Plaza Homes offers various information about living in Tokyo and is especially
useful for newcomers.
April 2007
April 27, 2007
Golden Week starts from tomorrow.
What is Golden Week?
The first holiday during Golden week is the 29th of April
which was the birthday of the former emperor Showa.
It was called Greenery Day until 2006, but from this year
it's called 'Showa Day'.
The second holiday is Constitution Day (Kenpo kinen-bi),
3rd of May. Then 4th of May, it's called Greenery Day
(Midori no hi) from this year as it's shifted from the 29th of April
and it is the day we show appreciation for nature.
And the last one, 5th of May is Children's Day (Kodomo no hi),
families with children celebrate their growth and development.
Many houses with male children are adorned with carp streamers
called 'Koinobori' and helmets 'Kabuto'.
1st & 2nd of May are not national holidays so many people
still work as normal, but some people have those 2 days off
and have a long holiday.
During this period, traffic is so bad, if you are in Tokyo and
planning to drive out of Tokyo, be warned, it will take
extra hours to get out Tokyo.
We give you a tip:
Make sure your car has more than a half tank of fuel,
and go to the bathroom before you get on Express Way!
Have a great Golden Week
April 25, 2007
Japanese gardens have their own unique structure.
Unlike Western gardens, which are usually laid out
symmetrically, the ponds, hills, rocks, trees and such,
of a traditional Japanese garden are scattered unequally,
yet produce a curious balance.
There are several types of Japanese garden, one being
the Karesansui (dry landscape), made primarily of rocks,
without ponds or streams. Also called Sekitei (stone garden),
these terms refer especially to gardens like those of
Kyoto's Ryoan and Daitoku temples.
Such gardens reflect the Zen thought of the Muromachi period.
There are some Nihon Teien you can visit in Tokyo:
HAMARIKYU ONSHI TEIEN
Address: 1-1, Hamarikyu Teien, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Access: 7 minutes walk from Shiodome Station or
Tsukiji-shijo Station on Toei Oedo Line.
KOISHIKAWA KORAKUEN
Address: 1-6-6, Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
Access: 3 minutes walk from Iidabashi Station on Oedo Line,
8 minutes walk from Iidabashi Station on Sobu Line,
Tozai Line, Yurakucho Line or Namboku Line.
RIKUGIEN GARDEN
Address: 6-16-3, Hon-Komagome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
Access: 2 minutes from Komagome Station on
JR Yamanote Line or Namboku Line.
SHINJUKU GYOEN
Address: Naito-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Access: 5 minutes walk from Shinjuku Gyoen Station on
Marunouchi Line or 10 minutes walk from
Shinjuku Station.
KYU SHIBA-RIKYU ONSHI TEIEN
Address: 1-4-1, Kaigan, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Access: 1 minute walk from Hamamatsu-cho Station
on JR Line or 5 minutes walk from Daimon Station
on Toei Oedo Line.
April 23, 2007
Haiku derive from Renga (linked verse) chains of
31 syllable Tanka that alternate a longer set of five,
seven and five syllable phrases with a set of two seven
syllable phrases.
The first 17 syllable unit of the chain is called the Hokku,
and the additional 14 syllables, the Tsukeku.
During the Muromachi period, Renga with rather vulgar
comic themes gained a special popularity among the
people, and developed into an independent genre called
Haikai-Renga, or simply Haikai.
Matsuo Basho, (1644-1694) active during the Genroku era
of the Edo period, infused the low humor of Haikai with an
element of profundity (Yugen). Simultaneously losing
favor and Hokku coming to be composed independently,
producing the refined Haiku.
Basho was a life-long traveller who left many Haiku-studded
travel journals. Foremost among them is 'Oku no hosomichi',
an account of his long journey from Edo through the
Tohoku district.
Wildly raging sea,
Quiet, over Sado Isle
Spreads the galaxy.
Matsuo Basho
Other noted Haiku poets of the Edo period include
Yosa Buson (1716-1784) and Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828).
Buson's style was romantic and aesthetic.
All melancholy,
I ascend the hill to find
Thorn bushes blooming.
Issa, on the other hand, expressed every day
sentiments without embellishment.
Oh, get it for me,
That big, pretty autumn moon.
The child pleads, crying.
With the Meiji period came calls for innovation
in Haiku aimed at realistic description.
Fourteen or fifteen.
Surely there are that many-
Such cockscomb flowers.
Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902)
Others insisted on intensely subjective Haiku,
a trend that led eventually to 'free haiku' that ignored
the rules of seasonal allusion and prescribed form.
Straight and unbending
runs the road,
And most lonely.
Taneda Santoka (1882-1940)
Then in the Showa period, reflecting the wartime
darkness, a new school of Haiku focussed on the
human condition appeared.
In the scorched ruins
A bare concrete floor remains-
Children bounce a ball.
Nakamura Kusatao (1901-1983)
Having become diversified in the course of these
changes Haiku are still ateur as well as professional poets.
April 19, 2007
NEW TRAVEL INFORMATION SITE
Japan's largest travel agency JTB (Japan Travel Bureau)
has opened their new web-site JAPANiCAN.com
on the 18th, April 2007.
This site contains 1,000 hotels selected for
foreign tourists out of the 8,000 facilities with which
JTB has contracts, as well as 100 tour courses
the firm conducts for non-Japanese visitors.
(from Nikkei Net)
Just click the name of city you are interested,
you can check the weather, detailed information
about the area, and a map all in English.
April 18, 2007
BASIC JAPANESE CONVERSATION 5
Parts of the Body
Head - Atama
Face - Kao 
Eye(s) - Me 
Nose - Hana
Ear(s) - Mimi 
Mouth - Kuchi
Chin - Ago
Throat - Nodo
Shoulder(s) - Kata
Neck - Kubi
Back - Senaka
Chest - Mune
Arm(s) - Ude
Elbow - Hiji
Waist/Hip - Koshi
Stomach/Abdomen - Onaka
Buttocks - Oshiri
Thigh(s) - Momo
Wrist(s) - Tekubi
Hand(s) - Te 
Finger(s) - Yubi
Knee - Hiza
Leg(s) - Ashi
Foot/Feet - Ashi 
Sore, hurt, painful - Itai
Itchy - Kayui
(Example)
-My leg hurts.
Ashi ga itai desu.
-I have a headache. (= My head hurts.)
Zutsuu ga shimasu. (= Atama ga Itai desu.)
*headache = zutsuu, zu=head, tsuu=pain
-My eyes feel itchy.
Me ga kayui desu.
April 16, 2007
In the game 'Janken', winner and loser are determined by
hand signs for stone, paper, and scissors.
The 'stone' is a closed fist, 'paper', an open hand,
and 'scissors', extended index and middle fingers.
Paper can wrap a stone, so a 'paper' gesture wins
over 'stone'. 'scissors' cut 'paper', so they defeat it.
But 'scissors' cannot cut 'stone', so they lose.
At the last syllable of jan-ken-pon, players extend
their hands in one of these signs.
Janken can be played by two or more persons.
A simple game in itself, it is often played to decide
procedence and things.
Usually 'stone' is called guu
, 'paper' paa, and 'scissors' choki
.Here is an interesting web-site, you can play Janken:
http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~tokyo3/e/janken_e.html
April 13, 2007
Painting with India Ink (Sumi*) alone (sumie) was
introduced from China long time ago.
Sumie includes both outline drawings, called
Hakubyoga, and paintings using variations in the ink,
shading and blurring, called Suibokuga.
There are two methods used in Suibokuga.
In one the form is sketched in pale ink, then gone
over with darker ink. In the other, the form is
drawn all at once, without any preliminary outline.
From the Kamakura period Suibokuga received
serious attention, and in the Muromachi period
the Zen monk Sesshu (1420-1506) developed a typically
Japanese style of Suibokuga, and the art entered its
golden age.
Suibokuga subjects include people, flowers and birds,
and landscapes.
Above all, the Sansuiga (mountain and water) genre of
landscape produced a great number of masterpieces.
*SUMI (India Ink)
Sumi was introduced from China in ancient times.
It is made by mixing soot with glue and a small amount of
fragrance to solidify it, then molded and dried.
Produced chiefly in Nara Prefecture.
Two main types of soot are used.
One, from burning the branches and roots of
pine trees, makes a very fine grade of Sumi
with a bluish cast when diluted. The other,
from burning rapeseed, paulawnia or sesame oil,
gives a slightly brownish ink. Sumi with a high glue
content has a certain sheen.
April 11, 2007
satori (enlightenment) through sitting in
meditation (zazen).
Meditation as a method of mental concentration
was long practiced in India. Buddhism's founder
Shakyamuni incorporated it as a means of reaching
enlightenment.
Meditation reached China and a sect centered around
the practice of meditation (Chinese Ch'an) was formed.
The Ch'an sect taught that every aspect of daily life was
part of meditative discipline, and emphasized attaining
enlightenment by direct intuition, without dependence on
scriptures.
Ch'an (Japanese Zen) was brought to Japan early
in the Kamakura period by Japanese monks who had
studied in China. Eisai (1141-1215) taught the Rinzai
school and Dogen (1200-1253) the Sohtoh school.
In the Edo period, the Ming Dynasty priest Ingen
introduced the Ohbaku school.
Zen greatly affected Japanese culture. Zen priests
like Sesshu were renowned ink-painters, and
dry landscape gardens and tea ceremony came from Zen.
Moreover, kendo, judo, and other military arts
developed under its influence.
How to do Zazen - How you should sit to meditate
-Sit on the floor with your legs crossed and
your hands lightly clasped on your thighs.
-Straighten your back, tuck in your chin and
breathe gently.
-Open your eyes slightly and look about a meter
in front of you.
-Then you concentrate mentally, shutting out
idle thoughts, and enter an idea state of mind.
Zen is quite popular in other countries too.
If you are interested, many Zen temples have
meditation groups, and anyone can go to sit.
Why not give it a try? But if you doze off
during meditation, you'll be struck on the shoulder
with a stick called Kyosaku, so take care.
SOUN-IN TEMPLE
Address: 4-1-12, Higashi-Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
click here for their web-site,
then click 'ZEN SESSION' for English page.
Here is an interesting web-site about Zen we found.
If you are in the office reading this blog, turn your
PC speaker off before you click this!
http://www.do-not-zzz.com/
April 09, 2007
Karaoke first went on the market in 1975.
Thereafter, more and more bars and restaurants
installed Karaoke sets, and it became
tremendously popular.
The word Karaoke comes from the
kara=empty, and the oke=orchestra.
Nowadays, Karaoke-box is more popular in Japan.
Karaoke-box is the place has individual rooms with
Karaoke machine and microphones, thick song title book
with thousands of songs to choose from.
There are English and other language song books available
at many Karaoke-box in Tokyo.
When you pick your song to sing, just pick up the remote
and punch in numbers which is written in the song book and
press 'enter' button pointing at TV screen.
Some major Karaoke-box chains such as
Shidax & Karaoke-kan, they serve meals and
alcoholic drinks too, so even you don't like to
sing, you can eat and drink while your friend is singing.
There is an Enlish Karaoke Bar in Tokyo:
'Smash Hits' Karaoke Bar http://www.smashhits.jp/index.php
*Both Shidax & Karaoke-kan, web-site available only in Japanese.
April 05, 2007
BASIC JAPANESE CONVERSATION 4
Convenience store - Kon-bini
Department store - Depaato
Telephone - Denwa 
Mobile phone - Keitai
Hospital - Byoin 
Drug store - Yakkyoku
Train - Densha 
Bullet train - Shinkansen 
Station - Eki
Post office - Yubin-kyoku 
Airport - Ku-kou
Airplane - Hikouki 
Taxi - Takushii
Car - Kuruma 
Time - Jikan 
Water - Mizu 
English Tea - Koucha
Green Tea - Ocha or Ryoku-cha
Coffee - Ko-hii 
Beer - Bi-ru 
Restaurant - Resutoran
Coffee shop, Tearoom - Kissaten
Today - Kyou
Yesterday - Kinou
Tomorrow - Ashita
The day before yesterday - Ototoi
The day after tomorrow - Asatte
Weekend - Shu-matsu
Monday - Getsuyo-bi
Tuesday - Kayo-bi
Wednesday - Suiyo-bi
Thursday - Mokuyo-bi
Friday - Kinyo-bi
Saturday - Doyo-bi
Sunday - Nichiyo-bi
Morning - Asa
Afternoon - Gogo
Evening - Yu-gata
Night - Yoru
Midnight - Yonaka 
