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いちごころ – Ichigokoro
A farm in Yamaguchi, Japan has been producing and selling heart-shaped strawberries named Ichigokoro since 2016. They can produce only up to 100 of these special berries per day from mid-December through mid-May. When I checked the website in the middle of January, all the fresh strawberries were already sold out. The price for one largest (3L) ichigokoro, six middle-sized (M), or nine small (S) ones was the same: 5000 yen (approx $45.70 USD). The farm sells regular-shaped strawberries too, but those are all sold out as well. Currently (as of 1/30/19) only available items are phone cases and message cards.
豆まき – Bean Throwing
According to the lunisolar calendar, Setsubun for spring 2019 is on February 3rd.
People in ancient Japan believed that they got sick due to evil spirits when the seasons changed. Setsubun, which marks the transition between seasons, was a time when many fell ill. The bean-throwing ceremony, known as mamemaki, was first held at local shrines to ward off these evil spirits during Setsubun. Soon after, people started performing this ritual in their homes. During a mamemaki, an adult man (usually the father) dons a demon mask and runs through the house. Family members chase him, throwing soybeans and shouting, “Out with the demon and in with good fortune! (鬼は外、福は内)”.
昔々、季節の変わり目は邪気のせいで病気にかかるのだと思われていた。節分はちょうど季節の変わり目。病気になる人が多く、邪気をはらう行事として神社で豆まきが行われた。その後、豆まきは家庭でも行われるようになった。家庭での豆まきは普通父親などの大人の男性が鬼のお面をつけ、家の中を走り回る。家族は鬼に豆を投げながら「鬼は外、福は内」と叫ぶ。
2018 Anime Top 5
Here is the list of top 5 anime for 2018 according to the Japanese fan website www.anikore.jp.
1) A Place Further than the Universe (宇宙よりも遠い場所)
2) Laid-Back Camp (ゆるキャン)
3) Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (さよならの朝に約束の花をかざろう)
4) Violet Evergarden (ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン)
5) High Score Girl (ハイスコアガール)
I guess the viewers in 2018 liked the anime that girls become more independent and work hard towards their interests, dreams, goals, etc.
絵馬 – Ema
An ema is a wooden plate on which to write a wish or a prayer. We offer money at a Shinto shrine to receive an ema. When we pick it up, one side has a picture, and the other side is blank to write our own wishes or prayers. We normally leave it hanging in the shrine after we write our wish.
The word ema literally means “picture of a horse”. From ancient times people believed God would descend on a horse, so horses were offered to shrines. But horses were too expensive to offer, and also shrines often had a hard time caring for the horse afterwards, so people started using wooden or clay horses instead. Then people started using a wooden plaque with a picture of horse on it. That was the origin of the ema. Today many kinds of pictures are used and it does not have to be a horse at all.
We offer ema making workshops at SCETA Japan Center. Please see photos.
明けましておめでとう
If you look up how to say “happy new year” in Japanese on Google, you will find “あけまして おめでとうございます”, and probably because of that, some of my students say this to me now. But actually this phrase is only used after the new year has started. The word “あけまして” comes from “明ける” which means “to begin”. So “あけましておめでとうございます” can be used after midnight on New Year’s Eve, but before that time, you should use “よい おとしを”, which means “have a happy new year!”
正月飾り – Shōgatsu Kazari
Did you put up Shōgatsu kazari? Are you ready for the New Year?
Shōgatsu kazari is the generic term of all types of Japanese New Year’s decorations. Shōgatsu kazari is usually suggested to be put up by the 28th of December, and to be taken down on the 7th or 15th of January depending on the area of Japan. Both shimekazari and kadomatsu are specific type of shōgatsu kazari.
Christmas Bocchi
I mentioned in my Christmas post that most people in Japan celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. We often hold a party with family or with friends (normally one of the two, not family & friends together). If a person has a loved one, then they almost always go out together on a date on Christmas Eve. Most places like hotels, amusement parks, restaurants, bars, are packed with couples. Many places offer a special dinner/event that is much more expensive than usual price, but still sells out quickly. There is a phrase, Christmas Bocchi, that means being alone on Christmas Eve. Some people feel embarrassed to be “Christmas Bocchi”, and they try hard to find a partner by Christmas Eve. On the other hand, some local restaurants and bars make a special effort to welcome “Christmas Bocchi” by having a sign up saying “the regulars & singles only on Christmas Eve”. lol
Christmas Dinner
Just as most American people eat turkey on Thanksgiving, many Japanese people eat KFC or some kind of chicken for Christmas dinner. Since we normally celebrate Christmas on Christmas eve, every year on Christmas eve there is a long line in front of KFC outlets. Christmas cake is also a mainstay in Japan for Christmas menus. Christmas cake is normally a shortcake with christmas theme decoration.
クリスマス – Christmas
