How to relax

Japanese people use many English words. They use them differently than native speakers of English do, though. Below is an article written by an American who has been living in Japan for a long time. Although she is writing this article with humor, it still tells you the problem of Japanese-English.

According to the Japan Times:

JAPAN LITE
Japanese-English holds key to Japan

Amy Chavez

....This got me to thinking seriously about the meaning of "relax" in Japan. It seems to be more of a feeling than an action, more an adjective than a verb. And it is momentary: a daydream here, a green label there, relationships with cute little thingamajigs. Even the new Starbucks bags advertise their azuki frappucino with, "Taste the day dream." When I think about it, these animal pillows were probably not made for beds at all. They were made for Japanese who like to sleep at their desks in their offices. These are desk pillows. For daydreaming.

...To me, the meaning of "relax" is a bit more drawn out, such as sitting on the front porch enjoying a cool summer evening. Shorter things, such as daydreaming at your desk or having a frappucino are moments taken to refresh yourself. But people in Japan rarely sit outside and enjoy a summer evening.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20070908cz.html

By the way, here are the definitions of "relax" (verb) in some dictionaries:

to become lax, weak, or loose (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Ed)
to feel calm and comfortable and stop worrying, or to make someone do this (Longman Advanced American Dictionary, 2nd Ed)
to make or become less worried or tense; to spend time not doing very much (Oxford Dictionary of American English)
If you relax or if something relaxes you, you feel more calm and less worried or tense. (Collins Cobuild Advanced Dictionary of American English)

Of course, your life is occupied with text messages in your cell phone. You're not relaxing...