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Midori no Hi Posted by Ginny on May 5, 2009
Midori no Hi (みどりの日) is Greenary Day. Greenary Day is kind of like Arbor Day or Earth Day and occurs every May 4th. It’s a day to respect nature and to spend time outdoors. People take family outings to public gardens and take a stroll in the fields. Of course, the majority of people just…
Constitution Day Posted by Ginny on May 2, 2009
May 3rd is Kenpoo Kinenbi (憲法記念日) or Constitution Day in Japan. Kenpoo Kinenbi (憲法記念日) honors the 1947 Constitution of Japan. The Constitution of Japan is a legal document that guarantees certain fundamental rights to the Japanese people. The Constitution is called the Peace Constitution or Heiwa Kenpoo (平和憲法). It’s a constitution set up after WWII…
Shoowa no Hi Posted by Ginny on Apr 29, 2009
Today is Shoowa no Hi (昭和の日) or Shoowa Day. The now deceased emperor was officially called Shoowa Tennoo (昭和天皇) or Emperor Shoowa. You may have known him as Emperor Hirohito (裕仁). Although the day is named after the Emperor, it’s more of a day to remember the people who died in the war. Emperor Shoowa…
Stroke Order Posted by Ginny on Apr 26, 2009
By request, I’ll give you four basic rules on how to write kanji (かんじ) letters. Keep in mind that stroke order differs with each calligraphy school. One school my cultivate a certain style while another may reject that style. Really, what matters is how the letters look. I’ve seen people go against the basic rules and…
(郷土料理) Posted by Ginny on Apr 22, 2009
It’s time for the monthly dose of Kyoodo Ryoori (郷土料理). If you don’t know what that is, look back at some old posts and it’ll be clear as day and night. Today we’re going to take a walk on the wild side to Nagano (長野市). Nagano (長野市) is located in central Japan. It’s the city…
Hanami (はなみ) Posted by Ginny on Apr 19, 2009
Hanami (花見) means “flower viewing” in Japanese. The springtime is the prime season for viewing flowers, especially sakura (さくら) flowers. Sakura (さくら) is a cherry blossom. They are pinkish and grow on trees. Every year, people all over Japan set out some time in their busy schedules to have an outdoor party amongst the sakura…
Titles Posted by Ginny on Apr 16, 2009
I’m gonna go over some common titles that you might of heard people use when they refer to other people. In addition to titles, I also describe them as suffixes that you attach to names. These suffixes can do two things: 1) they identify the relationship you have with the speaker (intimate or formal) or…