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Bundle 42: Dying of Embarrassment

The longer you live, the more shame you suffer, says an old Japanese proverb. Shame can involve feeling exposed. The Japanese experience deep embarrassment about misusing words (and kanji!). The exposure might be literal; essays 1572 and 2031 mention how evacuees feel when fleeing a disaster naked. Indeed, the body provokes much shame; essay 1572 features a shocking quiz with恥 (shame) in five genital-related words. Shame has its own body language. Essay 1212 on 肩 presents a common term related to shoulder position and shame, and essay 2100 discusses shame-filled, head-on-the-floor prostration when apologizing for a grave error.
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肩
shoulder
JOK: 1212
Your head rests on two good shoulders. The roads you travel on may have shoulders. Metaphorically, your shoulders help you carry the weight of burdens. Clearly, you need to know how to discuss shoulders. This essay will teach you key vocabulary and expressions related to this topic. You'll find out, for instance, what a tap on the shoulder means in Japan. Furthermore, you'll learn what the slope of shoulders indicates about someone's state of mind.
恥
shame
JOK: 1572
Discover which kanji trip up the Japanese, making them cringe. See how misused words, activism, and shamelessness also bother them. Learn proverbs about shame. Find out which country experiences "national humiliation." And learn to say, "I have never been so humiliated in my life," "His cheeks were burning with shame," and "He tried to save face but ended up disgracing himself instead."
羞
ashamed
JOK: 2031
Find out how to say, "A bashful look came over her face," "These slums are a disgrace to our city," "I'm ashamed of my poor English," and "You ought to be ashamed of yourself." Learn to overcome performance anxiety, especially by seeing the audience as vegetables! Find out how the name of a popular band arose from a misreading of 羞. And read about famously shy people.
膝
knee
JOK: 2100
See what a Buddhist priest and a mollusk have to do with kneecaps. Also learn what role the knee plays with regard to intimacy, romance, negotiations, protection, influence, respect, and sudden emotion or comprehension. Find out why the Japanese would go down on one or both knees, even sliding forward on the knees instead of walking, and why rakugo performers hide their knees.
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