Since most of my friends and family live all over the world and are unfamiliar with other parts of the world I’m writing about I decided to create a glossary of terms, places and things that readers can refer to. I also use a lot of big words, but those can be looked up in any dictionary. Of course, most of the place names can be wikied, but few people want to read a thorough explanation, so I’ll write short notes. I also tend to make up my own words; those windisms will be here too.
cartographs Maps that display statistical data, not geographic projections.
chedi A cone-shaped, dome-like tower, usually built to house relics of the Buddha, but also built to hold the ashes of anyone rich enough to construct one for themselves. The platform represents heaven, earth, and hell. It’s topped with a spire with 33 rings each representing a Buddhist heaven.
Daikanyama West of Ebisu, south of Shibuya, Daikanyama is an intimate hipper-than-thou bohemian neighborhood, with small winding streets crammed with interesting shops and slouchy artist types in $200 jeans and $50 haircuts. Reminiscent of a small West Coast college town, but with way more disposable income.
Ebisu A neighborhood in southwest Tokyo. More grown up than Shibuya, less bohemian than Daikanyama, Ebisu is peopled with professionals, mostly well-coiffed women, in their 20’s and 30’s. They are drawn to the numerous boutiques, hair salons, stylish bars and trendy restaurants, as well as a fair number of music clubs and jazz bars.
grandma food Traditional East Asian sweets, which are usually not very sweet at all, favored by the elderly. Most are glutinous rice flour based, with fillings that include beans, sesame, fruit.
Hiroo Pronounced ‘heroh’, Hiroo is a small neighborhood known for its cosmopolitan atmosphere due to the large number of embassies in the area, including the French, Norwegian, German and Korean embassies among others. Also being near Roppongi, where many international companies are based, the area is inundated with non-Japanese residents, and thus is known for inflated rents and high prices. Historically this is where the merchants and laborers lived who served the visiting lords. Old style shops and restaurants are still in evidence today. But most of the area is now luxury apartments and houses surrounding Arisugawa Park, which has the Tokyo Metropolitan Library.
metanarrative The story behind the narrative. The pattern or mythologizing that the narrative follows, contributes to, and reinforces.
metaphor As an extension of the literary term, in critical theory it’s used to describe an image or cluster of images that orders how something is understood, giving it a language set to construct meaning for the writer and reader.
narrative The story that is used to describe an event and give it meaning. Or the story ascribed to a phenomenon to make sense of it.
Shibuya One of the busiest towns in Tokyo, a bustling entertainment disctrict, known for its trendsetting fashions for teens and twenties, a high concentration of hip cafes, bars, clubs, theatres, clothing stores, the biggest Tower Records in the world, and even a sizeable village of love hotels.
tarento A Japanese English word derived from talent. Tarento are celebrities groomed to sing, dance, act and guest star on TV variety shows.
wat A Thai temple complex.
wiki To look up and read about something on Wikipedia. Also to edit its contents.
zine any self-published magazine popular in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, consisting of photocopied pages stapled together (often with unauthorized use of workplace copiers), and produced primarily by underground music fans.
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