Japayuki story part I
Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - - 0 comments
I was in Taipei airport waiting for my connecting flight to Hiroshima. 5 minutes before the boarding gates opened, a middle aged couple came and sat on the seat next to me. After getting settled, the man, clean-shaven head and dark eyeglasses, looked at me and asked, Firipin? (Philippines) I said, yes. Then he started some casual talk about this and that then asked me about something I`m not familiar with. I forgot the topic by now but it had something to do with Filipino entertainers in Japan. So, I told him that I do not know what he was talking about. The woman beside him (I think his wife), who had been listening to our conversation, said something to him. He looked at me again and confirmed if I am a `tarento`. "Tarento?" I whispered to myslef.. "No, I am not".


Oh well, what is a `tarento` anyway? They used to be called Japayukis, but over the years, the designation has changed or maybe evolved. I think it was 4 years ago, when I was in a very long queue at NAIA when out of boredom, the girl in front of me turned to me and casually asked "talent ka din? san ka banda?"(are you also a talent? which area? ).. I was adamant and puzzled, I was not very sure what she was talking about. I said, "what is that? talent?" She was confused for a while and didn't seem to know how to talk to me from that moment on. AfterTokyo_july_06_202 assessing my ignorance, she updated me by saying that the talents work in the night clubs. So I got it, in other more familiar terms, she meant the `japayuki`.


And so, back to Taipei airport, the man with the shaven head told me that he owns and manages a Filipino club. He also mentioned that there are very few tarento this time because of the new laws and regulations regarding recruitment. I asked the name of his club, he said "kurasmeeto" ('classmate').


Later, I related the incident to my boyfriend. I told him that at the airport, someone asked if I am a tarento. He was surprised and was extremely amused. From the way he reacted, I knew that he did not get the context. I asked him what is the definition of tarento (talent) in Japan. He explained that tarento in Japan are actors that appear on TV as comedians. Wahaha!




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