• Rainy Day in Tokyo

    Tourists typically prefer to visit Japan during the dry and sunny days, but I still enjoy cloudy skies, and the look and sound of rain on the glistening streets and buildings.  This is a photo of Tokyo Tower in the rain.

  • 梅雨 – Rainy Season

    Last year the rainy season ended at the end of June in Tokyo.  That was the earliest ever according to the Japan Weather Association which has been keeping records since 1951.  This year they are predicting that the rainy season will last until the mid/end of July. Usually the rainy season in Tokyo area starts near the end of May or the beginning of June and ends around the beginning to middle of July.  The rain often brings out the beauty of scenery in Japan especially at the traditional showplaces.

  • 鈴木秀総 – Hidenobu Suzuki

    This is a rainy season photo by Suzuki Hidenobu of a pond known as Monet’s pond in Gifu, Japan.  Hidenobu is a well-known photographer not only in Japan but also in Europe and the U.S.  He received a gold award at the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts (SNBA) exhibition that was held at the Louvre Museum in 2016.  His photos were displayed at the SNBA exhibitions in 2016 and 2017 and at Art Expo New York in 2018. He has received several awards from the National Geographic Society in 2014~2018.  More of his photos are here.

  • Andes Melon

    The Andes Melon (アンデスメロン) was developed by a Japanese nursery company in 1977.  This is short for “Anshin-des Melon”. Anshin-des Melon literary means “worry free melon” in Japanese because this breed resists mildew, fungus and other diseases better than other existing varieties.  But the name anshin-des would not appeal to most Japanese people, so they dropped “shin” and just called it Andes Melon. Of course this makes it sound like it came from the Andes Mountains, but the nursery company did not have a problem with this – probably because that sounds foreign and stylish.  Personally speaking I love the name Anshin-des Melon 100 times better than Andes Melon. lol

  • 八村塁 – Rui Hachimura

    Hachimura was the first Japanese player drafted in the NBA.  His father is Beninese, but he was born in Japan and grew up in Japan.  He was a fan of Ichiro and played baseball when he was a child. During his middle school, a friend of his pulled him into basketball.  He was drafted to play for the Washington Wizards yesterday, 6/20/2019.  Hachimura-kun, Ganbare~~~!!!

  • Happy Father’s Day

    Father’s Day was started in the U.S., but in Japan we celebrate it as well on the same day (please click here for more details).  In Japan we say “お父さん、ありがとう (thank you, Dad)”, “父の日ありがとう (thank you on Father’s Day)” or “いつもありがとう (thank you always)” instead of “Happy Father’s Day (父の日おめでとう)”.  Additionally, in Japan we only celebrate our own fathers and only our own fathers. Wives normally don’t celebrate husbands on Father’s Day, siblings don’t celebrate their brothers who have a child, and friends don’t celebrate men who have a child.

  • 父の日 – Father’s Day

    Just like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day was started in the U.S.  In 1910 Sonora Smart Dodd sent white roses to her father to thank him for raising her by himself.  She strongly felt that fathers should be recognized as well as mothers. She asked her church to hold a celebration on her father’s birthday which was in June.  This was the origin of Father’s Day. Just like Mother’s Day, this tradition reached Japan and we started celebrating Father’s Day, and just like Mother’s Day the symbol of Father’s Day in Japan is roses.  However, I think we often give more manly gifts instead of flowers.

  • 母の日 – Mother’s Day

    Mother’s Day actually started in West Virginia.  When the person named Ann Jarvis, who was a social activist during the American Civil War, passed away, her daughter donated 500 carnations to the church in West Virginia for the mother’s funeral attendees.  This was the origin of Mother’s Day. This tradition reached Japan and we started celebrating Mother’s Day. Interestingly, in Japan we kept the ritual of sending carnations and almost always give carnations to our mothers instead of any other flowers, whereas in the U.S. roses are much more mainstream on Mother’s Day.

    In the language of flowers white carnations mean “respect”, red ones mean “mother’s love” and pink ones mean “gratitude”.  However, yellow ones mean “jealousy” and “disrespect”, so you may want to avoid yellow ones as a gift. lol

  • 飴細工 – Candy Art

    This video is about a candy craftsman, Shinri Tezuka, who owns a traditional style candy shop, Ameshin, in Asakusa, Tokyo.  Unlike most craftsmen, he is self-taught and did not have a master to imitate as he was learning. Although he is only 27 years old in this video, his skill is already amazing.  Candy art in Japan started during the Edo period (1603-1868). In this video he says “making candy art an important part of Japanese culture is my job”. Way to go, Tezuka Sensei!!!  Currently he has nine pupils.

  • 令和 – Reiwa Era

    The Chief Cabinet Secretary just announced the name of new era.  It will be Reiwa (令和: pronounce “ray-wa”).  It means auspicious and peaceful.  The Heisei period will continue until the 30th of April when the Emperor Akihito will abdicate the throne and the Reiwa period will start on the first of May.  Please click here to read about Japanese imperial year.

  • 平成 – Heisei Era

    In Japan besides the Western Calendar (西暦) we often use Japanese imperial year (和暦).  Currently the imperial year is Heisei (平成) 31 since Heisei started in 1989. We call this current era since 1989 Heisei Era or Heisei Period.  The past few eras were changed after the emperor passed away, but our current emperor decided to abdicate the throne due to his age and health.  He is now 85 and had a several surgeries, so he will abdicate on the 30th of April this year. For the past few eras the era name was decided after the emperor passed away, but this time the new era name will be discussed by the cabinet on the first of April and will be decided on the same day.

    The photo is Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.

  • Kids Class

    Kids classes are about to start!  Please join us!  Click here for details.

  • 桜 – Cherry Blossoms 2019

    It’s time for cherry blossoms again!  In Tokyo it was already at its peak on 3/21/19 and in Washington DC blossoms will reach peak bloom on 4/1/19 according to the National Park Service.

    Although cherry blossoms are not a floral emblem of Japan officially, cherry blossoms are strongly associated with Japan and Japanese culture.

  • ムーミン – Moomins

    The anime Moomins is very popular in Japan.  The original story “Moomins” was written by Tove Jansson from Finland.  A Japanese production company created the anime series and released it in 1969, but Tove did not like the appearance of the characters of Moomins.  She complained that the characters had become too round and cute. The production company changed the characters’ appearance to meet her liking, but then the Japanese viewers complained about the changes.  Finally Tove told the production company that they may keep the appearance but that they must not release the series outside of Japan. Since 1969 the new TV series and Moomin movies have been being produced both in Japan and in Finland, and the Moomin character goods have remained popular in Japan for over 40 years.

  • 菱餅 – Hishi Mochi

    For hina-matsuri we display beautiful dolls and offer food and drink.  Normally the drink is shirozake or Japanese white wine, and the food is hishi mochi.  Typical hishi mochi is a diamond shaped rice cake that consists of three colored layers; pink, white, and light green.  There are several different stories behind of the reason why it’s three-colored and diamond-shaped, but it’s summarized that the shape and colors are for good luck.

  • 美人姫 – Bijin-Hime

    Bijin-hime is the name of a special strawberry that is produced by a farm in Gifu, Japan.  Bijin-hime literally means “beautiful princess”. Large sized bijin-hime can weigh over 100g a piece.  The most expensive one sells for 50000 yen (approx $452.75 as of 2/15/19) per piece, NOT per box. Cheaper ones can be bought through a vending machine that operates 24 hours, and those vary in price and size from 6000 yen for 15 pieces to 10000 yen for a dozen.  Originally I thought that selling one heart-shaped Ichigokoro strawberry for 5000 yen was absurd, but that is nothing compared to bijin-hime.

  • 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

    In Japan we love Christmas but it is not a national holiday.  Since Christianity is not the major religion in Japan, to lots of Japanese people Christmas is all about Santa – a time to give and exchange gifts.  Parents in Japan normally leave gifts in a kid’s room while they are sleeping whereas in the USA the gifts will be placed under the tree. We normally celebrate Christmas on Christmas eve, perhaps because people have to go to work or go to school on Christmas day, or maybe it’s like a pre-party for Santa.  On the Christmas day kids open their gifts in the morning before school, and we normally don’t do anything afterwards.

  • Minion Yellow Christmas

    Even though most Japanese people are not Christian, Christmas is very popular in Japan.  There are lots of special Christmas events all over Japan. Minion Yellow Christmas is the 2018 Christmas event at Universal Studio in Osaka, Japan.  It runs until 1/6/19.

  • 千羽鶴 – Senbazuru

    Senbazuru literally means 1000 orizuru, but it does not have to be exactly 1000.  It just means to make many of them as a wish for the speedy recovery of a sick or injured person.  Most people in Japan can make orizuru without instruction.  We learn how to make them in school as a part of normal school activities (usually in elementary school).  When a student gets hospitalized, classmates and teachers get together and make senbazuru for the student.

  • 勤労感謝の日 – Labor Thanksgiving Day

    This is the first time that I will talk about “勤労感謝の日” or “Labor Thanksgiving Day”.  This day, November 23rd, is a national holiday in Japan.  All Japanese people probably know about this holiday, but interestingly many of them misunderstand the real meaning of this holiday.  Let me explain.  The name “勤労感謝の日” sounds like it is the day to thank workers.  In elementary school we wrote thank you letters to the local police officers.  For this reason, I never thought about it deeply before, but today I finally realized that this day is actually the Japanese Thanksgiving Day.  This holiday reminds us to be grateful for having a job, and to appreciate all the things that are produced by jobs, such as food, products, services, events, entertainments, etc.  If I ever told you that there is no Thanksgiving in Japan, then I am sorry, I was wrong.  November 23rd is Thanksgiving in Japan.

  • 折鶴 – Orizuru

    Crane is not the national bird of Japan, but it is often shown as an image of Japan together with cherry blossoms and Mt. Fuji.  Orizuru is a paper crane that is made from origami. Almost all Japanese people can make orizuru without looking at the instructions.  I think most of us make it as a school activity. If you love Japan and you think you know a lot about Japan, then you should definitely know how to make orizuru  (^_<)～☆

    I offer origami classes.  Please contact me for details.

    SCETA Japan Center

    4500 Lehigh Rd, College Park, MD

    mail@LearnJapan.co

    202-656-6085

  • 文化の日 – Culture Day

    The 3rd of November is a national holiday in Japan.  It is called “Bunka No Hi” or “Culture Day”.  This day is dedicated to freedom & peace in Japan and to promote Japanese culture.  November 3rd is the birthday of the Meiji emperor (11/3/1852) and is also the day that Japan’s revised constitution was officially announced (11/3/1946).  It has been a national holiday since 1948. On this day the entry fee for many museums is either free or discounted and many places hold a special event that is related to Japanese art, music, films, etc.

  • 日本のお金 – Money

    The official unit of Japanese currency is the yen.  One dollar is equivalent to 112 yen as of 10/10/18. The idea of Japanese currency was greatly influenced by China.  In China certain type of shells were used as currency before coins were invented. Today, as in the past, some Japanese coins have a hole in the middle, and it is believed that this is a remainder of those shells that also had openings (see the photo).  In Japan today there are six types of coins (1, 5, 10, 50, 100, & 500 yen) and 4 types of bills (1,000, 2,000, 5,000, and 10,000 yen). The bill for 2000-yen is not common, but you may come across one from time to time, I guess it is just like the two-dollar bill in the U.S.

  • Doraemon Trivia

    Today Doraemon is well-known not only in Japan but also worldwide.  Most people who have watched this anime already know that Doraemon is a robot cat that has tons of fantastical gadgets and helps a 4th grader boy, Nobita who is somewhat slow and goofy.  They also know that Doraemon came from future and that he is scared of mice because his ears were eaten by them.  But most people probably don’t know the following trivia. Doraemon’s height (in cm), weight (in kg), bust, waist, and hip (all in cm), foot length (in mm), running speed when chased by a mouse (in km/h), and the height of his jump when he sees a mouse (in cm) are all 129.3 and his birthday is September 3rd, 2112.  However, I am sorry to say that there is no special meaning to the number “129.3” except that it was the average height (in cm) of Japanese 4th graders when Doraemon first came out in 1969.

  • Health and Sports Day

    The second Monday in October is a holiday in Japan.  Of course it’s not “Columbus Day”. It’s called “Taiiku no Hi (体育の日)” or “Health and Sports Day”.  This holiday started in 1966. It used to be the 10th of October because the Tokyo Olympic opening ceremony was held on 10/10/1964, but in 2000 Japan started incorporating the American holiday system and changed the holiday from the 10th of October to the second Monday in October.  This holiday is dedicated to growing healthy minds and bodies by playing sports. Of course you should exercise more than just once a year. lol

  • Maneki-Neko Day

    “Kuru fuku” means “a coming good fortune”, and this is what people hope for from a maneki-neko.  Since Japanese people associate the sound of “ku” with the number nine (9) and “fu” with two (2), while “ru” is just an extra sound, the words “kuru fuku” can be represented as 9ru 29 or 9-29.  Therefore, the Association for Manekineko Japan has established September 29th as Maneki-Neko Day (招き猫の日). Some communities and/or businesses host special programs or festivals on this day.

  • Rabbits in The Moon

    When you see a Japanese drawing of the moon, do you notice rabbits are often drawn with the moon?  Do you know the name of the girl who turns into Sailor Moon? Her name is “Tsukino Usagi” and that means “rabbits in the moon”.  Why rabbits? If you ask this question to any Japanese person, then they will all tell you about the rabbits in the moon. If you love Japan and want to be Japanese, then you need to know about them too.  Lol.  Look!

    (Some people say there is only one rabbit in the moon, but that sounds too lonely to me. I want to believe there are two rabbits)

  • お月見 – Otsukimi 2018

    Traditionally Otsukimi or the moon-viewing event is held on August 15th based on the old lunar calendar.  But it actually falls on different dates depending on the year since we use the solar calendar now. This year, 2018, Otsukimi falls on September 24th.  The full moon is actually the 25th. Obviously, the lunar calendar is based on the moon, so 15th of each month is supposed to be the full moon. However, the calendar is not perfect, and in some months a 1~2 day gap can occur.