高嶺の花

'flower on a high peak' : unrealisable desire, an unobtainable object, something out of one's reach

A prize you can see but simply cannot reach.


山本君ね、洋子さんに片思い(kataomoi)なんだって。

It is said that Yamamoto is in love with Yoko.But it is a one-sided love.

そりゃ、実らぬ恋だ。相手(aite)が洋子さんじゃ，高嶺の花(takane no hana)からなあ。

Oh! That kind of love is fruitless. His heart may be set on Yoko, but she really is an unobtainable prize.

桜（さくら）

Meaning: a shill, a plant, a confederate

This expression originates from the Edo period. A paid audience hired to applaud and cheer the show was seated in the section of the theatre called 'sakura'.

何がそんなにおかしいのかしら。あの人さっきからずっと笑ってるわ。
What's so funny? That guy has been laughing awfully long.

さくらじゃないか。おかしくもない漫談にひとりでゲラゲラ笑ってるんだから。
Isn't he a shill? He's the only one laughing at the boring monologue.

(Edo Period: 1603-1868)?

After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu became seii tai shogun, or supreme leader of the military-based government. This ushered in a period known as the Edo Period. The Edo Period lasted for nearly 300 years until 1868, when Emperor Meiji assumed control and the Tokugawa bakufu government came to an end.

During the Edo period, the emperor remained in Kyoto and had no real political power. Daimyo (feudal lords) were given control of most of the land, and domains called han were, at times, freely exchanged by the bakufu. The daimyo were required to spend alternate years at the capital, Edo (present-day Tokyo), in order for the seii tai shogun to monitor them. A strict caste system was adhered to, with samurai as the top tier. The samurai were followed by farmers, artisans and merchants (in that order) and an outcaste also developed among those who worked with things considered ritually impure, such as animal products. Despite societal constraints, however, art forms such as kabuki and ukiyo-e (woodblock prints) flourished and became popular among the public.

View through Waves off the Coast of Kanagawa: from "Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji" by Katsushika Hokusai Edo period, 19th century (Tokyo National Museum)

At the same time, Christianity, which was introduced to Japan in the mid 16th century, was forcefully suppressed in accordance to sakoku, the bakufu's policy of strictly limiting foreign relations. This policy was implemented in reaction to the fear that European powers would use Christianity to subdue and colonize the Japanese people. Despite such policies, the Tokugawa leadership gradually became weaker with each generation. By the time U. S. Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Uraga Bay in 1853 and pressed for the opening of several Japanese ports and the start of diplomatic intercourse with the Japanese, the bakufu's power was severely undermined due in part to ruling samurais' failure in solving serious fiscal problems. Perry's visit accelerated the changes that brought the era of samurai to an end, and in 1868, Meiji Restoration officially ushered in a new era. To learn more about the Edo Period, please visit:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2128.html

http://www.edo-tokyo-museum.or.jp/museum-e/guide.htm

日本情報

http://www.sf.us.emb-japan.go.jp/jp/m08_01.htm

根も葉もない

groundless, unsubstantiated 毫无根据的，站不住脚的

Roots give support to a tree much as facts give support to claims or allegations. Leaves show the health of a tree, proving its life and vitality. With either support(root) nor evidence(leaves), the allegation (tree) cannot stand.（I think the analogy here is quite clever)

山田さんの奥さん、浮気(uwaki)してるらしいよ。Mrs. Yamada seem to be having an affair

そんなこと、うそよ。全く(mattaku)根も葉もない(ne mo ha mo nai)いうわさに決まってるわ。
That's not true. A groundless rumour, for sure.

根回し

（NEMAWASHI)
Meaning: informally securing prior approval, checking with everyone who counts before formal presentation, covering all the bases)

Nemawashi now is used around the world to characterize the consensus-building nature of Japanese business practices. Literally, nemawashi means cutting off excess roots and wrapping the remaining roots with a straw mat for protection when transplanting the tree. In business terms it means an informal solicitation of agreement before formal submission of approval at a meeting.

今日の会議うまくいくかなあ。I wonder whether today's meeting will go well.

大丈夫でろう。かなり根回しに時間をかけてきだし、今回のプロジェクは部長も乗り気だから。
It will be fine. I spent a lot of time covering all the bases, and I know the manager likes our proposal.

This reminds me of low context society and high context society. Generally speaking, the western countries are from a individualistic culture and their social intercourse are low context in nature. For example, people come to a meeting to discuss and to make decision. People tend to say what they mean and mean what they say. The communication is open and explicit. While the eastern countries have a collectivist culture and societies are high-context in nature. People come to a meeting to have something already approved somewhere else to be formally approved. So basically people communicate in a tacit way. 根回し is just one way to make it possible.

ごますり

"sesame grinding"
Ingratiating oneself, apple-polishing, overtly flattering, toadying, sucking up to one's superiors

When a person makes an overtly ingratiating remark, he/she is 'grinding sesame seeds'. Like the messy sesame seeds ground up in the mortar, the person seeking favour is sticking to everything (one).

A: 加藤さんいよいよ課長に昇進らしいですよ。

B: やっぱりそうですか。ここ三年間ずっとごますりよやってきたんだから、そろそろ課長になるだろうとは思ってましたけどね。