Archive for 'Culture'
Japanese Festivals in February Posted by Ginny on Feb 6, 2011
February is an interesting month of Japanese festivals. Let’s take a look at some of these festivals: Agon Shu no Hoshi Matsuri (阿含の星まつり) takes place in Yamashina (山科), Kyōto (京都) on the eleventh of February. Many prayer sticks are burned in large bonfires to ensure that the prayers will come true. Onda Matsuri (おんだ祭り) takes…
Japanese Mythological Gods Posted by Ginny on Jan 31, 2011
There are lots of mythological Japanese gods. However, one deity in particular is the main deity that is somehow related to the other deities. Try guessing whom the deity might be! If you don’t know now, by the end of this article, you’ll find out! Amaterasu(天照) is the goddess of the sun and is one…
Ryukyan Festivals Posted by Ginny on Jan 25, 2011
January is a busy month of rituals for the Ryukyan people of Okinawa. For example, the festival of sougwachi is a New Year’s festival where the head of the household visits his elderly father and mother and his in-laws. The elderly also present some salty and dried squid to the head of household. The head…
Japanese Open Air Museums Posted by Ginny on Dec 29, 2010
Museums are not all enclosed spaces with objects in them. Some Japanese museums are in the open air. Here are some great Japanese open air museums : TheHida Minzoku Mura (飛騨民俗村) or Hida Folk Village is a museum of traditional Japanese houses. The houses are hundreds of years old and are typical of the type…
Japanese Festivals in December Posted by Ginny on Dec 21, 2010
Misogi Matsuri (禊祭り) is a festival where men wear a white loincloth or underwear and purify themselves in a river. The Oshiroi Matsuri (おしろい祭り) is a festival where white paste is smeared over the faces of the townspeople. The white paste is made of rice flour and water and is believed to bring a good…
Under the Big Chestnut Tree Posted by Ginny on Dec 17, 2010
大きな栗の木の下で (ookina kurino kinoshitade) is a popular Japanese children’s song. Here is one version of the song with body motions to accompany the song. 大きな栗の木の下で (ookina kurino kinoshitade) Under the big chestnut tree あなたとわたし (anata to watashi) You and me なかよく遊びましょう (naka yoku asobimashou) Let’s play happily 大きな栗の木の下で (ookina kurino kinoshitade) Under the big chestnut…
Japanese Folk Tales Posted by Ginny on Dec 14, 2010
Japanese folk tales are certainly entertaining to listen to, but they provide more than just entertainment. There is always a moral to the story or an exemplary mode of behavior that Japanese children should follow. Kintarō (金太郎) means “Golden Boy” in Japanese. Kintarō is the name of a boy with extraordinary strength. He is considered…