Gourds, buns and stereotypes
Authentic Japan in Gyakuten Saiban pt. 8
Before moving on to the next part of «Lost in Localization», I'd like to point out a few cultural details that were altered to «domesticate» the setting. In other words, it's «Authentic Japan» again!
Last time, we explored the high arts of poetry, and now it's time to take a break and explore something more mundane, like... pumpkins. Why is the « Gourd Lake» and what significance do bottle gourds of the genus Lagenaria have in Japanese culture?
Let's look at the following dialogue between Naruhodō and Mayoi:
ね、なるほどくん。どうして “ひょうたん湖” なの？
Hey, Naruhodo-kun. Why is it called "Hyōtan Lake"?
Long ago, this lake was a famous production area for hyōtan (gourds).
So, what's so special about a huge pumpkin field that now occupies an equally huge lake? There are many flooded agricultural lands in the world. It all comes down to the name of the pumpkin species - gourds, otherwise there wouldn't be such an emphasis on this, and pumpkins would be mentioned in the usual sense. Because gourds are «the most ancient storage vessels».
The character for gourd is 瓢箪 (hyōtan), where 瓢 means bowl and 箪means plate, which already alludes to its function.
Furthermore, the «hyō» sound in «hyōtan» has an interesting etymology, as it refers to the rattling sound made by the seeds inside the dried fruit. When it came to carrying liquids, pumpkins had a huge advantage over other materials: they were lighter and less prone to breakage than ceramic or metal containers, and, of course, easier to obtain for use.
There are over 200 different uses for bottle gourds:
portable and storage containers
storing medicine (small fruits were used as medicine containers, which even made them a symbol of health)
tea vessels and water jugs (dried bottle gourds were used to make not only flasks, but also tea ceremony items, such as hyotan-shaped tea caddies (hyotan chaire) and water jugs (hyotan-gata mizusashi).
Another interesting point: an empty bottle gourd was a symbol of the ease of dreams and abundance in Japan, and its image was often used to decorate weapons (for example, sword guards) and as a talisman. Also well-known is the zenga 禅画 story «Catching catfish with a bottle gourd» - a metaphor for something impossible to accomplish, but which requires patience and an unconventional approach.
In this particular case, we have only touched on the cultural significance of bottle gourds. They were originally developed for Japan, but they were also widespread throughout the world: South America, Africa, and Eurasia, where they were used for the same purposes and many others.
Tonosomanju or Samurai Dogs
The next thing I want to talk about is what the creators incorporated into the Yahari stand before it became hot dogs.
Well, it is manjū, after all.
In the Japanese version, Yahari works part-time selling manju to park visitors.
Manjū (饅頭; まんじゅう) is a traditional Japanese confection, usually a small, dense bun with a sweet filling. The standard manjū has a skin made of flour, and is filled with anko (sweet azuki bean paste).
Manju has an exciting history that goes back almost 700 years. It originally came from China, where it was called «mantou». Mantou are actually steamed buns filled with meat or left plain. 1341 a Japanese envoy visited China and brought these buns to Japan. Once in Japan, they were renamed manju (Japanese reading kanji 饅頭).
Even such simple buns vary widely, and in different prefectures they can be presented in different shapes and fillings:
Mizu Manju (water sweet bun)
First appearing - Ogaki City in Gifu Prefecture. Traditional summer desert. Skin made of jelly-like texture from kuzu (kudzu) starch, which filled anko (traditionally) or other paste.
Momiji Manju (Momiji (紅葉) autumn leaves of red maple)
On Miyajima Island in Hiroshima, people shape this sweet bun like a maple leaf. Bakers use buckwheat and rice flour to make the bun, usually filling it with sweet red bean paste. Popular souvenir production.
This is a specialty from Gyoda, a town in Saitama Prefecture. Its name comes from the Oshi clan in Gyoda during the Edo period (1603-1868). Bun made of the rice flour filled with anko.
For this manju, rice malt was added to wheat flour. The Nanbu region in Aomori Prefecture, known for using grains like chestnut, wheat, and buckwheat. People especially enjoy this sweet during summer events and festivals like the Children’s Festival and Obon.
This is known for its distinctive and sticky texture. Unlike the regular type of wheat flour, this one is made from gluten dough, a mix of glutinous rice flour and wheat flour. The buns are often wrapped in bamboo leaves.
Emperor Meiji loved «Fu» (a breadlike food made of wheat gluten) and he requested wrap «An» paste inside of «Fu» cake.
Then Yahari explains to us that the name was originally different, but was changed for marketing purposes (which had a pretty good effect):
How should I put it… it looks like a gourd in shape….
ああ。アレ、もともとは “ひょうたん湖マンジュウ”だし。
Ah. That, originally, is “Hyōtan Lake Manjū.”
I couldn't find any examples of gourd-shaped manju online, but who's stopping us from imagining it, since there are maple leaf-shaped ones?
By the way, it's ironic that the Japanese version doesn't have a manju illustration on the banner, but they added one in the localization.
Well, Yahari didn't explain the «joke» with the dogs, which wasn't in the original.
And here I'll quibble a bit about the «necessity» of localization, because from what I could find online, manju are so popular in Hawaii (and were even 10 years ago, even before the localization was released) that they've even been adapted to suit common foods there (pineapples, mangoes, apples, and other fruits). Traditional Asian bean pastes are also common. The only differences are the dough (made with all-purpose flour) and the crispy crust that forms after baking in the oven. It might not be as recognizable (to the point of being obvious), but it's so fitting, you don't even have to invent anything.
Well, hot sweet buns are more suitable for a cold winter... Only if it's the cooking process (though it's unlikely Yahari would have been trusted to knead the dough for manju – they were just ready-made frozen buns for steaming or cooking in a pan). I don't know, an explanation could have been found if one had wanted.
And now let's talk about some regional stereotypes that exist in Japan and that are played out through one of the characters.
I'll say right away that these are stereotypes, not confirmation of the fact that «they're all like that», and they're most often an exaggerated representation of the typical behavior of residents of a certain region (and this exists in all countries of the world), so treat this as part of the story and with humor.
“あら、カンサイ人てケチですね” みたいなカオして！
With that face like, "Oh, Kansai people are so stingy"!
But let me tell you - Kansai people aren't stingy!
I'm just personally stingy!
I'll be discussing the Kansai and Kanto regions now (because they're often contrasted), so to avoid confusion, here's a little background:
Kansai is a region of western Japan on the island of Honshu. The region's center is Kyoto Prefecture. It contains seven prefectures (Wakayama, Kyoto, Mie, Nara, Osaka, Shiga, and Hyogo).
Kantō is a region on the island of Honshu. It contains the capital, Tokyo, and seven prefectures (Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki (Northern Kanto Subregion), Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, and Tokyo).
It so happens that there are constant disputes between these two regions, as after the decline of the originally dominant region and its capital, Kyoto, the city of Edo (now Tokyo) gained power and took over. Kanto, to Kansai, is an upstart. Kansai, to Kanto, is hidebound.
Natsumi Osawagi (or Lotta Hart, as she was introduced in the localization) is literally created to exaggerate the average person in the neighboring region (she's a representative of the Kansai region). I won't compare who's better here, but rather focus on how differences in culture and behavior create the images we believe in.
For example, if you ask almost anyone in Japan to describe a typical «Kansai-jin» (関西人), they'll immediately picture a certain kind of person: talkative, quick with a joke, comfortable getting close to strangers. It's one of the only regional identities in the country that functions as its own recognizable stereotype nationwide.
And let's remember Natsumi: she's very talkative, not shy about interacting with strangers, and very hungry for fame and attention. A real classic.
In her monologue, she also voices another stereotype that circulates within the country and among residents of other regions, especially the «Polite Kantō» stereotype - that all Kansai residents are stingy.
However, as the region's residents themselves describe it: «It's less about being stingy and more about a genuine culture of «good quality for a good price». Getting something great without overpaying for it is treated as a point of pride here, not a compromise. A cheap meal that's genuinely excellent gets more respect in Osaka than an expensive one that's just fine».
Natsumi herself does the following: she tells Naruhodō and Mayoi not to listen to or confirm existing stereotypes, because just because she's from Kansai and a miser doesn't mean everyone there is. And this, to some extent, serves a teaching role, as it forces people to think about their own preconceptions.
Natsumi, of course, speaks the Kansai dialect (Kansai-ben 関西弁), and here are some pronunciation peculiarities she uses:
ウチ (uchi) is "I" (feminine/colloquial, often used in Western dialects of Japan - Kansai-ben).
ケチ (kecha) (dialect pronunciation) ケチ (kechi) - meaning stingy/greedy.
ちゃう (chau) (dialect negation) of じゃない ( ja nai, meaning «are not»).
で (de) is a dialect particle of affirmation/clarification (instead of だよ da yo).
If you're curious, you can find numerous articles online about the rivalry between the Kanto and Kansai regions (you can even search for it) to learn about this millennia-old dispute, which boils down to one thing: people of the same country are still able to find common ground despite all their differences. For example: here or here or here
For now, the GKS Instructive is closing its doors, but the next part of «Lost in Localization» will follow soon, diving headfirst into the 1-4 story.
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