[Familiar Fukuoka] Wait, not nationwide!? 3 things that surprise you in other prefectures

1. Using "kuru" to mean "iku" (go) doesn't work

 

There are dialects that use the exact same words as standard Japanese, but whose meaning changes depending on the situation and how they are used.

 

For example, "to come" and "to go".

 

In Kyushu, when someone says "I'm coming now" on the phone, they mean "I'm coming to that place right now," or in other words, they're going there right now .

 

However, when people in the Kanto region or elsewhere hear "They're coming now" on the phone, they tend to interpret it as, "Is someone coming to your place?" or "Is someone else coming to our place?"

 

I've also had the experience of traveling from Kyushu to Osaka and trying to contact a friend from the Kansai region to say, "I'm coming now," but the message didn't get across properly.

 

I was surprised to learn that a word I'd been using so casually was actually a dialect.

 

Similarly, the word "naosu" (to fix/repair) is exactly the same as in standard Japanese, but its meaning can change depending on the situation and how it's used.

 

In Kyushu, "naosu" is used to mean "to tidy up," but in many parts of Japan, it means "to repair."

 

In Kyushu, saying "Please fix this" is understood as "Please put it away," but in the Kanto region and other areas, it's interpreted as "Please repair it," leading to the question, "But nothing is broken...?"

 

Incidentally, it seems that "naosu" (to tidy up) is used the same way in the Kansai region as well .

 

It's really strange why the Chugoku and Shikoku regions are completely separate, while Kyushu and Kansai are used in a similar way.

 

(Note: In some areas of the Chugoku and Shikoku regions, "naosu" is used to mean "to put away" or "to tidy up.")

2. I was shocked to find that Manhattan is not a national city.

 

In Fukuoka (Kyushu) , if you say "Manhattan," most people will probably think of bread .

 

People in Fukuoka Prefecture, for example, know that "croissant" is the name of a type of bread, and they perceive "Manhattan" as a type of bread that is distributed nationwide.

 

Manhattan is a product launched by Ryoyu Bread in 1974 , and it can be commonly found in convenience stores and supermarkets in Kyushu.

 

Therefore, many Fukuoka residents assume that it's sold nationwide, only to find out after moving to Tokyo that it's actually a local product.

 

Similarly, some things that Fukuoka residents take for granted as being available nationwide include "Black Mont Blanc" (crunch chocolate ice cream from Takeshita Confectionery Co.), "Umakacchan" (instant ramen from House Foods), and "Sanpo Yakibuta Ramen" (cup noodles from Sanpo Foods).

 

 

3. It feels weird to board a Tokyo bus from the front

 

In Fukuoka, the basic procedure for local buses is to board through the rear (middle) door, pay the fare, and exit through the front door .

 

It's such a ingrained, natural action that I'm sure many people have had the experience of trying to board a bus in Tokyo only to find everyone getting on from the front, and then having to hastily move to the front door.

 

Furthermore, since the fare is paid in advance, there may be delays when boarding...

 

Since we tend to think of Tokyo as the standard for everything, we might assume that Fukuoka is the only place where you board from the back door, pay the fare, and exit from the front door. However, looking at the whole country, it seems that boarding from the back door, paying the fare, and exiting from the front door is actually more common , and Tokyo is the exception.

 

Conversely, people from the Kanto region and other areas are apparently surprised to see that people waiting at Fukuoka bus stops don't line up in a single file .

 

I think this is because many different bus routes frequently arrive at the same bus stop, making it difficult for people to line up in a single file. Now that you mention it, it certainly is a strange sight.

 

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There are probably many Others examples, such as things you thought were universally understood but were actually local, but especially when it comes to language, knowing what to expect beforehand might save you from embarrassment when communicating.

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