節分 （Setsubun） Day of separating the season. It comes 4 times per year but Setsubun that separates winter and spring is considered as important. 鬼は外、福は内 （Oniwa soto, Fukuwa uchi） This is what you hear in the evening on 3rd February – meaning, ‘go away evil, come in fortune!’ Throwing the roasted soy beans (福豆 – Fukumame) towardContinue reading “3rd February – 如月”
Category Archives: Custom
2nd February – 如月
恵方巻 （Ehoumaki）－ Fortune Sushi Roll Thick sushi roll with generally 7 different ingredients inside. Eat in the night of 節分(Setsubun) on February 3rd. Celebrating the new coming season and wishing for business prosperity. Every year in the early February, it falls in the separation period of season from winter to spring. This separation period is called 節分Continue reading “2nd February – 如月”
16th January – 睦月
福袋 （Fukubukuro） The special bags which contains many items inside and people generally cannot see inside until they purchase to open it. Those are sold on the shop opening sale after New Year, generally held on 2nd or 3rd of January. 福袋 (Fukubukuro) was started at 大丸呉服店 (the Daimaru Kimono shop) in Edo period, they putContinue reading “16th January – 睦月”
15th January – 睦月
小正月 （Koshougatsu） The period putting the New Years’ decoration at home, ends on 15th January. Koshougatsu is the day to send the home coming god 歳神様(Toshigami Sama) to the sky. Koshougatsu is the day to wish for the great harvest for the year. It is also known as 女正月(Onna-shougatsu), the resting day for the ladies whoContinue reading “15th January – 睦月”
14th January – 睦月
センター入試 （sentar-nyuushi） On one Saturday and Sunday in the middle of January, the entry exam for universities is held for 3rd year high school students. This exam has all the same questions for everybody and depending on the points from that exam, Japanese universities will allow students to join the uni. Therefore, the result of thisContinue reading “14th January – 睦月”
13th January – 睦月
成人の日 - Seijin-no-hi The day to aware that one became an adult and decide to live independently. Celebration for the people who turn to be 20 in the year. Conducted on the second Monday on January. This year 2020, Seijin-no-hi falls in Monday 13th January and there will be many 18-19 years old girls and boys wearingContinue reading “13th January – 睦月”
9th January – 睦月
お参り - Omairi When you go to the shrines and temples, there are specific ways to worship the gods or Buddha. Even many of Japanese do not know how to worship (お参り Omairi), so maybe you can be the role model for them at the temples or shrines! Shrine Bow one time before going into theContinue reading “9th January – 睦月”
8th January – 睦月
お年玉 Otoshidama Giving money the relative kids in the New Years time. Long time ago, it was completely different event; the leader of the house gives rice cake which was offered for the god to the family. The concept of this custom was to get a rice cake from Toshigami-Sama (house god) in the early NewContinue reading “8th January – 睦月”
7th January – 睦月
七草がゆ Nanakusa-Gayu Japanese eat porridge with 7 different types of grasses in the morning on 7th January. Those 7 grasses bloom first in the spring and are believed to protect people from evils. It’s good to eat this porridge around this time because people had eaten a lot oshougatsu food. People’s stomach must had been very tiredContinue reading “7th January – 睦月”
6th January – 睦月
書初め （Kakizome） Japanese Calligraphy (習字 shuji) which has traditionally conducted on 2nd January, writing new year resolution on shodou Paper. In the old time, it was only done by nobility. Nowadays most people do not do this in the traditional way, making the ink with the water which was taken for the first time in the veryContinue reading “6th January – 睦月”
Little Japan Dictionary 