This is a conversation between a friend and me. My friend lost his wallet and was in a lot of trouble. He lost his wallet and he was in trouble because he didn't have the train fare to go back to his home. I walked around town with him looking for his wallet. However, the wallet was not found. So I lent him money to go home. What is the appropriate word to fit in ( ) below?
友だち : あなたが たすけてくれて とてもうれしかった。
わたし : （ ）
1 : どういたしまして
2 : ごきげんよう
3 : ごめんなさい
Please feel free to answer in the comments section below.
願わくは
花の下にて春死なん
その如月の望月のころ
ねがわくは
はなのしたにてはるしなん
そのきさらぎのもちづきのころ
Negawaku wa
Hana no shita nite haru shinan
Sono kisaragi no mochizuki no koro
I wish to die
in spring under the cherry blossoms,
In that month of Kisaragi, under the full moon
This is a very famous Japanese tanka. It was written around 1200 by a poet named Saigyo. “Hana'' means flower in English, but in this case it refers to cherry blossoms. In other words, the author says, “I want to die under cherry blossoms on a full moon day.''
Cherry blossoms fill the hearts of Japanese people. If I can see cherry blossoms on a full moon day, I feel like there's nothing more I want.
I like this poem very much. I understand this author's feelings very well. Life is not easy for anyone, but the cherry blossoms in Japan give a great impression to Japanese people. So, if I can see such beautiful scenery, I won't have any regrets even if I die.
Cherry blossoms are such a flower for Japanese people.
That time I had a Portuguese friend. He was from the same generation as me and he often gave me an email. Then he always wrote at the end of the letter, “Hug”. Oh my God, that was his greeting but I didn’t like that word because he was a man. Although I would be happy if he was not a man.
One day, I replied to him in the email, “we don’t hug in Japan”. Then he was angry to reply, “I watched many Japanese erotic videos, so I know they hug with their naked bodies”. He said to me, “you are a liar”. Yes, I know a fact that many Japanese hug with their naked bodies. But honestly I didn’t want to hug that guy who was my friend.
Japanese are shy, so we rarely hug others in public. When we are very friendly with someone from another country, at that time we are willing to hug the person. But, I can say, Japanese guys rarely hug each other. Because, there is a possibility that they are rumored, “they are weird in one sense”, so we are afraid of the rumor, even though they have a good relationship.
Of course, I can say, couples like to hug everywhere in Japan, in the case that they are young. However adults hesitate to hug especially in front of their children. This is just Japanese “beauty sense”.
We have said since a long time ago, “To hide is beauty”.