Japanese Spouses of the Rich and Famous

[Taro Toporific]

"Kimiko" by Andy Warhol (1981)

andy warhol kimiko powers.jpg

Details
Kimiko and John Powers (1916-99) began collecting Japanese art in 1960. .. In its Summer 2000 issue, ArtNews ranked Kimiko Powers among the top 200 collectors in the world. Kimiko was born in Tokyo, where she attended university. In 1963 she came to the United States and married John Powers. John's intense passion for art and life helped them make many friends in the modern art world. Together they built up an impressive collection of 1960s contemporary art featuring artists like Andy Warhol and Willem de Kooning. Kimiko now resides in Colorado and Japan and carries on John’s legacy and love of all art.
----See Kimiko's photo at DenverPost and flickr

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

"Kimiko" by Andy Warhol (1981)

andy warhol kimiko powers.jpg

Details
Kimiko and John Powers (1916-99) began collecting Japanese art in 1960. .. In its Summer 2000 issue, ArtNews ranked Kimiko Powers among the top 200 collectors in the world. Kimiko was born in Tokyo, where she attended university. In 1963 she came to the United States and married John Powers. John's intense passion for art and life helped them make many friends in the modern art world. Together they built up an impressive collection of 1960s contemporary art featuring artists like Andy Warhol and Willem de Kooning. Kimiko now resides in Colorado and Japan and carries on John’s legacy and love of all art.
----See Kimiko's photo at DenverPost and flickr

Shagadelic, groovy baby...

[Taro Toporific]

The Billy's Bootcamp's excercise guru, Billy Blanks (53), had married an Osaka woman in January (2009). The two had a daughter in November. They are scheduled to have the wedding ceremony in June. Blanks is applying for a perm visa.
From Japan Probe (2009)

Japanese Living in Unexpected Places
J-List side blog / PeterPayne.net / 2013-Sept-21
... the TV show...called ナゼそこに？日本人 Naze Soko ni? Nihonjin ("Why are Japanese living in a place like this?"), which follows the lives of Japanese living in exotic parts of the world like Morocco, Kenya, and Siberia, even...
... Los Angeles, introducing a Japanese woman named Tomoko and her famous husband Billy Blanks, who enjoyed a brief career bringing his Tae Bo workouts to Japan after his popularity in the U.S. faded. The camera crew followed the couple's life together, including some of the linguistic and other challenges all international couples encounter.

[Coligny]

It's HIS WIFE TRANSLATING LIKE THIS ??!!!???!!

When I asks me ithc it's always like:
"I do you say 'car' in this country"
-"we japanese don't use that word"

"I do you say 'heater' in this country"
-"we japanese don't use that word"

"I do you say 'go fuck yourself muthafucking bitch, I'll ask mum, she at least tries' in this country"
-"you just have to learn japanese"
--"what for ? you seems to never have the words that I might need"

Shit goes real really quick when we are facing someone speaking only japanese, trying to explain her something, that she don't understand. And I have to step in to tell her in a simplier way... Despite not getting a simple word from the original explanation... Happens systematically in countries where people speak japanese but think in h00man logical... logic... (looking at you Vietnam...)

[BigInJapan]

It's HIS WIFE TRANSLATING LIKE THIS ??!!!???!!

She was an interpreter before they met (in the US), and she started out as his Japanese teacher apparently.

[Coligny]

ok, that would explainz a lot...

[matsuki]

It's HIS WIFE TRANSLATING LIKE THIS ??!!!???!!

Not bad but how old is she? He's 53??? Seems like many of his cultural/generational references are totally over her head.

[wagyl]

If you are not living in the culture when the popular culture item was current, I think you can be forgiven for not knowing about the Beverly Hillbillies. You would possibly be out of your depth if I said "Oh, Wilbur" but there would be instant recognition by others, and it is US culture.

[Coligny]

Just try to speak to peeps 15 years younger than you... Welcome to planet Mars...

They never heard of the Black Sheep Squadron, Mike Hammer (the whole vietnam war troma veteran), Cat's Eyes, The Final Countdown, Flight of the Intruder, pretty sure even the cold war sounds like old wives tales to them... They only seems to understand that they have to be scared of terrorist before they strike, because if they got scared after an attentat then the terrurists have won... Or something... Also terrurist are always bearded A-rabs riding camels and sodomizing goats to have 72 virginz when they die... Because they hates our freedom, to be spied on by the NSSA...

Don't blame them for being brainwashed cretins... The previous generation was even dumber losing sleep at night because they feared the commies were going to invade them anytime to steal their precious bodily fluids...

[matsuki]

If you are not living in the culture when the popular culture item was current, I think you can be forgiven for not knowing about the Beverly Hillbillies. You would possibly be out of your depth if I said "Oh, Wilbur" but there would be instant recognition by others, and it is US culture.

Mister Ed was off the air 14 years before I was born....the Beverly Hillbillies, 9 years. Thanks to the magic of nick at nite and Blockbuster video (which I think are both defunct now) I am all too familiar with classic TV shows.

I get that this stuff is dated and US culture....but I don't know if she should be forgiven, though...it is her husband making all the Dukes of Hazard and Beverly Hillbillies references. I'm not sure about either of those shows but a lot of them did make their way over here as well. Still...age aside, I can't imagine being a pro translator for a Japanese "celeb" and not knowing about Sazae-san Doraemon.

Sorta on topic but did you guys know the "Samantha Thavasa" brand is Japanese Engrish take on the characters from Bewitched?

“western magical elegance”

[wagyl]

I would argue that Doraemon and Sazae-san are still current popular culture, you can still get your kid's curry-rice in a Doraemon shaped box at the local bento chain, but I don't think you can find a Jethro Bodine doll for sale in the US. Or, another example: I doubt that many of us would have known anything about Fuji Keiko if her daughter hadn't had a singing career, but there were enough Japanese around me at the time of Hikky's debut to comment on the family resemblance.

[Coligny]

sazae san is still a weekly broadcast. Doraemon mascot for some transport/moving company. Available on T-shirts, surimi for kids bento and basilion of derived merchandise.
Like Snoopy, Tintin, Asterix, reached the 'timeless' status. Or worse, like Winnie the Poop, nobody ever heard the story but everyone got at least an apron or some summer gift towel with a bear printout.

[Isle of View]

Billionaire George Soros [83] marries Tamiko Bolton [42]

[Yokohammer]

I'm sure she married him for his looks.
Or maybe it was his taste in neckties.

I mean 83! It won't be long before he ... oh, I get it ...

[Russell]

I'm sure she married him for his looks.
Or maybe it was his taste in neckties.

I mean 83! It won't be long before he ... oh, I get it ...

But the fascinating thing is that he married HER for her looks...

[Coligny]

Done in two... Great we got our own waldorf and statler...

[matsuki]

I would argue that Doraemon and Sazae-san are still current popular culture, you can still get your kid's curry-rice in a Doraemon shaped box at the local bento chain, but I don't think you can find a Jethro Bodine doll for sale in the US. Or, another example: I doubt that many of us would have known anything about Fuji Keiko if her daughter hadn't had a singing career, but there were enough Japanese around me at the time of Hikky's debut to comment on the family resemblance.

I agree, and yes, BHB and DOH are ancient...just saying this lemur is translating for this dude who is of that generation...so while she might have not initially been familiar, she should be now that she's married to him.

[kurogane]

I agree with you on the professionalism aspect, but Wagyl has a point about Doraemon and Sazae san being current rather than 'ancient' like any of Our examples. Most Cdn kids under 35 wouldn't have a clue about any of that, and they think Nicole Kidman is Bewitched, and Darren is the annoying guy from SNL.

I found Mrs. Blanks manner and technique rather annoying. BTW, a Wiki search revealed that she was married to a guy named Petersen, the daughters of whom Billy adopted, which is nice, but it does cast some doubts on her level of professionalism or ability. It's not likie she's new to the game.

Then again, I have only met 5 or 6 Japanese interpreters out of, say, 87 that I would call real pros. At least her pronunciation isn't horrid like so many.

BTW, in Tentacle Speak what is a 'lemur'?

[Coligny]

I found Mrs. Blanks manner and technique rather annoying. BTW, a Wiki search revealed that she was married to a guy named Petersen, the daughters of whom Billy adopted, which is nice, but it does cast some doubts on her level of professionalism or ability. It's not likie she's new to the game.

And Egypt is her favorite color too...

(Your analytical skillz are mesmerizing... Are you Dutch too ? What do they put in the water up/down there ?)

[matsuki]

I agree with you on the professionalism aspect, but Wagyl has a point about Doraemon and Sazae san being current rather than 'ancient' like any of Our examples. Most Cdn kids under 35 wouldn't have a clue about any of that, and they think Nicole Kidman is Bewitched, and Darren is the annoying guy from SNL.

Yeah, not disagreeing with him...just saying in her case, the dude she&s married to/translating for is from than generation so if she didn't know at first, she should know now.

I found Mrs. Blanks manner and technique rather annoying. BTW, a Wiki search revealed that she was married to a guy named Petersen, the daughters of whom Billy adopted, which is nice, but it does cast some doubts on her level of professionalism or ability. It's not likie she's new to the game.

Then again, I have only met 5 or 6 Japanese interpreters out of, say, 87 that I would call real pros. At least her pronunciation isn't horrid like so many.

That's 5 or 6 more than me...all the one's I've ever encountered have been old women who seem to do it as a hobby or young men who spend a few months to a year abroad but still are far from proficient.

BTW, in Tentacle Speak what is a 'lemur'?

[IparryU]

BTW, in Tentacle Speak what is a 'lemur'?

welcum to chokoland...

[Coligny]

Let me fix that a bit...

hazmat.gif

welcum to chokoland...

[kurogane]

Then again, I have only met 5 or 6 Japanese interpreters out of, say, 87 that I would call real pros. At least her pronunciation isn't horrid like so many.

That's 5 or 6 more than me...all the one's I've ever encountered have been old women who seem to do it as a hobby or young men who spend a few months to a year abroad but still are far from proficient.

Yeah, that gets tired really quickly. What freaks me out is the level of some of the meetings at which they have the ones of which you doth speaketh. And then they get angry when people complain. I've been conscripted by force, and I have the training of one of those creepy lemur girls you guys posted, and I don't squeal nearly as good. The sex is usually crap, but the squealing is to die for.

BTW, brilliant metaphor this, and really creepy.

Leeemurs.

Good silliness.

[matsuki]

Then again, I have only met 5 or 6 Japanese interpreters out of, say, 87 that I would call real pros. At least her pronunciation isn't horrid like so many.

That's 5 or 6 more than me...all the one's I've ever encountered have been old women who seem to do it as a hobby or young men who spend a few months to a year abroad but still are far from proficient.

Yeah, that gets tired really quickly. What freaks me out is the level of some of the meetings at which they have the ones of which you doth speaketh. And then they get angry when people complain. I've been conscripted by force, and I have the training of one of those creepy lemur girls you guys posted, and I don't squeal nearly as good. The sex is usually crap, but the squealing is to die for.

You mean like during police/court/immigration interrogations where every word you "supposedly" say is taken at face value and used against you? Yes, it is scary...

BTW, brilliant metaphor this, and really creepy.

Leeemurs.

Good silliness.

I wish I could take credit but the term was coined by some gyaru hating asshole trying to dis me a few years back. My policy with smack talk is simply own it and take their steam away so...

...besides, it really is pretty good.

[kurogane]

Yeesh, I'd never thought of police and court proceedings. Being the peacable sort that I am That is scary stuff.

I was talking more about business negotiations and international academic forrii, symposia and conferences. The Aichi Expo was a volunteer gong show. It completely ruined the point and the flow of the events. Shocking lack of professionalism on the part of the organisers. And very measured and reasonable complaints aside, they obviously didn't get it, and got quite pissy about the lack of gratitude for their sterling efforts at recruiting a remarkable number of those housewives you mentioned earlier and paying them nothing but tea and rice crackers. The few pros they did hire were top notch mind you, but they were far too thin in number.

I think the real problem is that Japanese are simply Tragically Homolingual: they simply refuse to comprehend that Some English is not necessarily good enough, and most can't even begin to accept that English is equally complex when spoken properly, and grammatically infintely more difficult. I think most Japanese really believe that English is a sort of slapdash pidgin used as a common tongue by many, but not ever spoken properly by anybody. We have flatlanders like that in Canader too, but we also have a ready supply of speakers of virtually any language that might be needed.

Mind you, doing things that might land you in the cop box or a court without sufficient Japanese to allow you to avoid either of those is very tinny, IHOMO. Not woody at all.


And yeah, Lemurs...............Atomic LOLzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[matsuki]

Yeesh, I'd never thought of police and court proceedings. Being the peacable sort that I am That is scary stuff.

I was talking more about business negotiations and international academic forrii, symposia and conferences. The Aichi Expo was a volunteer gong show. It completely ruined the point and the flow of the events. Shocking lack of professionalism on the part of the organisers. And very measured and reasonable complaints aside, they obviously didn't get it, and got quite pissy about the lack of gratitude for their sterling efforts at recruiting a remarkable number of those housewives you mentioned earlier and paying them nothing but tea and rice crackers. The few pros they did hire were top notch mind you, but they were far too thin in number.

I think the real problem is that Japanese are simply Tragically Homolingual: they simply refuse to comprehend that Some English is not necessarily good enough, and most can't even begin to accept that English is equally complex when spoken properly, and grammatically infintely more difficult. I think most Japanese really believe that English is a sort of slapdash pidgin used as a common tongue by many, but not ever spoken properly by anybody. We have flatlanders like that in Canader too, but we also have a ready supply of speakers of virtually any language that might be needed.

Unfortunately, I have to agree...as do the stats and experience. Lately though, I'm more and more annoyed by the amount of mistranslated/misused Engrish being adopted. Sure, that shit exists in English as well...but the amount of new fucked Engrish being adopted into Japanese, and further bastardized by the tendency to mispronounce, misuse, and then shorten it, is probably going to keep the general population homoolingual for awhile. What do you mean [....tto] isn't English?!" (...and it's 2013, even my mom has a smartphone...no excuse for that kinda shit anymore)

Mind you, doing things that might land you in the cop box or a court without sufficient Japanese to allow you to avoid either of those is very tinny, IHOMO. Not woody at all.

It's not as hard as you think, let's just say from experience. (but funny when the powers that be take the translation issue serious when they see you correcting the translator...daijoubu?...daijoubu?....DAIJOUBU? KORE WA OMAE NO SHIGOTO DESHO?

[kurogane]

Is the amount increasing, and quality declining, or are We just getting increasingly tired of it???? With full empathy of course. I find I can barely stop from gritting my teeth when I ask for a reminder of a specific word I know to be a proper Japanese term and they give me some bastardised Wa-ei word or phrase and I end up having to look it up myself, only to find what a vexingly simple word it is; not to mention worries about my rusting memory cells.

I did get a good laugh awhile back when we were discussing Mottainai, and the tall young newbie with astonishing bazoongers barely encased by her skimpy tank top piped up innocently and asked if the proper Japanese for Mottainai wasn't We-su-to, to an uproarious gale of mirth and smiles. If we remember, Mottainai was shovelled as a set phrase because "no such word exists in Foreign Language". Even though in formal Japanese Mottainai is 2 words (root+auxilliary verb-nounal declensional adjunctitive ), and the phrase What a waste is older than both our grannies.

It's not as hard as you think, let's just say from experience. (but funny when the powers that be take the translation issue serious when they see you correcting the translator...daijoubu?...daijoubu?....DAIJOUBU? KORE WA OMAE NO SHIGOTO DESHO?

Yeah, I was sort of pricking around there. My ex taught me the one phrase that has always kept me out of even the local cop box, never mind jail or court: Seitou Bouei no kenri wo shuchou shimasu　（正当防衛の権利を主張します）It's like the Abracadabra of Japanese legalese; apparently it reverses the onus of proof. And for all but 2 of those events, if anybody did, I started it. Fortunately, it was always with subliterate street punks known to the police, and they seem to freak out and ramble themselves into incoherent racist bigotry, while I stand there apologising and speaking reasonably. I think that one of those events was some weird sort of hubris, just to see if I could get away with it. I did, but I had a serious talk with myself after, and since then I just walk away, or even run.

I assume it has been sometime since you've been to court!!?????? At any rate, stop doing that, eh!???

[Yokohammer]

"Waste not want not" is probably the closest standard English equivalent to "mottainai." Sort of an English "四字熟語", even.

There's usually an English equivalent (or two or three) to any of of those "this Japanese is unique" things, but people just don't want to know. Even commonly cited examples like "gochisou sama deshita" (I mean what the heck is wrong with "thank you for a delicious meal", or just plain old "thank you" which, in context, means exactly the same thing), and "gokurou sama," etc, etc.

[matsuki]

Is the amount increasing, and quality declining, or are We just getting increasingly tired of it???? With full empathy of course. I find I can barely stop from gritting my teeth when I ask for a reminder of a specific word I know to be a proper Japanese term and they give me some bastardised Wa-ei word or phrase and I end up having to look it up myself, only to find what a vexingly simple word it is; not to mention worries about my rusting memory cells.

I did get a good laugh awhile back when we were discussing Mottainai, and the tall young newbie with astonishing bazoongers barely encased by her skimpy tank top piped up innocently and asked if the proper Japanese for Mottainai wasn't We-su-to, to an uproarious gale of mirth and smiles. If we remember, Mottainai was shovelled as a set phrase because "no such word exists in Foreign Language". Even though in formal Japanese Mottainai is 2 words (root+auxilliary verb-nounal declensional adjunctitive ), and the phrase What a waste is older than both our grannies.

The one that gets me now is スルーwhich they seem to use for everything from crossing the street to ignoring what's being said.

It's not as hard as you think, let's just say from experience. (but funny when the powers that be take the translation issue serious when they see you correcting the translator...daijoubu?...daijoubu?....DAIJOUBU? KORE WA OMAE NO SHIGOTO DESHO?

Yeah, I was sort of pricking around there. My ex taught me the one phrase that has always kept me out of even the local cop box, never mind jail or court: Seitou Bouei no kenri wo shuchou shimasu　（正当防衛の権利を主張します）It's like the Abracadabra of Japanese legalese; apparently it reverses the onus of proof. And for all but 2 of those events, if anybody did, I started it. Fortunately, it was always with subliterate street punks known to the police, and they seem to freak out and ramble themselves into incoherent racist bigotry, while I stand there apologising and speaking reasonably. I think that one of those events was some weird sort of hubris, just to see if I could get away with it. I did, but I had a serious talk with myself after, and since then I just walk away, or even run.

I assume it has been sometime since you've been to court!!?????? At any rate, stop doing that, eh!???

No, pretty recent but 正当防衛の権利を主張します wouldn't have done me much good. Fuck the J-legal system though...

[matsuki]

"Waste not want not" is probably the closest standard English equivalent to "mottainai." Sort of an English "四字熟語", even.

There's usually an English equivalent (or two or three) to any of of those "this Japanese is unique" things, but people just don't want to know. Even commonly cited examples like "gochisou sama deshita" (I mean what the heck is wrong with "thank you for a delicious meal", or just plain old "thank you" which, in context, means exactly the same thing), and "gokurou sama," etc, etc.

THIS x 9999999999


....and speak of the devil. Japan Post seems to agree

DSC_1113.JPG