Photo/Illutration Comedian Tamori, right, during the Soramimi Hour on a “Tamori Club” broadcast in 2001 with illustrator Hajime Anzai, a regular on the segment (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The word “soramimi” (mishearing) has been used from ancient times.

Sei Shonagon, a court lady in the Heian Period (794-1185), described the call of a bird during the season of fresh green foliage in her book “Makura no Soshi” (The Pillow Book).

“Hototogisu no toku soramimi kato oboyubakari tadotadoshi” (The call of a little cuckoo from far away sounds so halting, you almost doubt your ears).

The Kojien dictionary defines soramimi as “to mistakenly believe to have heard sounds or voices when there were none” or “to pretend not to have heard words when they were heard.”

Another dictionary, Digital Daijisen, added a new definition. It says soramimi is sometimes used for deliberately mistaking foreign-language song lyrics and other phrases for similar-sounding but entirely different Japanese expressions.

The addition clearly stems from the popular segment of a TV program.

The Soramimi Hour has been a fixture of the late-night show “Tamori Club,” hosted by comedian Tamori, whose real name is Kazuyoshi Morita, and aired by the TV Asahi network.

The “Hey! Matilda” phrase from the song “Matilda” was featured this weekend based on a post submitted by a viewer.

A linguistic twist makes the phrase sound like “Heien mattenda” in Japanese, which means “waiting for the park to be closed.”

Since its inception in 1982, “Tamori Club” has been bringing fun to viewers in an easygoing manner, unaffected by either economic bubbles or downturns.

Tamori and his guests just enjoy themselves talking and watching videos in a barren conference room.

“Every TV program tries to be dense with content,” Tamori once said. “‘Tamori Club’ is the opposite. We just don’t care if there’s an awkward silence or if we reveal our true selves.”

The 40-year-old program is ending this season. Many fans must be disappointed.

I emptied my mind and enjoyed laughing on the nights when I was tired from work.

Nowadays, people are looking for ways to efficiently take in what is said to be beneficial. “Tamori Club” has been bucking the trend as an antidote to such a mentality.

If we were to offer such a compliment, Tamori would just laugh and say, “It’s far from it.”

His laid-back stance made the program all the more attractive.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 26

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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