Chika

Miss U.S. International

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Miss U.S. International 2017 is Shanel James from Maryland.  She is going to Japan for the Miss International Beauty Pageant.  I have taught her Japanese etiquette, culture and language.  She learns everything very quickly.  She is extremely beautiful, smart and sweet.  She is ready for Japan and the pageant.  Ganbatte, Shanel san!!!

妖怪 – Yōkai

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In Japanese folklore Yōkai are supernatural beings of many kinds including monsters, spirits, ghosts, and demons.  Some of them are friendly and some of them are not.  Yōkai tales have been told in Japan for at least the last 1,200 years and are still told today, and yōkai of all kinds have been pictured in ukiyo-e, scroll paintings, manga, anime, etc.  One of the oldest pictures of yōkai is the demon depicted on the national treasure from the 7th century Buddhist Tamamushi Shrine.

Bonin Flying Fox

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The Bonin flying fox (オガサワラオオコウモリ) is endemic to Japan and has been found in a few islands of Ogasawara (known as the Bonin Islands in English).  The Bonin flying fox is called Ogasawara Ookōmori in Japanese.  Oo means “big” and kōmori means a “bat.”  Needless to say, an ookōmori is bigger than a regular kōmori (its body is about 9 inches long), but also ookōmori eat fruits whereas kōmori normally eat small insects.  Also the ookōmori’s eyes are fully functional unlike those of an ordinary kōmori.  Therefore, an ookōmori is normally diurnal where a kōmori is normally nocturnal.  Strangely, some Bonin flying foxes are diurnal and others are nocturnal depending on the island where they live.  Since 1969 Bonin flying foxes have been designated as natural treasures of Japan.

Tipping in Japan

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The custom of tipping is not common in Japan as it is in the U.S.  While you can tip a personal driver, photographer, or tour guide if you use these during a visit to Japan, you do not routinely tip the service staff in restaurants, hotels, etc.  Indeed many businesses (including hospitals, and hotels) have a policy against their staff accepting tips. If you receive great service, you might consider giving them a boxed gift, but please keep in mind that some businesses will not allow their employees to accept even an apple.  If you want to try and tip anyway, then prepare brand new bills, place these all with the person side up inside an envelope (as shown in the photo), and pass it to the person you want to tip as unobtrusively as possible.  Be sure to use only brand new bills, otherwise it might be considered an insult.  For your personal driver you can tip openly, but still use new bills in an envelope.  One last word of warning: there are special traditions in Japan for giving gifts to families at weddings and funerals, so be sure to check with someone who can advise you of the proper etiquette before you attend such ceremonies.

Please contact me for more tips & advice in Japan!

Chika Sugiyama

mail@LearnJapan.co

(202) 656-6085

招き猫 – Maneki Neko

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Maneki-neko is a Japanese lucky charm of a cat and is also called “beckoning cat” in English.  Today it is well known in many countries all over the world and is found in stores and businesses.  Maneki means an “invitation” and neko is a “cat” in Japanese.  It is called maneki-neko because the cat’s grooming pose when it holds up its paw to its ear resembles an inviting gesture in Japanese culture.  People say a maneki-neko that raises its right paw will bring money and one that raises its left paw will bring customers/people.  The higher the paw rises, the more luck it will bring.  A maneki-neko usually holds a gold coin in its other paw for more luck attracting money.  People say that a white maneki-neko will bring happiness, a black one will protect you from misfortune, a red one will bring good health, a pink one will bring romance, and a calico will bring fortune.  Furthermore, a maneki-neko with eyes of two different colors is supposed to bring even more money because such a cat is rare in real life.

One last thing: In Japan people say that September 29th is the day of maneki-neko.

マリモ – Marimo

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Marimo literally means an “algae ball” in Japanese.  A marimo is a colony of thread-like algae that naturally takes on a ball-like shape due to the action of water currents in certain lakes.  Marimo grows just like any water plant, but once it reaches about a foot in diameter, it falls apart and the whole process starts over.

Today marimo are found not only in Japan, but also in some lakes of Iceland, the USA, Europe, and Australia.  Researchers believe that all marimo in other countries originally came from Japan.  You can actually buy man-made marimo from Japan and raise them at home.

Since 1952 the marimo from Lake Akan in Hokkaidō have been designated as special natural treasures of Japan because of their almost perfectly round shape, large size and velvet-like surface.  However, this is only an illusion; in fact the surface of a marimo is pretty hard and prickly.

サンマ – Mackerel Pike

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大根おろし 00

Mackerel pike is one of the most popular fish in Japan and is called “sanma (サンマ)” in Japanese.  Sanma tastes best in the fall.  Many Japanese people think that grilling sanma with grated daikon radish & soy sauce is the simplest yet best way to enjoy this fish.  Here is a photo of a grilled sanma with a cat-shaped radish.  It’s too cute for me to eat it, but maybe you can enjoy it.  😉

Food and photo by トモ (@tomos0105)

忍者学 – Ninja Study

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Mie University Graduate School in Japan announced recently that they will have ninja study as a subject for the entrance examination starting 2018.  They have not released the details of the examination.  You can choose ninja as a topic for your thesis at Mie University Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences.  A history professor, Professor Yamada from the same university is known for ninja study as well as Japanese ghosts and spirits.  Mie prefecture has a ninja museum as well.  Ninja fans from all over the world must be excited.

ありがとう – Arigatō

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“Arigatō” means “thank you” in Japanese.  The word arigatō came from arigatai.  Today some people say arigatai as well as arigatō, but the original meaning of arigatai was just “hard to exist”.  This is to say that receiving kindness is a blessing, and we should never regard someone’s kindness as an ordinary gesture.  This is based on the Buddhist belief that for us to be alive on this earth at all is already miracle.