Lost in Translation

You knew that I was going to use that title eventually somewhere on this blog.

In any case, last Sunday I squeezed in some time during my hectic 9-hour per week class schedule to follow up with Yoko from Starbuck’s to go out.

Blah, blah, blah, usual date stuff. We went to eat and got some drinks afterwards. Typical Japanese woman: she was moderately drunk after 1 ½ screwdrivers. Eventually, the night came to a close when the battery on my electronic Japanese-English dictionary ran out of power (I laugh as I write this).

So as we are heading towards the trains, she asks me about a second date and what I would like to do. She mentioned earlier in the evening that she enjoyed going to an “onsen” (温泉) on the south side of Tokyo. I typically understood an “onsen” to be a natural water spring or waterfall, so I suggested that we go there next time for a good-natured viewing.

“Nani?! Hontoni?!” (“What?! Really?!”)

I regrouped, unsure what I had said wrong only to realize that an onsen is a Japanese Bath House. I stumbled a little and suggested some other activities, but told her that I would think about it and e-mail her later.

Anyway, we went to the onsen on Thursday. Haha!