似たひとThe Look-Alike

About this text

A woman humorously recounts how her round face leads to frequent cases of mistaken identity.

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Source

This text comes from Aozora Bunko (青空文庫), the volunteer-run library of Japanese writing that is out of copyright. See this work on Aozora Bunko

Base edition (底本): 「宮本百合子全集　第十七巻」新日本出版社
1981（昭和56）年3月20日初版発行
1986（昭和61）年3月20日第4刷発行

Typed in by 柴田卓治. Proofread by 磐余彦.

Yomimaru has not changed the spelling or the wording.

The furigana are Yomimaru's.

What you'll learn

The narrator is told by a friend that someone often sees her at a bathhouse, which she denies. Later, her sister reports seeing her at Ueno, but it was another person. The narrator finds it amusing that any round person is mistaken for her.

Key vocabulary

染物屋そめものや	dyeing shop
格子こうし	lattice door or window
紙包かみづつみ	paper package
広小路ひろこうじ	Hirokoji (place name in Ueno, Tokyo)
丸まるまっちい	roundish (colloquial adjective)

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～ている N5Indicates ongoing action or resultant state.

  お茶ちゃをいれている私わたしのそばである友達ともだちが栗くりの皮かわをむきながら

• ～ながら N4Means 'while doing' an action.

  お茶ちゃをいれている私わたしのそばである友達ともだちが栗くりの皮かわをむきながら

• ～のだ N4Used for explanatory or assertive tone.

  始終しじゅうあすこで見みかけるって云ゆっていた人ひとがあってよ

• ～まま N3Indicates doing something in a state or while remaining in a state.

  立たったまま、

• ～ので N3Expresses cause or reason; 'because'.

  私わたしがあんまり丸まるまっちいので、

Cultural notes

• Ueno Hirokoji and YamashitaUeno Hirokoji is a well-known street in Ueno, Tokyo, near the famous Ueno Park. Yamashita (literally 'under the mountain') is another area in Ueno. Both are historic districts often mentioned in literature.
• Somenomoya (Dyeing Shop)Traditional Japanese dyeing shops (染物屋) are craft businesses that specialize in dyeing fabrics, often using indigo. They are a common element in old townscapes.
• Chestnut PeelingPeeling chestnuts (栗の皮むき) is a seasonal activity in autumn in Japan, often done while chatting. It requires patience and skill.

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