1. 肩にぶつかる外人(ジンガイ) ウインクを投げる

Romaji: kata ni butsukaru jingai uinku o nageru
Nuance: “A foreigner brushes past my shoulder and throws me a wink.”

🗣 Cultural nuance:
Jingai here is not a slur, but jazz slang—industry jargon commonly used at the time. It is explicitly written as 外人（ジンガイ） in the original lyric sheet. The word conveys casual distance and urban lightness, capturing the fleeting flirtation of a crowded nightlife scene in early-1980s Japan.

2. 知らん顔のあなた とまどいのひとコマ

Romaji: shiran kao no anata tomadoi no hitokoma
Nuance: “You pretend not to notice—just a moment of my hesitation.”

🗣 Cultural nuance:
While she is openly flirted with, her partner remains indifferent. This emotional temperature gap creates a brief flicker of confusion—not anger or jealousy, but quiet uncertainty. Japanese lyrics often portray romance through such understated pauses rather than confrontation.

3. 踊りつかれていても 朝まで遊ぶわ 港の見える場所で 何か飲みたいのよ

Romaji: odoritsukarete itemo asa made asobu wa / minato no mieru basho de nanika nomitai no yo
Nuance: “Even if I’m tired of dancing, I want to stay out till morning—I want a drink somewhere overlooking the harbor.”

🗣 Cultural nuance:
This is not a vague suggestion but a clear invitation. In Japanese, proposing actions rather than stating feelings directly is a common way to express intimacy. The night is not over yet—and she knows it.

4. ジャスミンに接吻(くちづけ)を

Romaji: jasumin ni kuchidzuke o
Nuance: “A kiss for jasmine.”

🗣 Cultural nuance:
Jasmine evokes Chinese tea, fragrance, and foreign sensuality. By giving a kiss to a drink, the lyric personifies scent and taste, intensifying the sweetness of the night. This gentle metaphor heightens closeness without explicitness—a hallmark of Japanese sensual expression.

5. お店にならぶ 絹のドレスを指さす 渋い顔のあなた わがままがいいたい

Romaji: omise ni narabu kinu no doresu o yubisasu / shibui kao no anata wagamama ga iitai
Nuance: “I point to the silk dresses in the shop—you look uneasy, but I want to be selfish.”

🗣 Cultural nuance:
Silk qipao dresses line Chinatown shops. He hesitates, likely at the price. She wants to insist anyway. It is a restrained but unmistakable assertion of desire—an image of 1980s femininity that is neither submissive nor confrontational.

6. 愛想笑いのおばさん きっと似合うわと どこか静かな場所で 着がえてみたいのよ

Romaji: aiso warai no obasan kitto niau wa to / dokoka shizuka na basho de kigaete mitai no yo
Nuance: “The shop lady smiles and says it’ll suit me—I want to change somewhere quiet.”

🗣 Cultural nuance:
The shopkeeper’s professional smile nudges her forward. “Trying it on somewhere quiet” is a Japanese euphemism implying a private place—possibly staying the night together. What remains unspoken carries more weight than what is said.

7. 絹ずれの月あかり

Romaji: kinuzure no tsukiakari
Nuance: “Moonlight over the sound of silk brushing.”

🗣 Cultural nuance:
Kinuzure refers to the soft sound of fabric rubbing together. Instead of visual imagery, the lyric uses sound to suggest intimacy—a hotel room, bodies close, silence filled with presence. This is a remarkably mature metaphor, emblematic of early city pop lyricism.

🎤 Emotional Summary

Friday Chinatown is not about spectacle. It is about atmosphere.

Neon reflections.
Foreign scents.
Invitations never spoken aloud.

A woman who knows what she wants, yet chooses suggestion over declaration.
That elegance—restrained, confident, and deeply human—is why this song continues to resonate across decades and borders.