In Japan, there are instances when Chinese characters are used in the Japanese language, but their meanings differ significantly from those in Chinese, often causing confusion for those who do not understand. As a result, when people from Taiwan travel to Japan or vice versa, they may encounter place names that appear amusing. A Japanese writer recently shared such a place name on social media that would likely tickle Taiwanese people.
Yoshioka Momotaro, a writer from Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan, who has been living in Taiwan for over 10 years, frequently introduces interesting anecdotes and cultural differences between Taiwan and Japan on his Facebook page “Yoshioka Momotaro – Taiwan Son-in-law’s Taiwan Praise, Japan Excellent.”
On June 12, he posted a photo of a bus in Japan with the prominently displayed words “上床” (Uwatoko in Japanese), which is a place name in Nagasaki Prefecture. While these characters may not hold any special meaning for the Japanese, they can be quite hilarious for Taiwanese people when translated into Mandarin as “ㄕㄤˋㄔㄨㄤˊ.”
On a subsequent post, Yoshioka shared a photo of a place name in Saitama Prefecture, called “小手指” (Koteshi), which might not be as comical as “上床.”
In response, some netizens posted photos of peculiar road signs in Tainan, Taiwan, including names like “小腳腿” (Small Legs) and “大腳腿” (Big Legs).
Many netizens also shared other amusing Japanese place names, such as the “Shiretoko” Peninsula in the northeastern part of Hokkaido, a city called “Abiko” in Chiba Prefecture, and a highway rest area named “Imouto no Sato” in Shiga Prefecture.
One comment humorously mentioned the possibility of other related place names like “中床” (Middle Bed) and “下床” (Lower Bed) since there exists “上床” (Upper Bed).
Another netizen brought up interesting Japanese station names like “Hanke” (homophonic to a slang term in Japanese), “Saramo” (homophonic to “Sorry” in Japanese), “Komaita” (homophonic to “You punk” in Japanese).
There were discussions about how Japanese people might react to common Taiwanese store names like “金玉堂” (Gold and Jade Hall), as “金玉” (gold and jade) is a colloquial term for testicles in Japanese.
Cultural differences in the use of certain Chinese characters in daily life between Japanese and Chinese were also highlighted. For instance, while “勉強” in Chinese means to do something reluctantly, in Japanese, it refers to studying or learning. Similarly, “先生” in Chinese is an honorific term for a man, whereas in Japanese, it means teacher.
In response to these cultural discrepancies, a netizen advised against mockery, emphasizing that cultural differences should be appreciated with humor and understanding to avoid appearing condescending.