These are some good
translations if you should ever find yourself in
Japan without a
complimenting thing to say! Oh, yes, and the
tea...
"Your garden is like a jewel."
"Hoseki no yona niwa desu ne."
"As the breeze flows through the shrub, my heart is at peace."
"Midoir o nukeru soyokaze ga, watashi no kokoro o nagomasete kure maso."
"The stone in the pond is as fluid and elegant as a mythical bird."
"Ike no ishi was shinwas no tori no yoni yuga de furyu desu."
"And in the living room, I am struck by the Hello Kitty motif!"
"Ima no kitty-chan no kazaritsuke niwa kando shimashita!"
"Honorable tea? Yes, please!"
"Ocha? Hai, onegai shimasu."
"I drank some after I got off the plane last week."
"Senshu hikoki kara orite ippai nomimashita."
"I haven't slept since."
"Sore irai neteimasen."
"I have so many evil thoughts."
"Osoroshii kangae nimo osoware masu."
"In short, I love green tea."
"Demo kekkyoku watashi wa ocha ga suki desu."
"Do you know where I could find a nickel bag of the stuff?"
"Nikkeru-bag was dokode teni hari masu ka?"
For more and more useful phrases and cultural insight, purchase Wicked Japanese for the Business Traveler.