明後日の方向 (asatte no houkou): Idiom Meaning “Direction of Day After Tomorrow”

Definition

明後日の方向 (あさってのほうこう, asatte no houkou) is a Japanese idiom that literally means “the direction of the day after tomorrow”. It metaphorically indicates in an ironic manner that something goes in a completely wrong and unpredictable direction. For instance, an uncoordinated person often throws a ball at 明後日の方向 (an unpredictable direction). It is also used to indicate that something/someone goes far off the point. For instance, if one says “明後日の方向に組織そしき改革かいかくをする” meaning “reform an institution in “the direction of the day after tomorrow”, that means that the reformation is completely off the mark.

Word Structure

明後日の方向 consists of the two words, “明後日あさって” and “方向ほうこう” with one particle, “の” between them. The first word means “the day after tomorrow”, and the latter means “direction”.

Synonym: 予想よそうの斜ななめ上うえを行いく

“予想の斜め上を行く” is a synonym of 明後日の方向. Literally, it means “go up obliquely above one’s expectation”, and means that something is unexpected and off the wall. You can also use the word “想像そうぞう” meaning “imagination” instead of “予想” meaning “expectation”.

Differences between 明後日の方向 and 予想の斜め上

Compared to 明後日の方向, 予想の斜め上を行く is used for something either positive or negative, and emphasises that something is unique, bizarre and/or unexpected. On the other hand, 明後日の方向 usually stresses that something is unreasonable and off the mark. Another difference is that 予想の斜め上を行く sounds more like a slang word and is mainly used on the Internet.

Example Sentences

Ex1
ボールを蹴けったら明後日の方向に飛とんで行いった
I kicked the ball and it flew in the irrelevant direction
Ex2
明後日の方向に議論ぎろんが進すすんでいる
The discussion is going off on a tangent.
Ex3
予想の斜め上を行く展開てんかいが、その映画えいが大だいヒットの理由りゆうだ。
The movie has become a big hit owing to its storyline that goes up obliquely above my expectation (i.e. unique storyline )
Ex4
友達ともだちにLINEを送おくったら、想像の斜め上を行く返事へんじがきた。
I sent a LINE message to my friend and got an unexpected reply

See also

Ashita, Asatte, Shiasatte, Yanoasatte: 13 Japanese Words Describing Dates

Synonyms

Synonyms: 予想よそうの斜ななめ上うえを行いく (see above)
Synonyms in English: unreasonable, unexpected
Related words and phrases: 想像そうぞう (imagination), 予想よそう (expectation)