Abunai: Dangerous

(a sign warning that something is dangerous)

There are certain things that are not abunai in Japan that sure as hell would be abunai where I come from.
The other day I got held up lesson planning at my main elementary school and missed my bus that comes once every three hours. A fellow teacher took on the responsibility of driving me home. As I stepped into his minivan, bracing myself for the inevitably awkward fifteen-minute drive, I found that he had decided to be proactive in the situation by turning on the television so conveniently placed on his dashboard. I told him I thought driving while watching TV was dangerous. He replied that it hasn't caused him any problems in the past six years.

Multiple times in Japan I have encountered stair cases so steep that they might as well be ladders. I have hiked up mountains swinging from branch to branch in an effort to not stumble to my death. On one such occasion, I was greeted by an elderly Japanese couple at the summit. They looked far less frazzled than I, hinting that the hike was not so abunai.


This is a rock wall that led to the entrance of a hike. Far steeper than it looks.

Narrow, winding roads that unquestionably would be one-way in the States allow cars from either direction to pass, as little children bounce around in the front seat because seat belts are generally considered unnecessary in this country. Although it seems that there are no road rules apart from the zero-tolerance policy regarding drinking and driving, abunai is a term that I often here in regards to my apparently careless behavior.

Recently I was pulled over by the police. I was biking up a quiet hill while towing my friend along who was comfortably gripping my shoulder as she glided on her skateboard. The flashing lights came at us almost as quickly as the two young officers who were sporting trendy glasses and shy smiles. Fearing that we understood no Japanese, they simply pointed at my shoulder and repeatedly stated abunai, until we nodded strongly enough to signal that we understood.

Furthermore, abunai is regularly heard throughout the halls of my Junior High School. In preparing for my Halloween lesson last month, I carved a pumpkin with my JTE (Japanese Teacher of English). She stood behind me, exuding nervous energy for fear that I would slice my fingers off with the butter knife that I was using to cut through the thick skin of the miniature pumpkin. Upon successfully giving the little guy a face, I asked my JTE if I could light a birthday candle inside of the Jack-o-Lantern, only for a moment, so that I could demonstrate that the symbol's original purpose was to serve as a lantern. Immediately she looked horrified and explained that candles are very abunai. Some things are just not negotiable.