T-shirt from Japan question...

[SkippyDaStudent85]

I have a Japanese pen-pal who just sent me a t-shirt as a late Christmas present. On the front of it, it has the numbers 1, 6, 7, 5, 4, and 0 written in Japanese in a column down the center. I did a Google search to see if the numbers means anything and Toyama came up a few times (which is kinda weird because she lives in Toyama). Does anyone have any idea what the numbers mean?

What I know that might help (it's not a lot):

1 - Like I said earlier, she lives in Toyama.
2 - The t-shirt came from a store called "Bench Warmer" that seems to specialize in basketball stuff.
3 - It is not her postal code or anything involved in her mailing address, as far as I know (it's nothing in the address I use to mail her letters).

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Pachipro]

This is only a guess on my part, but if one converts the numbers into words, as the Japanese often do for advertising their business telephone number, the numbers would say something like:

1 = i (short for ichi)
6 = ro (short for rokku)
7 = na (short for nana)
5 = go
4 = shi
0 = ma (short for maru)

Therefore we have "iro nagoshima". Is that a name of a town, island or person you or she is familiar with?

It's the only thing I could come up with. :?

Hey, maybe it's Ichiro Nagoshima! :cool: Is that the full name of the Japanese baseball player who plays for the Seattle Mariners? I only know of him as Ichiro here in the states. I have no idea what his last name is.

[SkippyDaStudent85]

The Ichiro you're talking about's last name is Suzuki. As for the other thing, I honestly have no idea.

[Mike Cash]

It gives google hits for Toyama because it is part of the free dial telephone number for Hokuriku Denryoku. Whether it has any other significance, I have no idea.

Keep in mind that converting numbers to sounds can be tricky, since there are different ways of doing the converting. The 1 could be "ichi" or "hito" or "hi" or "wan", for example. Similar thing for the others.

[SkippyDaStudent85]

Hmmmm... I think I might ask her in my next letter.

[Pachipro]

Keep in mind that converting numbers to sounds can be tricky, since there are different ways of doing the converting. The 1 could be "ichi" or "hito" or "hi" or "wan", for example. Similar thing for the others.

You are quite correct mike, but using what I listed was the best I could do to make some sense out of this brainteaser after trying numerous combinations.

[Mike Cash]

You are quite correct mike, but using what I listed was the best I could do to make some sense out of this brainteaser after trying numerous combinations.

I direct your attention to the fact that I didn't find anything more plausible than you did. I'm stumped.

[SkippyDaStudent85]

Thank you both for the help, and I shall make sure to post the answer when she tells me.

[budd]

http://www.benchwarmer.co.jp

[SkippyDaStudent85]

Wow, thanks for the link!

[budd]

np describe the shirt better
"japanese"?
hiragana or kanji?
why not copy paste create a simiar image for them to figure out play with

[SkippyDaStudent85]

Good idea budd...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/BizarroSkippy/Japanese/t-shirt.jpg

FYI, I was informed that the bottom symbol is not a zero, so maybe it is just supposed to be an O.

[Pachipro]

Thanks for the pic. I'm still stumped! :?

[den4]

I wonder if it may be a local dialect thing :D

[SkippyDaStudent85]

Well, I heard back from her. Apparently, they are just numbers. No real meaning to them at all.

Sorry for wasting everyone's time. :sorry:

[budd]

wahahahaha!
i think it does mean something the maru at the bottom sets it off
but is her english good enough to explain what the shirt means -- i don't know
i am gonna have to do more research

[SkippyDaStudent85]

She said it does stand for 0, not O... I have no idea...

I think it is just a number put on there for the Toyama area. I remember Toyama coming up when I searched for the number.

If you find anything out, please let me know.