Bye Bye Dragon, Hello Year of the Snake

Happy New Year!

I hope you had a lovely holiday season.

I took a rather long (two weeks) vacation this year.  I wanted to step away from my desk/home office and do.....NOTHING.

I am now very confident in my ability to do NOTHING. 

;)

Last year we moved to the South Western part of Japan, closer to my mother and mother-in-law.

The move was time consuming but good since we did a lot of un-cluttering...or shedding...

Speaking of shedding, 2013 is the year of the Snake.

Here's a look at 2 different types of Snake decorations!

Upper left: MIL's entranceway decorations (the snake is that green thing in the lower left hand corner
Lower left: My new Snake decoration
Right: Osechi*

(* for a better look at Osechi, and what it is please see my post from last year here:
http://theartoflivinginjapan.blogspot.jp/2012/01/wow.html)

2013 we will continue to "shed"... living simply-surrounded only by things we like is our goal.
Stocking up on necessities is one thing but hoarding things you do not need duplicates of is another.

My vanity has been cleaned out.  Old/expired things tossed.  Memories on display.

Hooks are awesome, by the way!

Origami boxes come in handy for storing small objects like hair pins.

I think I've got this part of my home under control.  

No buying makeup that is just going to gather dust and expire!

This year, I am going to lighten my load of books and keep my home office organized. 

I've also made a non-work related schedule to manage my goals... no "resolutions" for 2013,  

just  dreams and goals!

I wish you all the best in the year 2013!  May your wishes and dreams come true!

Do or do not, there is no try. -Yoda

Wow.  Three months went by fast...again.

I hope you have been doing well.  I hope you had an awesome holiday season and an exciting but not tiring New Year!

Too much has happened in the last three month so today I will focus in on Christmas and my New Year's holiday....

I use to love watching a Charlie Brown Christmas or How the Grinch Stole Christmas on TV when I was a kid in the USA but this year in Japan guess what was on TV!

Although only about 1% of Japanese claim to be Christians, Christmas is none the less one of the most popular foreign holidaysin Japan with cakes and teeny tiny Christmas trees. 

(Christmas is not a national holiday in Japan.)  

Winter vacation usually starts from the 29th and goes on till about the 4th.  (It is a bit longer for students though.)

I took a pretty long holiday.

The 23rd to today!

:-)

Here's what else I ate during the New Year holiday:

in Nagasaki

"Osechi" is a boxed meal that is filled with dishes that are made to last for a few days so that housewives don't have to be constantly cooking...we are supposed to let the kitchen rest... but you know how things are....it really doesn't end up that way!

The white bowls with the white round rice cakes on top are called "ozoni".  This is a soup that you put the rice cakes in.  Each region in Japan has their own flavors.  Osaka is miso based.  The city where my  mother is from (Fukuoka) has a clear fish/seaweed broth and in Nagasaki (where my husband is from) it is made with a seaweed and chicken broth and has lots of vegetables in it...which is actually quite unique in Japan.

I still have not mastered the Nagasaki style...

Rice cakes also show up as decorations with little mikan (like tangerines) on top.

The above are the decorations my mom had.

The flowers must include"sho-chiku-bai":

Pine-Bamboo-Plum blossoms (or Japanese apricot)

It is hard to see all three but they are there!

Speaking of New Year decorations, 2012 is the year of the dragon and this is my dragon at home!

This year I have made a motto:

Keep it simple.

and my NewYear's resolution is:

Do!

Combining the two means lots more de-cluttering this year!

I can't believe no matter how much 2stuff" I throw away there's still tons more.

Today I threw away old yellowed cards and envelopes and organized the ones that I have like so:

I had so many categories that I couldn't find the right cards when I needed them the most....I'd just keep buying and buying....

(the postcard with the girl in the kimono is something I bought in Kyoto but I do not know who painted it....)

If anybody out there would like to trade postcards please let me know!

Also, if you have any questions about my de-cluttering experience please leave a comment.  I will be posting more about my motto "keep it simple"soon!

Until then, I hope you have a wonderful January and a happy New Year!

Good-bye Tiger, hello Rabbit! 2011 resolutions.

Happy New Year!!!!!

2010 was the year of the tiger.

After the Tiger comes the Rabbit!

My brand new Rabbit (Usagi) ornament that will be displayed in our front hallway throughout the year 2011.

(In some countries it is the year of the Cat...but in Japan there is no year of the Cat because as the story goes...god was going to give away a year to each animal that came to him on a certain day. The Mouse told the Cat when that day would be but he lied. The Cat showed up on the next day after all of the years had been assigned to each animal...thus in Japan, there is no year of the Cat. Oooh, but the Mouse became number 1 because he hopped onto the back of the Cow (number 2) and got off at the right moment so that he could be at the very front of the line!

The Rabbit came in 4th place. Since they like to hop around it is said to be a "hoppin' year" whatever that means...

What kind of year did you have? I hope it was a good one!

My 2010 was a year of self exploration!

Now that I know more about who I am and what I want from life, I think 2011 will be filled with exciting experiences. Why? Because I have a clearer focus on what I want to learn from the world.

One of the many things I have started to study is religion and faith especially Japanese Buddhism and Shinto (I was brought up in a Protestant family). I am finding many similarities with western culture and paganism. It is all fascinating and (funnily) Dan Brown-ish... :-)

Recently, I have found someone of similar mind but of amazing talent. Cristy Burne.

I have not read her book yet but it is the first book I will order in the New Year!

Cristy is the author of a story (series) that seems to have a whole lot to do with Japanese ghost stories and mythology. For more information please check out her website here:

http://cristyburne.wordpress.com/

This whole year the universe has been practically throwing people at me. People that I should learn from. It is amazing. I got what I asked for this year but it has been so overwhelming that I am not caught up. I have met a spiritual teacher, a westerner on a Buddhist journey and amazing teachers and colleagues from around the world.

All that has happened to me this year brings a whole new meaning to "be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!"

So, for me 2011 will be the year of connecting dots...

...and like a good friend recently advised me...in 2011 I am going to "just do it".

1. Write my book (by the end of December 2011).

2. Visit the UK (this is happening in July, it has been scheduled!)

3. Listen, read and learn as if the world is my grad school.

bit of a rant:

Number 3 comes from what I have seen this past year. So many students pay so much money to universities but they don't do their homework, they sometimes cheat and they often complain. I have been wanting to go back to school but instead of spending the money that goes straight into new buildings and technology that ends up not getting used, I think I will BUY books and LISTEN to people instead. I am sure there are similarities all over the world among college students but in Japan it is tragic... Students study SO HARD to pass their entrance exams only so that they can enter university to start having all night binges and sleep during classes (if attending at all) for 4 years.

ahem...

4. Write, write, write and write some more...

Anywhooo...

I hope that whatever you decide to do in 2011, that you will go out there and do it too!

May your new year be filled with happiness and abundance of the best kind!

unbelievably, reading books about Japan

Good heavens…you may or may not be wondering what I have been up to lately…

I have been traveling around Japan in my “areas” as a sales representative.  On my days off I have finally gotten back “my groove” and am reading, listening to music and watching movies again…

So, what have I been reading?  Well, I finished reading Marie Mutsuki Mockett’s “Picking Ash From Bones”.  In a nutshell: it was great!

I usually freak out when someone writes about Japan in English. There are often quite a few errors.  Names are irritably non-Japanese, foods are mixed up with other Asian countries and the Japanese tendencies are nothing but stale stereotypes.

However, Marie’s book gives you a REAL sense of time and space in Japan, both old and new.  Her mother is Japanese and father is American, just like me so it is not too much of a wonder that she gets everything right;-)

The story starts with a mother and daughter and how their lives are constricted because they are a family of two. Japan still holds a bit of prejudice towards single parent families, although not as harsh as in the 1950s, when the story begins.

 (You can get a short synopsis of the book here: http://www.pickingbonesfromash.com/)

As time goes by the story gets passed on to the next generation.  The new central figure Rumi, is raised in the US and has a chance to visit present time Japan.  The reason Rumi flies to Japan is unique from a western point of view.  Maybe even mystical since it has to do with a ghost, but being half Japanese myself, it actually seemed natural. 

Along with snapshots of homes, schools and society you will learn a bit about the Japanese version of Buddhism and the indigenous religion of Shintoism as well.

For someone who know Japan the way I do (because I live here and like the author am half Japanese) it made me want to give my mom a big hug for raising me up in two cultures.

So what am I going to read next???  Marie seems to have unlocked my ability to read about Japan in English so I think I will follow up with the following titles: 

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (because one of the characters has the same first name as I do!) and…

 the new book by David Mitchell “The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet (my husband is from Nagasaki, which is the stage for this novel)…so many coincidences….

Also:

I am almost finished with “At Home in Japan” a non-fiction by Rebecca Otowa.

This book also is a lovely one to flip through in between stuff as I sip tea and fan myself on the hot summer nights…

“Shojo no Tomo” (the girls’ friend) a magazine for girls that is no longer in print but was loved by girls in Japan during the 1950s…right around the same time Marie’s novel starts off!

Ooooh, look at the hairstyles!

My 103rd post!

I started this blog on the 19th of January in 2009.
My first "real post" was on the following day...a post about the new years celebrations here in Japan.
It was the year of the cow... Now it is the year of the tiger...and I didn't even blog about it because I thought I was so busy...too busy to write...

Here is a picture of my tiger that we have had on display in our house since January....this tiger will stay on display till the end of the year...

For a person that has started many "projects"most of which are left to be finished, I never thought that 100 blog posts would be possible. LOL I didn't even notice my 100th post...

With hopes of improving my writing skills AND hopes to take my mind off of a few unhappy moments ...I tried to comb through my life and find interesting bits and pieces that would remind me of why I chose to live in Japan. I used to think it was my mother's "fault" for dragging me back and forth between the US and Japan. However, now I know that once you become an "adult", you really can't blame your parents for anything...it is your life to live and your thoughts only that can control what you do.


I do not know how to express my thanks (yet) for the many people who have taken the time to read my posts, comment, given me advice and support and have been great friends even though we may not have met in person....right now just allow me to say "arigato" (thank YOU).

I will continue to blog because I hope to improve my writing skills, continue friendships, make new ones, learn more about Japan (and of course share what I learn) and most important of all... to be happy.

Although he is not one of my favorite presidents...I do think this quote is rather appropriate to explain how I feel:
"Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement; in the thrill of creative effort." Franklin D. Roosevelt

...here is a bit of happiness that I found the other day while waiting in line with my number in hand...

I look forward to my 777th blog post! Have a happy lucky day!

an overview of my weekend in Nagasaki...

I haven't been able to check out many blogs this past week, I'm very sorry for being a "bad blogger".

I jumped back into my work schedule after returning from Nagasaki...and I also had a job interview! Yes, I am currently hoping to get a job where I can use my English skills and previous experiences as a teacher and in book sales.

I did my best and if providence is willing I will have a second round of interviews later this month...

Let's see what happens!

Now, here is what I did in Nagasaki...again, apologies...I wasn't able to take very many photos.

It was raining when we reached Nagasaki last week. There is a famous song in Japan...

sung by

Kiyoshi Maekawa titled "It Was Raining Again In Nagasaki"

It was a bumpy flight sometimes but we had a smoooooth landing...

There was a very strange looking (and gigantic) bowl of noodles in the airport to greet us.

It was supposed to be a model of the local delicacy called "chanpon" but it looks nothing like the real thing!

Here is a picture of the real thing...the picture doesn't capture the actual deliciousness of the dish though...sorry!

Chanpon is a bowl of noodles in chicken and pork broth with cabbage, bean sprouts, shrimp etc...
It is a combination of Japanese and Chinese food.

There are many Chinese descendants living in Nagasaki and that is why a lot of the Buddhist ceremonies and other festivities in Nagasaki have a very China-like atmosphere.

For example usually cemeteries in Japan are quiet...but the first summer after a loved one has passed away, in Nagasaki cemeteries...do not be surprised if you hear a lot of people lighting firecrackers. The loud crackling sounds are supposed to scare off bad spirits.

Lots and lots of firecrackers!...this is from the Chinese culture that has become a part of Nagasaki.

(I'd show some pictures from 2 years ago, but I'm not sure everyone would be interested in seeing me in a dark cemetery lighted by an orange-ish flame...;-))

...

Speaking of flames....since it was raining most of the time that we were in Nagasaki and because our main purpose of being there was to "commemorate" the 2nd year after my father-in-law's death, we didn't go out much. So with the couple of hours of free time, I read some of my husband's old manga that he had in his room.

Hinotori (the Phoenix) by Tezuka Osamu.

All 5 episodes are set in different times but the main character, the Phoenix, appears in all of them.

I wanted to bring these back with us but our suitcase was full...so next time I will try to post more about this epic tale of life!

...

In Japan there are many memorial services that are tied in with both Shinto and Buddhist religions.
There is the "tsuya" = kind of like a wake
the shonanuka=a memorial after the seventh day of passing
the shijukunichi=a memorial after the 49th day
the isshuki= a year after
the sankaiki = "san" means 3, but in this term it is actually the second year after...

I know, VERY confusing.

This year was the "sanakaiki" memorial service, the second year since my father-in-law passed away.

We listened to a Buddhist monk chant for about 40 minutes. My mother-in-law, my husband and myself had front row seats. I could hear people getting restless in the back...
I used this extremely long chant to "meditate". I closed my eyes, held my buddhist beads (like Catholic rosaries) and concentrated on my father-in-law's smile.

If someone stands in front of you, or waves their hand in front of your face when you have your eyes closed...you can tell, can't you? You can feel their presence without having to open your eyes...

...I had my eyes closed but I KNEW someone ELSE was there, right in front of me. Unless, the Buddhist monk was doing an unexpected jig around us...


Of course I can't be sure, but I wasn't scared. I felt calm and rather peaceful.

After the chanting, our party of 23 people sat down to eat a huge lunch.

Some relatives stopped by my mother-in-laws home. I had to shuffle around in the kitchen to prepare things to eat and drink. I can't cook, at least not for relatives...and ordered chanpon and other dishes from a local restaurant. I did cut some fruit though! ;-)

(My own "story" reminds me of a book I am looking forward to reading that should be released sometime this September. It is by Marie Mutsuki Mockett and she has written a very interesting essay about Buddhist funerals and Japanese society. Please click here to read it.)

...

..and then the day we had to leave Nagasaki...it wasn't raining anymore!

...and from the car ride to the airport I was able to take a few pictures of the beautiful countryside.

Nagasaki grows a lot of fruit and vegetables... some people have asked me about the effects of the nuclear bombs...they wanted to know if it was safe to eat food grown in Nagasaki..."isn't the radiation supposed to last for a long long time?" they asked me.


There was a news article recently about how a researcher found that people who were in the area of the bombings still carry some radiation in their cells. However, since the bombs went off in the air and not on impact with the earth it is said that there is not enough radiation in the soil to be lethal.

...

The airport is an hours drive from Nagasaki City...in Omura City (Nagasaki Prefecture).

It is has recently been renovated! it is small but it's sparkly clean!

AND there is a new lounge!

This is what I saw from the lounge. You can see some of Omura City at the foot of the hills and the Omura Bay.

Before we boarded our plane back to Osaka, I noticed the green Nagasaki sign right behind our airplane.

It looks like our airplane is being sucked on by a huge elephant snout!

LOL

Hope you have a great weekend!

Dear Diary, I believe in wormholes

These past two weeks have been...very strange. I can't even explain why.

Let's just say that I feel like I have been in a wormhole...

I'd be in one place and before you know it...wham!...somewhere else...

Totally trippy week.

So...instead of going on and on about time and space...here are a few snippets of what I saw and did....

I went shopping for new slacks because I ripped a pair (!?) and at the department store I noticed the displays for yukata...the traditional Japanese kimono for summertime. Times are changing, the bow arrangements (obi) are so different these days!

I finally got my visa renewed....it cost 4,000 yen for a three year VISA.

After you get your VISA renewed in Japan, you have to go to your local city office or ward office in order to have them update your residency status on the "alien registration card" you are required to have with you 24-7.

A few years ago I forgot to do this and got "scolded" at my ward office.

Hilarious.

When I went to my local city office to get this done, I noticed that they had an interesting sign out front...

It says:　photochemical smog official report bulletin board
There are 4 different levels and the higher the forecasts get the more you are urged to stay indoors.


We haven't had an alert since I moved to this city, but it is historically known for pollution with a few lawsuits still pending.


I think it was last year or the year before, a city I used to work in had to actually cancel schools because of this "photochemical smog" stuff... Children where becoming ill from running around outside! Argh.


...


Oh, and then it was the 4th of July and since (according to my passport and all those VISA papers), I am American I had my own little celebration...senkou hanabi! (Japanese sparkler type fire crackers).
The picture came out...really...weird...but here it is:

Happy Independence Day!
I forget who is independent of whom sometimes...but I love America for all it is and all it can be.

And after July 4th comes my special anniversary.


I came to Japan 24 years ago on July 7th.


July 7th in Japan (and I think China too?) is Tanabata.
The day Hikoboshi and Ori Hime (a couple who became the stars Altair and Vega) get to meet in the heavens after a year of being seperated by the Milky Way.


Setting aside the Milky Way's major control issues..it is said that if you write a wish on pretty paper and tie it to a bamboo tree, the two stars will make your wish come true since they are so happy to be together on this one special day... if it doesn't rain.

I use to wonder if I came to Japan to meet my Altair...

as my husband guzzles beer and stares at his mobile phone on the couch...

I wonder....

ANYWHOO

I went outside on Tanabata night to see if I could see at least one star. But even without a "photochemical smog alert" it was just plain cloudy since it is the rainy season...

But I did get a glimpse of the moon:

turned out harry Potter-ish...

In between shopping for pants, getting my VISA and staring at the sky, I did a teeny bit of housework and found a box of books that I had brought with me to Japan 24 years ago...

The one in the middle (Girl Sleuth by Melanie Rehak) is a new edition (obviously since it was published just a few years ago, a non fiction book about the people behind the name of the author Carolyn Keene):

I use to be an avid reader of Nancy Drew books... I was shocked to find out that Carolyn Keene was not a "real" person... Although I don't read these books anymore I can't bring myself to get rid of them...
I'm hoping that one of these days I will be able to display them on my "mystery-books-shelf"...

(I'm aiming for a look similar to Delwyn's and a tad bit similar to what I found on Jamie's blog with a pinch of Laura's taste....)

Without sufficient shelf space I have recently made my pile of books larger with these:

I also bought a magazine, something I haven't been doing lately since they ARE SO EXPENSIVE...
(2000 yen for the latest issue of MONOCLE!)

The Big Issue is a magazine I buy every chance I get...I wrote about it before here.
And since Willow introduced some of her favorite magazines and I thought it would be neat for me to do too, here are some of my favorites:

I can't buy the New Yorker and Mental Floss now because the company that I used to work for was the importer of these magazines...and well...the company went bankrupt last year.

The Rolling Stone I can still buy as well as Marie Claire idees (which I can't read since it is in French but I just love the pictures and crafts!)

One of my favorite Japanese magazines is Tennen Seikatsu and it features recipes, eco friendly crafts, and lifestyles....

Speaking of lifestyles, hopefully I will be able to get back on track soon.
I will be going to Nagasaki over the weekend for a Buddhist ceremony...my father-in-law's third year after passing away...
...

Before the weekend I will have to write 1 report, update an English manual (all for work) and pack... and all the other stuff in between that people need to do...like read.

!

Which reminds me that I need to write about Pope Joan ( a book I finished reading which was great!) and I still haven't blogged about a concert I went to....

!

which reminds me that I am going to a Simon and Garfunkel concert next week!

...

I better go to sleep now before I remind myself of more stuff...

Hope you are having a splendid week!

Children's Day

May 5th ... Kodomo no Hi (or Tango no Sekku).

Children's Day was established as a national holiday in 1948.  

Originally it was a holiday to respect boys, pray for their happiness AND give thanks to mothers.

(There is a separate day for girls on March 3rd :  Hinamatsuri or Momo no Sekku)

Now that Mother's Day is a part of Japan's 

gift giving culture, Children's Day is focused more on children.  Since Girl's Day is not a national holiday there is sometimes controversy on 

why 'boy's day' is a holiday... SO these days most events held on this day are for both girls and boys.

However, the "traditional" decorations for Children's Day are for boys: the Koinobori (carp flags) and helmets that were used back in the days of the Samurai.

Since I do not have any children I don't have a real set of these decorations but I do have a small furoshiki that I use as tapestry to celebrate this day.

The helmet is at the bottom left ... On the bottom right is a taiko (Japanese drum).

Here is a picture of real Koinobori...the picture is blurry because I spied the flags on a mountainside!  The wind was perfect, the carp flags looked as if they were swimming in the air!

and this is a unique Koinobori in the making, at a park in Takarazuka.

Children were making these yellow pieces of material that the park "rangers" were adding unto a rope (like a clothes line) forming the shape of a carp.

Why a fish, and why the carp?

Well, it seems to be a lucky fish.

...

It was the only fish that was able to swim up a waterfall (in China) and successfully become a dragon.

My next post will be a little bit more on what I saw in the city of Takarazuka and a very unique boy!

Green Day ... a national holiday, not the band...

Tomorrow, May 4th, is Green Day in Japan.  It has nothing to do with St. Patrick or one of my favorite bands... 

The current Emperor's father was born on April 29th.  April 29th used to be the national holiday "Emperor's Birthday" but after the Showa Emperor passed away the new Emperor's Birthday holiday changed to December 23rd.  So, April 29th became Green Day...

THEN THEY CHANGED IT ALL AGAIN in 2007.... April 29th became Showa Day and they moved Green Day into the Golden Week so that there would be a longer vacation for (almost) everyone.

What is Showa?!  

Each succession of Emperors brings a new "era" to Japan.  The previous Emperor is known as the Showa Emperor because that is what the era of his time as Emperor was called.  (There is some kind of meeting where they decide what to call the eras...)

After he passed away in 1989 (Showa 64 and also Heisei 1) the new era became Heisei.  It is currently Heisei 21.

Both 2009 and Heisei 21 are used in Japan and it can be a bit confusing....especially with birth dates... when you are filling out official documents etc.  I was born in Showa 46 also known as 1971.

Green Day is like a Japanese version of Earth Day.  A day "to be grateful for nature's bounty and to cultivate a rich heart" as well.

To commemorate, I would like to share this very green photo that I took last year at a park in our city.

I found this park while walking to the unemployment office right after the company I had been working for went bankrupt.  

I wouldn't have found this park if it weren't for such a "devastating" event.  

The "bandages" on the tree seemed to represent me at the time and I realized how such a big event like loosing a job was actually a very small thing.

Happy Green Day!

The beginning of Golden Week and a little bit of history...

Today is the beginning of a vacation week known as Golden Week. here in Japan.

There are a bunch of national holidays crammed together...

(Some people got to start their Golden Week from April 25 (Sat) giving them a 12 day vacation. For the extra "lucky" people their Golden Week will end on the 10th of May, giving them a 16 day vacation!)

Today is "just a Saturday" but tomorrow the real national holidays begin.

Tomorrow will be "Kenpo Kinen Bi" 憲法記念日 in Japan... Constitution Day, that is.

This day reminds me, believe it or not...of an American woman, Beate Sirota Gordon.

The constitution went into effect on May 3rd 1947.

There are several different accounts that I have heard of but the dominant view is that a group of Americans in Japan were assembled to draft the new constitution.

Japanese officials were also making their own draft of the constitution but since it was expected to have a "strong right wing bias" the group of Americans had an objective to "get the Japanese to change their ideas on constitutional revision" (according to B.S. Gordon's book).

They had one week to make the draft. Beate, then 22 years old was the only woman in the group of about a dozen GHQs.

She was told "You're a woman; why don't you write the woman's rights section?"

she was "delighted" and also asked if she could write "about academic freedom" as well.

...

Right about now, you might be asking:

Why would she be interested in, or qualified to do this?

Beate grew up in Japan. Her father, a Russian pianist, Leo Sirota and her mother, Augustine lived in Japan during the 1930s. Even during WW2 the Sirota's stayed in Japan while Beate went to the USA to study. She also worked as a translator...monitoring Tokyo Radio for the US government.

Beate was raised by a Japanese housekeeper. Her fluency in Japan and knowledge of Japanese culture was like any other Japanese child. She knew the restraints kept on Japanese women as well as children and that was her incentive.

The details of the group of Americans that helped to draft the new constitution were not made public for a long time. I first heard about it in the 1990s....I think...my memory fails me when it comes to history.

Supposedly, the details were kept confidential because it was thought that, if the Japanese knew that "foreigners" made the constitution there would be a "movement" to revise it.

I am not sure how much of this fact actually contributes to recent discussions about the Constitution of Japan, but it has become a well known topic now; whether or not the Constitution should be revised and if so how much of it should change.

As I was looking through my bookshelf for "The Only Woman in the Room" by Beate Sirota Gordon, I found another book about another American in Japan...

This one I haven't read yet, but as you can see by it's title, it should be very interesting:

"Native American in the Land of the Shogun - Ranald MacDonald and the Opening of Japan - the true story of a half-Chinook, half-Scot adventurer who entered feudal Japan in 1848 and helped pave the way for its modernization" ... wow!

I'll let you know how it turns out... but my stack of "books to read" for book clubs and research (for my own book) is becoming astronomical... yikes!

In the meantime, I get to work during Golden Week... Argh, this week Happy Monday will be a Happy Tuesday for me. Hopefully I will be able to post something about the other upcoming national holidays as well : Green Day (I'm not kidding) and Children's Day.

Hinamatsuri (a Girls' Festival day)

Oh, deary.  Almost forgot!  Today is Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival) also known as Momo No Sekku (Peach Day).  It is a festival for girls celebrated on March 3rd, but the dolls for this festival are displayed about a month or so in advance.  

On March 4th, the dolls go back in their boxes.  Why the hurry?  It is said that if the dolls are displayed for too long after the festival, the girls of the household will be late to marry.  

Ah, yes, the "appropriate" age to marry...this is obviously an old custom.  But the dilemma is still here.

Many young working females in Japan are realizing that if you have a career you may not necessarily want to have a family of your own.  Then there are the "arafour".  This term actually derived from English : "around forty".  The age group that has busy careers...so busy that they have not married and in many cases no time to go out on dates, let alone look for someone eligible.  Now this conversation can open up a whole different can of worms.  Believe me, I'll get to this subject sooner or later, but not today.

Back to dolls, there are many different types these days, ranging from paper to ceramic.  Prices also vary.  I do not own any hinamatsuri dolls, so I unfortunately do not have a picture I can post without someone yelling at me about copyright, so google hinamatsuri and you will find loads of great pictures!

Hinamatsuri Tip: What if you can't put the dolls away on the 4th?  (work etc...)  Answer: Turn the dolls around so that their backs are to the front.  Then put them away when you do have time.

Speaking of Google...here's the google banner for Hinamatsuri (maybe only seen in Japan?!)

                                                         

Spring is here?

Originally meaning "the time in between seasons", SETSUBUN now  means "the beginning of spring"..and in Japan that is today. 

February 3rd is the Setsubun festival day and in many shrines across the nation, handfuls of beans are thrown at people to ward off evil and welcome good fortune.  At homes with children, the father often wears a mask of an "oni" (goblin dude) and the children will go wild throwing beans at the oni while screaming "oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi" (goblins go out, good fortune come in).

I don't have any children, but I am contemplating whether or not to start throwing beans at my husband....

If you have been to the grocery store in Japan lately you would have seen bags of roasted soybeans like this...you can eat the beans, they make for good tsumami (snacks that go good with sake or beer).  I do not recommend eating the ones you've thrown around the house...

             

Happy New Year - 2009 -

Each year has a guardian animal...in Japan there are 12 and they are as follows:

mouse, cow, tiger, rabbit, dragon (I know, I know), snake, horse, sheep, monkey, bird, dog, wild boar.

Many Asian countries have the same kind of idea so it is hard to say where it originated from...although I do not doubt that China will take the credit.

2009 is the year of the cow...so, if you were born 12 years ago or 24 years ago or 36 years ago etc, you are a cow. This may sound kind of lame but it's not. Cows are supposed to be stubborn and that can be a good thing, sometimes...In most Japanese residences you will be able to find a place where they have the year's animal (called "eto") on display. The above picture is my cow.

I don't have all 12 animals yet...I have 6 more to go, but I always buy mine in Hakata because they have great ceramic dolls called Hakata Ningyo. If you are ever in Fukuoka, you should get one. I like my cow.

The thing to my cow's left is called "kagami mochi" (kagami means mirror and mochi is rice cake in Japanese). It is like an offering to God as well as a symbol of good luck.

There are many ways to display your "kagami mochi" and enhance the "luckiness". For example if you place a piece of dried seaweed (kobu) with it, it will represent "yorokobu" which means "to be happy".

It's hard to tell with the picture above but my "kagami mochi" is plastic. However, there are real prepackaged rice cakes inside the plastic mochi. Before these plastic rice cakes came around they used to be real rice cakes...and since you have to leave them out for at least 10 to 12 days, sometimes longer...they tend to get...green...moldy. So although it may not seem environmentally friendly, it is tummy friendly. We eat the rice cakes on a day (this year was the 11th) called "mochi biraki", which literally means "rice cake opening".

Hopefully this year's cow will work a little harder than last year's mouse...It will be a year of change for many countries, so I hope the cow's stubbornness will be an asset and not something that will just get in the way of good change.