＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・意外と知らない物の名前や現象の名前(その4)酒林･ﾓﾝｷｰﾎﾟｯﾄﾞ･ｲﾔｰﾜｰﾑ現象など
I previously wrote articles titled “Names of Things and Phenomena You Might Not Know,” “Part 2,” and “Part 3,” but I still have many more interesting examples, so I’ll introduce them in Part 4.
1. Sakabayashi/Sakebayashi (酒林)
A sakabayashi (酒林) is a ball of cedar leaves hung from the eaves of a liquor store as a sign. It’s also called a sakabouki (「酒箒（さかぼうき）」), sakabata (「酒旗（さかばた）」), or sugitama/sugidama（「杉玉（すぎたま/すぎだま）」）.
This custom was common until the end of the Edo period and still persists among some sake brewers today.
It’s hung to announce the arrival of new sake, and as the lush green sakabayashi withers and turns brown, it indicates that the sake has matured.
2. Monkeypod
The tree featured in Hitachi’s commercial with the lyrics “♪What kind of tree is this?” is called a “monkeypod,” an evergreen tree belonging to the genus Albizia in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the legume family, native to tropical America. It is also known as the “rain tree” or “American mimosa.”
A large tree in Moanalua Gardens on Oahu, Hawaii, has long been featured in Hitachi Group’s TV commercials and is also known as the “Hitachi tree (What kind of tree is this?).”
3. Earworm phenomenon（イヤーワーム現象）
The phenomenon of a song or piece of music being compulsively repeated in one’s mind, commonly known as “music getting stuck in your head,” is called the “earworm phenomenon.”
It’s like saying, “That song keeps playing on repeat in my head.”
The causes of the earworm phenomenon are said to include “being prone to anxiety,” “frequent exposure to music,” and “having a quick mind.”
I recall that in Haruki Murakami’s novel “Norwegian Wood,” this Beatles song, heard as background music on an airplane, was depicted as playing on repeat in the protagonist’s head.
Incidentally, “Norwegian Wood” is a Beatles song released on December 3, 1965, as a track on their original album “Rubber Soul.”
4. Windsor effect（ウィンザー効果）
The psychological phenomenon where people are more likely to believe what a third party says, also known as the “word-of-mouth effect,” is called the “Windsor effect.”
For example, the Windsor effect describes how hearing something from someone else—such as, “That person said you’re a nice person”—is more effective than hearing it directly from the person themselves.
Using this method, you can truly come across as a good person, making it more effective than direct praise. It’s also a marketing technique that skillfully utilizes “third-party evaluation.”
The Windsor effect originates from a line spoken by the Countess of Windsor in the 1990 autobiographical spy nonfiction book “The Countess Was a Spy,” by American author Arlene Romanones: “Third-party praise is always the most effective.”
5. The Cocktail Party Effect（カクテルパーティー効果）
The “cocktail party effect” refers to the phenomenon where, even amidst a large group of people chatting amongst themselves, one can naturally pick up on conversations of interest, such as those involving one’s own name.
An example is when, in a large venue with many people talking, one can easily hear what is being said or what is of interest to them.
The cocktail party effect is a form of selective listening to speech and a prime example of selective attention.
This is something everyone has experienced. For example, an elderly person who is usually hard of hearing and difficult to communicate with might suddenly hear and react immediately when someone speaks ill of them.
6. Concorde Effect（コンコルド効果）
The “Concorde effect” refers to a situation where, despite knowing that continued financial, mental, and temporal investment in a particular object will lead to losses, one is unable to stop investing due to reluctance to abandon previous investments.
It originates from the commercial failure of the supersonic passenger jet Concorde.
The “Concorde effect” is also known as the “sunk cost effect,” the Concorde fallacy, the Concorde error, the Concorde misconception, or the Concorde fallacy.
7. The Romeo and Juliet Effect（ロミオとジュリエット効果）
The psychological phenomenon where obstacles, especially in romantic relationships, actually increase the desire to overcome them and achieve one’s goal, is called the “Romeo and Juliet effect.”
It is named after William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet.”
8. Mere-exposure effect（単純接触効果）
The effect where repeated exposure to something increases liking or positive impressions, even without conscious effort, is called the “mere-exposure effect.”
This effect means that even things you initially had no interest in or disliked gradually evoke positive feelings after repeated exposure.
For example, you might grow to like people you see often or music you listen to repeatedly.
This effect became widely known after American psychologist Robert Zajonc summarized it in his paper Zajonc (1968). It is also known as “Zajonc’s mere-exposure effect” or “Zajonc’s law,” and in interpersonal relationships, it is called the “familiarity principle.”
9. Stroop effect（ストループ効果）
The phenomenon where two pieces of information seen simultaneously interfere with each other, such as the meaning of a word and its color (a phenomenon where two pieces of information presented simultaneously interfere with each other, hindering or making understanding difficult), is called the “Stroop effect.”
Red, Blue, Yellow, Green
For example, when asked to name a color, it takes longer to name the color “blue” (written as “blue”) than to name the color “red” (written in red ink).
The “Stroop effect (Stroop interference)” was reported in 1935 by American psychologist John Ridley Stroop (1897-1973).
10. Emmett’s Law（エメットの法則）
“Procrastinating on a task takes twice as much time and energy as actually doing it,” a principle proposed by management consultant Rita Emmett, is known as “Emmett’s Law.”
Emmett expounds on this law in her book, *The Procrastinator’s Handbook: Mastering the Art of Doing It Now* (Japanese edition: *I Just Was Going to Do It Now…*, published by Kobunsha in 2001), warning those prone to procrastination.
First Law: Anxiety about a task consumes more time and energy than actually doing it.
Second Law: Perfectionism is the root cause of procrastination.
11. Pylon（パイロン）
The cones commonly seen at construction sites are called “pylons.”
“Pylon” means tower, column, or support.
It’s a common name, mainly used by police, broadcasting, advertising, event, and sports personnel, for cone-shaped resin products placed to regulate or demarcate roads and construction sites.
Construction and security personnel often refer to them by the trademark name “color cone.” They are also called road cones, safety cones, or simply “cones.”
While red is the most common color, various other colors such as yellow, blue, green, and white can be seen, and some have built-in LED lighting.
12. Bonten (a type of decorative pole)
梵天（ぼんてん）
The fluffy, cotton-like part at the back of an ear pick is called a “bonten.” It’s made from duck feathers or similar materials.
Incidentally, the spherical tassel attached to the “suzukake（「鈴懸」）” (a type of kesa（「結袈裟（ゆいげさ）」） worn around the chest by mountain ascetics) is also called a “bonten.”
13. Lunch Charm（ランチャーム）
The small containers of soy sauce, condiments, etc., that come with bento boxes are called “lunch charms.” It’s a portmanteau of “lunch（「ランチ(昼食)」）” and “charm（「チャーム(魅力)」）.” They are also sometimes called “sauce bottles（「たれびん」）.” Originally made of glass or ceramic, they are now mostly made of polyethylene.
14. Ramsden phenomenon（ラムスデン現象）
The phenomenon of a film forming on milk when it is heated is called the “Ramsden phenomenon.” It was named after Walter Ramsden, a British scientist who discovered it in 1903.
Incidentally, many people discard this “film,” but it is nutritious and safe to eat. It is also said that stirring while heating helps prevent the film from forming.
15. Perforation (Meuchi)
目打（めうち）
“Perforations” refer to the series of small holes made around the edges of stamps, revenue stamps, and other stamps that are connected together, such as in a “stamp sheet” (image above), to make them easier to separate.
Similarly, a tracing wheel is used to create perforations or dotted lines on paper or cloth to make them easier to separate, but it differs in that it does not generate paper waste during the process.
16. Shivering（シバリング）
Shivering is a physiological phenomenon in which the body generates heat by moving its muscles when its body temperature drops, in an attempt to maintain body temperature. The English word means “to shiver, to shake your body, or to have your mouth rattle when you’re cold.”