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Japanese Culture
わびさび Japanese Aesthetics
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Walking into the famous castle of Versailles, you see large marble pillars, crystal chandeliers, and grand paintings on ever inch of walls and ceilings. On the other hand, when you go to the Japanese 銀閣寺（ぎんかくじ・ginkakuji・silver pavilion), you see 障子（しょうじ・shouj・sliding paper doors), 畳（たたみ・tatami ). Simple and unadorned compared to the ornate European high class architectures, the amazing thing about this Japanese aesthetic is that it is timeless. Most houses today have a 和室（わしつ・washitsu・Japanese room), usually with 障子 and 畳 floors. These were things that were considered beautiful and pleasing to live in hundreds of years ago, and are still appreciated today, while stone pillars and murals just are not prevalent in the modern era.
[pic]L:the interior of Togudo (銀閣寺), R:a modern 和室. Compare the two, pretty similar, right?
Wabi Sabi, the basics and etymology
When you study Japanese aesthetics, you will come across two key terms:わび（wabi) and さび（sabi). わび is the beauty in simplicity, while さび is the beauty in age. わび is said to have derived from the word 侘しい（わびしい・wabishii・lonely/poor). This relates to the old Japanese ideal of self-imposed poverty; where people believed that spiritual freedom was achieved through liberating the self from material desire. This lead to the aesthetic preference of simple, unadorned objects as opposed to showy decorated ones. さび has two meanings, one of which is similar to 侘しい and 錆(sabi・rust). さび is the beauty in use, and the age and wear accumulated through time. The closest English translation to the notion of beauty in rust (or age) would be “patina”like that of the statue of Liberty.
Application of わび・さび
Irregularity and imperfection is often associated with Japanese aesthetic preference. These conditions in combination. These conditions in combination to わび・さび brings out the unique sense of beauty, that is truly unique to Japanese culture. Mind you, this is not saying that わび・さび beauty is the dominant and only sense of beauty in Japan today. I am merely presenting these as a aesthetic preference that originated in Japan and is different when compared to the rest of the world. In わび・さび standards, art should be practical. It should not just be ornate, but have a function. Also, if there is a function, then it must be used. And through use, beauty accumulates (さび). Take a look at the above example of a bowl (picture). It is uneven and cracked, perhaps considered poor craftsmanship in European standards. However, as a わび tea practitioner, the imperfections are what makes objects beautiful. With perfection, comes death; because there is nothing left for the mind to imagine.
[pic]Hagi-style tea bowl
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|侘・寂 |わび・さび |wabi・sabi |wabi・sabi |
|和室 |わしつ |washitsu |Japanese room |
|障子 |しょうじ |shouj |sliding paper doors |
|畳 |たたみ |tatami |tatami |
|銀閣寺 |ぎんかくじ |ginkakuji |silver pavilion |
諺 proverbs
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It's impressive in any language when a non-native speaker is able to use 諺 (ことわざ・kotowaza・proverbs) correctly. Some would say that it is the highest indication of fluency. Sure, it would be nice to get rid of accents, but fluency isn't about being accent-free. 諺 play on cultural norms and shared concepts, and you can lean a lot about the country through them. Using them correctly would suggest that the speaker understands these concepts and is able to express them at the right time in the right context. Besides, 諺 are much more interesting to study than a long list of vocab words.
[pic]Some カルタ cards. See Administrator's Notes for more information.
Japanese 諺
These 諺 are quite representative of Japanese culture and they don't have immediate English translations.
• 出る杭はうたれる (でる くいは うたれる・deru kui wa utareru): this literally translates to "a peg that sticks out will be hammered", meaning that a person who is different or "sticks out" will be hammered down by society. This statement encourages conformity, a concept that is prevalent in Japanese culture.
• 三日坊主 (みっかぼうず・mikka bouzu): literally, "three day monk". 三日坊主 is somebody who can not stick to a task (ex. Dieting), either because they get bored quickly or give up easily.
• 能ある鷹は爪を隠す (のうあるたかはつめをかくす・nou aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu). This one is long, but it translates to "a smart hawk hides its claws". A knowledgeable or skilled person should keep their abilities to themselves, and not brag about what they can do.
[pic]An example of an illustration you could make to make your own カルタ for the 諺, 出る杭はうたれる.
English-Japanese Idioms
There are also 諺 that are shared among different languages and countries, some are almost identical and there are also some that have the same meaning but use different words or situations.
• 一石二鳥 (いっせきにちょう・isseki nichou): literally reads "one stone two birds", and as you may be able to guess, the English version is "to kill two birds with one stone".
• 知らぬが仏 (しらぬがほとけ・shiranu ga hotoke): this one is a bit tricky but the literal translation is "not knowing is Buddha", and the English equivalent would be "ignorance is bliss".
• 蛙の子は蛙 (かえるのこはかえる・kaeru no ko wa kaeru): means "the child of a frog is a frog", similar in meaning to "like father, like son".
Modern 諺
赤信号, 皆で渡れば怖くない (あかしんごう みんなで わたれば 怖くない・akashingou minna de watare ba kowakunai): this 諺 was first used by a famous Japanese comedian/celebrity and has gained enough popularity to be considered a modern 諺. It literally reads: "a red light is not scary if everyone crosses together". It means that an illegal or culturally unacceptable act is accepted or not scary to do if many people do it together - a very Japanese concept indeed.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|諺 |ことわざ |kotowaza |proverbs |
|カルタ |かるた |karuta |Japanese card game |
迷信 Japanese Superstition
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It's March and people are going green for St. Patrick's day - the color green, four leaf clovers, and a pot of gold. Aside from the symbols of St. Patrick's day, how many good luck omens from your culture can you think of? What about bad ones? Japan, like many other countries, has its own set of 迷信 (めいしん・meishin・jinx/superstition). Here are just a few to help you rack up the 運(うん・un・luck) this month.
[pic]Both are cats, yet one's good luck and one's bad luck.
不運
Starting with a set of 不運(ふうん・fuun・bad luck) omens for you to avoid:
• 口笛(くちぶえ・kuchibue・whistling) at night If you 口笛 at night, snakes and thieves will come to your house. This is a great way to keep your kids quiet at night... or at least keep them from whistling.
• 北枕(きたまくら・kita makura・”north pillow”) Look in your bedroom and see which way you point your head when you sleep. If you're pointed 北(きた・kita・north), you may want to consider rearranging your furniture. In Japan, the dead are laid pointing north during the wake.
• Sleeping right after eating Don't do it, because you'll turn into a cow. This is probably to discourage laziness, but I don't care what the reason is. That's just too funny.
• 黒猫(くろねこ・kuroneko・black cat) You're probably familiar with this one already - there are many 迷信 that are shared among cultures, and this one came to Japan from the west.
幸運
Now moving on to the 幸運(こううん・kouun・good luck) omens. These aren't necessarily things you can control, but you may notice them in your daily life.
• 茶柱 (ちゃばしら・chabashira・"tea pillar")
If your 茶柱 floats vertically in your tea, this is a sign of good luck. 茶柱 literally means tea pillar but the term refers to tea leaves. The leaves that stand, like in the image below are often long and skinny, like small pillars.
• 招き猫(まねきねこ・maneki neko・beckoning cat)
If you've been to a Japanese restaurant, you may have noticed a ceramic cat sitting on its hind legs with one paw up (image left). This is a 招き猫. Besides the black cat crossing the road, cats are generally good luck in Japan. This particular 招き猫 is said to bring in money to businesses, especially restaurants.
• クモ (くも・kumo・spider)
Arachnophobic? Don't be, for at least part of the day. If you see a クモ in the morning, it's good luck, and you should not kill it. On the other hand, if you see it at night, it’s bad luck.
• 四葉のクローバー(よつばのくろーばー・yotsuba no kuro-ba-・four leaf clover)
Bringing the topic back to St. Patrick’s day, the 四葉のクローバーis also good luck in Japan.
[pic]An example of 茶柱 standing upright. I see this often in the Jasmine tea at my local dim-sum restaurant.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|迷信 |めいしん |meishin |jinx/superstition |
|運 |うん |un |luck |
|不運 |ふうん |fuun |bad luck |
|幸運 |こううん |kouun |good luck |
月見 Moon Viewing
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Ever gone out on a night with a 満月(まんげつ・mangetsu・full moon) to just sit and observe how gorgeous it was? Well, 月見(つきみ・tsukimi・literally "moon" "look") is a traditional Japanese event where people do just that.
[pic]満月, ススキ and 団子, commonly associated with 月見
月見
月見 is a fall tradition that is said to have derived from China. It is celebrated on August 15 and September 13 of the lunar calendar (September 12 and October 12 2011, respectively). Commonly, people display specific seasonal food and plants, most commonly 団子(だんご・dango・rice dumpling, a bit like mochi) and ススキ(すすき・susuki・Japanese Pampas).
Though evidence is unclear, historians believe that this event was a way for people to thank the harvest season. 月見 is one of the less commonly celebrated traditional events, though some regions of Japan celebrate it more commonly than others.
Japanese Halloween
Recently, the western Halloween theme is becoming more prevalent in marketing sweets during October. But people do not celebrate it by wearing costumes or going door to door for candy.
However, in neighborhoods that celebrate 月見 commonly, there is an event called "お月見どろぼう" (o tsukimi どろぼう・dorobou・thief), where families leave 団子 on their porch and children of the neighborhood go around collecting them. It is said that the more どろぼう that come to your house, the better your luck will be.
月見団子 Recipe
Why not spend your weekend leading to September 12th making some 団子 and then on the day of, climb up and relax on your roof to enjoy お月見?
Materials:
Mochiko 100g, Jyoshinko (rice flour) as needed/about 50g, Kinugoshi tofu 1 pack, Sugar 10g or as needed, Katakuriko (starch)
Instructions:
• Mix mochiko, tofu, and sugar in a bowl
• Mix in jyoshinko until dough can be rolled into balls
• Roll dough into small bite-sized balls
• Boil dumplings in hot water until it rises to the surface of the water
• Cool in ice water
• Roll in katakuriko to stop it form sticking
You can eat it plain, put matcha powder or brown sugar syrup on it to eat the 団子. You can also wrap this dough around red bean paste (be sure to seal it properly), or make other variations on the recipe to make many different Japanese sweets.
[pic]月見団子
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|月見 |つきみ |tsukimi |moon gazing festival |
|満月 |まんげつ |mangetsu |full moon |
|団子 |だんご |dango |sweet rice dumpling |
七五三 753
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七五三 (しちごさん・shichigosan・literally "7,5,3") is a tradition celebrating children. It is held on November 15th for 3 & 5 year-old boys and 3 & 7 year old girls. On 七五三, the appropriately aged children dress up in traditional formal attire and families will go to 神社 (じんじゃ・jinja・Shinto shrine) and お寺(おてら・otera・Buddhist temple).
[pic]Families heading to 神社 and お寺 to celebrate 七五三
Origin
November is the end of the harvest season and the 15th of every month was said to be the day that demons do not come out (therefore, good luck). Long ago, when children commonly died shortly after birth, it was a very good sign if a child lived to the age of 7. Until then, a child's life was said to be "floating." Therefore, 七五三 was a day for families to be able to relax and finally be able to truly wish for their children’s growth since their life was now "grounded."
What happens on 七五三?
There is a whole range of ways to celebrate 七五三 and traditions vary depending on the region that you live in. It tends to be a standard for children to be dressed up in a 着物 (きもの・kimono) or other formal traditional outfits. Families will then go to a local 神社 or お寺 where the children are purified and families can wish for the child’s health and future growth.
Children receive 千歳飴 (ちとせあめ・chitose ame・literally "thousand year candy") and many families will go to the neighborhood photo studio and get family and children portraits taken.
In some regions, such as the Chiba prefecture, 七五三 is celebrated grandly at large venues, almost like a wedding.
千歳飴
As mentioned before, children commonly receive 千歳飴 on 七五三. They are sticks of long and skinny candy, and they usually come in large rectangular bags with handles that look almost like signs when small children carry them. 千歳飴 are fairly simple to make, but most families will opt to buy them, as the large bags do, in a way, complete the 七五三 image. 千歳飴 are long and skinny to represent the parents' hope and wish for their children to have a long life. The literal translation for 千歳飴 is "thousand year candy," to represent this hope.
[pic]千歳飴
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|七五三 |しちごさん |shichigosan |festival celebrating 3, 5, and 7 year old children |
|着物 |きもの |kimono |kimono |
|千歳飴 |ちとせあめ |chitose ame |七五三candy |
Traditional Games: カルタ Karuta
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Perhaps you’ve seen the anime ちはやふる (chihayafuru). For those of you who haven't, the characters in this anime play a traditional Japanese game called かるた (karuta). The name comes from the Portuguese word for cards, "carta". The game is played in a group of three of larger. There are two decks of cards. One deck's cards are read aloud by a designated reader, and each of those cards has a pairing card in the other deck that can have words and/or pictures. The point of the game is for the players to get the matching card to the card being read.
[pic]A very old pair of かるた cards. The one on the right contains a full poem (for the reader to read), while only the last phrase of the poem is written on the card on the left.
Perhaps you’ve seen the anime ちはやふる (chihayafuru). For those of you who haven't, the characters in this anime play a traditional Japanese game called かるた (karuta).
The name comes from the Portuguese word for cards, "carta". The game is played in a group of three of larger. There are two decks of cards. One deck's cards are read aloud by a designated reader, and each of those cards has a pairing card in the other deck that can have words and/or pictures. The point of the game is for the players to get the matching card to the card being read.
百人一首
Although かるた can be played with a set of cards on any topic, the traditional cards have the poems from 百人一首 (ひゃくにんいっしゅ・hyakunin isshu), which is a compilation of poems from famous poets and scholars between the Heian (794~1192) and Kamakura (1185-1333) eras. The style of poetry is called 短歌 (たんか・tanka). It is somewhat similar to the more famous and well-known 俳句 (はいく・haiku), which is composed of a set of 5-7-5 syllable verses. 短歌 is different in that it is a little bit longer; it follows a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable pattern. 百人一周 books can be found at pretty much any book store in Japan. Although it's not common to learn all of them now, Japanese people from older generations probably had to memorize a lot of them in school.
Going back to the 百人一首 as a かるた, the 読み札 (よみふだ・yomifuda・literally "read card") have the full 短歌 on them. The 取り札 (とりふだ・torifuda・literally "get card"), on the other hand, only have the last two seven-syllabled lines. The 取り札 are spread out on the floor and, because the 読み札 starts at the beginning of the 短歌, it gives you a huge advantage to have the whole thing memorized. As soon as the beginning of the 短歌 is read, you have to think of what the ending is and then find that card on the floor in front of you.
[pic]かるた match
I want to play!
It may not be much fun to learn all 100 短歌 and play competitive かるた, but if you're hanging out with a bunch of friends with nothing to do, かるた are fairly easy to make and can be a fun game to play. Pick any topic you want. You can practice your Japanese by doing them with vocab cards (read the vocab, match with picture of object/motion/etc.). You can do it with movie quotes (読み札) and the movie covers (取り札). Get creative. Or be uncreative and just have duplicates of each card. It can just be a search and grab game looking for whatever card has the exact same thing written on it as what is being read.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|カルタ |かるた |karuta |traditional Japanese speed card game |
|百人一首 |ひゃくにんいっしゅ |hyakunin isshu |hyakunin isshu |
|短歌 |たんか |tannka |tannka |
EMPEROR 天皇
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During my last trip to Japan, I picked up a planner. As I was flipping through December, I noticed there was a little red mark on the 23rd that said 天皇(てんのう・tennou・emperor) 誕生日(たんじょうび・tanjoubi・birthday). Wait, the 天皇's 誕生日is a national holiday?? I guess you learn something every day.
So in light of this newly acquired knowledge, this month's newsletter will be about the Japanese 天皇.
[pic]The imperial flag with the imperial seal.
The Current 天皇 and his role
The current Japanese 天皇 is Emperor Akihito. Historically, 天皇 is the monarch of Japan. According to the Japanese Constitution, the 天皇 is the symbol and representative of Japan and its people.
Since the Japanese government dissolved the empire of Japan after World War Two, the role of the 天皇 has become more and more symbolic.
But in reality, when you look at Japan's history, the country's been run by many other than the emperor: Shoguns, Damiyo, etc.
What people thought of 天皇
According to old Japanese myths, the story goes that the Japanese 天皇 are decedents of Isanami and Izanami, Shinto 神 (かみ・kami・god(s)) that created Japan. In that sense, 天皇 are at the highest authority of the Shinto religion.
In fact, 天皇 was claimed to be 神 until the end of World War II. When the Japanese lost the war, the 天皇 was required to announce on the radio that he was, in fact, human and not 神.
Fun Facts
• The Imperial Palace is called 皇居 (こうきょ・koukyo), located in Tokyo (in Chiyoda-ku near Tokyo station). It's about one square mile in area and was built on the site of the Edo Castle.
• Besides using the A.D. system to count the current year, the Japanese have another system called 年号 (ねんごう・nengou), which is like saying "era". In the past they had been determined by the family in power or historical events, but in recent years they have been determined by the 天皇.
The last emperor's regime marked the "Showa" period which ended with his death in 1989. The current 天皇 rules in the "Heisei" period, which will end whenever he dies.
• The 天皇's birthday becomes a national holiday, which changes, obviously, every time a new 天皇 takes the throne.
[pic]Stone bridge by the main entrance of the 皇居
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|天皇 |てんのう |tennou |emperor |
|皇居 |こうきょ |koukyo |imperial palace |
|神 |かみ |kami |god |
|誕生日 |たんじょうび |tanjoubi |birthday |
結婚式
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June bride. That was the first word that came to my mind this month. So this months' JOL is a crash course on Japnese 結婚式 (けっこんしき・kekkonnshiki・wedding ceremony).
[pic]Japanese style wedding - 神前式
If you plan on celebrating 母の日 how do you plan to do it? How did you celebrate it as a child? This month, we'll be comparing some of the generic or stereotypical ways 母の日 is celebrated in the US and Japan.
結婚
First of all, no ceremony is required for a 結婚 (けっこん・kekkon・marriage) in Japan - no vows or need to pronounce a couple husband and wife. Instead, a couple must submit a completed marriage form to the local government office. Once accepted, their status is changed in the family registry.
神前式
神前式 (しんぜんしき・shinzen shiki・literally "before god ceremony") is the "traditional" Japanese ceremony based off the Shinto religion. The "traditional" is in quotes because it used to be more common to have the priest come to one's home to do the ceremony but recently, people have it at shrines, hotels or other venues. For a 神前式, the bride and groom wear traditional Japanese kimono and the 新婦 (しんぷ・shinpu・bride) wears all white. She will also often wear traditional Japanese kimono and the 新婦 (しんぷ・shinpu・bride) wears all white. She will also often wear a hood.You may see a 神前式 if you visit a shrine in Japan. A part of this ceremony also includes a "parade" of the 新婦, 新郎 (しんろう・shinrou・groom) family and guests lead by the shrine's priest.
キリスト教式
But キリスト教式 （きりすときょうしき・kirisutokyou shiki・christian-style ceremony) is probably more popular in modern Japan. The interesting thing though is that many of the couples aren't Christian. Also, remember that in Japan, you don't actually need a priest of judge preside during the ceremony. But people still want them for the complete stereotypical chapel-style 結婚式 feel. So what you get are foreign actors (usually white male) reading vows.
Fusion 結婚式
For the indecisive, you can have a 結婚式 with both 神前式 and キリスト教式 aspects. There are many venues (ie. Hotels) that can accommodate both styles of 結婚式 and the reception. In this case, the 新郎・新婦 will change several times usually during the reception. These gown changes are called お色直し (おいろなおし・oironaoshi). Wedding dresses tend to be more expensive in Japan so many people will choose to rent. Also, with the お色直し, since there are often two or three it's rare for the 新婦 to actually own all of the dresses.
[pic]The gowns can get quite flamboyant for the お色直し.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|結婚 |けっこん |kekkon |marriage |
|結婚式 |けっこんしき |kekkonnshiki |wedding ceremony |
|新婦 |しんぷ |shinpu |bride |
|新郎 |しんろう |shinrou |groom |
神社
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Japan is said to be one of the most secular countries (in practice) in the world. But traditionally, there has been a wide spread of 仏教 (ぶっきょう・bukkyou・ Buddhism) and 神道 (しんとう・shintou・ Shintoism). Temples and shrines are a popular tourist destination in Japan - just like how churches are in Europe. This month, we’ll look into 神社 (じんじゃ・jinjya・ Shinto shrine) as 神道 it is the indigenous religion on Japan.
[pic]The beginning of the Thousand 鳥居 leading to Fushimi Inari Taisha
How to distinguish a 神社
So what is the difference between somewhere like Kitano-Tenmangu and Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto? Well, Kitano-Tenmangu is a 神社 and Kiyomizu-dera is お寺 (おてら・otera・ Buddhist Temple). Very simply put, 神社 is like a home for the 神道 gods, while an お寺 is a place for monks to practice and train their 仏教 beliefs.One of the first visual difference you’ll see is that a 神社 has a distinctive entrance gate called 鳥居 (とりい・torii) You’ll likely recognize it if you see it. Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto is especially famous for their 鳥居. Called the “Thousand 鳥居, “ it’s a tunnel of gates leading to the 神社. There are too many to know the exact number, but it’s said there could be up to 10,000 鳥居 and the number is still growing. If you’re up for the 2hour long hike to get to the 神社, Fushimi Inari Taisha’s entrance tunnel is great for photos.
What to do at a 神社
This time of year, many of the Japanese people going to 神社 do so for school and academic related reasons. Winter through Spring is the time when students prepare for the new school year with entrance/graduation exams. Though Japan is though to be secular, people still have the superstitious habit of going to 神社 for 神頼み (かみだのみ・kamidanomi), which literally means to ask the gods a favor.
People do this by one or a combination of things like, visiting the 神社, filling out an 絵馬 (えま・ema・a wooden plank for writing a wish/prayer), buying お守り (おまもり・omamori・ an amulet/ Japanese good luck charm), etc.
[pic]絵馬 hung at a shrine
絵馬 are usually filled out hung on a designated wall at the 神社. They most commonly have pictures of a horse pictures of a horse (long time ago, people used to donate their horses for 神頼み, but some shrines will have different animals. When you go to a 神社 you will likely see an array of お守り being sold, each for different wishes (ie, getting rich, travel safety, healthy birth of a child, academic improvement, etc.) Many people buy their own お守り, but there is also a saying that they work best when they are gifted by somebody who cares about the recipient, so many people buy them as presents.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|神道 |しんとう |shintou |Shintoism |
|神社 |じんじゃ |jinjya |Shinto shrine |
|鳥居 |とりい |torii |entrance gate to a shrine |
|神頼み |かみだのみ |kamidanomi |asking the gods a favor |
|お守り |おまもり |omamori |Japanese good luck charm |
ご当地グルメ Regional Specialty
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Food, food, food. Upon your visit to Japan, you must try the food! And no, Japanese food isn't all about sushi and teriyaki. Like how Philadelphia is known for the philly cheese steak, and New York for their bagels, different regions in Japan also have specialties. In fact, ご当地グルメ (ごとうちぐるめ・gotouchi gurume・gotouchi = regional, gurume = gourmet/ specialty) probably gets more attention in Japan than they do in the US.
[pic]お好み焼き
Hokkaido
Hokkaido is the big island prefecture north of Honshu. Hokkaido is known for their ラーメン (らーめん・ra-men・rame). No, not the cheap instant noodles, the real stuff made from scratch. This fast and popular dish is most often eaten out, which is why ラーメン横町 (らーめんよこちょう・ra-men yokocho・ramen alley) exist. ラーメン横町 are streets of competing ラーメン restaurants lined up side-by-side. Hokkaido's ラーメン is so good, competitors all over Japan try to imitate this fabulous dish.
Shizuoka
The Shizuoka prefecture, home of Mt. Fuji, is known for their 緑茶 (りょくちゃ・ryokucha・green tea). The Shizuoka climate is ideal for tea crops which is why it produces the most 緑茶. With centuries of tea growth experience, Shizuoka 緑茶 is recognized as the tea prefecture.
Osaka/Hiroshima
Although a bit controversial, the お好み焼き (おこのみやき・okonomiyaki) is considered to be Osaka/Hiroshima's ご当地グルメ. It's a savory vegetable pancake-like dish that is typically made on a hot plate and served with a special sauce. If you ask anyone from Osaka, they'll tell you it's Osaka's ご当地グルメ, and if you ask anyone from Hiroshima, they'll tell you it's theirs.
Kanagawa
People may be less familiar with this prefecture (compared to those like Kyoto, Osaka, or Tokyo), but their ご当地グルメ is a very popular dish in Japan. うどん (udon) noodles, specifically known as the 讃岐うどん (さぬきうどん・sanuki udon), is a thick wheat pasta served with 出汁 (だし・dashi・fish broth). If you go to a Japanese/Asian market, it is often found near the ラーメン section.
Okinawa
Way, way south in the Pacific Ocean, there is a tiny island prefecture called Okinawa. If you're looking for a country side beach resort in Japan, this is the island you want to be on. Located far from mainland Japan, Okinawa's environment is very unique, particularly due to foreign presence of the American military there. Okinawa is known to be the Hawaii of Japan. Their tropical climate makes for a very tropical diet, so their sweets are delightful. Okinawa is famous for their sugar doughnut さーたーあんだぎー (sa-ta-andagi-). This simple, crispy, sweet dessert is most definitely worth the trip!
[pic]さーたーあんだぎー from Okinawa
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|ご当地グ|ごとうちぐるめ |gotouchi gurume |gotouchi = regional, gurume =|
|ルメ | | |gourmet/specialty |
|緑茶 |りょくちゃ |ryokucha |green tea |
|お好み焼|おこのみやき |okonomiyaki |okonomiyaki |
|き | | | |
Weird お菓子
Even though I'm too old to be out trick-or-treating, November is still the month of candies and sweets. When I've taken back American お菓子（おかし・okashi・okashi) to Japan, I've gotten some "ew, how can you eat that?" kind of reactions. But when I thought about it, there are just so many bizarre お菓子 in Japan, they really have no right to hate on others'.
[pic]Weird Okashi - Curry-set, Osushiya-san, Cake-ya-san
楽しい お菓子
Before we go into the gross stuff, lets start with the たのしい(たのしい・tanoshii・fun) type of お菓子. The brand Popin' Cookin' makes these boxed candies that are kits to make edible replicas of other things. For Example, they have a kit to make sushi-shaped candy, curry-shaped, ramen, bento, etc. It comes with the tray and candy mixes, all you need is water. You follow the instructions, mix the powders with water or provided liquid, pour them into the mold and voila! Perhaps not the best tasting, but it can definitely keep many kids (and I'm sure adults) occupied for a while. There's a lot of youtube videos if you're interested in seeing how this building candy thing looks in action.
限定 お菓子
It seems like Japanese candy companies just assume that a product will be an instant hit as long as they slab on the word 限定(げんてい・gentei・limited (edition)) on the packaging. Now, mind you, some of these are actually pretty good, like matcha kit-kat or sweet potato caramel. But when you start mixing in meat, natto, or mayo with candy… that's a no-no. We know that, but somehow we're still reaching for that box…
Some museums will have free admission on this day, or will put up special exhibits around this time of year. Those in Japan during this time of year should check these out. If you like Japanese sports, November 3rd is also the day that the National Kendo Competition is held in the famous Nippon Budoukan arena - nationally televised by NHK.
面白い お菓子
And there are those that are so out there that it's plain 面白い(おもしろい・omoshiroi・funny/interesting). One お菓子 that I often found abused in Japan are ドロップス(どろっぷす・doroppusu・literally "drops", but they're essentially hard candy). And by abused, I mean they make all kinds of crazy flavored ones. It's become somewhat of the food equivalent of collector's spoons.
Everywhere you go, people have designed their own kind of ドロップス, only available there. For example, Miyagi prefecture is known for a barbeque dish involving cow tongue. Now, the cow tongue BBQ is completely fine on its own and I'm sure I the ドロップスwas too. But no, they have to fix the two to make the Miyagi 限定, cow-tongue ドロップス. If you're ever somewhere in Japan with no idea what to get for your friends back home, go to the gift isle and you're bound to find something crazy among the ドロップス. They're fairly small and interesting to look at, I'm sure you'll get a few laughs while playing truth or dare.
[pic]Some examples of crazy ドロップス, from the left: eel, shio ramen, momiji-manjyuu, and oyster candy. Yum.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|お菓子 |おかし |okashi |okashi |
|たのしい |たのしい |tanoshii |fun |
|限定 |げんてい |gentei |limited (edition) |
|面白い |おもしろい |omoshiroi |funny/interesting |
お正月 A Japanese Tradition
[pic]
あけましておめでとうございます！
Gearing up for 新年 (しんねん・shinnen・the new year) with glitter and firecrackers seems like a common practice not only in the US but also in Japan today. お正月(おしょうがつ・oshougatsu・new year's/January 1st) is still the largest holiday celebrated in Japan during this time of year, and though much of the tradition is still kept, this may be your chance to impress your Japanese friends of your knowledge about お正月.
[pic]
Decoration
• しめ縄(しめなわ・shimenawa - literally translates to "tight rope" left photo) is probably the most common お正月 decoration. It is made of thick braided ropes and hung outside the front door of a house by the 29th of December. It's bad luck to hang a しめ縄 past the 29th through the 31st and must be taken off by the 8th of January. According to Shintoism, しめ縄 decoration represents the purification of the house.
• 門松(かどまつ・kadomatsu) is a decoration primarily made of bamboo and pine. These decorations are placed outside the home, typically around the same time as the しめ縄. They are quite large in size, and are thus uncommon in typical households. Most businesses fashion smaller versions of 門松 and every so often one may see an even smaller version outside some households.
For the kids
お正月 is a holiday you really look forward especially if you are a Japanese child.
• お年玉(おとしだま・otoshidama), is the tradition where the adults in the family give money to the children. It's like a bonus, if you want to think of allowances as a kid's salary. Needless to say, this is the most exciting part of お正月 for many kids.
• 獅子舞(ししまい・shishimai): While the 新年 marks the coming of a new year and people wish for good things to come. At this time families wish for their children's health and well-being. The 獅子舞 is similar to the lion dances commonly seen during Chinese New Years. Having your child's head "bitten" by the lion, it is told, ensures the child's well-being in the coming year.
[pic]Children playing traditional Japanese games sung in the song お正月 (left) and some typical envelopes that お年玉 come in (right).
There's a short, yet famous song called お正月 about a child's excitement for お正月. It talks about playing with 凧 (たこ・tako・kite), 駒 (こま・koma・spinning tops), 鞠 (まり・marii・embroidere balls), and おいばね (oibane・a badminton like ball you hit with a racquet called "hagoita") ? all of which are traditional games children played in the past.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|あけましておめでとうございます |あけましておめでとうございます |akemashite omedetou gozaimasu |Happy New Years! |
|新年 |しんねん |shinnen |the new year |
|お正月 |おしょうがつ |oshougatsu |new year's/January 1st |
文化の日 Culture Day
[pic]
November 3rd is 文化の日 (ぶんかのひ・bunka no hi・literally, "day of culture") - a national holiday dedicated to Ja-panese culture. More specifically, it is noted on the Japanese constitution as the day to love 自由 (じゆう・jiyuu・freedom), 平和 (へいわ・heiwa・peace), and to advance 文化 (ぶんか・bunka・culture).
[pic]Tokyo Jidai (era) Matsuri held yearly on 文化の日 since 1988 - A parade representing paintings on scrolls walk around Asakusa.
History
The proclamation of the Japanese Constitution, or 日本国憲法 (にほんこくけんぽう・nihonkoku kenpou・Constitution of Japan) was on November 3rd 1946.
The day was made a 祝日 (しゅくじつ・shukujitsu・national holiday) in 1948. There is however, no formal indication that 文化の日 was purposefully matched to the date of the proclamation of 日本国憲法.
Events
Every 文化の日, there is a ceremony where the Japanese Emperor confers the Order of Culture in the Imperial residence. Many cities and local governments/organizations in Japan will hold 文化 festivals with traditional gear, dances, songs, etc.
Some museums will have free admission on this day, or will put up special exhibits around this time of year. Those in Japan during this time of year should check these out. If you like Japanese sports, November 3rd is also the day that the National Kendo Competition is held in the famous Nippon Budoukan arena - nationally televised by NHK.
November 3rd is also...
Many have dubbed 文化の日 as pseudo-holidays and specials days.
For example, 文化の日 is also レコードの日 (れこーどのひ・reko-do no hi・day of records), according to the Recording Industry Association of Japan that coined the holiday in 1957 to make the statement that records (music) are an integral part of culture.
Similarly, in 2002, big-name manga publishers in Japan dubbed November 3rd as マンガの日 (まんがのひ・manga no hi・day of manga) in hopes of raising the notion of manga as an integral part of Japanese culture.
And, of course, there are holidays that seem a bit unrelated, such as 文具の日 (ぶんぐのひ・bungu no hi・day of office supplies) - reasoning being that from a historical standpoint, 文具 and 文化 have the same meaning - you be the judge of whether that makes sense or not.
[pic]National Kendo Competition held in Nippon Budoukan on 文化の日
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|文化の日 |ぶんかのひ |bunka no hi |day of culture |
|~の日 |(~のひ |~no hi |day of ~ |
|祝日 |しゅくじつ |shukujitsu |national holiday |
|日本国憲法 |にほんこくけんぽう |nihonkoku kenpou |Constitution of Japan |
春分の日 Spring Holiday
[pic]
The holiday season are well over, Valentine's Day has passed, there isn't much more to look forward to for a while in the US unless you have spring break. But in Japan, there's a 祝日( しゅくじつ・shukujitsu・public holidays) to look forward to, 春分の日( しゅんぶんのひ・shunbunnohi).
[pic]Japan's 祝日 are all written in to the nation's constitution
Literally, it's the "spring portion day", kind of a holiday to celebrate the coming of Spring. In the Japanese law, it's described as a day to appreciate nature and organisms.
It's also commonly referred to as the day in the year when the time of daylight equals to that of the nighttime. But in reality, this isn't quite true.
In terms of the actual day, it's usually around March 20th or 21st. This year, it's on March 20th, a Wednesday. There isn't a traditional way to celebrate 春分の日. Some people use it as a day to visit their ancestral/family grave.
秋分の日
As you may have wondered, there's also an autumn counterpart to this holiday, 秋分の日( しゅうぶんのひ・shuubun no hi). It's in September (this year, September 23rd) and otherwise treated similarly to 春分の日.
About Japanese 祝日
There are 15 祝日 in Japan this year. They're all indicated under the Public Holiday Law of 1948. The law also states that in any given year, if these 祝日 fall on a Sunday, the 祝日 is to be moved to the following Monday. When this happens, the Monday holiday is called a called 振替休日 ( ふりかえきゅうじつ・furikae kyuujitsu・transfer holiday).
Also the law mandates that if two 祝日sandwich a normal day, the day in the middle also becomes a holiday. This bonus holiday is called 国民の休日 ( こくみんのきゅうじつ・kokumin no kyuujitsu・citizen's holiday).
[pic]People often say that 春分の日and 秋分の日 are the days when the day and night are equally split. In reality, this isn't true.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|祝日 |しゅくじつ |shukujitsu |public holidays |
|振替休日 |ふりかえきゅうじつ |furikae kyuujitsu |transfer holiday |
|国民の休日 |こくみんのきゅうじつ |kokumin no kyuujitsu |citizen's holiday |
ゴールデンウィーク Golden Week
Golden week （ゴールデンウィーク）is a term for the period at the end of April to the start of May that encompass four public holidays, or 祝日 (しゅくじつ）that were indicated in the Public Holiday Law of 1948. The four holidays included in Golden Week include:
29 April – 昭和の日 (しょうわのひ・Shōwa Day)
The origin of 昭和の日 is relatively recent in comparison to the other official public holidays in Golden Week. April 29th was originally 天皇誕生日（てんのうたんじょうび・The Emperor’s Birthday）during the Showa era from 1926-1989. When the Showa era (昭和時代・しょうわじだい) ended in 1989 and the Heisei (平成・へいせい) period began, 昭和の日 was changed to Greenery Day, or みどりの日.
In 2007, the holiday was renamed again to昭和の日to honor the birthday of the Shōwa Emperor and to encourage reflection of the Showa era.
3 May – 憲法記念日 (けんぽうきねんび・Constitution Memorial Day)
憲法記念日, or the Constitution Memorial Day commemorates the Constitution of Japan coming into effect on May 3rd, 1947.
4 May –みどりの日 (みどりのひ・Greenery Day)
みどりの日originally came into effect in 1989 at the end of the Showa era on April 29th – what used to be The Emperor’s Birthday. May 4th used to be a Citizen’s Holiday or a国民の休日 (こくみんのきゅうじつ) due to a law that stated that if a normal day is between two祝日that day also becomes a holiday. When April 29th was renamed to Shōwa Day in 2007, May 4th was changed to みどりの日.
5 May –こどもの日 (こどもの日・Children’s Day)
こどもの日 is a day that celebrates children and their happiness.
Depending on the year, if any of the holidays fall on a Sunday, a Compensation or Transfer Holiday (振替休日・ふりかえきゅうじつ) is held on April 30th or May 6th. Golden Week is a popular time for people to travel or take vacations, and some companies will close or give time off during this time.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|- |ゴールデンウィーク |Gooruden Wiiku |Golden Week |
|祝日 |しゅくじつ |Shukujitsu |Public Holiday |
|昭和の日 |しょうわのひ |Showa no Hi |Showa Day |
|天皇誕生日 |てんのうたんじょうび |Tennou Tanjoubi |The Emperor’s Birthday |
|昭和時代 |しょうわじだい |Showa Jidai |Showa Era |
|平成 |へいせい |Heisei |Heisei Period |
|憲法記念日 |けんぽうきねんび |Kenpou Kinenbi |Constitution Memorial Day |
|みどりの日 |みどりのひ |Midori no Hi |Greenery Day |
|国民の休日 |こくみんのきゅうじつ |Kokumin no Kyuujitsu |Citizen’s Holiday |
|こどもの日 |こどものひ |Kodomo no Hi |Children’s Day |
|振替休日 |ふりかえきゅうじつ |Furikae Kyuujitsu |Transfer Holiday |
Other 祝日
Japan has 15祝日 (しゅくじつ・Public Holidays) throughout the course of a year. However, some 祝日have less practiced traditions but are still important to Japanese culture, and so they’ll be covered here.
成人の日
成人の日（せいじんのひ・Coming of Age Day）is a national holiday held on the second Monday of January (Previously 1/15) that celebrates the people who have reached the age of 20. In Japan, the age of 20 is a milestone similar to the ages of 18 and 21 in the US, where once reaching that age, one’s rights and responsibilities as a citizen greatly increase. At age 20, Japanese citizens gain the responsibility of being allowed to drive and vote in elections, as well as the liberties to drink and smoke (if they choose to).
On成人の日, there are 成人式（せいじんしき・Seijinshiki）or “Coming of Age Ceremonies” that consist of those participating to dress up in traditional clothing and visit a local city office. Recently, the number of people who participate in成人の日 have been declining.
建国記念の日
建国記念の日（けんこくきねんのひ・Foundation Day）is a national holiday held annually on February 11th. This holiday exists to celebrate Japan’s foundation and to express patriotism. Initially a more Shinto oriented tradition that heavily focused on the Japanese Emperor; today, 建国記念の日 does not have particularly grand or public celebrations and is a rather quiet祝日.
海の日
海の日（うみのひ・Marine Day）is a national holiday held annually during the month of July as respect to the oceans surrounding Japan and the nation’s reliance on them. Initially, 海の日 was held on July 20th, but was changed in 2003 to be held on the third Monday of July. 海の日 has a lot of ocean related events, and due to the time of the holiday being in the middle of July, is a popular time to take trips.
山の日
山の日（やまのひ・Mountain Day）is the newest Japanese祝日with the purpose of celebrating and learning about the mountains, which are a prominent geological feature of the nation. 山の日 is celebrated on August 11th to overlap with the vacation time during the お盆(おぼん・Bon Festival).
敬老の日
敬老の日（けいろうのひ・Respect for the Elders Day）is a national holiday previously held on September 15, but was changed to now be held on the third Monday of September. Japan is a nation that highly regards the elderly, and respect to one’s superiors and elders is something that is highly valued in Japanese culture. As a result, 敬老の日 exists to honor and feature the lives and accomplishments of the elderly.
勤労感謝の日
勤労感謝の日（きんろうかんしゃのひ・Labor Thanksgiving）is held annually on November 23rd for the purpose of giving thanks and respecting labor. It used to be an autumn harvest festival, but was changed to be more related towards celebrating human and worker’s rights.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|祝日 |しゅくじつ |Shukujitsu |Public Holiday |
|成人の日 |せいじんのひ |Seijin no Hi |Coming of Age Day |
|成人式 |せいじんしき |Seijinshiki |Coming of Age Ceremony |
|建国記念の日 |けんこくきねんのひ |Kenkoku Kinen no Hi |Foundation Day |
|海の日 |うみのひ |Umi no Hi |Marine Day |
|お盆 |おぼん |Obon |Bon Festival |
|山の日 |やまのひ |Yama no Hi |Mountain Day |
|敬老の日 |けいろうのひ |Keirou no Hi |Respect for Elders Day |
|勤労感謝の日 |きんろうかんしゃのひ |Kinrou Kansha no Hi |Labor Thanksgiving |
テーマレストラン Themed Restaurant
[pic]
A restaurant that takes Halloween to a whole new level, every day of the year. テーマレストラン (てーまれすとらん・te-ma resutorann・themed restaurants) are getting a lot of attention in the culinary world in Japan.
[pic]メイドカフェ or 執事カフェ, take your pick!
What is a テーマレストラン?
テーマレストラン is becoming popular all over the world right now. It is a restaurant that dedicates its 食べ物 (たべもの・tabemono・food), music, set-up, design, and overall feel to a theme. The theme is often quite obvious and it is taken to a very extreme level.
Though the idea of テーマレストラン has been around for a while, it was kept as a family-style and theme park only thing. The more recent テーマレストラン have stepped up the game in terms of the quality and engagement of the setting and workers.
Classic Japanese テーマレストラン
One of the first and most popular type of テーマレストラン that originated in Japan is the メイドカフェ (メイドカフェ・meido cafe・maid cafe). As you may already know, the workers all dress up as maids and refer to the customers as ご主人様 (ごしゅじんさま・goshujin sama・master), お嬢様 (おじょうさま・ojousama・lady), etc. It originated in Akihabara, the Mecca of Anime, Manga, and the Otaku culture.
In response to the メイドカフェ, which are generally catered for male customers, there is now a 執事カフェ (しつじかふぇ・shitsuji cafe・butler cafe), marketed for women, where all of the workers are dressed as butlers and the customers are called お嬢様.
The Variety of Themed Restaurants
The amount of dedication that a テーマレストラン puts into their theme widely varies. For example, there are Vampire themed restaurants that put a lot of effort into the gloomy yet elegant interior designs, but their 食べ物 is normal. On the other hand, there are more extreme テーマレストラン (like the picture below) where the theme of an insane asylum is taken to a point where guests are seated in cells, the 食べ物 is brought in beakers, and the chefs all wear scrubs.
The themes can also vary anywhere from maids, ninja house, haunted house, toilet, dining in pitch black, coffins, cannibalism, recreations of popular animes/mangas and so on.
You don't have to go to Japan to experience テーマレストラン. It's becoming popular all over the world, and with some research, you can probably find one near your house, or at your next vacation destination.
[pic]Popular insane asylum テーマレストラン.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|テーマレストラン |てーまれすとらん |te-ma resutorann |themed restaurants |
|カフェ |かふぇ |cafe |cafe |
|食べ物 |たべもの |tabemono |food |
温泉・銭湯 Public Baths
[pic]
You have probably been to a public pool, sat in a Jacuzzi tub, and taken a shower in the locker room. You may go to a pool to swim or to a gym to work out, but you probably don't go somewhere just to take a bath.
Have you ever been to a hot spring? If so, was it outside? Did you wear a swimsuit? How much did you have to pay to go in? 温泉 (おんせん・onsen・hot spring) and 銭湯 (せんとう・sentou・public bath) have been around for many years in Japan and are very popular even today.
[pic]温泉 is not always indoor. Outdoor onsen, (aka 露天風呂 rotenburo) is also very popular and common.
How to Experience 温泉・銭湯
There are norms and unwritten rules to a "public bath" that you may find to be surprising. First and foremost, you go into a 温泉 naked. Therefore, most 銭湯 have a separated 女湯 (おんなゆ・onnnayu・woman's bathroom) and 男湯 (おとこゆ・otokoyu・men's bathroom).
Once you go in, you put all of your clothes and belongings into a basket or locker, and you walk into the bathing area naked with all of the other bathers in the same room.
There, you must first wash your body, since the 温泉 tubs are meant for already-bathed people. Because of all of the minerals in the water, it is best if you do not wash your body off after sitting in the tubs. However, your body may feel slimy or uncomfortable because of these minerals. You can choose whether or not you want to wash your body a second time, wash your hair, and go back out into the changing area.
Declining popularity
銭湯 were originally used by people whose houses did not have bathtubs or showers. However, as more and more houses started having them, less people went to 銭湯.
This is where 温泉 came into play. By combining the idea of a 銭湯 and providing a place where 温泉 is readily available, more people came. Now, 温泉 facilities have incorporated spas, fancy saunas, and restaurants to attract more guests.
What's so good about 温泉?
Besides just "feeling good" after sitting in a nice hot tub of hot water, going to the 温泉 can have positive effects like relaxing tension in the muscle, improving the appearance of your skin, and sweating out toxins.
For example, 文化の日 is also レコードの日 (れこーどのひ・reko-do no hi・day of records), according to the Recording Industry Association of Japan that coined the holiday in 1957 to make the statement that records (music) are an integral part of culture.
Similarly, in 2002, big-name manga publishers in Japan dubbed November 3rd as マンガの日 (まんがのひ・manga no hi・day of manga) in hopes of raising the notion of manga as an integral part of Japanese culture.
And, of course, there are holidays that seem a bit unrelated, such as 文具の日 (ぶんぐのひ・bungu no hi・day of office supplies) - reasoning being that from a historical standpoint, 文具 and 文化 have the same meaning - you be the judge of whether that makes sense or not.
[pic]岩盤浴 - rock bathing
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|温泉 |おんせん |onsen |hot spring |
|銭湯 |せんとう |sentou |public bath |
|女湯 |おんなゆ |onnnayu |woman’s bathroom |
|男湯 |おとこゆ |otokoyu |men’s bathroom |
|岩盤浴 |がんばんよく |ganbanyoku |rock bathing |
Trip to Japan
It's 夏休み (なつやすみ・natsuyasumi・summer break) for the students out there! I've always associated 夏 (なつ・natsu・summer) with 旅行 (りょこう・ryokou・travel), since that's when I would always visit Japan. You might think 荷造り (にづくり・nizukuri・packing) is the same for any country you go to, but I've found that there are some things I just need to make sure I have when I go to Japan.
[pic]Things I've packed for my 5 week trip to Japan Everything fit in a 35L backpack.
Essentials
• Deodorant: This is an absolute must item I always pack from the US. Now, you can buy デオドラント (でおどらんと・deodoranto・deodorant) in Japan, but they just don't work. I don't know what it is about those aerosol deodorant cans, but all they do is send cool scented air to you and it doesn't have the lasting effect many of the US ones do. Even the solid or cream type deodorants in Japan don't work.
• Cash: People in Japan don't use debit/credit cards as often as people in the US. Many people regularly carry hundreds of dollars' worth of cash around in their wallet every day. Larger stores will accept cards, but there are many stores in Japan that don't even give you the option to use a card. It's okay to use a 10,000円 (えん・en・yen) bill to make a 250円 purchase. It’s not like using $100 bill to buy a $2.50 pair of socks.
• Two-prong AC adaptor heads: Check to make sure all of your electronics are two-pronged. Three-pronged コンセント (こんせんと・konsento・AC plug) are rare in Japan. Also, the voltage is different (100V vs. 120V in North America). Newer appliances (laptop, camera, cell phone) will be okay with the different voltages, but older appliances will not.
Recommended
• Tissue paper/handkerchief: Sometimes, when you go into public bathrooms in Japan, there are no ティッシュ (てぃっしゅ・tisshu・tissue) or paper towels. I also see that most people in Japan carry their own ハンカチ (はんかち・hankachi・handkerchief). The interesting thing about ティッシュ is that you'll often find people handing them out on the street instead of flyers or ads.
• Rail pass: If you're going to be doing a lot of traveling via trains in Japan, look into getting a rail pass. There are many types, but if you want the week-long ones, you need to buy it before you get to Japan. All other types of rail pass can be purchased once you're there.
[pic]Some 公衆トイレ (こうしゅう といれ・koushuu toire・public bathroom) have no toilet paper.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|夏休み |なつやすみ |natsuyasumi |summer break |
|荷造り |にづくり |nizukuri |packing |
旅行 Travel
[pic]
It's 夏休み (なつやすみ・natsuyasumi・summer break) for the students out there! I've always associated 夏 (なつ・natsu・summer) with 旅行 (りょこう・ryokou・travel), since that's when I would always visit Japan.
You might think 荷造り (にづくり・nizukuri・packing) is the same for any country you go to, but I've found that there are some things I just need to make sure I have when I go to Japan.
For those of you possibly going to Japan this summer or are planning to anytime in the future, here are some 荷造り tips. We're not going to go over the obvious stuff, this is a list of things specific to Japan.
[pic]Please keep an eye on the weight of your luggage!
Essentials
• Deodorant: This is an absolute must item I always pack from the US. Now, you can buy デオドラント (でおどらんと・deodoranto・deodorant) in Japan, but they just don't work. I don't know what it is about those aerosol deodorant cans, but all they do is to send cool scented air to you and it doesn't have the lasting effect many of the US ones do. Even the solid or cream type deodorants here don't work.
• Cash: People in Japan don't use debit/credit cards as often as people in the US. Many people regularly carry hundreds of dollars' worth of cash around in their wallet every day. Larger stores will accept cards, but there are many stores in Japan that don't even give you the option to use a card. It's okay to use a 10,000円 (えん・en・yen) bill to make a 250円 purchase. It’s not like using $100 bill to buy a $2.50 pair of socks.
• Two-prong AC adaptor heads: Check to make sure all of your electronics are two-pronged. Three-pronged コンセント (こんせんと・konsento・AC plug) are rare in Japan. Also, the voltage is different (100V vs. 120V in North America). Newer appliances (laptop, camera, cell phone) will be okay with the different voltages, but older appliances will not.
Recommended
• Tissue paper/handkerchief: Sometimes, when you go into public bathrooms in Japan, there are no ティッシュ (てぃっしゅ・tisshu・tissue) or paper towels. I also see that most people in Japan carry their own ハンカチ (はんかち・hankachi・handkerchief). The interesting thing about ティッシュ is that you'll often find people handing them out on the street instead of flyers or ads.
• Rail pass: If you're going to be doing a lot of traveling via trains in Japan, look into getting a rail pass. There are many types, but if you want the week-long ones, you need to buy it before you get to Japan. All other types of rail pass can be purchased once you're there.
[pic]Hankachi is very helpful for Summer season in Japan.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|夏休み |なつやすみ |natsuyasumi |summer break |
|旅行 |りょこう |ryokou |travel |
|荷造り |にづくり |nizukuri |packing |
Packing for Japan
[pic]
It’s almost summer, which means (for some of you lucky ones) - SUMMER VACATION! Well, regardless of whether you have vacation or not, you may have an opportunity to go on a 旅行 (りょこう・ryokou・ trip). This month, let’s go over some 荷造り (にづくり・nizukuri・ packing) essentials for a trip to Japan.
[pic]Even for a seasoned traveler 荷造り can be tricky when going to a new country
Cash
One of the most important issues when traveling - Money. You don’t necessarily have to pack yen in your wallet before going to the country, but keep in mind that 現金 (げんきん・genkin・ cash) transactions are very common and sometimes the only way to pay for things in Japan. For example, it’s perfectly acceptable in Japan to pay for a 500yen item (approx. $5) with a 10,000 yen bill (approx. $100). On the other hand, they may look at you weird for trying to use a card - if they even accept cards.
Deodorant
Deodorants, because the ones commonly available in Japan don’t work nearly as well as the American brands. And it gets very hot and humid in most parts of Japan during the summer. You’d never want to be crammed in a 満員 (まんいん・manninn・full capacity for buildings, vehicles ) 電車 (でんしゃ・densha・ train) reeking of BO, right?
A pack of pocket tissues
Just in case you happen to run into one of those public bathrooms in Japan that don’t have toilet paper. But you only need to bring one if you’re going to a big city. You will likely run into people giving them out for free on the streets (instead of flyers).
Clean 靴下 （くつした・kutsushita・socks）
Japan is generally a no-shoes-indoors country. Carry a pair of 靴下 even if you’re wearing flip-flops in case you have the opportunity to go inside temples, houses etc. Be sure to check for wear/holes.
Additional pointers:
• Tipping is not a custom in Japanese restaurants.
• Tokyo escalators: standers left, walkers right.
• In large cities, avoid public transportation during rush hour. Cramming people into trains make for good photography, but that’s about the only pro.
• Toiletries, umbrella, poncho - if you forget it, go to a 100yen shop.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|旅行 |りょこう |ryokou |trip |
|荷造り |にづくり |nizukuri |packing |
|現金 |げんきん |genkin |cash |
|満員電車 |まんいんでんしゃ |manninn densha |full train |
コスプレ Anime Boom
[pic]
If you keep up at all with the Japanese anime community in the US, you may know that last month, there was a big anime convention called Sakura-con in Seattle. Living only 30 minutes away from the convention, I attended the convention and was exposed to a whole new world. After this experience, I thought that it would appropriate for this month’s newletter to be on コスプレ(こすぷれ・cosplay).
[pic]コスプレーヤー Left: Kame-sennin from Dragon Ball (form Sakura-con)
Brief History
コスプレ, as you may be able to guess, comes from the words “costume play”. It is said to have started in the 1960s with the rise of the Sci-Fi television boom. コスプレ gained popularity in the 1990s almost simultaneously with the anime 新世紀エバンゲリオン(しんせいきえばんげりおん・shinseiki ebangelion・Neon Genesis Evangelion). Today, the コスプレーヤー(こすぷれーやー・cosplayer) community is growing rapidly due to the vast コスプレopportunities such as conventions and the advancement of media technologies.
Types of コスプレ
There is no limit to cosplay. The two most common types of コスプレ would be: (1) cosplaying as anime, game, and manga characters and (2) cosplaying in uniforms such as maids or schoolgirls. But we often see cosplays of movie characters from the US such as Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Carribean or mascots like Domo-kun.
コスチューム
Most of the コスチューム(こすちゅーむ・costume) that コスプレーヤー wear are 手作り(てづくり・tezukuri・hand-made). コスチューム can be bought for most popular コスプレ characters, but mind you, they are not cheap. To think of the amount of effort and time these コスプレーヤーput into creating their incredibly replicated costumes, just blows me away.
[pic]
Popular コスプレ
Recently 人気(にんき・ninnki・popular) コスプレ include: Haruhi Suzumiya (the Meloncholy of Haruhi Suzumiya), Kei-on school uniform, Amagami school uniform, Lina Inverse (Slayers REVOLUTION), and Dream Club host girl uniform. All-time 人気 are : Chun li (Street Fighter), Rei and Asuka (エバンゲリオン), Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece), L (DeathNote), and Final Fantasy characters.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|コスプレ |こすぷれ |cosplay | |
|コスプレーヤー |こすぷれーやー |cosplayer | |
|コスチューム |こすちゅーむ |costume | |
|手作り |てづくり |tezukuri |hand-made |
|人気 |にんき |ninnki |popular |
携帯 Cell phones
[pic]
Take a look around you. There are people who are talking on skype on the droid, surfing the web on their blackberries, and using the navigation system on their iphones. It is quite impressive to think of how far 携帯 (けいたい・keitai・cell phones) have come even in the past few decades.
You've probably heard on some TV shows or tech blogs about how much more advanced Japanese 携帯 are. But really, how different can they be? Let's look into the latest developments in the 携帯 and also the 携帯 culture in Japan today.
[pic]Left: a typical Japanese cell phone number pad Right: the newest separable cell phone design
So What's new?
Touch screen panels, cameras, and 4G network; you feel like you've seen it all.
But what about a cell phone that works as a credit card? IC chips that are built into the cell phone allow them to be scanned and used just like credit cards. This system was first introduced in 2004, and today, the おサイフ (おさいふ・osaifu・wallet) 携帯 can be used at some retail stores, almost all convenience stores, and many vending machines in Japan (photo to the right).
This past March, a Japanese 携帯 company announced a new an innovative design - the separable. While you can use it like a large touch screen sliding phone, the keypad and the screen can come apart, allowing people to keep their eyes on the screen (to surf the web, etc) while still talking on the phone. Also, (as the photo above) the screen can be propped up while the keypad can be used like a keyboard.
Difference of Japanese 携帯 keypad
One of the most common question that people have about Japanese cell phones is the keypad. How is it different from the US ones that would allow them to type in Japanese?
Take a look at a Japanese keypad (photo to left) if you look closely, you see that they have ひらがな(hiragana・Japanese phonetic alphabet) characters. Each one of them represents a in the alphabet 行(ぎょう・gyou・row). The 『あ』 stands for the あ行, which includes あ, い, う, え, お the first 5 letters of ひらがな. Otherwise, it works similar to the keypads here. You press the key as many times as you get to the character you need, then you have the option to change the letters to kanji, and enter.
[pic]A Vending Machine that accepts おサイフ携帯
Taking advantage of rate plans
A recently developed concept of 二個持ち(にこもち・nikomochi・the use of two cell phones) in Japan is popular especially among the younger population that uses 携帯 the most. Depending on which carrier offers the lowest monthly rates for specific services, people will buy separate cell phones for them.
The fancy cell phones in Japan are expensive, so some people may buy one nice cell phone as their main phone, then one of the very inexpensive of free ones as their second phone (usually for texting) with a different carrier. This can be done because the monthly rates in Japan cost much less than in the US.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|携帯 |けいたい |keitai |cell phones |
|おサイフ |おさいふ |osaifu |wallet |
|ひらがな |ひらがな |hiragana |Japanese phonetic alphabet |
|行 |ぎょう |gyou |row |
|二個持ち |にこもち |nikomochi |the use of two cell phones |
ダイエット tips from Japan Diet
[pic]
新年あけましておめでとうございます (Happy New Year)! With the holiday-induced eating season out of the way, it is yet again that time of the year when we stand on our scales at home and make a 抱負 (ほうふ・houfu・new year's resolution) to get (back) into shape. To assist you on achieving your newly set goal, this month, JOL has compiled for you a handy-dandy list of "fad" Japanese diets for you to try!
[pic]2011 is the year of the Rabbit
Morning Banana Diet
Perhaps many of you have already heard of the 朝バナナダイエット (あさばななだいえっと・asa banana daietto・morning banana diet). When this diet first broke out in Japan, it was literally impossible for people to buy bananas at popular supermarkets. Basically, you have bananas and water for breakfast every morning and you don't eat anything after 6pm. Perhaps because of how easy this diet is, plus the fact that it highlights overall well-being other than just eating bananas, if you really are looking into starting a diet from this list, this one is probably the best.
Natto Diet
なっとう (natto-・fermented soy beans) are sticky, slimy, smelly soy beans that are most certainly an acquired taste that many Japanese do not even like. Though not as popular as the 朝バナナダイエット, なっとう sales also went up dramatically after the introduction of this diet. If you can get over the smell and taste, all you have to do is just eat なっとう as much as you can during the day. Supposedly, eating なっとう prevents you from eating other unhealthy food. It is also very good for your overall health and digestive system. This diet probably lost its popularity for practical reasons.
Billy's Boot Camp/Core Rhythm
Now, these next diets are actually from the US. They are at-home workout videos that you may have heard of, but they do not have nearly as much popularity here as they did in Japan. Billy's Boot Camp created a pop culture phenomenon in Japan with its high-energy host Billy. Core Rhythm started becoming popular amongst popular celebrities and spread. If you can keep on track with workout videos and don't mind actually working out to lose weight, try and go out to find these.
Hip-bone straightening diet
Who knew that just rotating your pelvic bone in clockwise and counter-clockwise turns could help you shape up your stomach and lowerbody? Well, that is what the 骨盤強制 (こつばんきょうせい・kotsuban kyousei・hip-bone readjustment) diet teaches you to do. It looks like the laziest exercise, but this diet focuses on the core muscles and helps flatten the lower abdomen and waistline. Other than the turning exercises, you can go to a chiropractor and have them realign your bones, or do other types of exercises that supposedly realign your hip-bone, which makes your body lose weight more easily.
[pic]Bananas all sold out at a Japanese supermarket due to the incredible popularity of the 朝バナナダイエット
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|新年あけましておめでとうご|しんねんあけましておめでとうござ |Shinnennakemashiteomedetogozaimasu |Happy New Year |
|ざいます |います | | |
|(今年の)抱負 |ほうふ |houfu |(this year's) |
| | | |resolution |
|ダイエット |だいえっと |daietto |diet |
草食系男子 Hervivorous Men 肉食系女子 Carnivorous Women
[pic]
The Japanese, like many other societies, have gross generalizations or stereotypes of men and women. Men are to be strong and assertive in all social aspects, while women are to be gentle and calm. Recently these expectations or "ideals" are being challenged and gender roles in society are looking hazier.
[pic]Aesthetic Salons for men are becoming more and more popular
草食系男子
草食系男子(そうしょくけいだんし・sou shoku kei danshi・literally “herbivorous men”) is a relatively new term coined by cosmetic corporations and fashion magazines pointing to the rise of metrosexuality among men. They are straight men that are interested in things and activities that tend not to be associated with men. For example, these men care more about their appearance, which has spurred a mushroom of skincare and cosmetics lines specifically marketed towards men. In addition, cooking, baking, crafting, and other classes which were predominantly enrolled by women previously are now being taken by more and more men.
The 草食系男子 wave is sweeping through Japan, with a recent study showing that about 75% of men in Japan consider themselves 草食系(herbivorous). This movement is not just among the young, but also older aged men, as many of the customers who go to the Men’s esthetic salon are in their 50s or older.
Popularity of 草食系男子
Perhaps it is just another one of the shortlived fads that come and go like waves in Japan, but 草食系男子 are in some ways portrayed as the "ideal" men among women in Japan. A man who is not aggressive towards women could potentially also be a more faithful man. He also cooks and cleans for you - there are some positives!
[pic]
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|草食 |そうしょく |soushoku |herbivor |
|肉食 |にくしょく |nikushoku |carnivor |
|雑食 |ざっしょく |zasshoku |omnivor |
|お薦め |おすすめ |osusume |recommendation |
ファッション雑誌 Fashion Magazine
[pic]
Spring is coming and it's about time we start changing our wardrobes for the warmer days to come. Maybe you'll think about going out to buy new clothes - And before you do, why not be inspired by some of the latest fashion trends in Japan? 雑誌 (ざっし・zasshi・magazine) may be interesting to look through, regardless of whether you can read the words or not.
Like in the US, there are many different kinds of different Japanese fashion 雑誌. Even if you think "Okay, I'm going to get one!", it can be hard to navigate through all of the different covers. This month's edition of JOL will help you out a bit by introducing some of the most popular 雑誌. Afterall, ike America, such 雑誌 vary in style.
[pic]Female fashion 雑誌 in a Japanese bookstore
Gyaru, Gyaruo
If you're a Gyaru or interested in becoming/dressing like one, pick up 小悪魔アゲハ (こあくまあげは・koakuma ageha). The first part of the title 小悪魔, literally translates to "little devil". It's a term used in Japanese that means "a flirt" with a slight connotation of them being manipulative. Caution: it does not mean "little brat", which is 悪ガキ (わるがき・warugaki)!
As for the aspiring Gyaruo, going for the "Men's egg" would be a safe choice. These two 雑誌 portray a mainstream form of Gyaru/Gyaruo fashion, but of course, there are many other 雑誌 that go along with other forms
The equivalent term for men, you could say, is サラリーマン (さらりーまん・sarari-man). Literally, "salary man". It's probably what the majority of Japanese businessmen would call themselves (unless their position in their perspective company is substantially higher). For young professional men's fashion, MEN'S NON-NO is one of the popular 雑誌.
[pic]立ち読み (たちよみ・tachiyomi・literally, "stand read") is when you read/look through 雑誌 (or any other book/comic/etc) at the store without paying. Watch out, you can get in trouble!
Street Fashion
If you're interested in the more unique branch of Japanese fashion, ストリート系 (すとりーとけい・sutori-to kei・Street Mode/Style) is your genre. FRUiTS is a popular 雑誌 for these style. If you want something girly-frilly, CUTiE may be for you.
For men, Samurai (侍・samurai) Magazine introduces a fairly casual ストリート系 fashion advice.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|雑誌 |ざっし |zasshi |magazine |
|小悪魔 |こあくま |koakuma |a flirt |
|立ち読み |たちよみ |tachiyomi |reading at a store without paying for the book / 雑誌/ etc. |
The Cat 猫
[pic]
If you've been to Japan, perhaps you've noticed all the 野良猫 (のらねこ・noraneko・stray cats) on the streets. Or perhaps you've noticed those cat sculptures at Japanese restaurants? And speaking of cats, what about cat ear cafes? This month, it's all about 猫 (ねこ・neko・cats).
[pic]招き猫 (left) designs are based off of 三毛猫 (right)
招き猫
First off, the beckoning cat dolls at restaurants. Those are called 招き猫 (まねきねこ・manekineko・literally, "beckoning cat"). Originally, 猫 were favored by silkworm cultivators in Japan because they catch mice. But as time went on and silk production dwindled, 猫 started to become a symbol of good luck for businesses.
Looking at the dolls, if the 猫's right paw is raised, it's said to bring in money. If the left is raised, it's thought to bring in customers. There are some with both arms raised, but those aren't too popular since many think it's too 欲張り (よくばり・yokubari・greedy). Typically, they are 三毛猫 (みけねこ・mikeneko・ calico cat), with three colors, often seen among cats in Japan. In fact, "ミケ" [mike; MEE-kay] is a common name for cats.
Love Cats? What about a 猫 Cafe?
If you love cats but can't own any because of your lease or roommates or parents, head over to the kitty wonderland that is 猫カフェ (かふぇ・kafe・cafe). That's right, a place where you can look through the "menu" with a bunch of 猫 photos and bios, then go hang out with your favorite. Or you can just relax and be lazy with the other cats. Some places will actually be like a カフェ, others will just be a mini 猫 zoo.
猫ミミカフェ
Don't like 猫? What about 猫耳 (みみ・mimi・ears)? On humans, that is. Jumping into the totally different world of Otaku culture, 猫耳カフェ are like maid カフェ. As a matter of fact, there's a lot of maid カフェ where the maids also wear cat ears. At these cafes, the waiters usually end their sentences with "~ニャン" (~nyan), or cat talk, since 猫 in Japan cry ニャー (nya-) instead of meow.
Typical 猫 Names
If you're thinking of giving your 猫 a typical Japanese 名前 (なまえ・namae・name), here's a few ideas for you:
• ミケ・みけ・mike (as mentioned before)
• タマ・たま・tama (literally "ball", but it's like naming a dog "Spot")
[pic]猫耳 maid
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|猫 |ねこ |neko |cats |
|欲張り |よくばり |yokubari |greedy |
|犬 |いぬ |inu |dog |
カラオケ Karaoke BOX
[pic]
When you want to hang out with your friends, what do you do? Do you go to the movies, the mall, or the park? Whatever you answer is, it probably wasn't カラオケ (からおけ・karaoke).
[pic]Your typical カラオケボックス
What is カラオケ?
カラオケ is short for 空 (から・kara・empty) and オーケストラ (おーけすとら・orchestra). Basically, it is an activity where people sing along an instrumental recording of a song of their choice. The lyrics to the song are displayed on a TV screen and you have a microphone attached to speakers.
Bar vrs. Box
The most common type of karaoke available in the U.S. are karaoke bars. This is where a karaoke machine is set up in a restaurant or a bar and customers go up to sing in front of other customers. However, in Japan, カラオケボックス (からおけぼっくす・karaoke box) are more common than bars. Unlike the karaoke bars, these "boxes" are individual rooms that you can rent by the hour. Each room is furnished with a table, sofa, and of course, a karaoke machine. At the lobby, you specify the number of people in your group, chose the brand of karaoke machine that you wish to use, and that's it! It's really quite simple.
Price
So... how much would a visit to the カラオケボックス cost you? Surprisingly, not very much at all. If you go by the hour, an average place would charge about 200円 (えん・enn・yen); approximately $2.5 US. There is also an option called フリータイム (ふりーたいむ・furi-taimu・free time) which is a カラオケ buffet. カラオケ companies will often split their operating hours in two (day/night) and have a フリータイム option for each.
For about 1100円, a person can sing for a maximum of 10 hours (ie. night time フリータイム from 7pm to 5am next day). There are even stores that offer 50円 for every 30min (only $0.64) as a weekday special!
The カラオケ Experience
Once you're in the room, you are free to sing, dance, and blast music all you want. Not only is the カラオケ experience like a private dance party, but it is also quite the stress reliever. You even get some room service; food and most drinks are ordered through a special phone, which are brought to you via the employees.
Don't know any J-pop? No problem! Along with the menu book with thousands of J-pop, カラオケボックス also provide foreign music menus, with popular Chinese, Korean, and English songs.
If you get a chance to go to Japan, and you are searching for something exciting and fun to do while hanging out with your friends, go to a karaoke and sing your souls out. I am certain you'll get hooked.
[pic]Song menu book and touch screen remote/controller
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|カラオケ |からおけ |karaoke |karaoke |
|空 |から |kara |empty |
|オーケストラ |おーけすとら |okesutora |orchestra |
|フリータイム |ふりーたいむ |furi-taimu |free time |
|オリコン |おりこん |oricon | |
アニメクール Anime Cour
[pic]
What is クール (くーる・ku-ru)? No, it's not "cool", though I guess アニメ (あにめ・anime) is, in fact, cool. クール, or cour, is a term that refers to the cycles or seasons of television shows.
A year of Japanese television can be split into four seasons: 冬 (ふゆ・fuyu・winter) starting in January, 春 (はる・haru・spring) from April, 夏 (なつ・natsu・summer) from July, and 秋 (あき・aki・fall) from October. The majority of アニメ and J-dramas fall within this cycle.
If you're up-to-date on current アニメ, then you've probably noticed that all of the shows are wrapping up with their last episodes. Now that it's October, you can look forward to a wave of new shows!
[pic]氷菓 (Hyoka) is a popular mystery アニメ that just finished 2 クール
Number of Episodes
Generally, アニメ episodes air once a week. Each クール lasts approximately 13 weeks. Thus, アニメ seasons usually consist of 13 episodes. Recently however, there are many shows that don't fill the full season and end up between 9~13 episodes. These seasons are shorter than American television show cycles. Popular アニメ will sometimes carry over into two seasons- these are called 2 クール (つーくーつ・"Two" ku-ru・two cours/seasons). However, when アニメ series are more popular than expected, they will not last for two back-to-back クール, but will instead have a second season at a later time.
Air Time
Just like the American "prime time", there is a Japanese ゴールデンタイム (ごーるでんたいむ・go-ruden taimu・golden time) or ゴールデン (go-ruden), for short. This is between 7pm-10pm, but these time slots are mainly filled with popular talk shows and long-lasting popular アニメ like One Piece, which airs year-round regardless of the クール.
深夜アニメ
Many of the popular アニメ aimed at older and mature audiences are aired during 深夜 (しんや・shinya・late-night, or middle-of-the-night). Quite appropriately, these shows are referred to as 深夜アニメ. There is a common misconception that these アニメ have mature content, but that is not necessarily true. I've been surprised to see many minor-friendly アニメ are 深夜アニメ.
[pic]Instead of the "guide" button on your remote, many households in Japan will have a television guide magazine or pamphlet that is purchased each month.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|アニメ |あにめ |anime |anime |
|深夜 |しんや |shinya |late-night or middle of the night |
|クール |くーる |ku-ru |cour / television season |
|ゴールデンタイム |ごーるでんたいむ |go-ruden taimu |"golden time" or prime-time |
Japanese アイドル
[pic]
If you've had any exposure to Japanese celebrities or media, you've probably heard of AKB48 or Johnny's Jr. - Those young boy bands and girl bands the fans go crazy for. They can be singers, dancer, actors, tv personalities, etc. They fall in the category of アイドル (あいどる・aidoru・idol).
[pic]AKB48, one of Japan's most popular アイドルグループ
Popular アイドルグループ
There are many アイドルグループ (ぐるーぷ・guru-pu・group), but one of the most popular is AKB48. As the name states, there are 48 female members and they're based out of Akihabara (hence, the AKB). They're a product of an ever growing アイドル boom and their innovative marketing styles (ie. the 48 girls compete in yearly popularity rankings determined by the fans) have proven successful, setting them apart from the countless others. As for male アイドルグループ, Johnny's Jr. Entertainment (known in Japan as ジャニーズ (じゃにーず・jani-zu・Johnny's), wins hands down. It's an entertainment agency with hundreds of members. It's the agency responsible for the creation of many successful アイドルグループ like SMAP, kat-tun, and Hey!Say!Jump!. The interesting thing about this agency is that the president, "Johnny" never comes out in the media. He's the mastermind in the dark. The biggest difference that's seen in these groups is that the female アイドルグループ tend to change their members often while the ジャニーズ ones don't.
アイドルBoom
As mentioned before, there is a growing アイドル boom in Japan. It seems like everyone just wants to be in on it. Many regions are taking over AKB48's concept of specifying a certain location and there are now many ご当地 (ごとうち・gotouchi・regional) アイドル. For example, Aomori prefecture is known for its apples so they created りんご娘 (ringo musume・literally "apple girls"). Their members are all assigned an apple name (ie. Red Gold, Fujiko).
スキャンダル The one common rule among アイドル seems to be that they are not allowed to (openly) date. Purity tends to be a strong selling point for these groups. Therefore a スキャンダル (すきゃんだる・sukyanndaru・scandal) can be fatal. Recently, one of AKB 48's top tanking members was caught spending a night with a man on some celebrity gossip magazine. While a common response would be to fire her, the member claims to have decided to shave her head (an old way of showing determination or apologizing in Japan) and publicly apologize for her actions. She was taken out of the main AKB48 and put into their "reserve" group. It caused a big outburst among angry fans and critics.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|アイドル |あいどる |aidoru |idol |
|グループ |ぐるーぷ |guru-pu |group |
|ご当地 |ごとうち |gotouchi |regional |
|スキャンダル |すきゃんだる |sukyanndaru |scandal |
ファッション・ウィッグ Fashion Wigs
[pic]
If you're in school, it's right around the beginning of a new school year. We've mentioned this before in past newsletters, but the new school year in Japan starts in April. Nevertheless, summer vacation in Japan is a good time for students to be free, perhaps more so than in the US. That's because many Japanese schools have stricter rules about dress-codes (usually school uniforms) and manners. A common rule in elementary through high school is the "no hair dye" rule. Concidentally, recently there's a growing demand of ファッション (ふぁっしょん・fasshon・fashion) ウイッグ (ういっぐ・uiggu・wig).
[pic]Gyaru and Gyaru-o ウイッグ
ファッション・ウイッグ in general
ウイッグ are becoming a ファッション staple in Japan. It's unclear what exactly prompted the sudden hype - perhaps just an effective marketing scheme from the manufacturers - but popular Gyaru models and 読モ (dokumo: short for 読者モデル; どくしゃもでる・dokusha moderu・literally "reader models" or amateur models who claim to be fans of the fashion magazine) like Tsubasa Masuwaka were often seen in the media talking about their ウイッグ experiences.
There's actually a Japanese word for "wig", which is かつら (かつら・katsura) but there's an association of baldness with that word, which must be why the more commonly used term is the English one. In fact, when you image search the two words, the difference in target audience is apparent. Now with the internet, ウイッグ are becoming more affordable. Even the affordable ones are starting to have features like heat-resistance.
Just for women?
The short answer is no. However, there's a stronger stigma for men to wear ウイッグ, just because there's the strong association of baldness and かつら. However, if you were to go online shopping to メンズ (めんず・menzu・men's) ウイッグ, you'll find a whole range of Gyaru-o to Korean actor hairstyles.
For School So going back to the ウイッグ for school idea. There's a growing selection of black haired, conservative 通学用 (つうがくよう・tsuugaku you・literally "commuting-to-school purpose") ウイッグ. It's for students who otherwise would not pass the school regulation on haircuts/styles. In Japanese schools, there are often teacher standing by the entrance checking students on their appearance. If you are caught breaking some rule (ie. wearing makeup, un-tucked shirt, dyed hair, etc.), you're normally instructed to fix it on the spot or in severe cases, instructed to go home until the problem is fixed.
[pic]An example of a typical 通学用ウイッグ.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|ウイッグ |ういっぐ |uiggu |wig |
|かつら |かつら |katsura |wig |
|メンズ |めんず |menzu |men's |
|読者モデル |どくしゃもでる |dokusha moderu |amateur models - "dokumo" for short |
Let's talk about Neko! 猫
[pic]
If you've been to Japan, perhaps you've noticed all the 野良猫 (のらねこ・noraneko・stray cats) on the streets. Or perhaps you've noticed those cat sculptures at Japanese restaurants? And speaking of cats, what about cat ear cafes? This month, it's all about 猫 (ねこ・neko・cats).
[pic]招き猫 (left) designs are based off of 三毛猫 (right).
招き猫
First off, the beckoning cat dolls at restaurants. Those are called 招き猫 (まねきねこ・manekineko・literally, "beckoning cat"). Originally, 猫 were favored by silkworm cultivators in Japan because they catch mice. But as time went on and silk production dwindled, 猫 started to become a symbol of good luck for businesses.
Looking at the dolls, if the 猫's right paw is raised, it's said to bring in money. If the left is raised, it's thought to bring in customers. There are some with both arms raised, but those aren't too popular since many think it's too 欲張り (よくばり・yokubari・greedy). Typically, they are 三毛猫 (みけねこ・mikeneko・ calico cat), with three colors, often seen among cats in Japan. In fact, "ミケ" (mike; MEE-kay) is a common name for cats.
Love Cats? What about a 猫 Cafe?
If you love cats but can't own any because of your lease or roommates or parents, head over to the kitty wonderland that is 猫カフェ (かふぇ・kafe・cafe). That's right, a place where you can look through the "menu" with a bunch of 猫 photos and bios, then go hang out with your favorite. Or you can just relax and be lazy with the other cats. Some places will actually be like a カフェ, others will just be a mini 猫 zoo
猫ミミカフェ Don't like 猫? What about 猫耳 (みみ・mimi・ears)? On humans, that is. Jumping into the totally different world of Otaku culture, 猫耳カフェ are like maid カフェ. As a matter of fact, there's a lot of maid カフェ where the maids also wear cat ears. At these cafes, the waiters usually end their sentences with "~ニャン" (~nyan), or cat talk, since 猫 in Japan cry ニャー (nya-) instead of meow.
Typical 猫 Names
If you're thinking of giving your 猫 a typical Japanese 名前 (なまえ・namae・name), here's a few ideas for you:
• ミケ・みけ・mike (as mentioned before)
• タマ・たま・tama (literally "ball", but it's like naming a dog "Spot")
[pic]An example of a typical 通学用ウイッグ.
Vocabulary
|Kanji |Hiragana |Romaji |English |
|猫 |ねこ |neko |cats |
|欲張り |よくばり |yokubari |greedy |
|犬 |いぬ |inu |dog |
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