“Haa-booru choodaasu!”. These single two words may be all you need to master to have a first-class ice-breaker ready for you visit to a local pub in Tajimi, Gifu, Japan.
In standard Japanese you would say “Haibooru kudasai”, which translates to “A glass of Highball, please”. That’s all it takes to get started making friends here. A high-ball, by the way, is a drink consisting of a spirit, especially whisky, and a mixer such as soda. In Tōnō-ben it’s pronounced “haa-booru”. You may have to work on your pronunciation, so we have put together a crash course in Tōnō-ben (ben means dialect) where you will be instructed by Fumi-chan, a tremendously charming and fun local personality here in Takata village, Tajimi.
Since I moved to Tajimi from Tokyo in 2015 I came to realise that language is the key to fun travel in Japan, and, indeed, living in Japan. But it doesn’t have to take a colossal effort to get there. Just a word or two, or a short phrase, will help to make new friends along your journey.
Fumi-chan is one of those wonderful Tajimi characters that bring colour to our world. How she does it you will find out in the videos clips we shot for this article, where she will teach you her obscure dialect.
Tajimi is a great place to start traveling in Gifu and Aichi. It is close to places like Gujo Hachiman, which is a picturesque castle city hosting a massive obon-dancing festival every year, and there is Inuyama, where you will find Japan’s oldest castle that is still preserved in its original state. In Tajimi you can feast on eel and other local dishes, and enjoy pottery classes – the area dominates Japan’s ceramic production.
So why in the world would you need to learn this strange accent? Three reasons: a) As I mentioned, it’s a great icebreaker when you visit this area. b) you can use it to order a “haa-booru” in Tokyo and make the staff look really silly when they try to make sense of what is coming out of your mouth. But the most important reason of all is that c) the accent gives you a great feeling of the hearts and minds of the local population. Even if you have no intention of learning or using any of these words, Fumi-chan will convey the feel of Tōnō simply by talking in this video. I hope it will inspire you to come and visit and maybe even pop in at Fumi-chan’s great, rustic pub – the Yaburegasa – for a haa-booru.
To get you started I have created a crash course in Tono-ben which you can take at your leasure from anywhere. Begin by visiting my introductory article about Fumi-chan here:
[https://www.discovertajimi.com/fumichan.html](https://www.discovertajimi.com/fumichan.html)
Then, dip your toes into the Tono-dialect by taking the first lesson here:
[https://www.discovertajimi.om/tono-ben-cardgame.html](https://www.discovertajimi.com/tono-ben-cardgame.html)
I am using a card game published here in Tajimi that presents the dialect in a fun and visual way.
Lots of videos are coming you can expect more articles here on Reddit. Enjoy!
2 comments
If you’re ever in Kumamoto between May and October just say “atskaa~” when walking past people outside and they’ll know you’ve been here a while.
Oh my goodness!! I stumbled upon your video on YouTube with Fumi-san during the summertime and have watched it at least once every two or three weeks since! Fumi-san is sooooo cute, and I found myself following along with her when she introduced phrases. I even showed my other Japanese friends the video as well, and we all had a good giggle over how adorable Tono-ben is. Thank you so much for making such a lovely and informative series.