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Japanese Pitch Accent Posted by Ginny on Aug 27, 2011
Japanese pitch accent can be tricky, especially when it comes to words that are spelled with the same hiragana but have different pitch accents. Rain (あめ) (雨) (ame) a[high] me[low] Sentence : 雨が降ると思う (ame ga furu to omou) I think it’ll rain Candy (あめ) (飴) (ame) a[low] me[high] Ex: 飴がほしい = (ame ga hoshii) I…
Sports Arenas of Japan Posted by Ginny on Aug 22, 2011
Spectator sports are a huge pastime in Japan and its only natural that there will be some spectacular sports arenas to accommodate all the fans. The Tokyo Dome (東京ドーム) is a famous baseball stadium that also hosts an entertainment complex that includes an amusement park, restaurants, souvenir shops, game centers and a horse race betting…
Japanese Dried Confectionary Posted by Ginny on Aug 17, 2011
Higashi (干菓子) is a broad term for Japanese confectionary that is dry and sweet tasting. One of the confectionary items that fall under Higashi is Hanakazura (花かずら) is a type of confectionary that is usually cut into rectangular blocks with sweet bean paste on the inside. The sweet bean paste is not very gooey and…
Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi Posted by Ginny on Aug 15, 2011
This year several historic monuments and sites of Hiraizumi were declared World Heritage Sites in Japan. One of the sites chosen as a World Heritage site was Chūsonji (中尊寺) of Chūson Temple. One of the best rooms of the the Chūson Temple is the Konjikidō (金色堂), which means ‘Golden Hall’ in English. The Golden Hall…
Obon Songs and Dances Posted by Ginny on Aug 12, 2011
Around this time of the year many regions in Japan are celebrating Obon (お盆). Obon is a time when the spirits of the dead are honored. All over Japan people celebrate Obon by performing special dances to particular songs. The songs are often traditional Japanese folk songs that vary from region to region. One of…
Ogasawara Islands Posted by Ginny on Aug 6, 2011
In June of this year the smaller islands on Ogasawara Islands (小笠島) were designated as World Heritage Sites. Some of the islands have interesting names. In particular, some of the islands are named after family member. For example, there is Chichi Jima (父島), which means ‘Dad Island’. It is the largest of the Ogasawara Islands…
Japanese Festivals in August Posted by Ginny on Aug 4, 2011
The Hirosaki Neputa Matsuri (弘前ねぷた祭り) takes place in the city of Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture (青森県). The Hirosaki Neputa Festival is a brightly colored festival where giant paper lanterns are paraded through the streets. These paper lanterns are decorated with images of samurai, mythological gods and goddesses, etc. After the festival has finished, the lanterns…