Ghost Hunt:Volume1 Translator's Notes
悪霊シリーズ
Prologue[edit]
Namuamidabutsu[edit]
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.
Chapter 1[edit]
Reference to age in Japan[edit]
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. (Naru's birthday is on the 19th of September and they met at the start of the school year in Japan, meaning it's only April)
Chapter 3[edit]
Oba-san[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
"Bouzu" is how many people address little boys.
Wate[edit]
"Wate" is "Watashi" (I) in the Kansai dialect.
Jibakurei[edit]
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[edit]
The asterisks* indicate spoken English words, as opposed to spoken Japanese.
Chapter 4[edit]
Momotaro[edit]
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 6[edit]
Desu[edit]
Desu is added for politeness in this case. But in the Osaka dialect, it's supposed to be "dosu" instead.
Epilogue[edit]
Town Pages[edit]
Town Pages is a directory for businesses.
Hello Pages[edit]
Hello Pages is a directory for pseudonyms.
Translation Credits[edit]
Author: Fuyumi Ono
Translated by: Kaie / derawr / Sinmay
Edited by: Yumemi Sayaka
Project Manager: HolyCow
Hosted on: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Ghost_Hunt
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