Ghost Hunt:Volume1 Translator's Notes

Translator's Notes and References for

悪霊シリーズ

Volume 1: Ghost Hunt

Prologue

Namuamidabutsu

This is a Buddhist chant/prayer that in Japanese means something like this "I sincerely believe in Amitabha, Lord have mercy on me". You can find more detailed information and better explanation here.

The sixteen year old Shibuya

References to age in Japan: Earlier Naru said that he would be “seventeen this year”, this means that his birthday hasn't passed yet; in Japan, as long as your birthday has not passed you are referred to as being sixteen years of age, hence all references to his age by Mai in the novels are that Naru is sixteen years old and not seventeen years old.

Chapter 3

Oba-san

While this term literally means "aunt", it is generally used for middle-aged woman. However, calling a young woman (under age 40) this would be considered an insult. (Ayako is 23 years old.)

First name

In Japan everyone is generally known by their family name or their position in their company, hence calling someone by their first name indicates an intimate relationship such as family, close friends or lovers. If you do not fall within any of those categories, calling someone by their first/given name is considered rude and/or offensive, as it gives the assumption that you are intimately related to the said person.

Sly Tanuki

Tanuki is a raccoon dog. They are mischievous shapeshifters, like kitsune in folklore. They are also considered slow and absent-minded though. More information here.

Kansai-ben

John speaks in Kansai-ben with an Australian accent. This is often considered funny, frightening, or very rural. Kansai-ben is used often in comedy talkshows.

Bouzu: Kiddo

"Bouzu" is how many people address little boys.

Wate

"Wate" is "Watashi" (I) in the Kansai dialect.

Jibakurei

Literally "earth-bound spirit." Basically it's a spirit that can't leave a certain location because of its former attachment to it when it was alive.

Spoken English

The asterisks* indicate spoken English words, as opposed to spoken Japanese.

Chapter 4

Momotaro

In the folktale Momotaro, the Peach Boy, the dog following Momotaro starts fighting a monkey the moment they encountered, so this is why dogs and monkeys can't get along. More information here.

Chapter 5 [work in progress]

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Chapter 6

Desu

Desu is added for politeness in this case. But in the Osaka dialect, it's supposed to be "dosu" instead.

Epilogue

Town Pages

Town Pages is a directory for businesses.

Hello Pages

Hello Pages is a directory for pseudonyms.

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