SHOUGATSU


= New Year's is the most important
holiday for Japanese.  The New Year holiday for business
starts from around the 30th of December through January 3rd. 
Many people go back to their home towns
and spend New Year's with their families.

In Japan New Year's greetings go on for three days.
On the morning of January 1st., family members exchange
formal greetings.  Then have Osechi ryouri and a bowl of
OZOUNI (vegetable and sticky rice cake in soup).

Osechi ryouri is a special New Year's dish.
Recent years, convenience stores and even
local supermarkets are open for first three days
of the new year, but not long time ago most of the shops
were closed for these three days, so mothers cooked
quite a big amount of Osechi ryouri for the family
to have them for the first three days of new year that way
mothers can have a rest for three days and enjoy
Oshougatsu with their families.
 
And we still do have this traditional practice, but lately,
especially young mothers rather not to cook Osechi ryouri
but purchase from shops such as supermarkets, department stores,
or some people prefer to order from famous Japanese restaurants.

Typical Osechi ryouri is arranged in lacquer boxes called 'Jubako'.
The dishes differ from one area to another but often include
black beans, kelp roll and herring eggs.

*For more information about Osechi ryouri:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osechi

If you wish to try them, normally you need to order few days
in advance but some local supermarkets sell Osechi ryouri
even on the 1st of January.

Well, enjoy your holiday and we'll be back on the 4th of January.

Yoi Otoshi o  

Best wishes for a happy New Year!

HATSU (FIRST)  MOUDE (VISIT)
= YEAR'S FIRST VISIT TO THE SHRINE

Hatsumoude means New Year's visits to shrines.
Japanese people make their first visits to shrines during
the New Year's vacation where they pray for good health
and happiness for the year. 

Every shrine has gateway called 'Torii' at its entrance:









In shrines people make a money offering (Osaisen) and pray to God.
Average Osaisen is just 5 yen (bronze coin with a whole in the middle).

5 yen in Japanese is 'go-en', and other meaning of go-en is 'link'.
People believe that 5 yen is a good amount for osaisen, because
they feel like you have a 'link' to God.








People put money in the box (saisen-bako) and pray.


If you are planning to visit shrines for Hatsumoude,
just be aware that the major shrines such as
Meiji Jingu and Yasukuni Jinja will be reeeeealy crowded!!

OHMISOKA means New Year's Eve.

People finish cleaning up the house (called Ohsoji),
get ready for the New Year's ornaments such as 
Kadomatsu, Kagamimochi, and mothers cook Osechi.
People greet the New Year, listening to the ringing of
Joya-no-kane (temple bells ring 108 times at midnight)
and eating TOSHIKOSHI-SOBA just before midnight.




























TOSHIKOSHI-SOBA = YEAR CROSSING NOODLES

Toshikoshi-soba must be eaten before midnight.
The true reason we eat Toshikoshi-soba on New Year's Eve is
not certain but one theory is busy merchants began eating the noodles
as a fast meal on the day.  Also another theory is the long noodle
represents long life.

Eating the noodles after the start of the new year is
believed to bring bad luck so make sure you eat before midnight! 

 

The word 'Furoshiki', literally meaning "bath pread,"
dates from the mid-Edo Period.  
Furoshiki were first used at public bathhouses -
then a social center for the common people -
as a wrap to hold the bather's clothes.

Gradually, it came to be used as a wrap for
carrying a change of clothes and toiletries.

The use of Furoshiki as a way to carry things
spread quickly as commerce became more active
and people moved around more for both commerce and pleasure.

Furoshiki were used during weddings as well.
From the mid-Edo Period until the mid-Showa Period (1926-1989),
the parents of the bride would often prepare Furoshiki with
patterns such as cranes, other symbolic birds, fans, pine trees
and waves, as they were all believed to usher in happiness
and fortune.

After Furoshiki gained greater popularity in the Edo Period,
people came up with various ways to wrap things and handed the
tradition down through generations until it became an
indispensable tool for the life of the Japanese.

However, the custom and culture of using Furoshiki faded away
in about 1975, the mid-Showa Period.
It is just a very recent trend to revive the use of Furoshiki as
movements to conserve the environment and re-evaluation of
Japanese traditional culture have become more prominent.
A number of new and innovative uses of Furoshiki have been
proposed on top of its conventional techniques.
The Furoshiki is becoming more and more versatile, being used,
for example, as a gift wrapper or as a table covering or
other interior decoration.

An important feature of Furoshiki is that it is always reused.
One would never throw away a Furoshiki.  Using Furoshiki will
thus reduce the use of raw materials to create packaging and
decrease the use of excessive packaging, and thus contribute
to saving resources and energy.
The Furoshiki itself symbolizes a kind of circulation -
people wrap things with a Furoshiki, tie the ends of the cloth
and make a knot which differs depending on the Furoshiki's
current role, but once the knot is untied and the cloth is spread,
the original form of the Furoshiki - a simple cloth - comes back.

A lifestyle based on the 3Rs
(reduce, reuse and recycle: in Japanese, 'Mottainai')
plays an important role as one of the measures to conserve the
environment, and this lifestyle is truly necessary today.
It may be a time for the Japanese traditional cloth, the Furoshiki,
to flourish again. 
(Furoshiki data from 'Furoshiki Study Group' Web-site)

If you look for a nice Froshiki, try MUSUBI Furoshiki Shop in
Shibuya, Tokyo. 
Their head office is Kyoto and have a large variety of
traditional Japanese color and design Furoshiki.

MUSUBI
Address: 2-31-8, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(7 min. walk from Meiji Jingumae Stn. Exit 5, or
 9 min. walk from JR Harajuku Stn. Takeshita-guchi Exit)
Tel: 03-5414-5678 (Japanese Only)
Open Hours: 11:00~20:00 Mon. - Fri.
                        11:00~19:00 Sat., Sun., & public holidays

Yamaguchi Prefecture was the first place of Japan
to celebrate Christmas in 1550’s.

Ouchi Yoshitaka, the head of the clan at that period in time,
was so openhearted to the foreign culture and religion,
he invited Francis Xavier and permitted the preaching of the Gospel.

Yamaguchi Prefecture became one the centers of Christianity
and had Japan’s first Church.

But Japan is still more like Buddhist religion country, so
Christmas is just like a festival for children and for young couples.

Japanese Christmas is more likely for Children and young couples. 
Children believe that Santa Claus’ coming with the presents
they wished for, have Christmas cake at home with family,
and young couples enjoy going out to see beautiful
Christmas decorations in town and have nice
Christmas dinner together at fancy restaurants.

By the way, Christmas day is not a National holiday in Japan. 
But on the 23^rd of December, it is our Emperor’s Birthday,
that’s a National holiday. 

Merry Christmas!!

Winter in Tokyo is very dry, it's easy to catch cold.
Flu season is just about to start too so when you come home
from outside please wash your hands with soap and
gargle that will help preventing from a nasty cold or flu.

For dry air, humidifier is very handy to add humidity at home.











It is available at most electrical appliance shops and
the price starts from around 2,000 yen for a compact size one.

Some of the new models have a special water you can even
put a drop of aromatic oil in water so you can enjoy your
favorite aroma with comfortable warm steams.

And in summer time, because it gets so humid in  Tokyo,
we have dehumidifier to ease uncomfortable dampness.

If you go to Akihabara, well-known place as the
'Electric Town' in Tokyo, check at lease 4~5 shops
to compare the price, you'll be able to find a cheaper one
than others even it's exactly the same model, or you can
ask the shop to give you a discount.  It's quite common to
ask for a discount in Akihabara so don't be shy

Wash hands, gargle and enjoy winter!

The literal meaning of Oseibo is the end of the year but now
it refers to presents sent at the end of the year. 
They are usually sent in mid-December. 
The custom began in the Edo priod and along with
that of sending midsummer Ochugen gifts, is widely
observed even today. 

Oseibo is like a 'Thank You Gift' for those who you take
lessons from, the go-between for your marriage, a special
school teacher or your superiors at work.
Nowadays though, it's more or less a formal custom.








You can either buy a gift and take it to the person's
house yourself or you can order at the department store
and ask them to deliver it for you.
 
Anything would be fine but people like to get practical things
like soy sauce, cooking oil, alcoholic beverages, or  gift vouchers.

When you get Oseibo from someone, you can give them
something in return but ordinarily a simple note of thanks is enough.

By the way, Oseibo or Ochugen gifts normally have
special decoration.  That is called 'Noshi'. 

Noshi is stretched, dried abalone. 
It was traditionally believed that strong smelling fish and shellfish
would keep evil spirits away.  From this came the custom of
attaching a strip of Noshi in red and white folded paper to presents.
Today however, a strip of yellow paper is substituted for the abalone. 
Noshi are used on gifts for various occasions, but never
on those for condolence.

The cords around the middle of Noshi called Mizuhiki.  
Mizuhiki are used on all kinds of gifts. 
The cords are red and white or gold and silver for happy occasions,
and black and white or silver for unhappy events. 
For most happy occasions they are tied in a bow,
but for wedding gifts a square knot is used because
pulling the ends does not untie it, but makes it tighter,
signifying that one marries only once. 
The Mizuhiki on condolence gifts are also tied in a
square knot to ward off further misfortune.

Gifts of money are put into Noshibukuro - gift envelopes,
the Noshi and Mizuhiki being the same as for other presents.







Recently you see many of 'Printed Noshi' like this.

 

SUMO is Japan's traditional form of wrestling.
Competitors enter the ring (dohyo) wearing
only the waistband-loincloth called Mawashi, and
their hair done in top-knots.

The ring's diameter is 4.55 meters.  Offensive techniques
include sudden thrusts, pushing, and throws.
The first to be pushed out of the ring or to touch its
surface with anything but the soles of his feet loses.
There are about 70 winning techniques.

Sumo has a long history it's more than 1,500 years old,
but the current form developed in the Edo period.
They don't just fight but take some unique postures
beforehand.

First they toss salt into the ring to purify it.
They rinse their mouths before wrestling for the
same reason.  Many elements of Sumo stem from
Shinto and from farming festivals.  Not only the
bout, but ritual aspects too, are important in this sport.

A tournament lasts 15 days and is called 'basho'.
Each wrestler (rikishi) has one match a day.
Winning 8 out of 15 matches is a winning record and
the reverse, a losing record.  There is a very detailed
ranking system and wrestlers go up or down depending on
their record at each tournament. 

Six tournaments are held each year (January, March,
May, July, September and November), three in Tokyo and
one of each in Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka.

Tickets for January 2007 are sold now.
For more information please visit:
Sumo Kyokai Official Web-site

ONIGIRI - RICE BALLS


Onigiri are Japan's Most popular picnic food.
They are eaten with the fingers.  They are made by
firmly molding rice into triangullar, round, or cylindrical shapes
in the palms of the hands.  Sometimes a mold is used to press
the rice into shape.  In Kanto area, triangular rice balls were
standard, while in Kansai they were usually cylindrical.

Rice has come into favor as a diet food recently.
Many kinds of Onigiri are sold by box-lunch vendors,
at convenience stores and Onigiri specialty shops.
They are a popular lunch or even breakfast for almost everyone.

In their various forms and their adaptability to different fillings,
they are like sandwiches.  Major and popular fillings are
pickled plums (umeboshi), dried shaved bonito (okaka),
and broiled salted salmon (shake) but now we have so many
variety of fillings like Teriyaki chicken, Tempura,
avocado & tuna and such.








It's so easy to make Onigiri so why don't you try to make
your original Onigiri and take them for lunch

[How to make Onigiri]

1. Wash your hands very well!!
2. Wet your hands with water and sprinkle some salt on hands.
3. Take a portion of rice in your hand. (small bowl of rice)
4. Make a little hole in the center of the rice with your finger.
5. Fill the hole with your favorite fillings.
6. Cover the filling with rice and press firmly with both hands,
    and make rice triangle shape.
7. Wrap the Onigiri with Nori and BUON APPETITO!

*If the rice is too hot or you don't feel comfortable to make rice balls
with bare hands, you can use the mold which can be purchased at
your local supermarket or 100 yen shop. 

This is from 100 yen shop

SHOPS FOR KIDS

Baby Items
Aka-chan Honpo
(Aka-chan = baby)
http://www.akachan.co.jp/top.cfm (Japanese)
Address: Gotanda TOC Bldg. 5F., 22-17
               Nishi-Gotanda, 7-chome, Shinagawa-ku
Tel: 03-3779-0365
Station: Gontanda Stn. on JR Yamanote Line
Open Hours: 10:00 - 18:00 (Mon. - Fri.)
                     10:00 - 19:00 (Sat., Sun.)


Toys & Fancy Goods
KIDDY LAND
http://www.kiddyland.co.jp/en/arrivals.html
Address: 1-9, Jingumae 6-chome, Shibuya-ku
Tel: 03-3409-3431
Station: Meijijingumae Stn. on Chiyoda Line,
            Omotesando Stn. on Chiyoda/Ginza Line
Open Hours: 10:00 - 21:00

HAKUHINKAN TOY PARK
http://www.hakuhinkan.co.jp/
Address: 8-11, Ginza 8-chome, Chuo-ku
Tel: 03-3571-8008
Station: Ginza Stn. on Ginza Line
Open Hours: 11:00 - 20:00


Still much more shop information to come!