About a Place in the Kinki Region Translation Notes 3

These translation notes cover content in parts 17 to 24 of About a Place in the Kinki Region. The translation notes are ordered per part, but please be cautious of reading ahead due to spoilers.

Part 18

A-shi

While I've chosen to name the man in this part A-san, in the original text he's actually referred to as A-shi (A氏, lit. Mister A). This honorific is pretty rare, and I would wager even if you're passingly familiar with Japanese dramas, anime, and manga, etc. you might not have heard of it. It functions similarly to 'san' but is more formal and typically refers to someone the speaker is unfamiliar with. You rarely ever hear this one, only occassionally seeing it in formal or journalistic writing. To not confuse things any further, I opted to replace it with 'san'.

Nessie, Issie

Nessie is a cryptid believed to exist in Loch Ness, a lake in Scotland. Nessie is described as an aquatic creature with dinosaur features, said to have lived since prehistoric times. The main evidence of Nessie's existence is a single photograph of dubious authenticity. Issie, on the other hand, is a Japanese cryptid reported to have been seen at Lake Ikeda. It matches Scotland's Nessie pretty closely, and sightings only started after the Nessie rumour spread around Japan. Compared to Nessie, descriptions of Issie resembles an eel more than some kind of dinosaur, and is generally believed to have originated from a sighting of a particularly large giant eel.

Bigfoot, Sirens, Skyfish

I'm going to assume you probably know the first two cryptids here, but for the sake of completeness I'll briefly cover all three. Bigfoot, also known as the Sasquatch, is reportedly a large humanoid creature described as being some way between a person and an ape, possibly resembling some prehistoric predecessors to humans. It's said to exist in the wooded, mountainous areas of North America. Sirens are mythological creatures similar to mermaids—part person and part fish—who lure sailors on the high seas with their singing, draining their vitality or drowning them to death. Sirens are famous for appearing in Greek mythology, most notably in Homer's novel the Oddysey. Skyfish are much less well-known in the west and outside of cryptid circles—they are also known as rods. These are tiny, long creatures that have been seemingly caught appearing in numerous photographs. The best explanation for skyfish is that they're nothing more than any of a wide range of insects caught flying past during exposure, and the way they quickly zoom through the frame causes them to be captured like a long, continuous creature.

Tsuchinoko, Kappa, Takitarō

The tsuchinoko (lit. child of the hammer) is a creature described as looking like a snake with a wide, flat body between its head and tail end (presumably the name comes from the fact it looks like it was flattened by a hammer?) Tsuchinoko are depicted as relatively small, under a metre long, venomous, and capable of leaping up into the air—they're also sometimes depicted as alcoholics, and capable of speech. They've been a popular cryptid in Japan since the 80s, and a few bounties in certain areas made hunting for one trendy. Kappa (lit. child of the river) are described as amphibious humanoid creatures with a smooth crown (often shaped like a dish for holding water) and a shelled back. While this article initially lumps them in as UMAs, kappa have a long and storied history as yōkai. Initially they were depicted as deadly, dragging people and horses under water to drown them, but more recent depictions see them as mischievous pranksters. They have also been said to be capable of pulling out a person's soul through their anus and, relevant to this part, imitating the cry of a human baby to lure adults. The giant fish Takitarō (滝太郎, lit. water-rapids son), also known as Taketarō (竹太郎, lit. bamboo son), is a name given to a long history of impossibly huge fish rumoured to exist in a lake or pond around Yamagata prefecture, most famously Otori Pond. Sightings go back to the 1600s, and there are many theories as to the true identity of Takitarō. As this part described, Takitarō became known nationwide after a manga by the name of Tsurikichi Sanpei (lit. Fisherman Sanpei) featured the giant fish and depicted it living in Otori Pond.

Japanese Yōkai

Yōkai are mythological creatures appearing throughout Japanese folklore. The term describes a massive variety of supernatural and spiritual entities, and one can find depictions of yōkai linked to all manner of phenomena, objects, animals, and even people. In this chapter, a few yōkai are mentioned by name, so I'll briefly describe each one. Ittan momen (一反木綿, lit. one length of cloth) are cloth yōkai, resembling large sheets of cloth (sometimes with monstrous features like limbs or a mouth) that flutter around in the wind and attack people. Hitotsume kozō (一つ目小僧, lit. one-eyed boy) are depicted as resembling bald-headed young boys but with one large eye in the middle of their head, like a cyclops. They're described as fairly harmless, only ever jumping out to surprise people and play pranks. Jinmenken (人面犬, lit. human-faced dog) are a relatively recent addition. While similar accounts date back to the 1800s, jinmenken became a widespread topic in the late 1900s. They are dogs with human faces said to be capable of running faster than a speeding car. Ijū (異獣, lit. strange beast) are massive, hairy, ape-like creatures said to live in dense mountain forests. While ijū are powerful and imposing, they're usually depicted as gentle creatures—if one offers them food to eat, they may even help the person out with their impressive strength.

Women and Spirit Sense

In Japan, women and girls have traditionally been said to be more susceptible to sensing—and becoming victim to—paranormal entities such as ghosts and yōkai.

Part 19

Denpa

While this entire letter is intended to be cryptic and hard to comprehend, you may notice a running theme with the mentions of microwaves, electricity, and batteries. This chapter is playing on the idea of absurd conspiracy theorists, typically referred to as denpa-kei (電波系, lit. electromagnetic wave type). The term derives from an influx of wild conspiracies starting the latter half of the 20th century from people who claimed that they could hear things in their head via radio waves. This has often been linked to symptoms of paranoia and schizophrenia. Additionally, there were major health scares around the time due to the unknown effect electromagnetic waves had on the human body, caused by the rapid adoption of wireless technologies. This trend has continued into the 21st century, with things like wi-fi signals being subject to fearmongering. In a sense, it can be likened to the conspiracy theories popular in certain western countries surrounding 5G signals. Denpa-kei is associated with all kinds of absurd thinking, such as believing in supernatural cosmic power (related to the discussion on cults in the previous translation notes) or government cover-ups. This chapter uses the format of incomprehensible denpa-kei ramblings, but the content is obviously something more significant.

Part 20

2channel

While this chapter only refers to a nonspecific online message board, it's clearly imitating 2channel, also known as 2ch. 2channel was a Japanese message board which allowed for anonymous posting and was the direct inspiration for the western imageboard 4chan. 2channel is similarly infamous in Japan as 4chan is in the west, for its culture and users. Posters are able to stay anonymous, using a randomly generated ID which is consistent across posts within a single 'thread.' While the original site no longer exists due to a series of clashes involving its American host and Japanese creator, multiple successor websites still exist today.

Japanese-style Room

There's frankly no better way to translate this. I suppose 'traditional-style room' might work, but it's not exactly accurate. Washitsu (和室, lit. japanese-style room) feature tatami (a woven matrial formed from bamboo) flooring separated into mats driven onto the ground, and also typically sliding doors as opposed to hinged doors. They may also feature walls composed of a wood lattice covered by a paper material. On the other hand, yōshitsu (洋室, lit. western-style room) are the more typical kind of room construction you would expect in a western home. These days, most Japanese homes will only have a single washitsu, or none at all, as western-style constructions are far more popular.

Yakuza

The yakuza is an organised criminal group spanning Japan. The closest western comparison is the mafia. In the original text, the poster refers to the yakuza as "893"—in old Japanese, the numbers 8-9-3 could be read as ya-ku-za. This sequence of numbers is actually the origin of the term yakuza, referencing an old Japanese card game.

Buddhist Altar

A commenter in the thread makes note of an empty space in the Japanese-style room, which the OP believes may be where the Buddhist altar was housed. It's quite common for Japanese houses to have a Buddhist altar (仏壇, butsudan) in one of the rooms, always a washitsu if one exists. It is primarily used to pay your respects to buddha, and also to deceased family members.

Sacred Rope

A poster in the thread describes the stone Captain Kansai posts a picture of as being wrapped in shimenawa (しめ縄, lit. enclosing rope). Shimenawa is a kind of rope with strong religious significance in Shintoism. These ropes are considered to mark the area or thing they surround as spiritually pure, and can be seen all over Shinto shrines, and wrapped around physical embodiments of kami or other important objects. They are also sometimes considered to be able to seal evil. The poster is assuming this use of shimenawa marks the stone as significant in Shinto worship, perhaps as a representation of a kami.

Part 22

Age-related Macular Degeneration

This isn't so much a translation note, but I wanted to clarify that this explanation of AMD is based exactly on the original Japanese text. It's actually fairly misinformed, and a real ophthalmologist (eye doctor) would not be describing it this way.

Part 23

Kokkuri-san

While its historical counterpart is a little different, for the purposes of this translation we'll only go over the modern incarnation. Kokkuri-san is similar to a Ouija board in concept—participants write the hiragana syllabary on a piece of paper alongside numerals, a drawing of a torii gate, and the words for yes and no. All participants then place a finger on a coin set upon the paper, which the spirit of Kokkuri-san guides across the paper to answer questions. In Kokkuri-san, a window or door must be opened to allow the spirit inside the room, and then closed after the game is over. Additionally, all materials used in the game must be disposed of (the paper destroyed, the pencil or pen used up entirely, and the coin spent.) While traditional Kokkuri-san had a strong idea of what the spirit actually was, modern takes on the game depict the spirit as all kinds of things.