Historic Nicegame

We've all heard that the Japanese are as crazy about English as westerners (or gaijin - foreigner) are about the far east. By that latter part I mean people who get tattoos written in Japanese or Chinese and only have the word of someone that it means what they say it means.

For the most part... the Japanese don't always have someone to help them, despite taking English for a few years in school.

Hell... I took French for six years (grades 1, 2, 5-8), but dammit, I don't know squat about French except how to get my face slapped nine times out of 10. That tenth time, however, could be magic.

Anyhow... for some reason, the Japanese love all things America... they really do, despite political views. The young people still wear clothing with English writing on it, hoping it will make them cool.

Heck, we westerners do the same. I once had a shirt that said: Smile If You Are Horny - but truthfully, I was too shy to wear it more than once.

Yes... I was shy. I was shy until about two years before I left for Japan at the age of 25. Now... I'm still shy, but I can fake not being shy with the best of them.

Anyhow... check out the photo I took at Osaka-jo (Osaka castle)... the entrance way... I don't know what is more amusing: the person wearing the Japlish jacket, or the surprised look of the toddler who has spied her first gaijin.

For the record... the jacket reads:
RELATIONS
East MATCH West
HISTORIC
NICEGAME

Any clue what that means? Does anyone else find it strange that East is written on the left, and West on the right?
Historic Nicegame? That should be three words... His Toric Nicegame. Or maybe it's Historic Nice Game?

Again... perhaps the message on the jacket isn't as important as the message conveyed by simply wearing a jacket with cool English on it.

I did date a sexy teacher ( a few of them actually) - one who wore a shirt with an English message on it... she asked me to translate it for her. After carefully helping her out of the shirt (ever the gentlemen), I read it and informed her that it was actually Italian.

It either meant: I love Pasta Fazool (pasta and beans) or that she needed help taking off her skirt. I'm not an expert in Italian, but I'm pretty sure it was the latter.

Cheers
Andrew Joseph