From left, Roberto Hernandez, resident musician of Palau Royal Resort, Mr. Tadaharu Namoto, his daughter Chihiro and his wife Chiyoko. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE BOTTLE OF SHOCHU.
(Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
OKAMA BIN LADEN
IN EARLY 2005, I and my wife Flor are always assigned at Café Olei at the departure area of Palau International Airport. It is only operating when there are departing flights to Manila, Taipei and Japan.
One night when there is a chartered flight of Japan Airlines going to Narita airport, there are Japanese sitting at the bar of Café Olei. I’m talking to them in English and they answered me in Japanese. I know a little Nihongo so sometimes I answered them in ‘broken’ Japanese.
I noticed that one of them is gay or okama in Japanese language. When the conversation was focused on him/her, I suggested or teased him with these words: “Tabon kare no namae wa “Okama Bin Laden” which means maybe we call his name as “Okama Bin Laden”. A loud laughter ensued. They thought that I can really speak Japanese.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT IS “COINCIDENCE, FUNNY OR LUCKY”.
The guy who is sitting next to a middle-aged, skinny woman talk for about a minute all in deep Japanese language that I understand only 3% of it. As he is talking, I’m prepared to say what I would respond –“wakaranai”. It means “I don’t know”.
When he finished talking, he asked me a question which I don’t understand also so I just replied “wakaranai”. THE MIDDLE-AGED, SKINNY LADY IS VERY FURIOUS WITH MY ANSWER.
A few hours after they left, I realized why she is “furious” because of the way I said “wakaranai”. The guy is asking me, “If you are sure that Okama Bin Laden is gay, what do you think of this lady beside me?”
The way I said “wakaranai” is indicating that I’m not sure if she is really a woman! What I want to say is that “I don’t understand what you have said”.There is loud laughter after I said that from all of them but not from that skinny woman, although ‘furious’ but smiling. GOMEN NASAI. (I’M SORRY).
At Café Olei also that I was able to ask a young Japanese couple the Romaji title of “Oribia Okikinagara”, a very popular song among middle-aged Japanese.
One day I’m operating karaoke at Image Restaurant in 2005, a lone, Japanese lady is singing Japanese songs with a few laser discs of Japanese songs that we had at that time. Alternating with her, I also sang some songs like “Itoshino Elly”which she thought I can speak and read Japanese alphabet. Those Japanese songs laser discs are all written in Katakana, Hirakana and Kanji. Because I’ve memorized the Japanese lyrics of “Itoshino Elly”, she thought that when I'm looking at TV, I’m reading the Japanese characters.
Those laser discs Japanese titles were ‘marked’ by me so that I know where to look for titles written in Japanese. Like when Papa san and Mama san or Mr. and Mrs. Kubota of Sushi Bar Mito when they are singing Japanese songs, I will mark the songs that they are singing with “P” for Papa san and “M” for Mama san.
When Mama san is singing, I will look at all songs with “M” mark and “P” when Papa san is singing. They also thought that I know how to read Japanese character because when they come back to sing again, I know what to play already. Mama san likes “Kawa No Nagareno Yo Ni’, “Midare Gami” and some songs that I don’t know the Romaji translation, mostly they said “Okinawan songs”.
In February 11, 12, 13, 14, 2007, I played for 4 nights at Palau Royal Resort during their Valentine’s Special. I’m still working at Dragon Tei at that time. Mama san and Papa san were guests then on Feb. 11, 2007. She knows me by face and as a musician but she can’t remember where I used to work before. She asked a waitress (Josephine Amutan) and she said, “That’s Robert, the former pianist of Image Restaurant.” That’s the time that she remembered me and when she heard me played her 2 favorite Japanese songs, she gave me $20.00 tip.
Since then, every time they come at PRR on Tuesday evening, they always give me $10.00 tip. Sushi Bar Mito is closed on Tuesday. One time, Mama san noticed that I’m playing with my reading glass on. She said, “You’re wearing eye glass now?” I said, “Yes, I’m old already.” She said, “Me also.” We’re both diabetic with me taking a 5 mg medicine while she is having insulin already.
Last month on a Saturday evening at Waves Restaurant, Mr. Tadaharu Namoto, a teacher at Maris Stella School, asked me to play the song “Tsuki” or moon. He brought the musical notes of that easy song and I was able to play it right away. He said he will come back on Monday at 9 pm to record my playing so that he can teach the dance steps to his students using my live performance the he will record with his cellphone/camera.
We recorded it with me using a piano at Waves Restaurant and a keyboard at Breeze Bar. He came with his wife Chiyoko. They gave me a glass of red wine and a whole bottle of shochu.
Source:
Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 8-9
Volume 22
Issue 11
February 07, 2013
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