“Pennsylvania has herpes”

from The Daily Show 4.23.2008:

Woman: The attention’s been really flattering with the media being in Pennsylvania for the past month and a half.
Jason Jones: Yeah, it’s like when a guy hits on you in a bar, takes you home, and then never calls you again. You’re that girl.
Woman: Yeah.
Jones: And I’m that guy…  and now you have herpes.

Tanuki

There’s a famous children’s song in Japan,

Tan-tan-tanuki no kintama wa
kaze mo nai no ni:
“bu-ra” “bu-ra”

It roughly translates to “Look at the tanuki’s balls. There’s no wind, but they’re still swinging” (bu-ra is the sound it makes). This is really the only kids song I know in Japanese, but it’s all I need!

Tanuki (Nyctereutes procyonoides), commonly translated as “racoon dog”, is a canid with a build that resembles a Welsh corgie, and markings that resemble a badger or racoon. Their role in Japanese folklore is pretty similar to that of kitsune (“foxes”) in that they are shape shifting tricksters.

For an excellent (though animated) look at them, I recommend Heisei Tanuki Gassen Pon Poko (or just “Pom Poko“), by Studio Ghibli.

There are tanuki statues everywhere in Japan. They’re often outside of businesses/restaurants, as they are for luck I believe. Here are some of the ones I’ve captured.