Richard MedhurstAug 9, 2023
What is the essence of 下町 (shitamachi)? Literally low-lying, technically traditionally working class. But also I'd say Japanese writers often use the word to signal nostalgia and retro appeal. Depends on the context, so need to identify what the writer wants to say.
#japanese
Show threadsemisaraAug 9, 2023

@richardmedh Funny you mention this, as I'm currently reading a mediocre translation of a Murakami book (アンダーグラウンド) and one of the people in it says something like "I'm a downtown girl, so I know that fish comes wrapped in paper."

Can imagine that's quite puzzling if you don't get the idea behind 下町..

Show threadRichard Medhurst
@semisara Yes, I think "downtown" suggests office buildings and so on. I'd avoid it personally though as a non-US English speaker, I can only say perhaps there's more to it than that, given how hugely popular it is as a translation term for shitamachi.
Aug 10, 2023 at 12:49amWeb