29th July – 文月 From the end of July till early September, school kids have summer vacation in Japan. For most of adult who work at office, they also can get few days off in the middle of August. The common thing is that Japanese companies are mostly difficult to get continuous holidays, so thisContinue reading “夏休み (Natsu Yasumi) – Summer vacation”
Category Archives: Culture
日本の怪談: 呪い (Nihon no Kaidan: Noroi) – Japanese scary story: Curse
27th July – 文月 Do you know how to make this hot summer shivering cold? …Yes, talking about 怪談 (kaidan = scary story ) can somewhat help you feel chilly! Today’s theme is about Japanese curse, 呪い (Noroi = curse). Probably the most famous way of cursing somebody in Japan is called 丑の刻参り (Ushi noContinue reading “日本の怪談: 呪い (Nihon no Kaidan: Noroi) – Japanese scary story: Curse”
難しい日本語 (Muzukashii Nihongo) – Difficult Japanese
24th July – 文月 Learning 日本語 (Nihongo = Japanese) can be very difficult, as there are words that cannot be easily translated into 英語 (Eigo = English). Just like other languages, some words can be slightly different to the translated words in other languages, therefore those words are hard to use correctly for non-natives. 侘び寂びContinue reading “難しい日本語 (Muzukashii Nihongo) – Difficult Japanese”
折り紙: 南国の花の作り方 -How to make tropical flower
22nd July – 文月 Now the temperature is finally getting summer hot in Japan, making me thinking of tropical resort. So, today’s blog will teach you how to make a tropical flower! Many might know how to make crane and iris flower (from my blog on 25th May), but how about Plumeria? If you wouldContinue reading “折り紙: 南国の花の作り方 -How to make tropical flower”
お守り (Omamori) – Amulet
20th July – 文月 Most Japanese have had at least one in their life – お守り(Omamori = Amulet), is the sacred familiar item sold in shrines. お守り sold at shrines receive worships and wishes from prayer and that ritual gives god power dwell inside. Nowadays, there are various types of お守りspecific for each wishes, suchContinue reading “お守り (Omamori) – Amulet”
風鈴 (Fuurin) – Wind Chime
19th July – 文月 風鈴 (Fuurin) is a type of wind chime which creates gentle calm sounds. It has 3 parts – 鐘 (Kane) as a bell part to make the sounds, 舌 (zestu) to hit the bell and 短冊 (Tanzaku) to catch the wind. When the wind blows, 風鈴 (Fuurin) makes beautiful sounds. AsContinue reading “風鈴 (Fuurin) – Wind Chime”
花火 (Hanabi) – Fireworks
17th July – 文月 In Natsumatsuri (Summer festival), you can often see the colorful huge fireworks shining up the dark sky. Even it is common to do small fireworks with family in the riverside. The first 花火大会 (Hanabi Taikai = Fireworks festival) started in 1733, at Sumidagawa, Tokyo. The small company called 鍵屋 (Kagiya) isContinue reading “花火 (Hanabi) – Fireworks”
日本の田舎あるある (Nihon no Inaka Aru Aru) – Common things in Japanese countryside
13th July – 文月 Most people firstly think of Japan as Tokyo, Osaka views – huge buildings lined up and people tightly packed in the busy trains. However, if going some distance away from the metropolis, people might surprise there are many green nature views spread around. Now in Japan it is trending to moveContinue reading “日本の田舎あるある (Nihon no Inaka Aru Aru) – Common things in Japanese countryside”
お辞儀 (Ojigi) – Bowing
11th July – 文月 (Fuzuki) お辞儀: bowing action. Japanese generally bow in the situation of greeting, thanking, apologizing, asking favor and worshipping at the temples, shrines. Perhaps, you might have seen some movie scenes that Japanese person bows when calling, or all the kids in the class bowing at the same time when the classContinue reading “お辞儀 (Ojigi) – Bowing”
ジブリ映画 (Jiburi Eiga) – Studio Ghibli Movies
30th May – 皐月 Probably many people who like Japan know what Studio Ghibli is – Japanese animation company which have produced many popular films. Ghibli movies have beautiful drawings and fantastic music so it has been loved by various generation in Japan. Some non-Japanese pronounce Ghibli as ぎぶり (Giburi). However the correct way toContinue reading “ジブリ映画 (Jiburi Eiga) – Studio Ghibli Movies”
Little Japan Dictionary 