Tag: Japanese customs

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private remark

Tanabata(七夕) on the rainy day.

   Today, Tanabata(七夕). But we have a rainy day.

   Do you know Tanabata(七夕)? Tanabata(七夕) is one of our traditional annual events. Tanabata is たなばた(棚機) and it means a loom/looms. We usually use 七夕 as たなばた. 七夕 literally means “Evening of the seventh”, which was celebrated on July 7 of the traditional Japanese lunar-solar calendar originally though which is celebrated on July 7 of Gregorian calendar now. When we write 七夕, we also read it shichi-seki. Shichi is seven and seki is evening.

   Tanabata(七夕) is a star festival. According to legend, Amanogawa(天の川) separates the lovers(Orihime and Hikoboshi), and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the June 7. If it rains on Tanabata(七夕), the two lovers have to wait until another year to meet. Amanogawa(天の川) is Milky Way, but it literally means Sky River. Yes, a river. So if it rains, the river swells. Hence, to hold this event on July 7 of Gregorian calendar is a little bit silly or very mean because the day is the midst of the rainy season in Japan. Besides, the seventh on Gregorian calendar doesn’t always have a first quarter moon. If it has a full moon, Tanabata(七夕) is in a real mess because it is a star festival.

   When we shed old calender, such things like above happen more times. Tanabata(七夕) and Obon(お盆) were two big events in July of the traditional Japanese lunar-solar calendar. Now, this Gregorian calendar days, one is still in July and another is in August. The two event are still alive in Japan but they don’t have strong relations to Moon anymore.

Categories
everyday life

I couldn’t find my mesh strainer!!

同一記事の日本語版

green peas 水羊羹
green peas 水羊羹 with tea
   The day before yesterday, in the freezer compartment, I found green peas I had forgotten. I decided to make bean paste for 水羊羹(みずようかん). Boiled and mashed, but I thought the peels must have given us bad texture. So I changed my plan which was making 粒餡(つぶあん). 粒餡 is made of whole beans. To make 漉し餡(こしあん), I need a mesh strainer. When we make 漉し餡, we must remove peels and mash peas more smaller. So I looked for my strainer, but I couldn’t find it, oops. I always act after the event, he-he.
 
   Where has my strainer gone? I did not have used it for years, well I had no choice. I made 漉し餡 without Japanese strainers.
 
   I had acceptable 漉し餡.　～～～～～≫　Now, I’ll show you my 水羊羹!!

Categories
everyday life

Hazakura(葉桜) completely.

同一記事の日本語版

Hazakura (葉桜)
Hazakura (葉桜)
   On Mar.26, I wrote “The declaration of flowering(開花宣言)”. Now, it’s Hazakura(葉桜) completely. What is Hazakura(葉桜)? See the right image. 葉 means a leaf/leaves. 桜 means (a) cherry tree/trees. One of the most popular species of cherry tree in Japan is SomeiYoshino(染井吉野) which has blossoms first, after that its leaves grow. So we first see the blossoms only, and when we find the leaves the trees are all fresh green. We call the scenery Hazakura(葉桜).
 
   By the way, I’ll show you other photos of my garden flowers and fruits in the table.

Fig.1 Rhododendron yedoense
Fig.1 Rhododendron yedoense
Fig.2 Rhododendron yedoense
Fig.2 Rhododendron yedoense
Fig.3 Rhododendron obtusum
Fig.3 Rhododendron obtusum
Fig.4 Ixia
Fig.4 Ixia
Fig.5 Iris ?
Fig.5 Iris ?
Fig.6 Papaver rhoeas
Fig.6 Papaver rhoeas
Fig.7 Muscari
Fig.7 Muscari
Fig.8 Summer Snowflake
Fig.8 Summer Snowflake
Fig.9 Iris japonica
Fig.9 Iris japonica
Fig.10 Aquilegia vulgaris
Fig.10 Aquilegia vulgaris
Fig.11 Anzu(杏)
Fig.11 Anzu(杏)
Fig.12 Ume(梅)
Fig.12 Ume(梅)
Categories
everyday life

The declaration of flowering(開花宣言).

同一記事の日本語版

A cherry blossom.
A cherry blossom.
   The declaration of flowering(開花宣言). For what? Of course, about cherry blossoms at my garden he-he-he. I’ll show you the photo. See the right image. Unfortunately, the photo does not have good color because it’s rainy today.
 
   I also show you other photos of my garden flowers in the table.

No.1 Mitsumata
No.1 Mitsumata
No.2 Lenten rose
No.2 Lenten rose
No.3 Narcissus sp.
No.3 Narcissus sp.
No.4 Linaria
No.4 Linaria
No.5 Spring star
No.5 Spring star
No.6 Boke
No.6 Boke
No.7 Cyclamen
No.7 Cyclamen
No.8 Double-flowered Camellia
No.8 Double-flowered Camellia
No.9 Nanohana
No.9 Nanohana
Categories
everyday life

Yowamushi Pedal(弱虫ペダル)

弱虫ペダル   Yowamushi Pedal as an anime started at 2013 October in Japan. The 14th is already released this week. Basically I don’t like sports animes. But this is fun and I feel uplifted when I become depressed.

   The name of starring role is Onoda Sakamichi(小野田坂道). His given name is Sakamichi(坂道). 坂 is “slope” and 道 is “road/way”. When you watch the anime, you will think his name is toooo suitable for him (^o^).

   If you have an interest in the anime, you can watch it on crunchyroll.

Categories
everyday life

Hatsumōde(初詣) to my local shrine.

同一記事の日本語版

   This early morning, about after 1a.m., I went Hatsumōde(初詣) to my local shrine. It is only 3 or 4 minutes away from my house by walk.

   Usually, it is empty. But, from New Year’s Eve to the first three days of the new year, it has events and some visitors for Hatsumōde(初詣). This year, it had Sinto music band and candles in bamboo pots and this was the first time for me at the place.

   By the way, I translated 氏神様 into my local shrine. In a Japanese-English dictionary I have, I found ‘the shrine of the local Shinto deity’ as 氏神様. But this doesn’t sit well with me.

篝火
Kagaribi
蝋燭
Candle lights
おめかし
Dressing up – (^_^)
Categories
everyday life

Momijigari(紅葉狩-2013)

同一記事の日本語版

   This day was a very clear day following on yesterday, so I went to Momijigari(紅葉狩) at Takasumi jinja(高住神社) as usual. This year I took both pictures and videos. My camera is a Casio product EX-V7, which is a little bit old-fashioned. I am satisfied with its quality of pictures, but I’m not about videos. Of course, the quality of works depends on the creator’s skill, though, ha-ha. Anyway, I’ll show you today’s works. About videos, you maybe have popup windows.

高住神社-video1
高住神社-video1
帰り道-video2
帰り道-video2
Takasumi jinja(高住神社)-1
Takasumi jinja(高住神社)-1
Takasumi jinja(高住神社)-2
Takasumi jinja(高住神社)-2
Takasumi jinja(高住神社)-3
Takasumi jinja(高住神社)-3
Takasumi jinja(高住神社)-4
Takasumi jinja(高住神社)-4
Takasumi jinja(高住神社)-5
Takasumi jinja
(高住神社)-5
Takasumi jinja(高住神社)-6
Takasumi jinja
(高住神社)-6
Takasumi jinja(高住神社)-7
Takasumi jinja
(高住神社)-7
Categories
everyday life

Tonight is another “Otsukimi”, but…

後の月(2013)
後の月(2013)
   Hi, guys!! Tonight, we have another “Otsukimi”. We call it “Nochi no tsuki (後の月)”, and hold it at the night of September 13 by our old calendar (旧暦). But, this event gets very old-fashioned than “中秋の名月” on August 15.

   I saw a beautiful moon at that night. However, today cloudy. I was waiting, waiting and waiting. Finally, I was able to take a picture of the moon which broke through the clouds. Still, it was covered with thin clouds though.

   Every year, I want to achieve that I see the both moon on August 15 and September 13, but I can seldom do it. This year, can I say I saw the both moon? I wonder.

Categories
private remark

Totsuki Tōka (十月十日).

   In Juuni Kokuki, Ono sensei writes the pregnancy duration is ten months. This depends on not only lunar months but also counting from 1 instead of 0. In Juuni Kokuki world, they often use East Asian age reckoning system about characters’ age. So, I think they use old Japanese counting system in other ways as well.

   When we read 十月十日 as Jūgatsu Tōka, which means October 10. But, Totsuki Tōka (十月十日) means ten months and ten days, and also means the normal pregnancy duration. Sometimes, today’s Japanese people say it is longer than the true pregnancy duration. But I don’t think so.

   I will write my opinion about this, though a lot of texts about it already exist on the Internet. The opinion is not academic but experiential. Shall we start?

   First, you think of yourself as a Japanese woman who lived in more than 150 years ago.
   She doesn’t know her ovulation days and doesn’t have thermometers nor pregnancy self test kits. She uses a traditional Japanese lunar-solar calendar, so in her mind a month basically has 29 or 30 days alternately.

   If she is in such circumstances, how does she know her pregnancy by herself? Probably, by her morning sickness or by missing her period. When she has got her pregnancy, she would recall her last period. If she is a healthy woman, the last period should be within a few months when she knew her pregnancy. And then, she counts months of her pregnancy. At this time, she must think the first day of her last period as the first day of the pregnancy. And she thinks the month is the first month of the pregnancy.

   According to counting system from 1 instead of 0, Totsuki Tōka (十月十日) is approximately 280 days. For example, imagine the first day of her last period is October 13. October is the first month by counting from 1 instead of 0. Then the tenth month is July and July 23 is her expected delivery date. As pointed out above, in the old Japanese calendar, a month basically has 29 or 30 days alternately.

   Now, we try to calculate the number of days from October 13 to July 23.
   It is 29 days x 4 + 30 days x 5 + 10 days = 276 days or 29 days x 5 + 30 days x 4 + 10 days = 275 days.
   This is very close to 280 days.

   As you know, the pregnancy duration is vary considerably from person to person. So, Totsuki Tōka (十月十日) was a very practical and useful way in the past.

Categories
everyday life

Tonight is “Otsukimi”, soooo beautiful Full moon.

中秋の名月(2013)
中秋の名月(2013)
   Hi, guys!! This year’s “Otsukimi” is come. Today, we have very very clear sky, so, we can see soooooooooooooo beautiful Full moon. We hold Otsukimi(お月見) on 15th of August by our old calendar(旧暦).

   I took its picture. And I remember a child song “月(moon)” like this.

  1. Detadeta tsukiga
    出た出た　月が
    Maruimarui manmarui
    丸い丸い　まん丸い
    Bonnoyōna tsukiga
    盆のような　月が
  2. Kakureta kumoni
    隠れた　雲に
    Kuroikuroi makkuroi
    黒い黒い　まっ黒い
    Suminoyōna kumoni
    墨のような　雲に
  3. Matadeta tsukiga
    また出た　月が
    Maruimarui manmarui
    丸い丸い　まん丸い
    Bonnoyōna tsukiga
    盆のような　月が

   If you want, listen to the song.   
   If your browser doesn’t support audio tags, please download and listen!!

   In second Lyrics, he is covered with thick clouds. But, this has never happened tonight. Who is he? He is the moon. Don’t think it is my mistake. In Japan the god of moon is a man named 月讀命(Tsukuyomi no mikoto). (^^)