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神社 – Shinto Shrine
A Shinto shrine is the place where we enshrine and worship Shinto God. There is an entrance gate called Torii, and inside of the gate is considered to be Shinto shrine precinct where the Holy Spirit subsides.
お月見 – Otsukimi
Otsukimi is a traditional event or festival held in Japan on the 15th of August by the old lunar calendar, which happens to fall this year on September 15th 2016 by our modern calendar. Otsukimi means “moon viewing” in Japanese. We are supposed to view the full moon and appreciate the year’s harvest, but since it goes by the old calendar which is not perfect, it sometimes happens that you cannot actually view the full moon on this day. For example this year the full moon falls on the 17th of September, two days later. Anyway, on Otsukimi we Japanese still offer dumplings, fruits, and vegetables to the Kami (gods, or powers of nature) to show our appreciation for this year’s harvest.
銀河鉄道の夜 – Night on the Galactic Railroad
Night on the Galactic Railroad is a famous novel written by Kenji Miyazawa. Due to the death of the writer, it was left as an unfinished manuscript (the first draft was written in 1924), and it took a while to finally publish it in 1934. Miyazawa describes his fantastical world very beautifully and talks about the meaning of our lives. I have read the novel and seen an anime version made in 1985, and they are both excellent. A manga version, TV shows, a musical, a play, etc. have also been made from this story.
山の日 – Mountain Day
Mountain Day is a new national holiday of Japan that starts this year for the first time! The date is the 11th of August, and though it was established in 2014 this is the first year that will take effect. A similar holiday, called Ocean Day, was established 20 years ago to encourage people to appreciate the sea. And now it’s mountains. Only fair, of course. Right?
夏の風邪は・・・ – Summer Cold
The Japanese have a saying: “夏の風邪は犬も食わぬ” Roughly translated it means “even a dog won’t eat a summer cold.” The implication is that, while dogs are known to gulp down practically anything, a summer cold is so terrible they won’t go near it. People in Japan (and elsewhere) have known for generations that catching a summer cold is really bad. So please, be careful!
Japanese Items
My student wanted to translate a Japanese snack package that she received in her “Kawaii box”.
2016 September Courses
Sign-up is available for the September courses: 9/6/16 – 9/28/16 It’s $125 for 4 classes!!! We will meet once a week for four weeks in College Park, MD Course Schedule for 9/6/16 ~ 9/28/16 Time Tue Wed 6-6:50pm JAP 102 Beg 1 7:10-8pm JAP101 Chika Sugiyama 4500 Lehigh Rd, College Park, MD 20740 mail@learnjapan.co 202-656-6085
七夕 – Tanabata
