ポンず (ponzu) is a dark and watery dipping sauce made of rice vinegar, seaweed, fish flakes, lemon and sometimes soy sauce.
からし (karashi) is a type of mustard made from crushed seeds. It is a dipping sauce that is yellowish in color.
わりした (warishita) is a sauce made of soy sauce, salt and sugar. It is often used to make sukiyaki (すきやき), a type of Japanese hot pot.
ラーゆ (rāyu) is a spicy condiment made of red chili peppers, sesame oil, ginger, paprika, and corn oil.
でしょう can be a way to express probability, or a prediction or a guess.
あの人が加藤さんでしょう = That person over there is probably Mr. Katō.
(あの = that over there. ひと/人 = person. が = particle. かとう/加藤 = Katō. さん = Mr. でしょう = probably)
If you want to indicate the possibility of something or someone not being someone or something :
あの人日本人じゃないでしょう = That person over there is probably not a Japanese person.
(あの = That over there. ひと/人 = person. にほんじん/日本人 = Japanese person. じゃない = not. でしょう = probably)
When でしょう is used with nouns, like the examples above, just tack でしょう to the end of the sentence. When it is used with verbs, don’t conjugate the verbs. Leave them in the dictionary form.
田村さんは午後九時までに帰るでしょう = Mr. Tamura will probably return by 9 pm.
(たむら/田村 = Tamura. さん = Mr. は = particle. ごご/午後 = pm. く/九 = 9. じ/時 = o’clock. までに = by. かえる/帰る = return. でしょう = probably)
Like the sentence above, でしょう can also be used to express the probability of events that may or may not happen in the future. Even adjectives can be used with でしょう :
カリフォルニアは暖かいでしょう = It’s probably warm in California
(カリフォルニア = California. は = particle. あたたかい/暖かい = warm. でしょう = probably)
The sentence above used an い adjective, but な adjectives work as well :
その先生は親切じゃないでしょう = That teacher is probably not kind
(その = that. せんせい/先生 = teacher. は = particle. しんせつ/親切 = kind. じゃない = not. でしょう = probably)
Some Japanese couples decide to have Western styled weddings. Both the parents of the bride take part in the ceremony. The father of the bride walks the bride down the aisle, and the mother of the bride lowers the veil over the bride’s face. Both the mother and father’s actions are symbolic of giving the bride away. The ceremony may take place at a hotel or church. There is an exchange of vows, followed by an exchange of rings.
The reception after the wedding ceremony can be quite theatrical. Usually an MC introduces the couple as their first appearance as husband and wife. When the couple enters the reception hall, stage lights and a cloud of smoke all provide a dramatic effect to the couple’s entrance. The bride may change several times over the course of the reception. The MC’s role is to initiate the events scheduled for the reception, such as the cutting of the cake and the couple’s first dance as husband and wife. At the right time, a toast is made by an honored guest, to the bride and groom.
Photographs are taken all throughout the ceremony. There’s also a time when the guests and the couple can dance to music. An important event is the candle light service. The couple lights a candle as a way to commemorate the union of two people. There’s also a flower ceremony honoring the parents of the bride and groom. The couple will present these flowers as way of thanking the parents of both families for all their support and love. A bow to the parents of both families is also carried out by the couple. When the wedding ends, the couple thanks the guests.
Here’s a video of a contemporary Japanese wedding for your viewing pleasure :
Traditional Japanese weddings tend to take place at Shintō shrines. Pictured to the right is a headgear called a tsunokakushi (つのかくし). The tsunokakushi covers the bride’s topknot, which is a kind of hairstyle called bukin takashimada (ぶきんたかしまだ). When the bride puts on the tsunokakushi, she is showing her resolve to be an obedient and patient wife. The less flashier type of headgear is the watabōshi (わたぼうし). It’s a white and silk headdress.
The groom’s attire is usually black. The groom wears a formal montsuki (もんつき) or a kimono decorated with the groom’s family crest. The montsuki is tied by a sash and tucked in baggy pants called a hakama (はかま). The groom’s attire is a complete contrast with the bride’s outfit because the bride’s outfit is usually white. However both the groom and bride wear several layers beneath the kimono.
There’s an important ritual called さんさんくど. In this ritual, the bride and groom drink from three sake cups. The sake cups differ in size, from smallest to largest. Both the bride and groom take three sips from each sake cup. Drinking from the cups symbolizes the couple’s union as husband and wife. To give you an idea of the ritual, a video is provided below :
When you want to ask someone from refraining to do something, you can use the negative short form of the verb with でください.
Here’s an example :
ここで食べないでください = Please don’t eat here.
(ここ = here. で = particle. たべないでください/食べないでください = please don’t eat)
If you’re unfamiliar with the short form, maybe this page will help :
http://www.transparent.com/japanese/informal-forms-of-verbs/
When you leave off the ください, the request becomes less polite. Let’s compare the two sentences below :
1) 行かないでください = Please don’t go.
2) 行かないで = Don’t go.
(いかない/行かない = don’t go)
Here are some polite negative requests that might be useful to you in the future :
ここで写真を撮らないでください = Please don’t take photos here.
(ここ = here. で = particle. しゃしん/写真 = photos. を = particle. とらないでください/撮らないでください = please don’t take)
テレビを見ないでください = Please don’t watch tv.
(テレビ = tv. を = particle. みないでください/見ないでください = please don’t watch)
ここでたばこを吸わないでください = Please don’t smoke (cigarettes) here.
(ここ = here. で = particle. たばこ = cigarette. を = particle. すわないでください/吸わないでください = please don’t smoke)
