Iroha -chi-

iroha

is 

back

if you would like to see the other iroha-'s on my blog

please click the above photo

We've finished the first line...

now on the second...

starting from "chi"

chi

"Chi" is not to be confused with the Chinese "chi"(energy) which is "ki" 「気」in Japanese.

"Ki" is the symbol/character I will talk about....30 characters from now...

So, back to "chi".

Coincidentally, I found two makeup related brands that start with chi.

The first is Chikuhodo, a makeup brush brand based in Hiroshima  (try saying that sentence 3 times in a row!) which is well known for their brushes.You can find the English information about the company here:  Chikkuhodo

The below travel size makeup brushes are from a set that I received using my frequent flyer points (JAL).

I couldn't find the exact same set on their website but their brushes are anywhere from US$50 and....up...

The next makeup brand is a LOT more affordable.

Chifure

They are a relatively eco friendly company, very clear on the ingredients of their products and don't rely on lots of advertising.  They are super affordable...you can find out about the company in English here: Chifure

Their face cleansers and creams are anywhere from 5 to 8 US$.  The lipsticks are 300yen, less than US$3!!!

You buy the lipsticks in the little tube with the white cap you see above.  You purchase separate lipstick cases which are reusable...the plastic ones are 100 yen (less than $1 and the metallic ones are about  $3!)

I put the Revlon (matte lipstick in Heavenly Mauve no. 01) just to show you the shade similarities.

(The Chifure lipsticks are more similar to the Revlon Lip Butter textures than the matte ones...just in case you are interested in that sort of thing.)

Other words that start with "chi" are....

chikyu (Earth)
chikyu-gi (globe)
the "gi" is pronounced like the "gui" in guitar

My mom bought me the above globe about 10 years ago for my birthday... it was a "feng-shui" thing.
Supposedly if you put a globe in the eastern side of your office, your work will go global....or something to that effect.

It is actually kind of ...funny...?... because now I do get to travel a lot in Japan with at least one chance a year to travel abroad.

Globe power...

Chiheisen (chi-hay-sen) is horizon.  Specifically land horizon.  There is another word for the horizon you see when you are at sea..."suiheisen"..."sui" meaning "water".

There aren't very many places where you can see a "land horizon" in Japan especially if you live in the city.  This photo I took from the airplane will have to do for now...

Somewhere above the Kyushu island in south western Japan (2012)

...

 An adjective that starts with chi...chiisai (chee-sigh):

small

chiisa na ki
the small tree

I will talk more about the book someday, perhaps when I get to ki= tree.

Chi means:

blood, earth/land, knowledge 

all have different kanji (Japanese characters) but sound the same

....

a pretty important sound, "chi" is

I hope you have a great day/night wherever you are on this Chikyu!

i-ro-ha #6 "he" and my attempts at youtubing

it is important to know that this character "he" is pronounced like the "he" in "head" or "helicopter"

I think it is a "silly" character.

When the "e" sound is drawn out "heeeee" it is the sound people make when they mean "is that so?" or "really?!".

Two nouns that start with he:

he = a fart

...

heso = a bellybutton

...see how "silly" it is?

Well then, how about this...using the characters he, no, mo and ji
you can draw a frowning (but funny) face...
(I have no idea when and who thought this up but it has been around for a long time and I am pretty sure all Japanese people are familiar with this...)

"henohenomheji" starring I_am_Tulsa:

If someone says that your mouth is shaped like a he that means you look unhappy.

(BTW, I couldn't upload video from my computer so I had to make a youtube account....argh. I soooo wanted to stay away from this... I think it is some kind of google conspiracy...)

...

A colorful time in Japanese history, for someone who enjoys literature, would have to be...
the Heian Period. (794-1185)

This is when that famous Harlequin-like story about a prince and his "conquests" (The Tale of Genji) was written by Murasaki Shikibu (a court lady). It is said that Murasaki Shikibu didn't actually finish the tale (some even say that she didn't write it :-S), but with things like this...you just never know.

The Pillow Book, a witty diary written by Sei Shonagon (another court lady!) was also written during the Heian Period.

Then there is "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter" ("Taketori Monogatari" ) a story about a moon princess being raised up by a bamboo cutter and his wife, that was written during the Heian Period. There was a great movie that was released in the 1980's titled "Princess from the Moon" which made me realize that this story could very well have been one of the first science fiction stories in the world!

Another era that begins with he is the Heisei Period.
It began in 1989 when the current emperor ascended the throne and since it is the current era, I find this to be a rather important period!

The unveiling of the name for the new era was of course shown on tv back then, and I found a clip on..yes, youtube:
speed it up to 56 seconds and you will see the kanji...



The man "unveiling" the name is Keizo Obuchi.
At this time he was chief cabinet secretary. Later on he became the 84th Prime Minister of Japan.
Unfortunately, he passed away while still in office in the year 2000.

The kanji for Heisei is supposed to mean Peace on earth and heaven....

The word for peace in Japanese is HEIWA

a nice word in any language I suppose...

But, back to the silliness of he


hesokuri = a secret savings (usually a wife's)

a silly phrase...
heso wo mageru = to turn your bellybutton....this means to "become perverse"... which usually happens when a husband finds out that his wife has a secret savings ;-)

Sorry that I didn't have any pictures of Japan to post today.... it has been a really weird week...and I am surprised that I even got this post posted...

Hope you all have a great and heiwa-na (peaceful) week!

i-ro-ha #5 "ho"

Some of my favorite words start with "ho".
So for today's edition of "i-ro-ha" you may learn more about me than Japan.

For example:
hon = book
hondana = bookcase ... some people say you can judge a person's personality from their bookshelves...in that case, I could have all sorts of personalities!

hoshi = star

Tonight is cloudy, so no stars. Well...not very many stars can be seen in this city anyways...
(by the way the book you can sort of see in the picture... has been with me for about 30 years)

...

hochoucho = E major ... Chopin's Etude No3. in E major "Vhanson de l'adieu" Op.10-3 is one of my          
                      favorites...(I like Fujiko Hemming's piano performance.  She is a pianist who I will post        
                      about  someday.)
...

"ho" is also the sound of relief... when you say "hotto shita" it means "I am relieved."

...

Another word that starts with "ho" is "honki", which means "earnest" or "seriousness".
In kanji, written by poet and calligrapher Aida Mitsuo (last name comes first in Japanese), it looks like this

The meaning of the kanji for "hon" means "real" (also is the same kanji for book!)
"ki" means "mind, spirit" (also means atmosphere).

...honki...

This is from the cover of a book my dear friend  Blossom gave to me a few years ago...

(book design by happy and happy, book published by bunka shuppan kyoku)

The title of the book "Honki" comes from a poem in the book also featured on the above cover.

This book contains English translations but for the sake of copyright and stuff...here is my own translation of the poem:

Earnestly


Anythings is fine - just be sure to do it earnestly
It will be fun - if you do it earnestly
You won't get tired - if you do it earnestly
And even if you do get tired - it will be a refreshing kind of tired


As you might be able to tell from the above cover, Aida Mitsuo's form of calligraphy looks care free and not confined to strict rules...

So, in the same vein, without thinking too much, yet being earnest...my attempt at writing the letters for the word "hotaru" which means "firefly"...  posing with my firefly stationery!

Here's a sentence using some words we learned today...
本気でやればほっとするでしょう。
Honki de yareba hotto surudeshou.
If you try in earnest, you will surely be relieved.

Now I must earnestly go and make (a late) dinner!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

i-ro-ha #4 "ni"

The fourth character to introduce in the "i-ro-ha" series is "ni".

Words that start with "ni":

ni = two

niji = rainbow

ningen = human

not to be confused with...

ninjin = carrot

oh, oh, oh NINJA!

and of course another word that starts with "ni" is NIPPON or NIHON. You know this as JAPAN.

a land of grey buildings and red gates...

Here is the kanji for Nihon

Rice paddy near my mother's home...

I started this series as an attempt to describe Japan, and here I am trying to explain the word Japan (Nihon) in one session.

...uh... not going to happen.

So allow me to focus just a little on religion.

Japan is often called a Buddhist country and although that is not a false statement it only captures one side of Japan's spirituality.

Buddhism was popularized in Japan during the Kamakura Period (1185~1333).

One of the most well known religious figures of the time was a man whose name starts with todays letter "Ni"(に).

Nichiren (1222~1282).

He founded the Nichiren sect which focuses on the Lotus Sutra.

The most influential sect that embraces the teachings of Nichiren would have to be the Soka Gakkai. They are popular overseas as well, with many famous musicians and other celebrities among their followers. They are known in Japan for their ties with the Komeito, a political party that is now one of the ruling parties.

Other Buddhist sects are the Jodo, Jodo-Shin and of course Zen, just to name a few.

So, if Buddhism doesn't have that long of a history in Japan... then, what is an indigenous Japanese religion?

Shintoism?

The kanji characters mean "the way (or path) of god".

a shinto shrine I pass during my commute...

I'll try to take better pictures someday.

Two chronicles written in the 8th century (the Kojiki and the Nihonshoki) are known as Japan's first history books. They are books that show how mythology and history are intertwined in this country.

Amaterasu-no-omikami is one of the 3 original gods and is part of the root of Shintoism. There are more gods though...Izanagi-no-mikoto and Izanami-no-mikoto were husband and wife and they gave birth to dozens of gods who also gave birth to gods...

Included in the ranks of the gods, was the Emperor. Emperors were deified up until the end of World War 2, after which religion was separated from government.

(I remember seeing a picture of the Showa Emperor (the current Emperor's father) hanging on a wall at my Japanese grandmother's house when I was about 4 years old... I don't know what happened to it after my grandparents passed away.)

Another aspect of Shintoism that started before the word Shinto was put into use, is the belief in...well...almost everything!

Japan is the land of ... Yaoyorozu-no-kami (八百万の神）. It means, 8 million gods.

I'm not kidding.

Eight million gods.

There is a god in everything. Not just the elements like earth, wind and fire, but also in all species.

Animism?

There are spirits in all things and all spirits are divine, and have powers.

There is another saying in Japan...

Iwashi no atama mo shinjin kara. = Even a sardine's head can be worshiped.

This means that "faith can make anything holy".

Although the saying is rather critical and not used as praise, I think there is a lot of wisdom and beauty in worshipping nature.

This philosophy has enriched Japanese culture (example: paintings and kimono designs.) and literature (example: haiku which has now become quite the phenomenon!).

Although the Japan I know of now seems to be letting these ideals slip through their fingers

new buildings being built all over the place...

I have hope that some of the ancient philosophy will be revived and live on.

Movies like "Princess Mononoke" and "Spirited Away" show the basics of the Shinto philosophy...without the preaching.

oh and another word that starts with "ni":
ninjou = human nature
this is always used in a good way, focused on the warmth and kindness of humans...

Thank you for reading this extremely long post...and thank you for visiting!

i-ro-ha #3 "ha!"

Ha!

This letter is normally pronounced "ha" but when it is used as a "topic marker particle" it is pronounced "wa".

 

words that start with “ha” (は):

 

ha = a leaf (also happa is leaf), leaves

ha= a tooth, teeth

(this is a restaurant in Kobe)

hahaha = the sound of laughter ;-)

hai = yes

haru = spring

haha = the sound of laughter? 

Well, actually “haha” means “mother”…

 

For me, the words “laughter” and “mother”, are kind of the same thing.

 

My father passed away when I was a toddler.  So my mother brought me up on her own….in a country that was not her homeland.  She spoke English like her life depended on it, and well, I suppose it did. 

 

Despite the grief she held inside her after my father passed away, she is the person who taught me to laugh.  There wasn’t a week that I didn’t get scolded but there wasn’t a day that we didn’t laugh out loud.  (All my personal “Joy Luck Club-ish” memories can go into another post…)

More words that start with “ha” are:

 

hashi = chopsticks

hashi = bridge

hashi =edge

 

If we didn’t use Kanji, it could be hard to figure out what the above sentence means.

But with Kanji....

Pretty chopsticks.

♦

A pretty bridge.

♦

A pretty edge.

I know this picture does not make a whole lot of sense, but that is the point...after all you COULD be talking about the edge of your seat!

There are many other words like "hashi" that seem to be the same but are very different.

They will continue to pop up in upcoming editions of the "i-ro-ha" series.

(hasami = scicors)

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Since I received a wonderful question from a fabulous bloggy friend about how Japanese is written...here is an example of a short paragraph.  This first one is written in only the Hiragana characters (I keep calling them letters).  

(Hiragana are the letters that I am featuring on this "i-ro-ha" series.)

(watashinonamaewatarusadesu.nihonnokotowoburogudeshoukaishiteimasu.

kyouwa,hiraganano"ha"dehajimarumonowoshoukaishiteimasu.nihonnituiteshitumongaareba

komentowonokoshitekudasaine.)  

Yikes!  Of course it is still readable but VERY confusing...

Since Japanese is written stuck together (except for the occasional commas and periods), the above paragraph is hard to read because there is no break.  So, let's change some of these words into Kanji characters and Katakana letters, which will help divide the words.

(Katakana letters are used for words that are of foreign origin or for onomatopoeia. )

Now we know that this means: My name is Tulsa.  I am introducing Japan on my blog.

Today, I am introducing words that start with "ha".  If you have any questions about Japan, please leave a comment.

(Sorry the blue didn't turn out so well in the above paragraph...but "Tulsa" is a foreign name, so it is in katakana and "comment" is also a foreign word used in Japanese now, so also gets written in katakana.)

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Pictures of "hashi-oki".

Hashi-oki are chopstick rests.  Most people have them but not everybody uses them everyday.

Always use when you are having guests at the table!  The one that has chopsticks resting on it has a hidden compartment in it for a toothpick!  I bought this in Hokaido a few years ago.

And of course when I found elephant ones, how cold I resist!?

Now, it is time for me to rest....

i-ro-ha #1

Pictures were hard to choose for the first edition of "i-ro-ha" because I haven't been able to go out for photo walks this week!  I made do with what I have...

The first letter to be introduced is "I"...in case you do not have  Japanese compatible software it looks like this:

"I" ...  pronounced like the English letter E, except a bit shorter.

Words that start with this letter… iie = no 

(pronounced "eee-eh")

    isu=chair

    ie = house

(a house in Dejima, Nagasaki that is now a museum)

...

and an author whose last name starts with "I" … Itsuki Hiroyuki

Born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1932, he spent his childhood in (what is now) North Korea. Some of his early novels are based on his experience there and the tragedies he witnessed.

Itsuki studied Russian literature at Waseda University and went on to be an editor, and writer (of lyrics, journalism and novels).

He has also written many essays including the one I’d like to introduce today. 

“Tariki – 100 hints for living” was first published in Japan in 1998.
There are 100 short chapters on different ways at looking at tariki and incorporating it into daily life.

 

Tariki is hard to explain. 

If you look it up in the dictionary, you will get things like “help from without”, “salvation”…

After reading the book, this is what I thought he was trying to say: it is ok to rely on "sources" outside of yourself for life and personal salvation.

Some people may call the "source(s)" God, for some it is spirituality, for some it may be called inspiration. But no matter what your religion, culture or beliefs are, it is hard to say that you will never depend on anything or anyone beside yourself. It doesn’t mean to start being lazy and let everyone else take care of you. It is more like an awakening experience, realizing that you are one with everything…  

Like if someone next to you in a pool starts to bob up and down it will effect you and you will have an effect on someone else etc.  We can not cut ourselves off from nature and others around us even if we do not see the chains that bind us.

He also mentions the Japanese word “akirame” which translates to “resignation”.
He explains that it comes from the meaning “akiraka ni kiwameru” which translates to “clearly investigate thoroughly”.

In other words,
“go ahead and give up (resign), so long as you have clearly investigated (the matter) thoroughly. Have courage to look reality in the eye.”

...

Oh, another word that starts with today's letter "I":
   iro = color 

(with the kanji character for iro  underneath it)

and when you say it twice “iroiro” 

it means “a variety”!

  

back to the basics

With so many things to talk about and very little talent, I have been thinking of new ways to introduce Japan. Not only the things I know of well but also the things that I have taken for granted.   Something I can work on for a week or two in between my usual rants...

So, I thought, why not go back to the basics…the “abc” or, like it is said in Japanese, the “i-ro-ha”.

If you have tried to learn the Japanese language before, then you might be thinking…”i-ro-ha?”.

The first three characters (letters) in the Japanese alphabet are “a-i-u”… but in the Heian Period (794-1185) somebody thought of a new way to teach *hiragana and the meaning of a Buddhist chant all in one poem… the “i-ro-ha”.


It is: 

i ro ha ni ho he to chi ri nu ru wo
wa ka yo ta re so tsu ne na ra mu
u i no o ku ya ma ke fu ko he te
a sa ki yu me mi shi e hi mo se su n

I bet there are tons of great translations out there but since this is a learning experience for me as well, this is my own literal interpretation...

Colorful flowers smell fragrant but they fall
Our lives are also not forever
Climbing over the fateful reality of the mountains
I will not watch shortsighted dreams or be intoxicated

Japanese literature aficionados must be cringing now but feel free to add your own translation! ;-)

Oh, and it is also said that there is a secret message inside the poem…but let me try not to bite off more than I can chew at one time.

So, I will soon start my “i-ro-ha” of Japan. Starting with the hiragana letter “i” (い).
I will introduce a word(s), people or things that start with each letter. Some of the things might be old and some new. You may know more about something than I do and I will not pretend to know more than I write so feel free to comment!

A new page in my blog opens...

with "i-ro-ha" and my very bad handwriting...
(the 2 letters with the red arrows pointing at them are not used very often anymore but sometimes appear in names and poems, like the "i-ro-ha")

*The Japanese letters hiragana (a phonetic alphabet) appears during the Heian Period, making the written Japanese language more accessible to a wider audience (Instead of just the high ranking officials and monks). They were designed from the Chinese characters being used until then. 
Of course we still use a lot of the Chinese characters (kanji) now but thanks to hiragana and katakana (another form of phonetic alphabet used exclusively for foreign words or onomatopoeia) it is much easier to read and write Japanese once you have learned the basics. 

The Biwa or The Loquat

This is for all the wonderful comments and questions I have received recently, especially about this mysterious fruit.

I wish I could send everyone a real box of biwas....

This box was sent from Nagasaki.  Nagasaki is in the south western part of Japan, on an "island" called Kyushu.  Nagasaki is at the north western tip of Kyushu.... in other words,

fairly warm but lots of ocean breeze and lots of rain.

My hand is not extra huge or extra small so you get an idea of how big the fruits are...
The skin is thin, like an apricot or peach.

The texture of the fruit is similar to that of an apricot but the flavor is closer to (I think) a sweet pear.

The fruit is not sour even when it isn't ripe.  You know you have a "not so ripe" batch of fruit when the the biwa does not have any sweetness...

Lots of Vitamin A.

The biwa leaves are used as tea, it is supposed to be "good for you", but I don't think it is that tasty...

Biwa jello-o (or biwa jelly) is also sold in Nagasaki and is a popular gift in the summer.

I think the fruit got it's name "biwa" because it is shaped like a lute (in Japanese this instrument is also called a biwa).

As I was taking the above pictures just a few minutes ago,I realized how badly my floor needs to be vacuumed. 

Argh.

I will try to post again later today about today's national holiday... Children's Day!

Kokeshi Doll?!

Today I went to town in search of kokeshi (Japanese wooden dolls).  My hunt was unsuccessful. So I looked around the internet and I found some new, modern kokeshi. 

In a nutshell, kokeshi were being made by artisans who usually made bowls and other daily things out of wood.  They started making dolls for extra money to sell to tourists who came to their villages... I've also heard stories about how people bought the dolls to take place of their children when they had to send them out of the "nest".  However, I have found close to nothing on the internet that confirms that "rumor".  

The dolls were toys for children...but since old toys are often replaced with new shiny and plastic toys...they became less and less popular with children and more and more popular among collectors.  

My Japanese grandmother's side of the family used to be a successful kokeshi manufacturer.  I had totally forgotten about that bit of family history.  I mention this now because I called my mother to ask her about "all those kokeshi dolls we used to have"... unfortunately we do not have a single one left...thus no pictures and one of the reasons why I went on a search today.

...

why kokeshi now?

because...I recently received these wonderfully strange kokeshi "dolls"...

Yep, they are matches!  Kokeshi Matches...

On the box it says "jinsei no tomoshibi" = "the flickering light of life" ...

Let's take a closer look at the "doll".
LOL.  The things people do for art.  I love art.

I walked around town in search of a small wooden doll and found this...huge feet?
A GIANT wooden doll...It's name is Breechan.  It is a 12 meter tall wooden marionette.

According to the sign, Breechan moves 8 times a day.  I didn't get to see it move today maybe next time.

The Big Issue

One of the things I do when I get to Motomachi Station in Kobe is

look for the guy who sells The Big Issue. If it is not raining he is usually out front with the latest issue in hand. The Japanese editions are 300 yen per magazine and there are two issues a month, each sold on the 1st and 15th. The Big Issue is a magazine sold by homeless vendors who get a portion of the sales they make. This job requires a lot of self discipline and management skills and will help the vendors get back on their feet. Several countries around the world have their own issues.

Right now even 300 yen (about $3.15) can be big spending for a lot of people, but if you are going to buy a magazine it might as well be something with great articles as well as a good cause.

One of my favorite articles in the magazine is written every month by a young Japanese veterinarian, Asuka Takita. She has two sites, one web page in Japanese and the other in English (which is extraordinary!) Unfortunately, she hasn't updated it recently, and with her schedule I can understand why. The official site for Wild Life Direct is a gem and you can find lots of updated information there on endangered species etc.

Asuka writes about the hardships she encounters in Africa while helping local government and veterinarians to help save the wildlife from poachers and other disasters. Sometimes it seems like a lost cause with all of the conflicts raging in Africa, but the determination of this young vet will give anybody hope! She is younger than I am but wiser a million times over.

In Japan there is a saying "tsume no aka wo senjite nomu". It is used when you want to be like someone or have even a speck of someone's wisdom. The translation sounds kind of gross being: brew and drink the grime of a fingernail...

Ehem.

It means that - even the grime from the fingernail of someone that worthy is worth brewing into tea for someone like me to drink, in hopes of becoming more like that person.

IN OTHER WORDS - I'd do just about anything to be more like that.

Sometimes parents say this to their kids in hopes of disciplining them but nobody takes it literally so you don't have to worry about getting a strange type of tea when you are in Japan.

Speaking of tea, green tea canisters are fairly cheap and nice things to buy when you visit Japan.

They are air tight so you can storage any type of dried food or tea and they come in all sorts of sizes, colors and designs! I have two for two different types of green tea.