ABSTRACT
Be that as it may, this is probably a more extreme example of the kind of usage to which English can be put in Japan-especially on such articles as T shirts and shopping bags. But the reader should also realize that there are quite a few young people in Europe and the United States whose Chinese-character printed T shirts emit equally ridiculous messages. Yūmei is a popular phrase for the anonymous youth hopefully grasping for ‘fame’, while nyō meaning ‘urine’, could well be interpreted as a sign to the world to ‘piss off’. Once again, it would seem as if the dulcet tones of Japanese harmony (albeit in brief physical exercise in a love hotel) have been matched by Western discord!
