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Soap Bubbles! Posted by on May 31, 2011

There’s a cute Japanese children’s song called “Shabondama” (しゃぼん玉). Shabondama are ‘soap bubbles’. It’s an old Japanese children’s song, but it’s a prominent one, so take a listen: しゃぼん玉 飛んだ (shabondama tonda) The soap bubbles flew away 屋根まで 飛んだ (yanemade tonda) As far as to the roof 屋根まで 飛んで (yanemade tonde) As far as to the roof and……

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Japanese Folktales Posted by on May 30, 2011

Today’s post will be on Japanese folktales. Kiyohime (清姫) is one of the folktales that we will be looking at today. Kiyohime is a story about a fatal attraction between a priest and a woman. The story begins when a traveling priest stops by an inn that is owned by Kiyohime’s parents. Soon after the…

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Famous Japanese Temple in Kyōto Posted by on May 28, 2011

Kyōto is a city that has some of the best Buddhist temples in Japan. For example Kinkakuji (金閣寺) is one of the most popular temples in Japan. It’s name means ‘Golden Pavilion Temple’. It’s called that because two stories of the temple are covered in gold leaf. Kinkakuji is a temple that houses relics of…

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Japanese Lanterns Posted by on May 25, 2011

Before the invention of electricity, Japanese people used paper lanterns for light. Paper lanterns are still used today in Japan, but not as much as they were before electricity was introduced to Japan. There are different kinds of paper lanterns in Japan. One variety is called Akachōchin (あかちょうちん), which means “red lantern” in Japanese. These…

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Japanese Paintings Posted by on May 23, 2011

So much can be written about Japanese paintings. There are so many styles and influences that a single museum would be hard pressed to display all the different styles of Japanese paintings. No matter what era or period you come from, the awe of Japanese paintings never goes away! Tani Bunchō (谷文晁) was from a…

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Contracted Japanese Words Answers Posted by on May 21, 2011

Here are the answers to the Contracted Words List that was posted last month. The words in parentheses are the original words while the words in brackets are the meanings of both the contracted and original words. 1.テレビ (テレビジョン) [TV/television] 2. HP (ホームページ) [homepage] 3. アニメ (アニメーション) [animation] 4. エアコン (エアコンディショ) [air conditioner] 5. PV…

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Famous Japanese Gardens Posted by on May 17, 2011

There are so many gardens in Japan, but if you want to see some a famous garden, go to the Mōtsūji Teien or Mōtsūji Garden (毛越寺庭園) in Enryūji or Enryū Temple (圓隆寺) in Iwate Prefecture (岩手県). The rocks of Mōtsūji Garden are arranged so as to symbolize the rocky coast of Iwate. In the center…

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