Alice is staying with a Japanese host family while studying at a university in Japan. One weekday morning, her host mother, Mrs. Otani, is preparing lunch boxes for Alice and her high-school-aged son, Hiroshi. As Alice gets ready to leave for school, she notices something unfamiliar in her lunch and later makes a small but understandable mistake.
Otani1:
おはよう、アリスさん。
Alice1:
おはようございます。わあ、これ、きれいですね。
Otani2:
それは アリスさんの おべんとうですよ。
Alice2:
ありがとうございます。あ、このあかいのは にほんごで なんと いいますか。
Otani3:
それは「うめぼし」っていいます。ちょっとすっぱいですよ。
Alice3:
そうですか。たのしみです。
Later, on the way out, Alice accidentally picks up Hiroshi's lunch box.
Otani4:
あ、それは アリスさんの おべんとうじゃありませんよ。
Alice4:
え？ そうですか？
Otani5:
それは ひろしのです。アリスさんのは これです。
Alice5:
あ、そうですか。ごめんなさい。
Otani6:
いえいえ。
Alice6:
じゃ、いってきます！
Otani7:
いってらっしゃい！
Translation
Otani1:
Good morning, Alice.
Alice1:
Good morning. Wow, this is beautiful.
Otani2:
That is your box lunch.
Alice2:
Thank you very much.
Um, what do you call this red one in Japanese?
Otani3:
That is called "umeboshi." It's a little sour.
Alice3:
I see. I'm looking forward to trying it.
Later, on the way out, Alice accidentally picks up Hiroshi's lunch box.
Otani4:
Oh, that's not your lunch box, Alice.
Alice4:
Oh? Really?
Otani5:
That's Hiroshi's. Yours is this one.
Alice5:
Oh, I see. Sorry.
Otani6:
That's okay.
Alice6:
I'm off!
Otani7:
Have a good day!
Cultural Notes
1.
Umeboshi (うめぼし) is a pickled Japanese plum with a very sour and salty taste. It is one of the most common ingredients in a traditional Japanese-style box lunch (おべんとう). An umeboshi is often placed in the center of a bed of white rice, making the lunch box resemble the Japanese flag. Besides adding flavor, umeboshi has traditionally been valued because it helps preserve the rice and can be kept without refrigeration for several hours.
2.
In Japanese, people normally do not use honorifics such as さん when referring to members of their own family to people outside the family. Thus, Mrs. Otani refers to her own son simply as ひろし, not ひろしさん. However, when speaking to a family member, parents may use …さん, …ちゃん, or …くん, depending on the family and the relationship.
3.
Both ごめんなさい and すみません can mean I'm sorry, but ごめんなさい expresses a direct apology for something you have done. It is more personal and emotional, and is commonly used with family members, friends, and other people you know well. すみません can be used to apologize for causing someone trouble or inconvenience, but it also means "Excuse me" when getting someone's attention or passing in front of someone. Because it is more polite and less emotional than ごめんなさい, it is often the safer choice when speaking to strangers, teachers, store clerks, or other people outside your close circle.
4.
When leaving home, Japanese people often say いってきます, which literally means "I'm going and will come back." Family members usually reply with いってらっしゃい, meaning "Have a good day!" or "See you later!" These expressions reflect the expectation that the person will return home safely. They are commonly exchanged between family members and are an important part of everyday life in Japan.
