So, back in 2008 my fiancee & I visited Japan again during the Summer time.  We met up with our dear old friend Yukie…which she introduced us to an old schoolmate friend of hers. This guy’s name was Yutaka. He’s a really cool, chill guy.  We hung out & had a few drinks together.  Well, the funny thing is…by the end of the night, we were all soooo tipsy that my fiancee kept mispronouncing his name & calling him ‘Yukata‘.

Side note: for those of you who don’t know what a “yukata” is:
A light-weight cotton kimono worn primarily in the Summer time; worn by both men, women & children alike. Yukata are mainly worn during festivals & holidays.

Anyway…Yutaka was cool about it & kept correcting my fiancee. “It’s not Yukata, it’s Yu-Ta-Ka”.  Needless to say, everyone was cracking up at this incident.

You know, if you’re going to mis-pronounce a name like Yutaka… don’t call him a “summer kimono”.  Wouldn’t it be better to say “Yokatta” (which means “What a relief!” / “I’m so happy!”)?  At least if you mis-pronounce his name & call him ‘Yokatta’, it will sound like you are happy to see him.