lessons in improving the use of the pun

english has less pivital words i think than other languages, due to its many influences from languages that it has stolen from but not culturally interacted with historically. for instance, this japanese poem about meeting the first US fleet:

Awoken from sleep

of a peaceful quiet world

by Jokisen tea

with only four cups of it

no more sleep possible at night

can be translated also as:

The steamships

break the peaceful slumber

of the Pacific

a mere four boats are enough

to make us lose sleep at night.

interesting.
i am trying to learn lots of things about japan before i go, and wikipedia is an endless stream of entertainment/learning agency.

aparently, lots of things about japan have been borrowed from surrounding cultures, like writing, societal organization, religion, and silk (they used to make clothes from bark- awesome!). in the spirit of sharing, i am interested in using some of their clothing ideas like the obi- it's a belt! other ideas for clothing are print making and hand painting. or, a combination of the two.


youth fashion trends in japan are Crazy, especially this yamanba character. but i suppose we have similar issues with hipsterdom in america, esp. right here where i am at 116 havemeyer. but i can't even really understand this:

"In "GALs" One of Ran's major annoyance is the Ganguro Trio a.k.a. Tan Faces Red, Yellow, and Blue. The Ganguro Gals tell Ran that they are way beyond season and that they won't let seasons de-mean our cheap chill or thrill.

Ran-Shut up, you unseasonable tanatics, get outta here!
Tan Face Red- We are beyond season.
Tan Face Blue-We don't let seasons de-mean our cheaper chill or thrill.
Tan Face Yellow-We are hardcore tan freaks so you might as well back off...dork-pale gal."
Ran-Shut up, fake-bakes."

is this really a translation? i don't understand! seasons? "tan faces red?" is that like a character from the power rangers or something? i guess these are just some of the things that i will have to learn about some more.