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: Tradition
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”
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”
一緒文化 (Issho Bunka) – Culture of “together”
29th May – 皐月 When you go for travel or when you see overseas visitors in your country, have you ever encountered Japanese tourists? In often case, those people came together with another friend ( *not always and depends on people), this tendency has grown from school time. Especially for girls, there are implicit rulesContinue reading “一緒文化 (Issho Bunka) – Culture of “together””
日本食事マナー (Nihon Shokuji Manner) – Japanese eating Manner
20th May – 皐月 When you visit Japan, you might be fascinated by the variety of food you can eat there. While there are many food options, I would recommend you to try the actual Japanese food (和食 = Washoku). If you have a chance to try 和食, there are several rules / manners youContinue reading “日本食事マナー (Nihon Shokuji Manner) – Japanese eating Manner”
Little Japan Dictionary 