Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Glossary
anime
Animated movies or TV shows.
banzai
Traditional cheer, meaning “10,000 years”.
basho
Sumo tournament.
bodhisattva
Buddhist who has forsaken nirvana to
work for the salvation of all humanity.
bunraku
Puppet theatre.
-chō
, or
machi
Subdivision of the city, smaller than
a ku.
-chōme
Area of the city consisting of a few blocks.
dai
Big or great.
daimyō
Feudal lords.
-dōri
Main road.
Edo
Pre-1868 name for Tokyo.
furo
Traditional Japanese bath.
futon
Bedding.
gaijin/gaikokujin
Foreigner.
geisha
Traditional female entertainer accomplished
in the arts.
geta
Wooden sandals.
hanami
Cherry-blossom viewing.
Heian
Period when Japan was ruled from Heian-kyō,
now Kyoto (794-1185).
ji-biiru
Beer produced in local microbreweries.
Jizō
Buddhist protector of children, travellers and
the dead.
JR
Japan Railways.
kabuki
Traditional theatre.
kaiseki
Japanese haute cuisine.
kampai
“Cheers” when drinking.
kanji
Japanese script derived from Chinese characters.
Kannon
Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.
katakana
Phonetic script used mainly for writing
foreign words in Japanese.
kimono
Literally “clothes” but usually referring to
women's traditional dress.
kōban
Local police box.
-ku
Principal administrative division of the city, usually
translated as “ward”.
maid café
A café where the waitresses are dressed in
costumes and role play.
manga
Comics.
matsuri
Festival.
Meiji
Period named after the Emperor Meiji (1868-1912).
mikoshi
Portable shrine used in festivals.
minshuku
Family-run lodge, similar to a bed and
breakfast, cheaper than a ryokan.
mon
Gate.
netsuke
Small, intricately carved toggles for fastening
the cords of cloth bags.
nō
Traditional theatre.
noren
Split curtain hanging in shop and restaurant
doorways.
obi
Wide sash worn with kimono.
okashi
Japanese sweets.
omiyage
Gift, souvenir.
onsen
Hot spring, generally developed for bathing.
otaku
Obsessive fan mainly of manga and anime but
can refer to other things, too.
pachinko
Vertical pinball machines.
rōnin
Masterless samurai.
rotemburo
Outdoor hot-spring bath.
ryokan
Traditional Japanese inn.
ryōtei
Restaurant serving
kaiseki
.
samurai
Warrior class who were retainers of the
daimyō
.
sembei
Rice crackers.
sentō
Neighbourhood public bath.
shamisen
Type of lute.
Shinkansen
Bullet train.
Shinto
Japan's indigenous animist religion.
Shitamachi
Old working-class districts of east Tokyo.
shogun
The military rulers of Japan before 1868.
shōji
Paper-covered sliding screens used to divide
rooms or cover windows.
soaplands
Brothel.
sumi-e
Ink paintings.
sumo
Japan's national sport, a form of heavyweight
wrestling which evolved from ancient Shinto
divination rites.
tansu
Traditional chest of drawers.
tatami
Rice-straw matting, the traditional covering
for floors.
torii
Gate to a Shinto shrine.
ukiyo-e
Colourful woodblock prints.
washi
Japanese paper.
yakuza
Professional criminal gangs.
yukata
Loose cotton dressing gown.
