Hilarious Haiku About The Small Embarrassments Of Modern Life
So, last week I discovered Yamada Zendo, an artist who pens haiku-like truisms paired with pitch-perfect drawings, and they are SO FUNNY…if you can read handwritten Japanese, that is.
Fortunately, I have a friend who helped me with the more opaque characters (and because no good deed goes unpunished, will be pestered to do so maybe FOREVER), so I can pass a few of these on to you now and bring a little happy embarrassment to your day…
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I stop to fix my hair in a window reflection
Then I realize
Someone is watching from the other side.
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In the electronics store
I barely touched it, and it died
So I quickly walked on.
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The automatic door sensor
Doesn’t seem to be working, even though I tried everything
Oh, you have to push the button.
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Those samples look really delicious
I badly want to try one, but that would be uncool
So I pretend I’m not interested.
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On a ground floor balcony where everyone can see him
Shouldn’t that old guy be a little
Less relaxed?
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At the designer clothing shop
I’m shocked by the prices
But I put on an “oh, this is usual” face, then quickly leave.
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Driving by myself
Singing along to my favorite song,
I realize later that the window was open.
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Whenever I wash something
Suddenly
I have to pee.
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For the first time
I hear how my voice sounds to other people
And it’s depressing.
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If you’re a better kanji reader than I am (and that includes just about everybody and their grandmother) I DEEPLY ENVY YOU because you can see a lot more of these gems if you follow the artist on Twitter (@y_haiku) and/or Instagram (instagram.com/y_haiku/).
Eternal thanks to Hiroyuki Otomo, who helped me understand the peskier characters.
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Jonelle Patrick writes mysteries set in Tokyo
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When Tokyo Detective Kenji Nakamura’s phone rings with the news that his mother’s death ten years ago wasn’t an accident, his world begins to unravel. New evidence links her to…read more
