Otsukaresama no kuni

One of my favourite Japanese songs is called 'Otsukaresama no kuni' ('Country of otsukaresama'), by Kazuyoshi Saito. You can see it here on YouTube.

"Otsukaresama desu" is a very common expression here in Japan. One says it at the end of the working day, to acknowledge the hard work of one's co-workers. It kind of means 'we've worked hard', or 'good job today'. 'tsukare' literally means 'tiredness', so you are acknowledging the effort of your co-workers. I say it many times in a day, because the staff in my department building all say it to each other whenever we walk past each other in the corridors, or are in the elevator together.

Watching this YouTube video, while hearing the words sung 'otsukaresama desu', it kind of gives me the feeling of the heart of Japan.

Since there was no English translation on the Internet, I decided to try to translate the song by myself. Despite all my Japanese, I still haven't done very well at it. If anyone stumbles upon this page from Google etc, I'd warn you not to take this translation as an especially accurate one... haha...

How many times do we repeat those words in one day?
Perhaps more often than "hello"
Putting 'o' and 'sama' around those people's 'tiredness'*
the voices sound out: 'otsukaresama desu' in our daily lives

*[In other words, 'Honouring those people's tiredness']

Kindly, and strongly, and with all our effort
That's what living life is like, but it's difficult
Love, and work, are important in your mind
We exchange the words "Otsukaresama desu" in our country

I understand painful things, but I don't understand them
There are sorrows that separate people; each person bears their own
I really can't say these things, so what I will say is:
Thank you; it'll be okay; otsukaresama desu.

Wanting to cry, and facing the uphill roads
You've taken so many times before...
I can't wipe away those people's tears, so...
Smiling, I'll say 'otsukaresama desu', in our journey

The heart isn't strong, but it isn't weak either
You have dreams you saw, dreams you'll never forget
Really, I don't want to say this, so the thing I will say is:
Thank you; I believe in you; thank you very much.

Life isn't just made up of bad things
The story still goes on, so, let's go
That dream, and your anxiety, and your struggles... so, from here
I'll try to say "otsukaresama desu" from myself