# What does this say (Japanese) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 27, 2025, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-say-japanese/1016186 "2025-03-27T12:40:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-say-japanese/1016186/1 "2025-03-27T12:40:56Z")
What does the Japanese writing on this T-shirt say? [https://www.tokyo-tiger.com/products/tokyo-tiger-ungovernable-raccoon-washed-t-shirt](https://www.tokyo-tiger.com/products/tokyo-tiger-ungovernable-raccoon-washed-t-shirt) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-say-japanese/1016186/2 "2025-03-27T12:47:55Z")
Online translation tools tell me it’s just a direct translation of “become ungovernable/uncontrollable” 統制不能になる : tōsei funō ni naru : become uncontrollable ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-say-japanese/1016186/3 "2025-03-27T15:18:19Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-say-japanese/1016186/4 "2025-03-27T17:04:39Z")
More concretely: Control-impossible become Japanese language, Yoda’s speaking style structured is. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-say-japanese/1016186/5 "2025-03-27T17:54:05Z")
Is that idiomatic Japanese like an actual Japanese speaker would use? ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-say-japanese/1016186/6 "2025-03-27T18:00:26Z")
I couldn’t get your link to load, but apparently this is a current thing. [Usually with a raccoon](https://s3.amazonaws.com/gs-geo-images/3c74c943-ba15-4848-be06-746adbe7e20b_l.png) but sometimes other animals too. Geese for instance. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-say-japanese/1016186/7 "2025-03-27T18:15:55Z")
That’s the exact shirt on the original page. Good job getting to it another way. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-say-japanese/1016186/8 "2025-03-27T18:42:46Z")
Japan has invasive raccoons literally because the 1977 anime “Rascal the Raccoon” was popular. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-say-japanese/1016186/9 "2025-03-27T19:26:55Z")
I think it’s more than that, [Raccoons and Possums Are the Internet’s New Favorite Animals.](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a27259493/racoon-possum-instagram/) [Another example,](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/B1pppR4gVKL._CLa%7C2140%2C2000%7CA1qDTBwQkjL.png%7C0%2C0%2C2140%2C2000%2B0.0%2C0.0%2C2140.0%2C2000.0_AC_SX466_.png) they are everywhere now. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-say-japanese/1016186/10 "2025-03-27T19:31:54Z")
For sure. I don’t use adblockers, and of late my Google ads have been inundated with raccoons. I even broke down and bought a t-shirt with a picture of a raccoon looking at its reflection in a mirror, and the words “I do not think, therefore I do not am.” I felt a little silly buying it, thinking, “yeah, everyone is going to have seen this joke already” but apparently not - it gets lots of smiles and chuckles. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-say-japanese/1016186/11 "2025-03-27T20:00:39Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > t-shirt with a picture of a raccoon looking at its reflection in a mirror, and the words “I do not think, therefore I do not am.” That’s actually quite cute. I’ve been tempted to get the one in my link. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-say-japanese/1016186/12 "2025-03-27T20:23:14Z")
This thread reminds me of when I was kid and I’d ask my (Chinese) father for a translation of signs we’d see in Chinatown or in Chinese restaurants. The translation would almost always be either “Yankee go home” or “Marvin is a bum”. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-say-japanese/1016186/13 "2025-03-28T07:25:27Z")
Yes. (Qualifications: lived for 4 years in Japan studying at Tokyo University, learned the language there) ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-say-japanese/1016186/14 "2025-03-28T12:07:08Z")
It literally means uncontrollable and it is a natural expression if used in an appropriate context.