Posts Tagged: health

All Posts / Culture / Food — No Comments
29
Jul 11

Japanese Comfort Dishes

Warm foods like chicken soup and vitamin-rich foods like oranges help Westerners clear up their sinuses and build their immunities. When ill in Japan, there are a few cultural comfort foods to which many people turn, much like chicken soup in the West. Whether you want to do as the Japanese do should you fall ill in Japan or your love for Japanese food will give you comfort during an illness, try Japanese comfort foods. (These foods are for colds and other mild illnesses. If something more serious is wrong, seek medical attention.)

Kayu: Also known as okayu, kayu is a warm rice porridge. Since rice is such a staple of the typical Japanese diet, it’s not surprising that rice porridge is more popular than oatmeal, although the concept behind enjoying a warm, easy-to-digest porridge is much the same. You can enjoy kayu on its own or with cooked meat, steamed vegetables, or with cooked or raw egg. Add tea and you have chakayu. Making kayu is as simple as boiling rice and water with a touch of salt until the rice is mushy.

Negi miso: Green onions called negi are another antidote for feeling under the weather in Japan. Vitamin-rich negi can be steamed or enjoyed raw. One particular dish made for the ill with negi as a main ingredient is negi miso. Miso is a Japanese flavoring often used in soup. While you can add chopped negi to a miso soup to make a version of negi miso, the most easily digestible form of the dish for the ill is a negi miso drink. Just boil water with miso flavoring and add chopped negi.

Shogayu: Another hot drink for the ill in Japan is shogayu. Shoga, Japanese ginger, is thought to provide many health benefits, including upset stomach relief and a boost in immunity. Shogayu is a simple drink to make; add a pinch of grated shoga and a dash of sugar to a mug and then add hot water.

Fruit: A common gift in Japan for an ill person is fresh fruit. You may notice in Japanese TV shows that a friend or family member attending the bedside of a person in the hospital will peel an apple for the patient to eat.

Do any of these dishes sound appetizing to you? Do you think they make good meals when you’re ill?

All Posts / Culture / Language — 5 Comments
24
Mar 11

Dealing with an Emergency in Japan

In the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and the subsequent earthquakes and nuclear power plant issues, the world has gotten a glimpse into the way that the Japanese deal with significant disasters. The fact that there have been no widespread reports of looting or violence in the chaos may be indicative of the type of society that Japan is: one in which the greater good of the many is put before individual needs. Don’t forget to keep those donations going!

The fact that Japan has experienced such devastation lately has gotten me thinking that we could review some helpful tips for dealing with an emergency in Japan. While the emergency may not be as catastrophic as an earthquake or tsunami, knowing these phrases in the language and learning a few key tips can help you get help fast should an accident, illness, or other disaster cause an emergency when you’re in Japan. (Read here for more information on explaining what illnesses you have in Japanese.)

Dialing 119 or 110

Instead of dialing 911 in the event of an emergency, commit this to memory: 119. It shouldn’t be too difficult to remember, since it’s the reverse of the American emergency number. However, it’s important to remember that 119 will only get you the Medical and Fire emergency number. For a Police emergency, dial 110. If you’re At Sea at the time (which may not be as rare an occasion as you may think, since Japan’s made up of islands), dial 118 for any emergency.

If the Japanese words fail you–which is likely if you’re panicked–you can try to speak English with the operator. Speak slowly and simply. The operator may have to transfer you to someone more fluent and it helps if you can express some of the emergency in Japanese to get help on the way as quickly as possible. If you’re in the Tokyo area, you can dial 03-3501-0110 to reach an English-speaking emergency police operator. Input the number in your cell phone directory.

Like with 911, 119, 110 and other emergency numbers should only be called in the event of a true emergency.

Helpful Emergency Phrases

Review the illness phrases taught here. Other emergency phrases that may come in handy include:

Help me! Tasukete!
Hide! Kakurete!
Run! Hashire!
Watch out! Kiotsukete!
There’s a pickpocket! Suri da!
There’s a thief! Dorobou!
There’s a groper (molester)! Chikan da!
There’s a fire! Kaji da!
There’s an earthquake! Jishin da!
There’s a flood! Kouzui da!
There’s a tsunami! Tsunami da!
There’s a storm! Arashi da!
Call an ambulance! Kyuukyuusha wo yonde!
Call the police! Keisatsu wo yonde!
Please take me to the police station. Keisatsu ni tsurette itte kudasai.
Please, somebody catch him or her! Dareka tsukamaete!
I need first aid. Ookyuu teate o shite kudasai.
Please come right now. Sugu ni kite kudasai.
There’s a fight. Kenka desu.
There’s a car accident. Koutsu jiko desu.
This is an emergency. Kyuukyuu desu.

Have you ever experienced an emergency? What do you think would happen if you had an emergency in a foreign country and weren’t familiar with the necessary emergency numbers and phrases?

All Posts / Language — 1 Comment
16
Jul 10

How to Talk About Health in Japanese

If you plan on spending time in Japan or around Japanese-speaking people, it’s better that you over prepare than under prepare. Knowing how to talk about your health problems with your host family or a physician can help you get the treatment you need quickly—and accurately. Although you’ll likely be able to find an English-speaking doctor, you can get treatment faster if you’re able to explain yourself in Japanese as well.

(A cultural note: Unless it’s serious and you need medical assistance, it’s generally not considered polite to talk about your health in social situations. If you have a minor stomachache and you’re not that close to your host, for example, you might just excuse yourself without going into detail.)

Medical Term or Phrase in English Japanese Translation
I’m not feeling well. Kibun ga warui desu.
I’m sick. Byoki desu.
I injured myself. Kega wo shimashita.
I’m allergic to X. X ni arerugii ga arimasu.
My X hurts.* X ga itai desu.*
I have diarrhea. Geri desu.
I’m constipated. Benpi desu.
I have a cold. Kaze wo hiite imasu.
I have the flu. Infuruenza wo hiite imasu.

-or-

Ryuukan wo hiite imasu.
I’m on my period. Seiri desu.
I have hay fever / I have allergies (to pollen). Kafunshou desu.
I have a headache. Zutsuu ga shimasu.
I have a stomachache. Itsuu ga shimasu.
I have a toothache. Haita ga shimasu.

-or-

Shitsuu ga shimasu.
I have a runny nose. Hanamizu ga demasu.
I’m sneezing. Kushami ga demasu.
I’m coughing. Seki wo shimasu.
I vomited. Hakimashita.
I feel dizzy. Memai ga shimasu.
I have rashes. Hasshin ga arimasu.
My X itches.* X ga kayui desu.*
I want to go to the hospital/a doctor. Byouin ni ikitai desu.

*Some body parts that may hurt or itch (which you can use in place of “X” in the phrases above) include:

Body Part Japanese Translation
head atama
stomach onaka
tooth ha
chest mune
back senaka
shoulder kata
neck kubi
throat nodo
knee hiza
ankle ashikubi
toe tsumasaki
foot ashi*
leg ashi*
elbow hiji
wrist tekubi
finger yubi
hand te
arm ude
nose hana
ear mimi
eye me

* Yes, “foot” and “leg” are the same word in Japanese. Just point to which one you mean.

Just one more note. If you plan on working in Japan, you may become accustomed to their cultural views on becoming sick. As a whole, Japanese society values hardworkers and most companies actually discourage their employees from taking off from work, even when sick! If you do feel sick enough to stay home, your boss may pressure you to go to the hospital (as in a non-emergency walk-in clinic) and you may have to get a note from the doctor that says you should be permitted to stay home. If you don’t think you’re sick enough to get a note from the doctor, your boss will likely expect you to come in to work. If you have a cold or a contagious virus, you’ll be expected to wear a cold mask, which looks a bit like a dust mask, while you work. These can be very uncomfortable, especially after a while, but they’re important in an overcrowded country to prevent the spread of germs. However, while you won’t need to change your mask throughout the day to satisfy Japanese society’s requirements, scientists have doubted the ability of these masks to prevent the spread of germs after one hour of wear, so you may want to buy a bunch and change your mask every hour.

Even when you’re not sick, you’re likely to see people in public with these masks, especially in cold season. Now you know why!