Archive for 'Culture'
Ainu Posted by Ginny on May 14, 2009
The Ainu (アイヌ) are an indigenous group of people living in Hokkaido (北海道). The Ainu (アイヌ) are the original inhabitants of Hokkaidoo (北海道). It’s a population that’s slowly dying out from poverty and malnutrition. The Ainu (アイヌ) have also intermarried with the Japanese people out of a desire to assimilate into Japanese society. The Ainu (アイヌ) have…
Izakaya Posted by Ginny on May 11, 2009
Izakaya (居酒屋) is a place that serves food and drinks. I wouldn’t go so far as to call an izakaya (居酒屋) a restaurant. It’s more of a mini bar that serves food. It’s a place frequented by a lot of office workers called saraii man (サラリーマン) or salary man. It’s packed in the evenings. Workers…
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…
Japanese Companies In the U.S. Posted by Ginny on Apr 5, 2009
I think most people take it for granted when it comes to the products they use. I’m willing to bet that everyone has at least one item made by a Japanese company. We’re going to play a little game today. Try to guess the company by the logo: Bandai (バンダイ): They’re known for their toys…
Japanese Castles Posted by Ginny on Mar 30, 2009
Like the medieval castles of Europe, the castles of Japan were meant to be a fortress against attacks. The general term for castle is shiro (城), but when the word for castle is a proper noun, the word castle is pronounced as joo (城) is attached. For example Chihaya castle would be pronounced as chihayajoo (千早城)…
Japanese Culture: Kurokawa Noh (黒川能) Posted by Ginny on Feb 1, 2009
Hello everybody! Let me start off by asking, do you like festivals? I sure hope so, because today is the Kurokawa Noh Festival (黒川能). This festival is held every year in the town of Kushibiki (櫛引) in the prefecture of Yamagata (山形). If you’re also a theater junkie, this is also the festival for you…
Japanese Culture: Let it Burn! Posted by Ginny on Jan 8, 2009
Around the seventh of January and many days afterward, the Japanese have a tradition of burning New Year’s decorations. Burning the New Year’s decorations symbolizes the act of moving forward. If you don’t burn the New Year’s decorations, it’s like holding on to the past. Moreover, holding on to the past is an act that doesn’t help you grow…