Information in the Wild Week 9: A Trip to Ito Yokado

[ThousandJP]

Week Nine!! If you don’t know what’s happening, main post here.
Links to the previous weeks can be found in the main post also.

• Tldr: Quick daily practice of using real Japanese to understand and acquire information. The focus being on understanding what is being conveyed sufficiently to interact with or respond to it.

This week we’ll be taking a quick trip to Ito Yokado, a department store that has been around since 1920. A friend of yours needs to buy some home goods so you and a couple of others decide to go together.

Day 1:
First thing you will need to do is look at the floor guide, before opening it think of something may want to have a look at or want to do.

Find the floor (and shop if you can) which you would need to go along with the floors of your friends’ destinations. One needs to get home goods, another wants to look at appliances at Nojima, and the last just came to eat.

Floor Guide

Day 2:

Looks like everybody is tagging along to the home goods floor. A sign for customers, what should we know?

Day 3:

The product description of the item your friend is looking at. What are the details of this ふわふわタオル?

Day 4:

You spot this sign attached to a display board with descriptions of a product. What is the sign telling us?

Hint

Where can we find the product?

Day 5:

You come across an interesting product, do you think you would need one?

Product Hint

It is something like this (amazon jp link)

Day 6:

Guess your friend wants to make sure they leave with some towels today, what does the sign say about this one?

Day 7:

As you are leaving the 4th floor, your friend decided on their towel of choice, you spot this sign. A few similar words from a sign you saw earlier but let’s see if there is any new information.

There will be a one week hiatus. Week 10-12 will return on Feb 27.

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[ThousandJP]

Sample Answers (Updated the following day)

Day 1

• 4th floor for homes goods, 5th floor for Nojima, and either B1 or 6th floor for food.

Day 2

• For sanitary reasons toiletry items are not eligible for return or exchange.
• Please verify the size before buying

Day 3

• Gently woven using long thin natural preservative-free thread with long fibers
• With the threads not being twisted, a lot of air can be held in between. The pile will be fluffy and airy and we get a towel that is naturally soft like untainted cotton.

• pile seem to be a textile related term

Day 4

• The product can be found on the other side of the sign.

Day 5

• A transparent sheet to be applied to windows to restrain glass from flying everywhere in case of a typhoon or earthquake
• Can be removed and reapplied multiple times, no sticky residue after removal
• Cuts 99% UV

Depending how transparent it is, sounds like it might be useful

Day 6

• It is made with organic cotton
• For fluffy towels, the pile isn’t the only important thing, the quality of the thread is also important.
• organic cotton is grown on land where chemical fertilizers and pesticides have not been used for 3 years or more. It is a material that isn’t only kind to the people who use it but also the environment.

Day 7

• For sanitary reasons, these products are not eligible for exchange or return. Please verify that the size and such are correct before buying.

Suggested format for posting your answers
Will make it easier to distinguish from questions and discussions

[SteveB]

Shopping trip, lets go

Day 1

First friend needs ‘home goods’, so level 4 clearly says ‘living floor’, but it took a bit to try to confirm actually what was there by reading or looking up the kanji, and sounding out katakana. Level 4 it is, and then next we will head to level 5 which has a conveniently easy to read logo on the floor guide.

Lastly, for the friend who just came to eat: pretty sure that’s B1, there’s some take-away style stores there by the looks of it (assuming he doesn’t want to go to the restaurant on level 6).

For myself, the first thing I thought of was I need new shoes. Opening the guide, there’s a men’s floor, then third point down is shoes, so I can go there.

Day 2

Toilet products can’t be returned, so check the size before purchasing.
Sounds reasonable.

I couldn’t read 衛生上, but after looking it up: Is it adding or referring to トイレ用品 as hygiene/sanitary products, or stating the reason (hygiene) for not being able to return them? There’s no ‘due to’ or anything similar apart from the comma, then dot, so could just be implied

Day 3

Its Fluffy!

I couldn’t even guess what the rest said just by looking at it. Deep dive into the dictionary to translate this one:
Non twisted, long fibres with a low yarn count are used to carefully weave the fabric.

Not twisting the thread, there is a lot of air between the fibres, so the pile is fluffy, and stays soft.

Lots of new stuff, that was a tough one even with the dictionary.

Day 4

This product is behind (this sign?)

Day 5

To prepare for a typhoon! To stop your window glass from smashing
I didn’t know/forgot 抑制 but got the gist from the rest of the sentence. For the rest I had to look up a few words to get the details, but I got the idea of the product just by reading:

• Use it when you need it, take it off when you don’t need it
• Didn’t know! (No adhesive, is reusable, peel it of after using)
• Prepare for typhoons and earthquakes
• Blocks 99%UV, its useful! (normally or like ‘everyday use’)

[cjhey]

Day 1

I suppose the 4th floor would be the right floor for home goods, what with the 寝具 and キッチン stuff, but I’d probably go to B1 to eat something first, or maybe 6f to also take a look at ブックスページワン (for me!!!) and eat at ガスト (that 3.7 stars on Google doesn’t sound great, but hey, what can you do). That way we can go to Nojima right away on 5f.

Day 2

No returns or exchanges on bathroom and hygiene goods.
Please check the size before purchasing.

Something that tripped me up a bit was 衛生, which doesn’t have the same definition on Midori (the dict I’m using on my phone) as it does on Jisho. Midori just says it’s a given name, haha.
A second thing that I got by usage but without a clear understanding of it was の上. Why is there a の on there? --or rather, I would have expected a で or something after the 上.

Day 3

Oof, tough one for me. Lots of vocab I don’t know. Sure, I can tell it’s a fluffy towel, but I can’t really parse the rest without a dictionary tbh, and I’m even missing some kanji, like 繊維. I think a whole bunch of air passes through the threads making the fiber fluffy thus making the towel also fluffy? That fluffy towel just kicked my rear.

Day 4

Hmm, simple in appearance, but I didn’t know the 裏 kanji! This product is on the [rear] side. 裏側 means うらがわ !

Day 5

Not where I live, but I suppose it may come in handy if you live in some areas with typhoons! I suppose the selling strategy is, if you’re not convinced that you need it in case your windows break, you can also block radiation from the sun. Even though I’ve lived in highly seismic areas, I never thought there’d be things like this. Kinda cool, but I figure both sticking it and removing it must be a royal pain. Also, the fact that it says 「必要な時だけ貼る」makes me suspicious about their whole sales pitch. Maybe a typhoon alert will give you some time to paste it, but there’s no way you’ll get your windows covered before an earthquake. It also makes me think it makes your windows look worse, so that’s a pass for me.

Day 6

Organic cotton that’s kind to the environment. I realize now that the whole パイル部分 thing didn’t really make sense to me because I never even think about kinds of fabric at all. From what I gather, the top text says that it’s not just the pile part of the fluffy, soft towel that’s made of organic cotton, but the whole fabric is carefully selected organic cotton.
The bottom text says that organic cotton is cotton that has been cultivated without pesticides nor artificial fertilizers for 3 or more years. The last line trips me up a bit! It’s the sort of thing where you kinda understand all the words, but can’t make full sense of the sentence. After reviewing everything from the sentence, I could read it as “organic cotton that is made with time is, of course, kind to the people who use it as well as to the environment,” but at a first glance I had a hard time understanding the sentence properly.

Day 7

I’m gonna do a quick translation of this one without looking anything up:
Dear customers:
For the sake of the hygiene of these products, once they have been taken from the package, it is not possible to return or exchange them (except for products that are not good/damaged). Please buy only after making sure of the size.

The last line probably contains more info and is more polite, but I’m missing how to parse a couple of things. For one, the 等 probably means など, right? but I never encounter that as kanji, so I was a bit perplexed, knowing this kanji only as とう in onyomi. 買上 I figure is just another way of saying 買う, but then the 様 is also a bit confusing to me, as I don’t know if it’s よう and whether it means like, “when purchasing.” Other than that, the message seems rather clear.

I had a fun time with this trip looking for towels! Thank you for all your effort, @ThousandJP !

[eclipse77x]

新しい週間が始まりますさ！皆んな、頑張って！いとよかどに買い物に一緒に行きましょう！何を買っていいでしょうかな。。

@ThousandJP いくつかの質問の答えが英語で書かされてしまった。簡単すぎと思えませんか？それで多分、黒ボックでマークしておいてほうがいいと思うのですが。

Day 1

Instead of trying to translate the entire sign, today I’m going to see how well I can just scan for the information I am looking for.

Home goods can be found on 4F (子供と暮らしのフロア) and has daily necessities and family items (日用品・家庭用品), bed tools (bedding) and interior goods (寝具・インテリア), and kitchen dining (キッチンダイニング).

Nojima is on 5F, the specialty items (専門店のフロア) floor, and the food court (カルチャと飲食のフロア) is on 6F.

Day 2

お客様へ
To (our) Customers:

トイレ用品は衛生上は返品・お取り替えできません。
Due to hygiene (concerns), toiletries cannot be returned or exchanged.

サイズをご確認の上、お買いに求めください。
Please check the size before you buy.

*Got it in one! Google Translate translates 衛生上 “sanitary reasons” and I like that better. I translated it the way I did because I think hygiene/health first when I see 衛生.

Day 3

On the first pass I can see that it is a sign displaying information about fluffy (ふわふわ) towels. From the 織縫 kanji I can tell it goes on to say something about the thread/sewing process and how the towel was made. 細番手 might be something about how fine the thread is. The text below explains something about how the towel was able to be made so fluffy and talks about the thread (糸) and the pile (パイル) and softness (やわらか).

My Translation Attempt:
ふわふわ。
Fluffy.

繊維長の長い細番手の無撚糸を使って、ていねいに織り上げています。
Mine: Using long thread long thin yarn without twisted yarn/thread, (it is) carefully woven into fabric.

糸に撚りをかけないことで、繊維間に空気をたくさん含むため、パイルがふんわりとふくらみ、棉そのままのようなやわらかなタオルができました。
For the purpose of including…thread interval atmosphere (space?)…pile is gently and fluffily…cotton…soft towel was (able to be) made.

With Google Translate Help:
(Looked up “繊維長の長い細番手の無撚糸”.)
Carefully woven into fabric using fine count non-twisted yarn with long fiber length.

(Looked up “繊維間に空気”)
Without twisting the thread, in order to include a lot of air between the fibers, the pile is gently and puffily like cotton able to be made into soft towels.

(Then I gave up and put in the whole second sentence:)
By not twisting the yarn, there is a lot of air between the fibers, so the pile is soft and fluffy, creating a towel that is as soft as cotton.

New Words:
撚り (より)- twist, ply
番手 (ばんて) - (yarn) count (Or thread count?)
撚糸 (ねんし) - twisted yarn or thread
ふんわり - gently, fluffily
ふくらみ - swelling; puff
棉 (めん) - cotton (I KNEW this meant cotton. But I’ve only seen it written using 綿.)
繊維 (せんい) - fiber (not new, but I forget this one A LOT. You’d think after watching Kill La Kill so many times and seeing 繊維喪失 that I’d remember it better.)

Day 4

こちらの商品は裏側にございます。
This product is on the other/reverse side.

*Initially I was going to write “underneath” because 裏 does have a “bottom” meaning, but I looked it up to check and 裏側 is “other/reverse side”.

Day 5

A quick scan tells me:
*the product is sheets that you can stick to your windows to prevent the glass going everywhere if the window shatters during a typhoon.

• It’s good for everyday use as well as typhoons and earthquakes.
• You can remove them when they aren’t needed
• A special (storage case) is included.
• The also block 99% of UV rays.

No help Translation:
(赤い丸)普段使いＯＫ！
Normal use OK!

台風への備えに！窓ガラスの飛び散らしを抑制！
Prepare for a typhoon! Suppress/contain shattering window glass!

必要な時だけ貼って、不要な時ははがして保管できます（専用ケース付）
Stick it on the window when needed, and when no longer needed it can be removed (special case included)

粘着剤不使用、繰り返し使えて、はがした後もキレイ
You can reuse it and the window will still be clear after (the product is) removed.

台風・地震の備えに！
Prepare for typhoon/earthquake!

ＵＶ９９％カット！ふだんも役立ちます！
Blocks 99% of UV rays! Also suitable for everyday use!

本製品は透明です。
Product is transparent.

窓ガラス飛地抑制シート
Window Glass Shatter-Containment Sheet

*This was without looking up a single thing. Now I’m going to look up a few words and make any refinements.

1. “Everyday use OK!” would sound more natural since 普段 also means “every-day”.
2. はがす would have been better translated as “peel off” and 保管 means “storage” so “Stick it to the window when you need to, and you can peel it off when no longer needed.” would sound more natural.
3. For 本製品 “this product” would be more accurate than just “product”.

That’s less refining than I thought I’d need. That feels really good (especially after yesterday).

Day 6

A quick scan tells me: These towels are made from organic cotton and good for the environment. Not only is it… something about the pile…it’s made from organic cotton. Regarding the organic cotton, it’s been … over three years and doesn’t use any synthetic material. So people using it can be sure that it’s made from materials that are environmentally friendly.

Translation:
環境にやさしいオーガニックコットン
Environmentally-Friendly Organic Cotton

「ふんわり・やさしいタオル」はパイル部分だけでなく、地糸も厳選されたオーガニックコットンを使用しています。
[Fluffy soft towel] not just the pile portion, but the thread/(ground yarn?) too is made from carefully selected organic cotton.

こだわり０４
Specialty 04

オーガニックコットンとは、3年以上農薬や化学肥料を使わない農地で栽培された綿のこと。時間を費やして作られたオーガニックコットンは、使う人もちろん、環境にもやさしい素材です。
As for the organic cotton, it’s been cultivated on a farm that has not used pesticides or chemical fertilizer for more than three years. Because time was spent to make this organic cotton, people using them can be certain that they are made from environmentally friendly materials.

*I had a good idea what things meant because I recognized the meanings of the kanji but got stuck on the readings for 農薬 (のうやく), 栽培 (さいばい) and 費やして (費やして). And new words 厳選 (carefully selected), 農薬 (pesticide), and 費やす (to spend time on).

Day 7

Quick Scan:
For sanitary reasons these products cannot be returned or exchanged once the package has been opened (excluding poor quality items). Please carefully check the size, etc. before buying.

Translation:
お客様へ
To (Our) Customers:

こちらの商品んは衛生商品の為一度パッケージを開封しますこと取り替え・ご返品は（不良品除き）出来ません
サイズ等よく確認の上、お買上げいただきます様お願い申し上げます。
For sanitary reasons these products, once the package is opened, cannot be exchanged or returned (excluding poor quality items). We ask that you please carefully check the size etc., before purchasing.

*Ran it through Google Translate afterward and I like “defective product” better than “poor quality items” for 不良品.

Thank you again @ThousandJP for another terrific, fun, challenging, helpful, instructive, and engaging week. Looking forward to Week 10! お疲れ様でした！第十週を楽しみしています！

皆んな、よく頑張ったね！ また再来週！

[ThousandJP]

For some reason I just kind of ignored the English the multiple times that I checked the sign. Re-uploaded with the bars

[ThousandJP]

@SteveB

Day 2

The dot is equivalent to a slash in English. I don’t really know how to directly translate but the reason you can’t return or exchange is for hygiene, sanitary reasons.

[eclipse77x]

haha I’m the opposite. My eyes go straight to the English text.

[ThousandJP]

@cjhey

Day 2

I think の is there to connect the two nouns 確認 and 上, if that helps.