ayamochi

キラキラネーム (Kirakira ne-mu) – Shining Name

2nd April – 卯月キラキラネーム is the name for people which uses abnormal Chinese character (Kanji) and / or can be read differently to the actual pronunciation. Kirakira name have started to appear from the mid of 1990’s in Japan (aroud 1995), and in 2000’s the number of Kirakira name has increased rapidly. In JapaneseContinue reading “キラキラネーム (Kirakira ne-mu) – Shining Name”

日本に住む: 住居編 (Nihon ni Sumu: Jyuukyo hen) -Living in Japan: house

1st April –卯月 (Uzuki) April is the time when new semester and terms start for schools and jobs in Japan. In this season, many people move to the cities to start working or commute schools, therefore there are heaps people starting to live by themselves. Today’s blog will give some information about living by oneselfContinue reading “日本に住む: 住居編 (Nihon ni Sumu: Jyuukyo hen) -Living in Japan: house”

桜エビ　(Sakura ebi) – Sakura Shrimp

31st March – 弥生 Sakura ebi – named afterits color, just like a pretty pink color, cherry blossom (桜=Sakura). Moreover, Sakura ebi can be taken the most in spring when sakura blooms, this is why it is called Sakura ebi. Sakuraebi lives only in Tokyo bay, Sagami bay and Suruga bay, however the area onlyContinue reading “桜エビ　(Sakura ebi) – Sakura Shrimp”

河童　（Kappa）

30th March – 弥生 Less than 150cm height, looks like children but green skin, wearing a dish on the top of the head, and having turtle shell at the back… this strange monster is called 河童 (Kappa) and is believed to live in the river. This creature can stay inside and outside the water andContinue reading “河童　（Kappa）”

柚子　（Yuzu）

29th March – 弥生 Yuzu, is the mandarin or lemon look-alike fruit, and Japan has the highest rate of its bith production and consumption. compared to the other citrus fruits, Yuzu has very strong acidity therefore it cannot be eaten raw like mandarin. However, Japanese love to use Yuzu for condiments as an accent inContinue reading “柚子　（Yuzu）”

日本人の考え方　（Nihonjin no kangaekata）－Stereotype Japanese thinking

28th March ‐ 弥生 Behind the history of being islander and not much connection with people from other countries, Japanese has established their own way to build relationship and communication method. Today’s topic is the stereotype of Japanese thought- It is of course not applicable for every single person in Japan, but it can beContinue reading “日本人の考え方　（Nihonjin no kangaekata）－Stereotype Japanese thinking”

日本の怪談　（Nihon no Kaidan）ーJapanese ghost story

27th March – 弥生 The theme for 27th every month is Japanese ghost story, today’s topic is about good ghosts believed in Japan. 1. 座敷童 (Zashikiwarashi) Little kids ghosts seen often in Iwate prefecture. This ghosts come to the old houses and storage then stay that places. Zashikiwarashi do mischief to people in order toContinue reading “日本の怪談　（Nihon no Kaidan）ーJapanese ghost story”

舞妓　- Maiko

26th March – 弥生 Guess most of the people already have heard the word “舞妓 – Maiko”. But do you know much about this? Maiko is the girls who work for the 宴会 (Enkai)=party in Kyoto, 五花街(Gokagai). They dance and sing in the party, talk with the customers, pour liquor and so on. Those girlsContinue reading “舞妓　- Maiko”

日本人のメイク (Nihonjin no meiku) – Makeup in Japanese style

25th March – 弥生 Have you ever wondered which country the person on the street, or sitting next to you on the train, is from? Sometimes it is pretty hard to tell the difference until listening to the language they speak. Nowadays, the world is becoming international and many different nationality people live in theContinue reading “日本人のメイク (Nihonjin no meiku) – Makeup in Japanese style”

100円ショップ　- 100yen shop

24th March – 弥生 Most of items are sold for 100yen+tax (around US1dollar). It is common shops and exists many places in Japan. Very popular type of shop as the quality of the goods is amazing and variety of the goods surprises people. It is like a common dollar shop in every countries, but it’sContinue reading “100円ショップ　- 100yen shop”