Continuing from yesterday's entry I will go on with manga (Japanese comics). Today I would like to write just briefly how manga can become a great tool for education on creativity and logical, critical thinking.
Comic books tend to be looked down as just something for children to read and is rather cut apart from ideal education, but as can be seen rather clearly, it is a work of art. Of course, the level of art varies from top quality "beautiful" kinds to pretty rough or "unique" ones, but comic as a form of creative artwork does not just stop there. In my opinion, it is one of the ultimate means of presentation of the finest expressions and elements of human beings that can be created by a single person.
Creating a good comic requires good drawing skills but what exactly does this drawing skills mean? It may mean good skills in drawing characters and backgrounds in the "right" proportion and making them look to some extent unrealistically, but a really good artist makes visible the inner expressions i.e., thoughts and emotions, and a really good comic artist can draw thousands of different expressions. Expressions can be seen in the character's face, action, reaction, words and are often times exaggerated a lot. The differences and the exaggeration allows the reader to see the motion and flow of the story.
Imagine a comic strip with excellent artwork, but with poor expressions. I bet it would look plain and boring, or more like a piece of illustration rather than a sequential story.
That brings me to the point of the storyline. When I start reading a new series, I choose mostly by recommendations from my friends but other times I look at the art. But the ones that I feel like I want to keep on reading have good storylines like a good book, and many of my friends say the same. It's probably not too much to say that the quality of a comic book is more determined by the storyline than the artwork. Ones with the combination of the two, plus a fixed theme makes a masterpiece, I think. A good storyline requires a great deal of plotting, logical and critical thinking, and careful revising.
Ones with a good, fixed theme becomes a masterpiece that doesn't fall even after decades since its first publish. It's mostly because it carries a philosphy or throws a universal question that we need to think about at some point. For instance, the works of Tezuka Osamu constantly questions and even challenges the reader with themes like life, death, development, environment and so on. His works may be very exciting stories for small children, but as you grow up you realize that there's a whole lot to think about in his works.
Especially for the very last reason that I just mentioned, comic books of a certain kind or with certain themes are often kept in school libraries for students to read freely. Aside from the pop comics, there are also comic books made on history to make it easier and more entertaining for students to study history. Like this, manga has been in Japanese school education for a while by now.
As for the first two, the art and plot, it is not so much used as education means in school but I think it can become an effective educational tool to solve the problem of the modern lack of imagination and logical thinking among children, and even as a tool for cultivating communication skills. It is quite true that children who read a fair amount of manga have rich imagination and self-presentation abilities than those who don't, and are good at making people laugh and being cooperative with others... only if the kid's interest in manga doesn't go as far as obsession or delusion.
All the above is what I had been discussing with my boss a few days ago, my boss who is a father in the midst of educating his grade-school son using manga.
Well... for two days I've written about manga and I'm afraid that all I wanted to tell is that manga isn't merely a children's crap. But really, some of them is just more than entertainment.
Today's update on Japan Mode: Hot Spring Guide Chubu Region ed. - got started with this hot spring series a couple of months ago (when I wasn't yet a webmistress) and am kind of regretting it cuz it never seems to end... Anybody got any ideas on some features on the website?
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Monday, January 15, 2007
The Manga Talk
I am a working female in her twenties but recently I've been reading a pretty good amount of manga. Manga, for those who don't know, is a Japanaese word for Japanese comics. It certainly is sort of like a very tacit understanding that manga is for children, or teenagers at the oldest, but even then so many of the adult population - from twenties to fifties or even sixties are regular readers of manga, and I guess it's socially acceptable.
Since I have a younger brother and a sister the manga selection in my house is pretty random. A good portion of the bookshelf is dominated by shonen manga (that's comics geared towards teenage boys but girls too read them anyway) mostly coming from the weekly manga magazine JUMP. Shonen manga's got a lot of action, adventure and bits and pieces of erotic essences.
And then, my high school sister's got a collection on shojo manga (for girls) like Fruits Basket - which I recently learned that it's pretty popular outside of Japan as well - and "Bokura ga Ita" (tranlates to "we were there"), a monster hit. Shojo manga mostly if not completely focuses on love romance issues and is extremely popular among teenage girls.
It has always been and still is part of teenager life to lend and borrow manga with your friends in school (just have to do it secretly cuz they're not allowed in school) and expand your manga reading selection. My sister brings loads of manga and she swapped with friends from school. In fact, I myself still do it sometimes in office with my colleague :p
The strong tendency these days is the making of live-action versions of the best selling manga. A good number of manga are made into movies and TV dramas, but there are also stages and musicals. Since I haven't seen any of the musicals I can't really say anything about them but I've been watching a few TV dramas based on manga. It wasn't until very recently that nearly half or even more than hald of the TV dramas we have in the past five years are "based on the manga by ...", not "based on the novel by ...".
Some of them do the justice of the original but in most cases the dramas have their own storyline that don't go as far as a different work or a filler. Two of my favorite works have made into a film and a TV drama: "Honey and clover" into a movie, and "Nodame Cantabile" into a TV drama. Both are... love-romance comedies with a somewhat serious theme... and the latter one was pretty good on TV. I even think it was more comical than the original and easier to follow because it had sounds, which is an essential element in Nodame Cantabile since the comic is on classic music. Right now, my generation's all time favorite "Hana yori Dango" 's 2nd ed. is shown on TV and this one has been made into a TV in Taiwan as "Meteor Garden" way before Japan.
My most recent favorites are PLUTO, a manga based on the manga by "The God of Manga" Tezuka Osamu (the artist of Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom), Black Jack and SO MANY MORE with deep philosophy) created by Urasawa Naoki, a genious on SF thriller suspense best represented by his works Twentieth Century Boys (film coming out next year) and MONSTER. The only thing about this is that it comes out veeery slowly. Twice a year at the best. So I have to wait a lot.
The other is "Kami no Shizuku" (subtitle: Les Gouttes de Dieu = The Drops of God) a manga on wine. It gives a long but entertaining talk on all kinds of wine (so far mostly French and Italian) and reading this, I tell you, really really makes you want to drink wine :-) I don't know so much about wine - I only appreciate it with cheese as an evening drink - but it's fun to read and gives you knowledge as well as curiosity about the world of wine. The art is pretty good too.
Both these works are personal recommendations, though I'm not quite positive that there're foreign language versions published yet.
As I started writing I came up with another topic on manga so I think I'll write about that tomorrow or some time soon.
Oh, and speaking of manga, we have a small web manga going on our website too. Come have a look, it's free. lol.
Today's update: This Week's Events in Tokyo - January Third Week... there's one on snow, one on video-games and one on fire. Check it out ;-)
Since I have a younger brother and a sister the manga selection in my house is pretty random. A good portion of the bookshelf is dominated by shonen manga (that's comics geared towards teenage boys but girls too read them anyway) mostly coming from the weekly manga magazine JUMP. Shonen manga's got a lot of action, adventure and bits and pieces of erotic essences.
And then, my high school sister's got a collection on shojo manga (for girls) like Fruits Basket - which I recently learned that it's pretty popular outside of Japan as well - and "Bokura ga Ita" (tranlates to "we were there"), a monster hit. Shojo manga mostly if not completely focuses on love romance issues and is extremely popular among teenage girls.
It has always been and still is part of teenager life to lend and borrow manga with your friends in school (just have to do it secretly cuz they're not allowed in school) and expand your manga reading selection. My sister brings loads of manga and she swapped with friends from school. In fact, I myself still do it sometimes in office with my colleague :p
The strong tendency these days is the making of live-action versions of the best selling manga. A good number of manga are made into movies and TV dramas, but there are also stages and musicals. Since I haven't seen any of the musicals I can't really say anything about them but I've been watching a few TV dramas based on manga. It wasn't until very recently that nearly half or even more than hald of the TV dramas we have in the past five years are "based on the manga by ...", not "based on the novel by ...".
Some of them do the justice of the original but in most cases the dramas have their own storyline that don't go as far as a different work or a filler. Two of my favorite works have made into a film and a TV drama: "Honey and clover" into a movie, and "Nodame Cantabile" into a TV drama. Both are... love-romance comedies with a somewhat serious theme... and the latter one was pretty good on TV. I even think it was more comical than the original and easier to follow because it had sounds, which is an essential element in Nodame Cantabile since the comic is on classic music. Right now, my generation's all time favorite "Hana yori Dango" 's 2nd ed. is shown on TV and this one has been made into a TV in Taiwan as "Meteor Garden" way before Japan.
My most recent favorites are PLUTO, a manga based on the manga by "The God of Manga" Tezuka Osamu (the artist of Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom), Black Jack and SO MANY MORE with deep philosophy) created by Urasawa Naoki, a genious on SF thriller suspense best represented by his works Twentieth Century Boys (film coming out next year) and MONSTER. The only thing about this is that it comes out veeery slowly. Twice a year at the best. So I have to wait a lot.
The other is "Kami no Shizuku" (subtitle: Les Gouttes de Dieu = The Drops of God) a manga on wine. It gives a long but entertaining talk on all kinds of wine (so far mostly French and Italian) and reading this, I tell you, really really makes you want to drink wine :-) I don't know so much about wine - I only appreciate it with cheese as an evening drink - but it's fun to read and gives you knowledge as well as curiosity about the world of wine. The art is pretty good too.
Both these works are personal recommendations, though I'm not quite positive that there're foreign language versions published yet.
As I started writing I came up with another topic on manga so I think I'll write about that tomorrow or some time soon.
Oh, and speaking of manga, we have a small web manga going on our website too. Come have a look, it's free. lol.
Today's update: This Week's Events in Tokyo - January Third Week... there's one on snow, one on video-games and one on fire. Check it out ;-)
Friday, January 12, 2007
Blood Type Characters
Since there was a question for yesterday's entry, I think I'd write about blood type characters today. It seems like for some reason the comment tool didn't work the question's invisible - it was "what are blood type characters all about (in Japan)?"
Well... to some people, it's about everything. I have a colleague in office who tends to believe in blood type characters and I tease her sometimes calling her a "blood type believer" . The general understanding, regardless the degree you believe in it, is that each blood type out of the four (A/B/AB/O: just ignore the rh+- for now) each represents a certain kinf of character.
(A) For example, people with A-blood are said to be serious, thorough, very punctitilious, careful, not so outgoing, high self-esteem, stick-to-the-rule kind of strict and perfectionist people. For their seriousness, responsible, sensitive and considerate characters, though, they can be relied upon as trusted and calm leaders.
(B) Than B-blood people are sort of accused from other people of being too self-pace. In good and bad ways do not care about what other people are doing. On the brighter side, B-blood people are said to be cheerful and are good at swtiching feelings so can become good leaders, but because s/he can be over-excited by even small compliments s/he can be isolated at times. Perhaps a bit emotional and moody.
(AB) AB people are many times referred to as geniouses and weirdos at the same time. It is commonly understood that people with AB blood type are gifted with many talents especially in the artistic field and are efficient in carrying matters. On the other hand, however, the means and ways of expressing feelings and things may appear awkward at times to other people, therefore the geniousness can turn into weirdness. Not too fit for a leader.
(O) Last but not least, O-blood people are interpreted to be easygoing and outgoing, which the other side can be lazy and disorganized. As opposite to A-type people, O-type people tend to be careless in both good and bad terms. Generally positive about things: have a tendency of believing things'll be somehow all right. Sensitive, bright, and mentally strong. Makes a good leader with upward mobility.
This is all superstituion to I suppose most of the people, but still, a lot of people like to believe it when they want to. Some people are heaviliy influenced though, which I believe isn't a good measure to get to know new people and get along with them. I also think that sometimes it works the other way - meaning, people behave and present themselves (to others and to oneself) accordingly to how each blood type is being portrayed and believed.
To me it's nothing more than other kinds of fortune telling, or less. It's just some entertainment and guideline. The only time I like to classify myself as a member of one blood-type is when I watch the daily blood-type based fortune telling... and only when the results are good :p
I wonder why and how blood type characters became so commonly understood. I bet it's only Japan or if not, very few cultures that distinguish characters by blood type. I know that in some places you don't even check your blood type unless you need to know for medical reasons.
Today's update: webmanga CharmyNurseM Chapter 8 Preview
Well... to some people, it's about everything. I have a colleague in office who tends to believe in blood type characters and I tease her sometimes calling her a "blood type believer" . The general understanding, regardless the degree you believe in it, is that each blood type out of the four (A/B/AB/O: just ignore the rh+- for now) each represents a certain kinf of character.
(A) For example, people with A-blood are said to be serious, thorough, very punctitilious, careful, not so outgoing, high self-esteem, stick-to-the-rule kind of strict and perfectionist people. For their seriousness, responsible, sensitive and considerate characters, though, they can be relied upon as trusted and calm leaders.
(B) Than B-blood people are sort of accused from other people of being too self-pace. In good and bad ways do not care about what other people are doing. On the brighter side, B-blood people are said to be cheerful and are good at swtiching feelings so can become good leaders, but because s/he can be over-excited by even small compliments s/he can be isolated at times. Perhaps a bit emotional and moody.
(AB) AB people are many times referred to as geniouses and weirdos at the same time. It is commonly understood that people with AB blood type are gifted with many talents especially in the artistic field and are efficient in carrying matters. On the other hand, however, the means and ways of expressing feelings and things may appear awkward at times to other people, therefore the geniousness can turn into weirdness. Not too fit for a leader.
(O) Last but not least, O-blood people are interpreted to be easygoing and outgoing, which the other side can be lazy and disorganized. As opposite to A-type people, O-type people tend to be careless in both good and bad terms. Generally positive about things: have a tendency of believing things'll be somehow all right. Sensitive, bright, and mentally strong. Makes a good leader with upward mobility.
This is all superstituion to I suppose most of the people, but still, a lot of people like to believe it when they want to. Some people are heaviliy influenced though, which I believe isn't a good measure to get to know new people and get along with them. I also think that sometimes it works the other way - meaning, people behave and present themselves (to others and to oneself) accordingly to how each blood type is being portrayed and believed.
To me it's nothing more than other kinds of fortune telling, or less. It's just some entertainment and guideline. The only time I like to classify myself as a member of one blood-type is when I watch the daily blood-type based fortune telling... and only when the results are good :p
I wonder why and how blood type characters became so commonly understood. I bet it's only Japan or if not, very few cultures that distinguish characters by blood type. I know that in some places you don't even check your blood type unless you need to know for medical reasons.
Today's update: webmanga CharmyNurseM Chapter 8 Preview
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Fortune Telling
How many of you believe in fortune telling of any kind? I'm not over-reactive to it, but when I get good results I like to take it positively and believe it just to have a good feeling.
There are so many kinds of fortune telling and I find it even more so in Japan. First of all the variation widens from daily luck reading to year-long or several-year-span future telling, and then the kinds vary from palm reading, paper fortune telling from shrines and temples (what we call omikuji), names, birthdates&birthyears, blood type (like some of you know, Japanese people tend to be strong believers of blood type characters), zodiac, stars, cards... I don't think I can list all the variations of fortune telling in Japan.
Well, today I'd like to write a bit about the omikuji circumstance in Japan. Omikuji is a kind of paper fortune telling, and are available mostly at shrines and temples. When you pay a visit to a shrine or temple you can draw a random piece from a box for about a hundred yen, and it tells you about your luck of the year in several ranks from luckiest to unluckiest (see here for more) and then goes on into the details on the luck of work, studies, marriage, love, traveling, gambling, accomodation, birth giving, money, family, business, lost-and-found, illness, lucky color&direction and so on.
Omikuji is available all year round and there are even shrines/temples that have omikuji in several languages, but it's especially a big thing on New Year's Day since it's the first day of the year and you want to know how your year is going to be like.
This year the popularity seems to be extraordinarily... popular...? Anyway, shrines and temples prepare all kinds of humour omikuji and they say the omikuji are "sold out". I kind of understand it because humour omikuji are kind of special I guess... I mean, they're kind of limited in numbers, but they claim that even the normal went empty in the first 3-4 days. Wow, I bet there're more than usual number of people who're wanting to bet their lives on fortune telling.
It's usually understood that "daikichi" is the luckiest and "kyo" the unluckiest, but when you read the details it isn't necessarily so. Daikichi can have warnings written on it that you can hardly believe you've got a daikichi, and vice versa also happens. Priests of shrines/temples also say that if your mind goes light by drawing a daikichi then the year may prevail out of lack of upward mobility, and on the other hand if you draw a kyo and feel like you have to behave that year the year can turn out nicely.
Personally, I got a "daikichi" this year and am quite happy about it. There was one time I drew a "kyo" at the very end of the year and suffered a terrible time from that same night.
Anyway, today's update on Japan Mode: "Sakidori Events" (couldn't come up with a better name) - well... for those thinking of traveling around Japan in February through March, I've picked out some major long-lasting cultural events being held in Japan. I wanted to cover a wide area, but today I have just a few to start with. Will be adding more in a short while though.
There are so many kinds of fortune telling and I find it even more so in Japan. First of all the variation widens from daily luck reading to year-long or several-year-span future telling, and then the kinds vary from palm reading, paper fortune telling from shrines and temples (what we call omikuji), names, birthdates&birthyears, blood type (like some of you know, Japanese people tend to be strong believers of blood type characters), zodiac, stars, cards... I don't think I can list all the variations of fortune telling in Japan.
Well, today I'd like to write a bit about the omikuji circumstance in Japan. Omikuji is a kind of paper fortune telling, and are available mostly at shrines and temples. When you pay a visit to a shrine or temple you can draw a random piece from a box for about a hundred yen, and it tells you about your luck of the year in several ranks from luckiest to unluckiest (see here for more) and then goes on into the details on the luck of work, studies, marriage, love, traveling, gambling, accomodation, birth giving, money, family, business, lost-and-found, illness, lucky color&direction and so on.
Omikuji is available all year round and there are even shrines/temples that have omikuji in several languages, but it's especially a big thing on New Year's Day since it's the first day of the year and you want to know how your year is going to be like.
This year the popularity seems to be extraordinarily... popular...? Anyway, shrines and temples prepare all kinds of humour omikuji and they say the omikuji are "sold out". I kind of understand it because humour omikuji are kind of special I guess... I mean, they're kind of limited in numbers, but they claim that even the normal went empty in the first 3-4 days. Wow, I bet there're more than usual number of people who're wanting to bet their lives on fortune telling.
It's usually understood that "daikichi" is the luckiest and "kyo" the unluckiest, but when you read the details it isn't necessarily so. Daikichi can have warnings written on it that you can hardly believe you've got a daikichi, and vice versa also happens. Priests of shrines/temples also say that if your mind goes light by drawing a daikichi then the year may prevail out of lack of upward mobility, and on the other hand if you draw a kyo and feel like you have to behave that year the year can turn out nicely.
Personally, I got a "daikichi" this year and am quite happy about it. There was one time I drew a "kyo" at the very end of the year and suffered a terrible time from that same night.
Anyway, today's update on Japan Mode: "Sakidori Events" (couldn't come up with a better name) - well... for those thinking of traveling around Japan in February through March, I've picked out some major long-lasting cultural events being held in Japan. I wanted to cover a wide area, but today I have just a few to start with. Will be adding more in a short while though.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Get the Smoke Out!
This is my silent scream. I know that second-hand smoking is quite a killer but I've been wondering the past 24 hours if the smell of cigarette is any harm.
Since several years ago, one by one the 23 wards of Tokyo have started banning cigarette smoking in public (=on the streets) but it seems like the policies have barely any effect for I see and suffer from smoke coming from those illegal smokers smoking on the streets. I remember that when the policy started there were staffs from the ward office walking around to check on people's smoking manners and I've seen several times when some of the unlucky ones getting fined Y2,000 but hey, where are all those checkers!? I need them cuz I'm so super sensitive about cigarette smoke and even the smell. I get so upset when people passing by on the street have cigarette in their hands.
As I travel and observe every once in a while, I notice that the public policies on smoking on the streets vary widely across the world. In some countries smoking is no big deal since more than half of the population smokes, and on the other hand some places are extremely strict about public smoking and have serious punishments. As being one of the people who're extremely sensitive on smoke and the smell of cigarettes, I wish that at least this city if not the whole country would become totally smoke-free. Tokyo to me right now, is sometimes a very resident-unfriendly place.
Speaking of resident-unfriendliness, I almost got my bike towed while I was stopping by to grab some lunch at a local convenience store. Can't I even get around my local neighborhood with my bike!? Crazy. Driving too has become hard. Well... as for driving, I don't know which stance to take. It's not the driving regulations but the parking regulations that have become strict. You're basically not allowed to park on the street unless its officially a parking space. That part is understandable. The regulation aims to reduce severe traffic jam. That too is understandable. But the watchers look into the narrowest streets in residential neighborhoods and point out "illegal" parking in front of your house, or a 2-min-parking of delivery services (inc. mail deliverers).
Why have our society become such a place where its people have to live in mental and physical suffering whereas the policies should be improving it?
..Well, so that was my scream that I can't really let it out loud in office. Guess why...
Today's Update on Japan Mode: Kanji Names - "5 Most Popular Names for Babies born in Japan in 2006"
We've had non-Japanese names converted and displayed on our website for a while, and I've talked about Japanese baby names in the past entries for this blog, but I'm pretty sure this is the first time to feature Japanese names on the website. See what Japanese names are like!
Since several years ago, one by one the 23 wards of Tokyo have started banning cigarette smoking in public (=on the streets) but it seems like the policies have barely any effect for I see and suffer from smoke coming from those illegal smokers smoking on the streets. I remember that when the policy started there were staffs from the ward office walking around to check on people's smoking manners and I've seen several times when some of the unlucky ones getting fined Y2,000 but hey, where are all those checkers!? I need them cuz I'm so super sensitive about cigarette smoke and even the smell. I get so upset when people passing by on the street have cigarette in their hands.
As I travel and observe every once in a while, I notice that the public policies on smoking on the streets vary widely across the world. In some countries smoking is no big deal since more than half of the population smokes, and on the other hand some places are extremely strict about public smoking and have serious punishments. As being one of the people who're extremely sensitive on smoke and the smell of cigarettes, I wish that at least this city if not the whole country would become totally smoke-free. Tokyo to me right now, is sometimes a very resident-unfriendly place.
Speaking of resident-unfriendliness, I almost got my bike towed while I was stopping by to grab some lunch at a local convenience store. Can't I even get around my local neighborhood with my bike!? Crazy. Driving too has become hard. Well... as for driving, I don't know which stance to take. It's not the driving regulations but the parking regulations that have become strict. You're basically not allowed to park on the street unless its officially a parking space. That part is understandable. The regulation aims to reduce severe traffic jam. That too is understandable. But the watchers look into the narrowest streets in residential neighborhoods and point out "illegal" parking in front of your house, or a 2-min-parking of delivery services (inc. mail deliverers).
Why have our society become such a place where its people have to live in mental and physical suffering whereas the policies should be improving it?
..Well, so that was my scream that I can't really let it out loud in office. Guess why...
Today's Update on Japan Mode: Kanji Names - "5 Most Popular Names for Babies born in Japan in 2006"
We've had non-Japanese names converted and displayed on our website for a while, and I've talked about Japanese baby names in the past entries for this blog, but I'm pretty sure this is the first time to feature Japanese names on the website. See what Japanese names are like!
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Fly Out
Most of the offices in the country were closed until Wednesday because of New Year's Holidays last week, and because this past weekend was a three-day-weekend, a whole lot of people took off Thursday and Friday so that they can have a 10-day-holiday. If this was only a 5-day-holiday or so, then the number of people flying out of the country probably wouldn't have gone up so much, but when people have ten days off from work and have just recieved their yearend bonus salary, they'd surely be tempted to go on a vacation abroad.
People who fully enjoyed their holidays till the last minute flew back into Japan yesterday (and a lot of them go to work today) and the TV news said that the number of travelers flying outside of Japan this yearend and New Year's holidays was the largest ever since some organization (perhaps the airport?) started counting and keeping records.
The popular destinations were beach resorts such as Hawaii, Guam, Saipan, that direction as always, but according to some travel agencies and airports destinations in China seems to be picking up as well as the Southeast Asian places which suffered a huge damage the last couple of winters, by many means. It seems like so many people wanted to escape the cold here :p
I am so super jealous. I love traveling.
Anyway, the news also said that the number of three-day-weekends this year in Japan increases a little bit so a whole lot of people in the tourism industry are quietly excited about their prospects.
So if there're anybody in the tourism industry in and outside of Japan, this year would be a huge chance to attract Japanese tourists to your places!!
In relation to this, I'm thinking of setting a section on Japan Mode to promote towns and cities. You know, like "town of the month" or sth like that. If there's anyone out there who wants to write an article of a couple of pages and have it published on Japan Mode (most likely under Japan Guide) give me a holler here or send an e-mail to the address written on Japan Mode. It could be any town or city, within or outside of Japan, as long as you are wanting to "link" Japan and your town/city/country. The idea's still tentative, but I'm sure we can work out something brilliant *sparkles*
Today's update on Japan Mode: This Week's Events in Tokyo... gathered some info on events you can only see at the beginning of the year.
People who fully enjoyed their holidays till the last minute flew back into Japan yesterday (and a lot of them go to work today) and the TV news said that the number of travelers flying outside of Japan this yearend and New Year's holidays was the largest ever since some organization (perhaps the airport?) started counting and keeping records.
The popular destinations were beach resorts such as Hawaii, Guam, Saipan, that direction as always, but according to some travel agencies and airports destinations in China seems to be picking up as well as the Southeast Asian places which suffered a huge damage the last couple of winters, by many means. It seems like so many people wanted to escape the cold here :p
I am so super jealous. I love traveling.
Anyway, the news also said that the number of three-day-weekends this year in Japan increases a little bit so a whole lot of people in the tourism industry are quietly excited about their prospects.
So if there're anybody in the tourism industry in and outside of Japan, this year would be a huge chance to attract Japanese tourists to your places!!
In relation to this, I'm thinking of setting a section on Japan Mode to promote towns and cities. You know, like "town of the month" or sth like that. If there's anyone out there who wants to write an article of a couple of pages and have it published on Japan Mode (most likely under Japan Guide) give me a holler here or send an e-mail to the address written on Japan Mode. It could be any town or city, within or outside of Japan, as long as you are wanting to "link" Japan and your town/city/country. The idea's still tentative, but I'm sure we can work out something brilliant *sparkles*
Today's update on Japan Mode: This Week's Events in Tokyo
Friday, January 5, 2007
The "First xxx"...
Happy New Year!! I wish you all a happy and exciting year 2007 :-)
I'd been thinking about what to write for today's entry for a while - there are a couple of personal things I have in mind but since they aren't exactly cheerful news I think I'd be a typical writer today writing about New Year's Holidays in Japan, of what it's like.
New Year's Day and the holidays before and after January 1st is I think the most significant event/holidays in Japan culturally and religiously. There are dozens of traditions that are practiced during these holidays but I'm not going to go about explaining all of them here.
Just to give an idea of a typical way of spending New Year's holidays...
Many families travel back to the parents' hometowns to greet grandpas grandmas and relatives, clean up the house in the last couple of days of December, eat year-crossing soba noodles, go see the first sunrise of the year, go out to pay their first visits of the year to the shrine or temple, eat osechi (New Year's dishes) together, greet their neighbors, maybe go out for some shopping... but basically just relax at home.
What I want to write about is the "first xxx" (I mean, not kisses but ex-ex-ex ye know) like I have in the title. Since January 1st is the beginning of the brand new year, whatever you do on January 1st counts as the "first xxx" of the year and I'm not sure why but there is a tendency in Japanese culture and society of making a big deal out of this "first xxx" ("hatsu xxx").
Hatsuhinode is the first sunrise of the year and is important I assume from religious reasons. Shinto(ism) the Japanese religion praises the nature and because the most significant of gods of nature is the sun, seeing the first sunrise of the year is said to bring happiness. A lot of people go out to the coast or climb up the winter mountains to see the first sunrise.
The first dream you see is hatsuyume and is believed to sort of tell one's fortune of the year. Just fyi the luckiest dreams are said to be #1-Mt.Fuji (tallest mt in Japan) #2-hawk (taka<takai=high) and #3-eggplant (nasubi<nasu=to achieve) and it goes on.
Hatsumoude, another "hatsu" thing that many people are involved in is the first visit of the year to the shrine and/or temple and this too kinds of plays a role in determining the fortune of the year. The number of total visitors to shrines/temples this year went up to almost 100million (out of the national population 126mil) in the first 3 days.
I got a daikichi (luckiest luck) for my hatsumikuji, the first fortune-telling (sheet of paper) so that brings me great hope for my new year... and I'm also a toshionna (zodiac of the year) so that's even better ;-)
What else... hatsuuri is the first bargain... this is a festival and a battle at the same time.
I can't think of more right now, but basically you can put "hatsu" in front of anything you do for the first time that year. I guess Japanese are a kind of people who want to make the littlest events festivals and celebrate them, lol.
Okie, today's update on Japan Mode: CharmyNurseM Chapter 7
P.S. Question to all the readers out there: does anybody want to talk about their experiences in Japan or just about their towns/cities/countries on Japan Mode?
I'd been thinking about what to write for today's entry for a while - there are a couple of personal things I have in mind but since they aren't exactly cheerful news I think I'd be a typical writer today writing about New Year's Holidays in Japan, of what it's like.
New Year's Day and the holidays before and after January 1st is I think the most significant event/holidays in Japan culturally and religiously. There are dozens of traditions that are practiced during these holidays but I'm not going to go about explaining all of them here.
Just to give an idea of a typical way of spending New Year's holidays...
Many families travel back to the parents' hometowns to greet grandpas grandmas and relatives, clean up the house in the last couple of days of December, eat year-crossing soba noodles, go see the first sunrise of the year, go out to pay their first visits of the year to the shrine or temple, eat osechi (New Year's dishes) together, greet their neighbors, maybe go out for some shopping... but basically just relax at home.
What I want to write about is the "first xxx" (I mean, not kisses but ex-ex-ex ye know) like I have in the title. Since January 1st is the beginning of the brand new year, whatever you do on January 1st counts as the "first xxx" of the year and I'm not sure why but there is a tendency in Japanese culture and society of making a big deal out of this "first xxx" ("hatsu xxx").
Hatsuhinode is the first sunrise of the year and is important I assume from religious reasons. Shinto(ism) the Japanese religion praises the nature and because the most significant of gods of nature is the sun, seeing the first sunrise of the year is said to bring happiness. A lot of people go out to the coast or climb up the winter mountains to see the first sunrise.
The first dream you see is hatsuyume and is believed to sort of tell one's fortune of the year. Just fyi the luckiest dreams are said to be #1-Mt.Fuji (tallest mt in Japan) #2-hawk (taka<takai=high) and #3-eggplant (nasubi<nasu=to achieve) and it goes on.
Hatsumoude, another "hatsu" thing that many people are involved in is the first visit of the year to the shrine and/or temple and this too kinds of plays a role in determining the fortune of the year. The number of total visitors to shrines/temples this year went up to almost 100million (out of the national population 126mil) in the first 3 days.
I got a daikichi (luckiest luck) for my hatsumikuji, the first fortune-telling (sheet of paper) so that brings me great hope for my new year... and I'm also a toshionna (zodiac of the year) so that's even better ;-)
What else... hatsuuri is the first bargain... this is a festival and a battle at the same time.
I can't think of more right now, but basically you can put "hatsu" in front of anything you do for the first time that year. I guess Japanese are a kind of people who want to make the littlest events festivals and celebrate them, lol.
Okie, today's update on Japan Mode: CharmyNurseM Chapter 7
P.S. Question to all the readers out there: does anybody want to talk about their experiences in Japan or just about their towns/cities/countries on Japan Mode?
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