More Hilarious Haiku About The Small Mysteries Of Modern Life
I know you’ve just been WAITING for more amusing observations and subtly ironic drawings about modern life from Yamada Zenjido (the artist who goes by y_haiku), so for those of you who (like me) are not exactly goddess-like at reading handwritten Japanese, here are a few choice ones in translation!
May it perk up your spirits in these trying times to know that all over the world, some things always make people stop and think WTF WHY?
Two years later,
Why did someone push
The like button?
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Driving down the road,
Passing your car’s twin
Is a strange feeling.
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How could someone think
Those stars
Look like a goat?
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I don’t want that bonus prize
But somehow
I can’t refuse to take it.
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Filling up the coffeemaker
Next to a toilet
Just feels wrong.
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Someone knocks a rice ball onto the floor
Then quickly puts it back on the shelf.
Why do I feel guilty?
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I don’t want to be
The first one
To put up my umbrella.
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Miso soup
Drunk from a glass
Doesn’t taste right.
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Missed subway stop
I get off at the next one
Pretending it’s mine.
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Still annoyed
When the pirated wifi
Cuts out.
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The train is empty
Why does he have to choose a seat
So close to me?
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If you’re a kanji god, you can be amused early and often by these gems if you follow the artist on Twitter (@y_haiku) and/or Instagram (instagram.com/y_haiku/).
And thanks to Hiroyuki Otomo, who helped me translate the peskier characters.
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Don’t miss The Last Tea Bowl Thief!
“A wonderful blend of history and mystery” —Laura Joh Rowland, author of The Iris Fan
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly newsletter Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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Jonelle Patrick View All
Writing mystery books set in Tokyo is mostly what I do, but I also blog about the odd stuff I see every day in Japan. I'm a graduate of Stanford University and the Sendagaya Japanese Institute in Tokyo, and a member of the International Thriller Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters In Crime. When I'm not in Tokyo, I live in San Francisco. I also host a travel site called The Tokyo Guide I Wish I'd Had, so if you're headed to Japan and want to check out the places I take my friends when they're in town, take a look!
Cracked me up! …. Funny thing is, there all real.
JTK
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This guy has such a great eye for stuff like this – wish I was better at reading kanji, so I could devour them daily without help!
These are wonderful, J. Thanks for the smiles. I loved the two years later one. Now and then my blog gets a hit like that. Total mystery.
Ha, mine too! Which is why this guy is such a genius, don’t you think?
These are hilarious. The rice ball one especially. 😂
That’s my favorite too! I totally laughed out loud when I saw it. This guy is so talented, isn’t he? But that makes me wonder if maybe you lived in Japan for a while…? Not everybody gets that one!
Nope, I’ve visited Japan, but never lived there. It’s a fascinating country. The convenience stores are the best.