Imagine you’re visiting a friend’s house in Kyoto. You’re having a lovely conversation and, after some time, you’re asked, 「ぶぶ漬けでもどうどすか？」 (Bubu-zuke demo dō dosu ka, Would you care for some green tea over rice?) You can answer one of two ways: 「ありがとうございます。いただきます」 (Arigatō gozaimasu. Itadakimasu, Thank you, I appreciate it) or 「いえいえ、そろそろおいとまします」 (Ie ie, soro-soro o-itoma shimasu, No, no, it’s about time for me to be going).
The offer in question is for ぶぶ (bubu), which refers to tea and hot water, as well as お茶漬け (o-chazuke), which is rice with tea or hot water poured over it, typically with seasonings. It may sound inviting, but could your host be offering you this simple dish because they don’t have anything else to serve — and, really, it’s time for you to leave? Welcome to the intricacies of 京都弁 (Kyōto-ben, the Kyoto dialect)..
The recently released movie “ぶぶ漬けどうどす” (“Bubu-zuke Dō Dosu”), titled “Strangers in Kyoto” in English, explores the old capital’s euphemistic manner of communication. In the film, protagonist Madoka moves from Tokyo to Kyoto upon marriage and struggles to understand 京都弁 and the social hierarchy embedded in terms like 洛中 (rakuchū, central Kyoto) and 洛外 (rakugai, outside central Kyoto).
