang mga RABU (love) hotels dito. And they don't go there to sleep but to do something else. A long time ago, I was reading a self-help book with a title that included the word "love." Hay naku, one female staff at the company was taken aback when she saw the cover of the book I was reading. She thought I was reading a pornographic material and I was reading it everywhere. Well, I had to explain the matter to her and told her I wasn't like most Japanese who read pornography in the public. Just look at those men who read adult manga ( pornographic comics) inside the train. No one even cares! In Japan, iba talaga ang ang  flow ng love story. Sana maging happy endings ang mga kwento ng inyong buhay dito sa Japan. May you find true love and of course, happiness in life! January-February 2006 Issue Hello again, old friends! And hello to new ones! I may not see you now, but I am assured that these very words are speaking to you and may they reach not only your minds but your hearts, as well. You may be sitting down on your chair reading Jeepney Press wondering what's in store for this issue. It's actually the first issue of the year 2006. And I am so happy to say that after 4 years now, Jeepney Press staff has gained more fans and more contributors. Pinoy friends from all around Japan called and e-mailed either wanting to subscribe or wanting to be part of the staff by contributing articles. So in this issue, we have more columns to make way for our new babies. There are more stories to tell, more lessons to learn.  And if you think you have one or two to share, just send in your article by mail or e-mail. ......................................... Since December 2005, I have been pondering about a new kind of cover design for 2006. Should I continue last year's design pattern or start a totally different one? Actually, so many people gave good comments on last year's design. Thank you for the feedback. For this year, as you can now see the cover, it's the same graphic style but with a different dramatic effect. It has a Japonesque touch leaning towards surrealism. And what better way to start a cover with the incorpora-tion of Japanese lucky charms! May the cover bring more luck to our readers! Nothing can best portray the Japanese new year with none other than a DARUMA doll. Daruma is actually the father of Japanese Buddhism. Legends say that he attained enlightenment after meditating in a cave for 7 or 9 years without blinking or moving his eyes. One of the most popular good luck charms in Japan is the armless, legless and eyeless Daruma doll. Sold at temple festivals and fairs, they are made of paper-mache, painted red and depict the Daruma seated in meditation. At New Year time, many Japanese individuals and corporations buy a Daruma doll, make a resolution or wish, and then paint in one of the eyes. If, during the year, they are able to achieve their goal, they paint in the second eye. Another good luck charm is the MANEKI NEKO. It's a cat figurine which sits and usually has one of its paws raised as if it is calling for someone or something. They say if it sits in your shop or house, it will invite luck, fortune and happiness. Maneki nekos are cute. So what better way to start the year by portraying some of them in our front cover to invite more advertisers to our dear publication. We just wish that this new year will bring more luck to our readers. And no matter what you are feeling right now, whatever you are doing, we are glad that through Jeepney Press, we have crossed paths. We wish that more Pinoys in Japan would accomplish greater things. Let us show our host country the best of who and what we are and the best that we can be. May 2006 be a year of action, a year of dreams come true, for all of us in Japan, the Philippines and the whole world! Every morning is a fresh beginning. Every day is the world made new. Today is a new day. Today is my world made new. I have lived all my life up to this moment, to come to this day. This moment--this day--is as good as any moment in all eternity. I shall make of this day--each moment of this day--a heaven on earth. This is my day of opportunity. --Dan Custer ---------------------------------------------------- ISSUE: November-December 2005 Iba talaga ang simoy ng hangin once we reach the final months of the year.  After all the troubles, worries and difficulties we had since the beginning of the year, we need one last but almighty holiday that could fix what has been broken and could resolve things that has been laid in disarray before we can end the year and start a mysterious new year. And there is only one holiday I know that could handle the job quite well. Wrong. Hindi po ang birthday. At hindi rin po holiday ang birthday unless you are the emperor of Japan. It's Christmas! They say Christmas is for the children. And because it's a gift giving (and receiving) season, we all look forward to what presents we get. Parang second birthday mo na rin,  di ba? So okay na rin kahit hindi holiday ang birthday mo. But I feel luckier during Christmas because everybody is giving everybody a gift. As a result, more presents for me...and for you na rin! Yehey!!! Even as I got older, the inner child in me comes out when it's Christmas. It's such a jolly season. Aside from Christmas, there is one place that brings out the remaining (kung meron pa) child in me. And that is Disneyland (sige na nga, isama na rin ang Disney Sea). Once I wondered how it would be like to combine two great things -  spending Christmas at Disneyland. Wouldn't that be a double-edged thrilling idea? Thus, one time, we did go there during Christmas. After that experience, I told myself never to combine these two great things. We can't barely move kasi jampacked ang buong Disneyland. Parang ang feeling ko, nasa loob ako ng isang malapad na tren during the rush hours of the morning at kasama ko si Mickey Mouse at a thousand other more Disney characters. As I got much older, hindi na inner child. Christmas has evolved into a romantic season. They say that if you are single and searching, autumn is the best time to look around and get lucky kasi more people are looking forward to be with someone special during Christmas. Nobody wants to be lonely during this time of the year. Marami ang nagmamadali kaya mas malaki ang chances na you'll find someone. Isang factor na rin siguro yung cold weather. Siempre, mas maganda na may katabi sa futon. Iba na rin kung may "human" blanket ka na mag-iinit sa 'yo sa mag-damag, di ba? You don't have to turn the heater all night long. Malaking savings pa! Sabi rin nila, the relationship will mostly last hanggang Valentine's Day. Or if they are luckier, White Day. After that, balik solo flight na naman for the rest of the year. Pagdating ng summer, better go solo raw. Kasi napaka-init. It's better to sleep in bed alone. Nobody needs warmth during the already hot summer nights. Kaya okay lang mag-solo flight during summer. Two months lang naman ang summer dito kaya konting "gaman suru" and in a blink of an eye, autumn na naman. Kung may cycle ang mga seasons, may cycle din ang mga emotions. For others who are married with children, Christmas is a time for the whole family to get together. Kung hindi man umuwi sa Pinas, united as one ang buong family catching the Mass at the nearest church on Christmas eve or on Christmas day. It all depends on the work schedule of the father. Alam naman natin na working day ang Christmas Day unless it falls on a Sunday like this year! Yehey! In Japan, they can forget about the Christmas tree, the parol, the presents basta huwag lang nilang makalimutan ang Christmas cake. Ganyan sila dito. This is an enormous blessing to the Japanese bakery industry because they don't go for the home-baked cakes like fruit cakes we Filipinos are known to bake and give away to many friends this season. On Christmas, Japanese prefer not to bake cakes. They would rather buy them. Never mind the taste. Basta kawaii looking ang cake, masaya na sila. And speaking of happiness, mula po sa lahat ng staff ng Jeepney Press, we wish you all the best and the happiest this Christmas. We hope you enjoyed a delightful year of reading Jeepney Press and here's to another entertaining reading of Jeepney Press this 2006! See you next year! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ISSUE:  September-October 2005 Laging complain ni Mama Olive ang mga gastusin niya sa mga anak. "Tatlong lalake ang mga iyan at super kung gumastos," ani Mama O.  Si Lola Jena naman, complain niya ang total amount of shopping bills and credit card sa bawat katapusan ng buwan. Hindi nako-kontrol ng lola ninyo ang mga shopping sprees niya. Imeldific talaga siya kung mamili. May makita lang na gown o wig iyan, "May-I-Buy" na kaagad. Hay naku! Alam na naman natin na napakamahal dito sa Japan. In fact, Tokyo is said to be the most expensive city in the world. At pumapangalawa na yata ang Osaka. Pero kung tutuusin, marami rin mga ways para makatipid. Magtanong lang sa mga beteranong mga Pinoy sa mga lugar ninyo. Tiyak na marami silang mga places na sila lamang ang nakaka-alam. Uso dito sa Japan ang mga bazaars and flea markets. Iyan ang turo sa akin ni Ate Beth. Halos yata ang mga damit ng mga anak niya ay galing sa mga flea markets. Every month, sinusubay-bayan niya ang mga ito. Usually raw, tiyak na meron isang flea market sa isang buwan. It may fall either on the first Sunday or last Sunday of the month. Magtanong lang kayo sa mga obasan sa may shotengai kung kailangan ang susunod na flea market. Actually, hindi lang mga lumang gamit. Marami rin ang mga bagong gamit na kailangang madispose para magkaroon sila ng space sa maliliit na bahay. We know naman na ang Japan ay "throw-away" society. Pag walang silbi ang isang gamit, throw-away agad! Recommend ni Ate Beth ang magpunta sa mga flea markets during December. Kasi ang mga Hapon, pagdating ng New Year, gusto nila, puro mga bago ang gamit. Kita-kits tayo sa December! You know where to go! Have you thought about the 100 yen shops? Yung friend kong Mombusho scholar, lahat na yata ng mga gamit sa bahay niya ay galing sa 100 yen shop. Pati pagkain. Wika ni Ed, "Yung mga hindi ko binili sa 100 yen shop, bigay lahat ng mga kaibigan kong mga Pinoy na may asawang Hapon." Iskolar talaga si Ed hindi lang sa iskul kundi sa lahat. Everything is funded by somebody! Totoo iyan. Actually, hindi mo na talagang kailangan pang gumastos. Tumawag lamang sa mga kaibigan at siguradong merong mga "iranai mono" ang mga kaibigan o mga kaibigan nila. Happy pa nga sila kung ibibigay nila sa iyo dahil instead na magbabayad pa sila sa mga "daigomi" o malalaking  basura, ibibigay na lang sa yo without expense on their side at makakatulong pa sa kapwa tao. Si Tita Joyce, laging naghahanap ng libreng tissue sa mga eki. Ang dami niyang stock of tissues sa bahay. Hindi na niya kailangan pang bumili ng toilet paper. Mas malambot daw yung tissue paper sa kwan. Yun na rin ang dinadala niyang pang omiyage sa Pinas. Gustung-gusto raw ng mga kumare niya sa Barrio Bukayo. Cheap mo talaga Tita Joyce! Bumili ka naman ng kahit anu-ano sa 100 yen shop para pamigay! Alisin mo na lang yung tag na 'Made in China'. Kasi expected nila na 'Made in Japan' ang mga products. Magaga-ling at makikilatis na rin ang mga Pinoy sa atin. Sila na nga ang binibigyan at sila pa ang mareklamo. Kaya dapat, mas magaling at ma-utak ka! Pero, ha! Imbis na tingnan ang hindi maganda sa Japan, tingnan natin lagi ang mabuti at maganda sa bansang ito. Iyang mga public toilet lang nila especially sa mga department stores, mukhang everlasting ang supply ng mga toilet paper. Hindi mo na kailangan pang maghanap ng tabo para hugasan kung alin man sa dalawa -- kung babae ka. Kung lalake, e di sa likuran! Pag-upo mo pa lang, may background music of flowing river para hindi marinig kung ano man musika ang ginagawa mo. Afterwards, meron built-in washlet pa! Hindi mo na rin kailangan mag-flush. Automatic na iyan pag labas mo sa cubicle. Last tsuyu nga, ewan ko kung bakit dumami ng dumami ang mga payong sa bahay. Sa biglang pag-ulan, biglaan din ang pagbili ko ng payong sa nearest Family Mart o Lawson. Last summer naman, kay rami kong na collect na mga pamaypay. Ang mga payong at pamaypay na iyan ang magandang pamigay sa Pinas. Kahit mura o libre man ang mga iyan, siguradong magagamit ni Boyet at Selya sa Pinas. Gustung-gusto nga ni Aling Cora yung mga pamaypay na galing sa shops ng Akihabara. Proud na proud siya habang nama-maypay sa simbahan. Kung mababasa lang niya ang mga Kanji na nakasulat sa pamaypay, ewan ko kung magiging as proud pa siya. Yes! Kailangan po, we should enjoy our stay here. Imbis na tingnan ang hindi maganda sa kanila, let's all look at and look for the good things they have. Tularan ang magagandang ugali nila especially ang pagiging 'on-time'. Hindi na siguro excuse ang traffic kasi ang mga densha dito ay laging on the dot. Tayong mga Pinoy, super-ingay. Siguro, we can learn from how they can control making loud noise. Kung ikukumpara sa acting, sila, pang Nora Aunor. At tayo naman, pang Vilma Santos ang acting. Minsan nga, hindi na kailangan pang isigaw ang isang bagay. Pwede na rin idaan sa isang kisap ng mata.