Japanese Wives' tales...

[Adhesive]

I've searched for this topic and couldn't find anything; so here goes nothing: What's the strangest wives tale you've heard while in Japan,

I've got a few, but I'm not sure how common they are.

1. Chew your milk before you swallow (something about helping digestion).

2. If you grip your hashii up on the lower portion you will marry locally, higher portion and you're doomed to marry a gaijin (my own wife fell to this prophecy).

3. Pregnant women should place a mirror infront of their stomachs while attending a funeral (Mother-in-law actually told my wife to do this before going to my Grandfather's funeral this past weekend).

4. Long, thick ear-lobes predict a wealthy life.

5. If you fall asleep with your arms crossed over your chest you will have nightmares.

I could go on and on about the weird nonsense that comes out of my mother-in-laws mouth. The scary thing is she never even went to High School and I think she actually believes most of the stuff she says.

[vince]

• Pick up a comb at night and you die

• Seeing a spider means money is coming

• If you cough, that means someone is talking about you

• Dream of a snake means money is coming

• Stand a broom upside down means your guest should leave

• Tea twig floats vertical means good luck

etc. etc.

I never was allowed to have any superstitions when I was growing up in the suburbs, so I adopted all the Japanese ones to make up for it.

[Taro Toporific]

--Wasp stings are fatal.

[Papa-Lazarou]

Japan's involment in the 2nd world war started when....errr.... shhhhhhh!

[Charles]

[NeoNecroNomiCron]

[NeoNecroNomiCron]

4. Long, thick ear-lobes predict a wealthy life.

I can see how this wives tale evolved, since your ears and nose grow all your life. People who have lived a long time and can afford to live a long time have quite long ears.

[Akito]

2. If you grip your hashii up on the lower portion you will marry locally, higher portion and you're doomed to marry a gaijin (my own wife fell to this prophecy).

Were they her exact words?

[Neo-Rio]

...if you step on ants, they die?

(Ok I made that one up)

[Taro Toporific]

I'What's the strangest wives tale you've heard while in Japan

Check your travel superstitions, or carry them on?
USATODAY.com - Oct 31
....Superstitions vary by culture. Many Japanese avoid the number four because it sounds like the word for death in their language and the word for nine sounds like the word for torture. Japan-based All Nippon Airways omits rows 4, 9 and 13 even though the unlucky reputation of 13 is allegedly based in Christianity and Viking folklore.
Consistency is not the hallmark of superstition. Japan Airlines' planes have both rows 4 and 9, but no row 13. Surprisingly, a whole slew of Asian carriers including Cathy Pacific, Malaysian, Singapore and Thai Airways also skip row 13....

[dimwit]

With telephones NTT love to fob off to gaijin, numbers stacked full of 9s and 4s

[emperor]

If a black cat goes past you, and then another that looks just like it, youve got a glitch in the Matrix and somethings been changed.

[Pencilslave]

--Wasp stings are fatal.

Hmm, what to think.. From what I can make of this, it's either one of two things or both. It's possible that the 44 who died of wasp stings were all elderly, or because some Japanese are obssesed with racial purity, their immune systems aren't as strong because they haven't had an influx of different genes in a LONG time.

I got stung by a wasp on the shoulder this past summer(Inside the HOUSE!) and while it hurt like hell,I didn't keel over dead. It's probably the elderly who were victims or someone who got stung repeatedly.

And as for my favorite wives tale?
"If you stare at a pretty girl, you'll get a nosebleed."

[FG Lurker]

I got stung by a wasp on the shoulder this past summer(Inside the HOUSE!) and while it hurt like hell,I didn't keel over dead. It's probably the elderly who were victims or someone who got stung repeatedly.

Sorry, but the wasps you have in the US are no match for what the Japanese are talking about.

The wasps (actually hornets) that kill people here are these:

http://www.vespa-crabro.de/manda.htm

A normal size one is about 4cm long. These fuckers are nasty...very aggressive. Small children should be taken to the hospital if stung.

[cstaylor]

Wait, I thought hornets bite instead of sting... is that something else that I learned incorrectly as a child?

[Greji]

Wait, I thought hornets bite instead of sting... is that something else that I learned incorrectly as a child?

Atari! There are tons of them in the mountains of West Tokyo and most kids in that remote world can tell you that not only do they bite, but they gnaw and do so frequently if you are appear a danger to the nest/hive!

[FG Lurker]

[kurohinge1]

... is that something else that I learned incorrectly as a child ?

What else is on that list, CS?

[cstaylor]

Well, two things that I learned as child turned out to be wrong:

[1] There is such a thing as "Black Irish"
[2] Common-law marriage exists

[Greji]

[kurohinge1]

Well, two things that I learned as child turned out to be wrong:

[1] There is such a thing as "Black Irish" ...

Well, there will be soon ...

Black Irish - currently still in production - due for release in 2006

[Mulboyne]

[Mulboyne]

Telegraph: How to grow: Nandina domestica

Nandina domestica is also known as the heavenly bamboo. It grows all over the Far East, where its heavenly properties supposedly give it the power to dispel bad dreams. Alice M Coats, an acclaimed plant-hunter and authority on the histories of flowers and shrubs, writes that nandina is planted near doorways in Japan so that when you wake from a nightmare, you can step outside and tell the shrub your dream so that no harm will follow.

Never heard that before.

[gomichild]

No plant would survive outside my door. My mother in law keeps sprinkiling salt there to keep out the evil spirits...

[kurohinge1]

... My mother in law keeps sprinkiling salt there to keep out the evil spirits...

I've tried that, but they keep getting in, somehow, and regularly haunt my kitchen cupboard ...


Evil Spirits



BTW what do you sprinkle to keep the mother-in-law away?

[Taro Toporific]

... My mother in law keeps sprinkiling salt there to keep out the evil spirits...

BTW what do you sprinkle to keep the mother-in-law away?

Gaijin sprinkles.

[Greji]

... My mother in law keeps sprinkiling salt there to keep out the evil spirits...

BTW what do you sprinkle to keep the mother-in-law away?

Gaijin sprinkles.

I've been thinking of sprinkling AK-47 rounds, but I don't think that would work either!

[gomichild]

Actually even though she lives a 15 minute walk away she doesn't often come over and I think once in 2 years has dropped by without extensive mails and calling beforehand.

She's a pretty good MIL - she just has some weird superstitions. (Does anyone else have an assortment of trinkets from a range of shrines in various corners of their place? She's convinced they'll bring us wealth and happiness - just extra things to dust in my opinion - but we keep them there so she doesn't get a stomach ulcer from stress worrying about us).