Madadayo Page #4

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I didn't recognize you at first.

That beard was yours,

but it was ours too.

You shouldn't have

shaved it off without permission.

Sorry. I'll grow it back.

That won't do either.

If you grow it back,

we won't recognize you again.

Thank you.

As you all know,

the professor is a man

of great learning.

On one occasion

he told us not to assume

that ears are always

attached to the head,

because Ampriobiris spirias

has ears on its feet.

What?

What's Ampriopisisus spirias?

No, it's Ampriobiris spirias!

Please, Professor.

Gentlemen,

don't stampede me like this.

I'm no match for all of you.

Let's make another toast,

and then you can all go back

to enjoying yourselves.

Gentlemen...

thank you.

Happy birthday!

Thank you.

Drinking parties are interesting,

aren't they?

Somehow everybody gets drunk

at the same moment.

It's like a pot of water

coming to a boil.

...and she is now my wife.

To this day

I'm still embarrassed

toward both the professor

and my wife.

Quiet, please!

Tada, it's your turn.

The professor is great.

That's right!

He isn't great because he's a professor.

He's a professor because he's great.

The professor

is like the sun to us.

Don't exaggerate!

That would indeed be

an exaggeration,

so I'll say he's like the moon.

Still an exaggeration.

Wait.

There are half moons,

and crescent moons,

and sometimes no moon at all.

Just like the professor's classes!

That's why I compare him

to the moon.

The moon is great

Sister to the sun

Now it's a circle

Now it's a bow

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter

Shining all over Japan

The moon is out

The moon is out

Round, round

Perfectly round

Round as a platter

The moon is hiding

The moon is hiding

Black, black

Perfectly black

Behind clouds black as ink

The moon is out again

Round, round

Perfectly round

Round as a platter

Gentlemen, you remember

"One-Two Medicine Peddler"?

Let's sing that.

One-Two Medicine

is number one in Japan

One, two

Buy One-Two Medicine

One, two, one, two

Here's what it cures

One, two

Heartburn,

stomach trouble, diarrhea

Dizziness before

and after childbirth

Asthma, headaches

And influenza

Now I'm going to improvise!

Keep in step!

Medicine can cure

many illnesses

But only death

can cure a fool

Plenty of foolishness

to go around

Japan is blooming

with fools now

Defeated and occupied

But fools call it

the end of the war

Right turn!

"Democracy, democracy!"

The crooks shout

as they throw their weight about

Bribery and corruption abound

Flagrant and unconcealed

Paradise for the corrupt

Endless hell for the rest

The fools never learn

They chirp and twitter,

all in unison

Chirp, chirp, twitter, twitter

The end.

Ijuin, Manju-shi,

Nishi-Kagoshima, Kagoshima.

End of line!

What's this?

Where'd everybody go?

I don't know.

Have some more.

Is that supposed to be me?

So it seems.

Ready yet?

Ready yet?

Not yet!

Ready yet?

Not yet!

The professor's new house

was completed.

There's only one men's pair.

All the rest are women's.

My Japanese garden

isn't very large.

They'll manage without them.

The house had to be small

to make room for the pond.

Compared to that matchbox

we lived in before,

this is truly a palace.

Right?

It is indeed.

We're flattered.

If I do say so myself,

this doughnut-shaped pond

was a brilliant idea.

The Pacific may be vast,

but if you swim in a straight line,

you'll eventually hit America.

But in this pond you can swim

in a circle forever.

I want to keep carp in this pond.

The big ones

you only see in dreams.

I want carp as big as boats.

That's impossible.

Infinite as this pond may be,

they'd curl up and stop moving.

It would be bad for their backs.

I meant it

as a figure of speech.

Like in the Chinese poem,

"Gray hair 3,000 yards long."

I mean, could you imagine

a carp the size of a whale?

By the way...

the famous Temple of the

Golden Pavilion sits next to a pond.

Though my little pavilion

doesn't have

the same golden radiance,

I think they're quite similar.

That's why I put up that sign.

"The Temple Where Guests

are Forbidden."

So in this temple,

boisterous groups like ours

are forbidden.

It will serve as my study,

so nobody else can go in.

What do you think?

Is the lot too small?

That depends

on the design of the house.

It's 49.5.

PLOT FOR SALE:

53.5.

Tea is ready.

Please.

Who's the man

who bowed to you just now?

The owner of that lot.

He came by the other day

to ask if I'd buy it.

I don't have that much money,

of course,

so I had to decline,

but he was very courteous.

He brought it up so politely

that I found it hard to decline right away.

- It seems he found a buyer.

- Yes, I'm glad.

Is that your cat?

I call him Alley,

because he's an alley cat.

My wife gives him dried mackerel,

so he sticks around.

Besides,

he has good physiognomy.

Cat physiognomy?

Sounds odd.

How else can I say it?

But it does sound rather odd.

In any event,

he's very well-bred.

He has better manners

than you gentlemen.

Well, I'll be!

Excuse me.

Good kitty.

It's the man from next door.

He'd like to pay his respects.

Please.

What?

That's the only reason

I came to see him!

- But -

- No buts!

I bought the plot.

It's my land now.

I can build whatever I like.

That's true...

but please consider

your neighbors.

Building a three-story house

next to their fence is unreasonable.

Unreasonable?

The lot's smaller

than the survey implied.

That's why I have

to add another floor.

If you do that,

you'll block their sunlight.

So what?

That's not my concern.

Let's go.

Please wait.

There's nothing to discuss.

Please wait.

The deal is off.

What?

I'm not selling the lot.

Don't be ridiculous!

The contract's drawn up.

The land is mine.

I haven't signed it yet.

It's still my land.

I refuse to sell it to you.

Just a moment, please.

I'm truly grateful to you

for being so considerate.

But doesn't this

put you in a bind?

Even if there's no sunlight

for my house -

- We have to do something.

- Like what?

- Let's buy it.

- Shall we?

We can talk to the owner.

Professor, this is a good cat,

just as you said.

He raised his hackles

at that blockhead.

The owner of that lot

seems to be a good man.

Where does he live?

In a shack

at the end of the lot.

Well, we must be going.

Stay a while longer.

I'm still quite rattled.

Let's have a drink.

And I cooked up

a little something.

Sorry, ma'am,

but I have business to attend to.

So do I.

If you'll excuse us.

NANZANJU:

Professor, what does

this nanzanju mean?

"The Longevity

of Nanshan Mountain."

It's an expression

wishing someone long life.

I prefer to have people read it

as nanzansu.

I put it up to discourage

unwelcome visitors.

Nanzansu is how courtesans

used to ask, "Whaddya want?"

That's how they spoke in the licensed

quarters in the Edo period.

It's short for nan zamasu.

Perfect for that stubborn fool.

"Whaddya want?" indeed!

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