Wolverine actor owes much of his fame to his handsome face and bulging muscles, but it’s his heart and his voice that are captivating fans.
Most people don’t leap out of bed when their alarm goes off in the morning, completely full of energy and with nothing but excitement for the day of work or school to come. So it’s nice to have something to give you a little boost in the a.m., even if it’s something as simple as having someone give you a cordial “Good morning.”
Of course, when you build up a global fanbase as large as the one Hugh Jackman has, the effect of your “good morning” is amplified, and if you happen to be able to say the phrase in Japanese in a manner that’s not only intelligible, but also incredibly cool, then fans in Japan are going to swoon at the multicultural gesture.
Jackman recently came to Tokyo to promote the Japanese release of his latest film, The Frontrunner. Upon arrival, the dapper Australian actor posted a short video in which he whips off his sunglasses and says “Ohayou gozaimasu,” Japanese for “Good morning,” with impressively accurate pronunciation. Granted, his initial “o”is a little close to an “a,” but the breathy way in which he speaks is remarkably close to the tone of a mature Japanese gentleman.
▼ And his pronunciation of the phrase is even clearer in this pre-arrival video he shared.
The videos from Jackman (who also spent time in Japan filming The Wolverine, inspiring one Japanese city to name a new kind of rose after the character) have earned him praise from Japanese online commenters, such as:
“This just made my morning wonderful.”
“I wish I could have Hugh Jackman tell me ‘Ohayou gozaimasu’ every morning.”
“I’ve been listening to the video on loop since I got up.”
“It’s so sweet how he went to the trouble of mastering that phrase before coming to Japan.”
“Good morning to you too, Hugh Jackman! Let’s both do our best at work today.”
Jackman has also been posting photos of his time in Japan, taken at locations such as the Harajuku neighborhood’s Takeshita Street, the TeamLab Borderless art installation, and one of Japan’s ever-present, eternally fascinating vending machines.
▼ This one comes with the short but sweet message 日本が大好きです, meaning “I love Japan.”
So far, though, it’s his quick “Ohayou gozaimasu” video that’s getting the biggest reactions from local fans, and it’s a warmhearted reminder of an important aspect of modern Japanese society. While Japan has a dense set of linguistic and cultural traditions, many of which can seem intimidating to foreign visitors, the country always appreciates it when people from abroad take a participatory interest in them, especially the Japanese language. So if you’re planning a trip to Japan, don’t be shy, and keep your eyes open for an opportunity to use those two or three phrases, or even just the one, that you learned on the flight over.
Sources: Instagram/@thehughjackman, Twitter/ヒュー・ジャックマン おはようございます
Featured image: Instagram/@thehughjackman
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