17 posts tagged “japanese holidays”

Each year, it’s getting harder and harder to see people wearing kimono in public. They’ve always been hard to put on, and over the years, even a simple kimono has become fairly expensive. Nowadays, there are few people you are willing to go to the trouble and expense to wear them. For most people, the kimono has become something that one might wear once or twice in one’s life, on formal occasions, kind of like a tuxedo or a ball gown would be in western countries. One such occasion for wearing a kimono, has always been Coming of Age Day.

The first Monday after New Year's Day is the national holiday, Coming of Age Day, on which 20-year olds are invited to attend a ceremony at the city hall in their hometowns, to welcome them into adult society. Those attending the ceremonies usually dress up in formal wear, which until recently meant wearing a kimono. For many average Japanese people, Coming of Age Day is one of only a handful of chances they get to wear kimono. However, due to Japan's low birthrate, the population is shrinking, so there are fewer 20-year-olds each year to participate in the ceremonies, and few of them are interested in going to listen to some speeches by some old politicians who are out of touch with today's youth culture, and receive a small gift that they don't really need or want. Also, among those who do choose to attend such ceremonies, the wearing of western-style is becoming more and more popular each year. Sadly, I saw only a handful of young women wearing kimono today, and I didn’t even one young man in kimono.

In keeping with Japanese tradition, we all went to our local shrine today, to pray for happiness and prosperity in the new year, to get some lucky charms, and to get your fortune told for the next 12 months. To get your fortune, you shake an octagonal box until one of numerous long, thin sticks comes out of a small hole in one end of the box, and you read the number written on that stick. Then you get the piece of paper with a number on it that corresponds to the number on the stick you had drawn earlier. Written on the paper is your fortune concerning finances, travel, relationships, health, and a number of other things. This year, my fortune was really positive, and Amy's and Aki’s were just alright.

After reading one’s fortune, people often buy lucky charms from the shrine, that are supposed to bolster their luck in certain areas, and help protect them from harm. We got some road safety stickers for our bicycles, and some small, embroidered pouches, called “omamori-bukuro”. Each pouch contains a piece of paper with a prayer for a particular purpose written on it. I got one that’s supposed to help me more successful at work, and Amy got one that’s supposed to bring her success at school.

Then it was time to for a snack. In and around most major shrines on festival days there are a number of stands and stalls set-up to sell things. They give the normally quite shrines the atmosphere of a carnival or a county fair without the farm animals and rides. You can usually find stalls selling things like spices, calendars and toys to take home with you, and lots of things to nibble on while you're visiting the shrine, like candied apples, grilled seafood and barbecued shish-kabobs. They also sell hot and cold alcoholic beverages and soft drinks. Amy wouldn’t let us go home without buying her a big bag of white cotton candy, in a bag decorated with pictures of Hello Kitty on it.

Last night, Aki’s parents invited us downstairs to enjoy New Year’s Eve with them. After a really nice grilled eel dinner we sat down in front of the TV to watch the annual Red and White Show on TV. It’s a singing competition with a battle of the sexes theme. Each year the country’s best singers in just about every musical genre, form male and female teams. Each team tries to out sing and our perform each other during a four hour live concert of that year’s hit songs. Watching the program every New Year's Eve with one's family, is a tradition in many homes throughout the country, and nobody really cares which team wins. The audience is true winner.

Another New Year’s Eve tradition is eating buckwheat noodles (soba), just before midnight. The long, brown noodles are a symbol of longevity, and it is believed that eating them just before midnight on New Year's Eve, will help prolong your life for another year. We enjoyed a steaming hot bowl of noodles in broth at around 11:30, as we listened to the ringing of Buddhist temple bells Starting just before midnight on New Year's Eve, and continuing on into the wee hours of the morning, the bell at each temple is rung 108 times, to remind us all of the 108 different types of sins, and warm us not to fall into temptation in the new year.

Every May 5th, people in Japan celebrate the people who represent our future: children. Originally May 5th was the day of the Boy's Festival, in response to the girls' Festival of the Dolls on March third, but a few decades ago, the holiday went co-ed. However, there is not much for girls on this day. Families with male children fly carp streamers in front of their homes, and display miniature samurai helmets and armor inside their homes. The carp streamers thrashing around in the wind are supposed to symbolize parents' wishes that their sons grow up to be strong  like carp, which are strong enough to swim upstream against strong currents. The helmets and armor that are put on display, are supposed to represent parents' wish that their male offspring become brave and powerful like the samurai of old. While the parents are busy decorating, the kids are free to play. All kids, boys or girls enjoy running around with origami paper Samurai helmets on their heads, and swatting each other with pretend, paper swords. Young and old, male or female, everybody also enjoys eating sweet rice cakes called Kashiwa-mochi.

Although it’s a national holiday, there are no particular traditional activities, foods or traditions for Constitution Day. There wasn’t much happening in Tokyo today either, for those who didn’t go anywhere for Golden Week, but we made the best of it.

First of all, we heard that the Japan Racing Association, was having horse-jumping show, pony rides, and other equine entertainment at their equestrian training center. We thought Amy might enjoy that, and she didn’t mind watching the horses for a while, from afar, but she was afraid to get close to the horses. She liked riding the wooden horses, but pony rides were definitely out of the question.

Since the equestrian events didn’t entertain Amy for as long as we thought they would, we headed to Shibuya, by bus, on our way to a festival in Harajuku. Shibuya is the heart of youth culture in Japan. A lot of styles, fads and slang words have been born there. It’s also famous for the Shibuya crossing intersection in front of the district’s train station. Everytime the pedestrian crosswalk lights change from red to green, literally thousands of people cross the street all at the same time. It’s quite a sight to see, and interesting event to take part in. While people are waiting for the lights to change, they can keep themselves amused by watching one of the four giant screen TV’s on the walls of buildings on the intersection’s corners. Actually, almost all 10 stories of one glass-walled building, make-up an enormous television screen. It looks like the buildings in the famous sci-fi movie, Blade Runner.

Shibuya is also famous for a life-sized statue of a dog, in the square in front of the train station. The dog’s name was Hachiko, and every morning the dog used to follow his master to Shibuya Station, where he would catch a train to work. While his owner was at work, the dog would wait for his master to return at night, and they would walk home together. But one day in 1925, his owner had a massive heart attack, died on the job, and never returned to the station. For the next 11 years, Hachiko patiently waited by the station for his master, until the day the dog itself died. People were so moved by the dog’s persistence and loyalty, that after he died, the local merchants association had a bronze statue of Hachiko made and placed in the square in front of the station.

Anyway, we took a train from Shibuya to Harajuku: Tokyo’s fashion district. On both sides of the tree-lined Omote Sando Boulevard (nicknamed the Champs Elysees of Tokyo) which runs through the center of the district, are flagship stores of many of the world’s most famous designer fashion houses. Along the side streets and alleys radiating-out from Omote Sando, are the workshops of many local fashon designers and artists. At the top of Omote Sando is the enormous Meiji Shrine, which is dedicated to a former famous emperor. After lunch we went there to see an archery competition and a ceremonial dance by men dressed up as mythical Japanese creatures and people. We had lunch at one of our favorite ramen noodle shops along the boulevard: Janagara Ramen. The texture of the noodles there is just right. The tonkotsu soup is good to the last drop, delicious, and the kakuniku roast pork is heavenly. In addition to all of that, the place has a really fun, funky atmosphere. Every inch of the shop is covered with colorful, hand-drawn artwork, and they always have soulful reggae or R&B records playing while you eat. The whole time we were there, we were serenaded by Michael McDonald and the Doobie Brothers.

Today is the first holiday of Golden Week here in Japan. April 29th was the previous emperor's birthday, but unlike the old emperor, the holiday lives on as Green Day. It's a day on which people are supposed to get out and enjoy nature. However, we had an appointment with the interior decorator today, and the closest we got to seeing any flora, was in books of curtain cloth swatches. During the three hours we were looking at light fixtures, we also saw some wall lamps in the shape of various types of flowers. The wall brackets were painted a yellowish green, to look like the decaying stocks of cut flowers, and the glass shades around the light bulbs were made to look like the petals of a flower. The flower petals of each fixture, take on the color of the light bulb you put inside it the lamp.

The coming of the Spring Equinox is the reason for today’s national holiday in Japan. However, it’s easy to understand how one might think that spring had already arrived more than a month ago. Yellow allspice flowers started blooming on the mountains on the outskirts of Tokyo, at the beginning of February, and not long afterward plum trees starting flowering across much of the country. Cities and towns with large plum tree orchards usually have plum blossom-viewing festivals at the beginning of March, but all the flowers had already fallen off the trees before the end of February. The cherry trees which usually bloom at the beginning of April, started opening about a week ago in some parts of the country. I bought a new winter coat in November, but I’ve only worn it three times since then, because it’s been so warm. Daytime temperatures in Tokyo have been between 12 and 16 degrees for the last five weeks, and they are expected to rise to 19 degrees within the next few days.

Traditionally on this day, people visit the graves of their ancestors, to say prayers for their departed relatives, and to clean off their tombstones. However, in modern times, shopping seems to have become a more popular way to celebrate the coming of spring. On the other hand, one Spring and Autumn Equinox tradition that appears to have gotten stronger over the years, is the custom of eating a sweet dumpling made of glutinous rice; called “ohagi”. Rice is pressed by hand into the shape of a ball, and then is covered with sweet red bean paste, soybean powder, black sesame seeds, or powdered green tea. They may not sound all that appetizing, but “ohagi” taste similar to rice or tapioca pudding, and go quite nicely with a warn cup of green tea. I’m looking forward to doing just that a little later.

To see what “ohagi” dumplings look like, and to see how they are made, please click on the link below.

Pictorial Ohagi Recipe

From the window of the train I was riding to work this morning, I could clearly see Mount Fuji against a cloudless, watery-blue sky. Despite its size in comparison to everything else around it, and the fact that it's a semi-active volcano, Mount Fuji is anything but imposing. The pureness of its white, snow-capped peak, and the grace of its smooth lines, inspires a sense of awe, calm and reassurance, as if you were in the presence of a gentle giant. I thought "That's something you don't see everyday," and I felt truly blessed to have gotten an extended glimpse of Mount Fuji this morning. Ten months out of the year Mount Fuji is so obscured by clouds, and hazy, polluted air. The sky is usually only clear enough in December and January, to be able to see it from any great distance. Also of all the tall buildings; built so closely together, you can usually only get a very obstructed view.

Despite what you might think, catching a glimpse of people wearing kimono in public, is almost as rare as getting a clear, unobstructed view of Mount Fuji. You can still see waitresses in very expensive, traditional restaurants, or the reception staff at old-style Japanese inns wearing kimono, but most people don't visit such places very regularly. Once in a while you see a wealthy, married woman who can indulge in expensive hobbies; dressed in kimono, on her way to a class in one of the traditional arts, like tea ceremony. But for the most part, a kimono is no longer something you see everyday.  However, I was fortunate enough to see some nice kimono yesterday. The first Monday after New Year's Day is the national holiday, Coming of Age Day, on which 20-year olds are invited to attend a ceremony at the city hall in their hometowns, to welcome them into adult society. Those attending the ceremonies usually dress up in formal wear, which until recently meant wearing a kimono. For many average Japanese people, Coming of Age Day is one of only a handful of  chances they get to wear kimono. My wife had actually never worn a kimono until her wedding day.

Sadly, the number of people putting on kimono on Coming of Age day is decreasing. Due to Japan's low birthrate, the population is shrinking, so there are fewer 20-year-olds each year to participate in the ceremonies. Also, the wearing of  western-style clothing to Coming of Age Day ceremonies is gradually becoming more popular among those who

choose to attend them, and fewer people each year choose to attend. In the past, people may have attended out of a sense of social obligation, or because it was the thing to do, but most young people don't feel that way anymore. Also, there's little appeal in the idea of going to the trouble to rent and put on a kimono (which is no easy feat, and most people no longer know how to do so they have to get some one to dress them up in one), in order to go and listen to some speeches by some old politicians who are out of touch with today's youth culture, and receive a small gift that they don't really need or want. The image of such ceremonies have been further tainted over the past few years, by drunk and disorderly conduct among participants. Twenty is the age at which one becomes legally able to smoke tobacco and drink alcohol, and some young people have been using the ceremonies as an venue to show off their newly gained freedom.

We've been eating out a fair bit during the holidays, but when we have been home over the last three days, we have been enjoying traditional Japanese New Year cuisine. "osechi ryori" is a collection of dried, boiled or pickled seafood,  vegetables, and other non-preishable foods; served up in a multi-tiered, lacquer-ware "jyubako" box. It may not sound very appetizing, but the foods in "osechi-ryori" are quite tasty, and each one has symbolic meaning. Eating those foods is supposed to bring you happiness, prosperity and progeny. Traditionally, "osechi ryori" was also designed for convenience. In the days before refrigerators, homemakers wanted to be able to prepare a lot of food for the whole family and relatives coming to visit, before the New Year's holiday began, that would keep for several days, and could be served and stored in the same container. That way they didn't have to cook and clean so many dishes over the holidays, and they could spend more time relaxing with their family. Even though we have refrigerators nowadays, we like most other families in Japan continue the tradition of eating and serving "osechi ryori". However, few people continue to make the more than a dozen dishes that go into "osechi ryori" from scratch anymore. Like us, most families buy the foods at the supermarket, and then just arrange them in their "jyubako" box on New Year's Day. Or a lot of people like Aki's parents place an order at a restaurant or department store for a ready made "jyubako" full of "osechi ryori" to be delivered to their door by courier on New Year's Eve.

Details About Osechi-Ryori

More About Osechi-Ryori

Photos of Jyubako

We had so much fun at the shrine yesterday, that soon after Amy woke up this morning, she asked me "Can we go to the shrine to pray again today? Please, please puhlease!" I promised her that we would, after we had gone to the Imperial Palace. Twice every year, the Emperor opens the gates to the palace to the public, on his birthday, November 23, and for his New Year's address to the public, on January 2. I used to go to the palace every year on January 2, up until the time that Amy was born, and it became too impractical to do so. The trip is a bit of a hike. After you enter the first of many gates, you have to walk a little under 10 minutes to a police checkpoint where you're frisked, and your bags are examined. Then you have to walk for between 10 and 15 minutes over a winding gravel path, inside the palace's inner walls, to a square in front of the glassed-in balcony where the Emperor delivers his speech; with other members of the imperial family at his side. Everyone who enters the palace grounds is given a little paper Japanese flag to wave at key moments during the address. Unfortunately, the Emperor's address was much shorter than usual, and there were fewer members of the royal family with him. This year, he spoke for less than a minute; instead of the five or six minute speech that he usually delivers. Also, he was only joined by the Empress and their two sons. One princess was busy taking care of the her baby and future heir to the throne, and the other was too stressed-out to make a public appearance. Amy didn't seem to mind, though. She was having too much fun waving her flag, and she was agog at all of the greenery and wildlife living in the moat and forest around the palace. After the address, we walked for another 15 minutes to get to the exit gate.

Then we walked through Kitanomaru Park and on past the Budokan martial arts and performing arts centre, while making our way to Yasakuni Shrine. Aki had better luck at the "omikuji" box there, and got a better fortune today. It had more positive predictions about homebuilding and moving house on it, so she decided to keep it. After that, we got some grilled octopus and rice paste cakes filled with chunks of pumpkin in them to eat for lunch, as we watched live performances of traditional music and dance on the outdoor stage at the shrine. We were all having a great time until the "shishimai" lion dancer came nearby. A bite on the head by the mask of the shishimai lion dancer is supposed to bring you good luck over the next year, and people commonly pay the lion dancer a tip in exchange for nibbling their heads. But the "shishimai" scared Amy badly, and there was no way she wanted to it to come anywhere near her. After being frightened by the "shsihimai", the only think that could console Amy, was a bag of pink cotton candy with Hello Kitty's picture on it.

Omikuji Photo

About Omikuji