Ethnography: "Chiwawa no Hanasuke ~ Onesan Gomenasai" (チワワの花すけ～お姉さん ごめんなさい)

 

Today I read another Level 0 book on Tadoku.org, called "Chiwawa no Hanasuke" (Onesan Gomenasai!), or "A Chihuahua named Hanasuke (Sorry Older Sister!)". 


It was a funny little story about a Chihuahua named Hanasuke who is left to his own devices once his owner, (whom he calls "お姉さん") leaves for the day. Once おねさん leaves the apartment, Hanasuke decides on what he wants to do for the day. He finds that おねさん has left her purse behind, and decides to play with it. Unfortunately for Hanasuke, that's when disaster strikes... the bag was torn! "Oops," Hanasuke says, "Onesan's bag broke ( / Onesan's bag is in a difficult situation)". 😅



Hanasuke decides to lay low until Onesan gets home. Upon her return, Hanasuke greets her at the door and declares "いいこだったよ!" (I've been a good boy!). This of course is not completely true, as Onesan soon discovers when she finds her bag totally taihen'd in the next room.

When asked why he did this, Hanasuke explains that the bag smelled like Onesan. Realizing he just wanted to play with her, Onesan forgives Hanasuke, who promises to be a good boy in the future. 🐶

I understood a fair amount of the story through direct reading and context. I didn't understand the final few pages (including the reason Hanasuke gave for playing with the bag, or Onesan's change of heart) until I put the dialog through a translator. I was pleased that I understood "僕、いいこになるよ", because I had added "ko/child" and "naru/to become" to my vocabulary in the past month. I was happy to have realized some of my progress through comprehension of this story!

I wonder about the cultural differences between where I live in Kansas City and similar city regions in Japan. It is common for people to have dogs where I'm from. I think nearly every home on my street has one or more dogs in it! I had heard that it is more difficult to own a dog in Japan. Additionally, the living spaces (at least in cities) are typically smaller than in the US. A chihuahua like in this story would be perfect for a small apartment. 

A few similarities I am certain of: 
1) Dogs will destroy your things. They are dirty nasty creatures, and even "good boys" get bored. 
2) The companionship of a dog is a welcome thing for single people returning from a long work day!  (Destroyed bags or no...)



Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 5, 2022 at 5:40 PM

    "いいこだったよ!" is going to be my new catchphrase. ESPECIALLY after destroying something. :D

    ReplyDelete

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