1.Prologue
The theme for the first episode of the new season was #AprilFools. We featured many April Fools Day tweets and talked about how the day is celebrated by telling lies, crafting hoaxes, and pulling pranks (イタズラ or イタヅラ in Japanese).
(About the difference between イタズラ and イタヅラ: Currently イタズラ is the standard spelling, but up until November 15th, 1946, イタヅラ was the norm. The former is “modern kana" spelling (現代的仮名遣い), and the latter is “historical kana" spelling (歴史的仮名遣い). This shift occurred in postwar Japan, when, under the occupation policies pursued by GHQ, the Report of the United States Education Mission to Japan recommended that spelling be standardized and simplified. Also, イタヅラ has two phonetic spellings using kanji: 悪戯 and 徒ら. The former combines the characters for “bad" and “play", and is often translated as “prank" or “mischief". The latter means “pointlessly" or “aimlessly", and perhaps the best example of the character being used is in the title of the 14th century Japanese collection of essays Tsurezuregusa (徒然草). The late Donald Keene-sensei translated the title as “Essays in Idleness". Side note, the Japanese word 生徒(student) does not mean “to live idly"; rather, 生 in this context means inexperienced and still learning, while 徒 means colleague or pupil. )
2.Learning to Enjoy Foolishness
In high school, I would ask classmates if they wanted some Japanese candy and then place an umeboshi (Japanese salt plum) in their hands. My unsuspecting friends would pop the umeboshi into their mouths, and pause for split second before the color drained from their faces. The prank took advantage of the fact that I would regularly bring Japanese sweets to school—which my friends quickly learned were unusual looking, but very tasty.
One classic April Fools’ Day prank is for all the students in a classroom to turn their desks around 180 degrees to face the back of the class before the unsuspecting teacher walks in. Another prank my generation—the first real digital generation—liked to pull was to quietly slip a USB receiver into the teacher’s computer and then move the mouse cursor around during class.
However, in recent years, more and more people seem to be voicing the opinion that the day should be scrapped. Their disillusion is understandable: pranks and jokes often don’t go over well as digital text, as the recipient has no facial or vocal cues from which to infer nuance or tone. Even if the sender meant it as a joke, we now live in a world where “meaning well” is, well, meaningless. Plus, with social media, lies and hoaxes can quickly spin out of control before you know it.
What’s more, people these days seem to have little respect for the spirit of April Fools’. Instead of trying to pull off lighthearted pranks that are usually not at the expense of another, people mistake the day as giving them permission to prank away without consequence or concern for the feelings of the pranked.
April Fools’ Day is also celebrated to an extent in Japan, where it’s sometimes called 四月馬鹿 (literally April Fools). 馬鹿, of course, can be translated a number of ways. The most common is “stupid”, a word that refers to a lack of intelligence or common sense that people are born with. Then there’s “silly”, which has connotations of absurd or boneheaded or immature. There’s also “fool”, which refers not to intelligence but to the lack of an ability to make good decisions, judgments, and considerations. If someone tells you “don’t be stupid”, they’re suggesting you’re not using your brain. “Don’t be silly” is another way of saying “no way” or “stop messing around”. “Don’t be foolish” is a way of suggesting that someone knows better, and needs to be exercising better judgment. In terms of linguistic differences between different Japanese regions, in the Kanto region バカ often means “silly” or “foolish”, while アホ is closer to “stupid”. Meanwhile, to people in the Kansai region, バカ sounds like “stupid”, while アホ sounds like “silly” or “foolish”.
(About the difference between baka (バカ) and aho (アホ): バカis the more commonly used term in the Kanto region, while アホ is the more commonly used term in the Kansai region. In the Kanto region, バカ has less aggressive connotations, while the less commonly used アホ comes across like a strong insult. Conversely, in the Kansai region, アホ has less aggressive connotations, while the less commonly used バカ sounds like you’re trying to start something. Meanwhile, in Aichi Prefecture, especially in the Owari region (based around the central city of Nagoya), older generations are probably more familiar with the term tawake (タワケ). Side note, my mother, who is from the Mikawa region of Aichi, would use バカ.)
Ideally, April Fools’ is not just about making someone look foolish; instead, it’s about fooling someone so brilliantly that the victim is able to laugh at him or herself. In other words, both the prankster and the fool need to have a generosity of spirit and sense of humor. The more elaborate and well-thought out a prank is, the more the victim will have no choice but to acknowledge the effort.
Me, on the other hand...back when I was a kid I’d get furious (or dejected) after falling victim to a prank, and people would inevitably tell me to “lighten up!” In America, there’s another word for people who are so serious or honest to the point of being foolish: a wet blanket. The essence of American humor is to enjoy being foolish. Although the current state of affairs in the U.S. is anything but laughable, Americans don’t like to stew in darkness.
3.My Wardrobe This Week
Linen shirt by Paul Stuart
This dark pink linen shirt is from Paul Stuart Aoyama (29,000 yen plus tax). I went around a number of different stores looking for items to bring more color to my wardrobe, and even considered having a linen shirt custom made, but then I came across this one. Although it’s off-the-rack, the fit on me is fantastic.
Although a little on the pricey side, the materials and sewing are top notch, the color refined. And the linen fabric doesn’t have that distinctive coarseness.
Pink candy stripe jacket by Azabu Tailor
Red corduroy pants by Brooks Brothers
Side note, the wale in 14-wale refers to the distinct vertical ridges on the corduroy fabric. The number 14 refers to how many ridges there are in a one-inch span of fabric. The higher the number, the finer the ridges, the lower the number, the wider the ridges.
As a rule, the finer the ridges, the more suitable the pants are for a business-casual look; the wider the ridges, the more casual they are.
Pink socks by Tabio
4.Epilogue: Notes from my stylist Scarlet on this ensemble
For the first episode of the 2019 season—featuring a new host, Ryoga Haruhi —I decided to put together a festive ensemble.
The centerpiece was the shirt made with fine Italian linen that we got at Paul Stuart’s flagship along Omotesando.
In terms of fashion theory, shirts are usually chosen in a lighter color than the jacket, but I decided to go against custom and frame the shirt as beautifully as possible, using a light pink jacket.
And usually I would choose gray or beige trousers for this ensemble, but I decided to go with something that better complemented the jacket.
For the socks too, I decided we should go with a pink to balance out the jacket.
The radiant, floral look is created by making the central shirt and trousers darkish/pinkish red, and making the jacket on top and socks on bottom pink.
