Posts from November 2008

Japanese Funerals

Posted by Ginny 11 Comments
Nov 16 2008

Have you ever seen or experienced the traditional rites that are carried out in a Japanese funeral?  Talking about death and thinking about the prospect of death can be a bit depressing, but hopefully you’ll still get something educational out of this post.

Before the funeral takes place, the relatives of the dead place six coins near the body of the deceased.  According to ancient Japanese beliefs, the underworld consists of three crossing points in which two coins are used to pay the fare for each crossing point.  It’s a lot like the Greek myth of the River Styx, but in Japanese its called sanzo-no-kawa (三途の川) or the River of Three Crossings. 

The first crossing point consists of a bridge.  Those who have committed good deeds will walk on a bridge full of precious gems, while those who have behaved poorly while they were alive, will be forced to wade through a river full of serpants.  The second crossing point consists of a ford.  Again, if you were a good person you can be tranported by boat to the third destination, but if you were bad, you have to swim among the snakes.  (Ouch!)  Finally, when you reach the shore you’ll be approached by a female god of the underworld called datsueba (奪衣婆).  She will strip you of your clothes.  Her husband, the male god of the underworld keneoo (懸衣翁), will hang your clothes on a tree.  If the branches bend or droop toward the ground, it means that you’ve accumulated a lot of sins and will be punished accordingly.  The punishment consists of ripping your limbs out and reattaching them so that your legs might stick out of your ears and such.  So yeah, I’m really hoping this is a myth because I’m about fifty-fifty on the sins scale.

Now, let’s move on to the funeral.  Every Japanese funeral has a portrait of the deceased in a frame and a ihai (いはい) or a spirit tablet.  The name of the deceased is written on the spirit tablet.  In fact, the spirit of the deceased is thought to reside on the tablet.  As a result, sometimes the relatives will take the spirit tablet with them and place it in a special room at home.  As the deceased is carried out into the hearse, all the guests will start to cover their thumbs by placing the thumb within their palm.  The Japanese believe that the oyayubi (おやゆび) or thumb represents one’s parents.  In fact, oya (おや) means parent while yubi (ゆび) means finger.  Therefore covering one’s thumb while a hearse passes by is thought to protect one’s parents from an untimely death.

Next, the hearse will take the body to be cremated.  Once the body is cremated, the relatives will pick out the bones from the ashes and place them in an urn using chopsticks.  This may be a bit morbid for some of you out there, but it’s a time when relatives come together to spend some time with the dead and show their respect as well.  Usually when the bones are picked out, one relative will pass the bone to another relative.  The bones are passed from chopstick to chopstick until all of it is in the urn. 

There’s actually some interesting chopstick etiquette that stem from funeral practices.  For example, the only time it’s okay to pass something from one chopstick to another is when you’re passing the bones into the urn.  It’s not okay to do this when you’re eating.  Also, don’t place your chopsticks upright in a vertical position in a bowl of rice.  This act is thought to mimic the incense that one burns in a bowl when a family member dies.  In general, nobody likes to mix the pleasure of eating with something somber as a funeral.  So try to avoid these faux pas, because they tend to make one lose one’s appetite and at worst they may offend some people.

Japanese Culture: Shichi-Go-San (七五三) Festival

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Nov 15 2008

Today is a day of pride for parents who have three, five or seven year old girls or boys.  Every year on the 15th of November, children ages 3, 5, and 7 celebrate a rite of passage on the Shichi-Go-San (七五三) festival.  Shichi (七) means seven in Japanese, while go (五) = five and accordingly san (三) means three.  Why are the ages 3, 5 and 7 chosen as opposed to ages 2 or 4?  It’s actually not a random selection of numbers, but a selection based on Japanese numerology and the belief that odd numbers are considered lucky numbers.  This tradition goes way back to ancient times; when infant mortality rates were high.  If a child had survived the ages 3, 5, and 7, it was considred a good sign that the child would survive into adulthood. 

On this day you will often see children with chitoseame (千歳飴) in their mouth.  Chitoseame (千歳飴) literally means a “thousand year candy.”  Chitoseames (千歳飴) are long and thin, with red strips.  They look a lot like a traditional American candy cane, but without the cane shape.  There is a special reason as to why the Chitoseame (千歳飴) is red.  Red symbolizes vitality and is supposed to represent good health.  The longness of the Chitoseame is also symbolic for long life.  Additionally, the bags that contain the chitoseame (千歳飴) are elaborately decorated with cranes and turtles.  Cranes and turtles are thought to possess long life and symbolize the hope that parents have for the future of their children.

The fascinating part though, are the traditional Japanese outfits that the children wear.  For example you might see a three year old girl wear a hifu (ひふ) or padded vest. 

 

 

Additionally, a seven year old girl might be seen wearing an obi (おび) for the first time.  An obi (おび) is a colorful sash tied to the kimono (着物).  The obi (おび) is tied in an elaborate bow at the back of the kimono (着物).  A kimono (着物) is a full length traditional Japanese robe.  I’ll talk more about the kimono (着物) in another post. 

 

Let’s not forget the boys!  Five year old boys will wear a hakama (裃), which are really baggy trousers. 

 

 

The festival is celebrated in the month of November.  Therefore it’s a bit cold.  The boys may wear a haori (はおり) on top.  A haori (はおり) is like a Japanese jacket that reaches the knees or the waist.

 

It’s common for parents to take lots of pictures of their children dressed in all their glory.  Who wouldn’t?  The kids look so cute!  It’s like the prom, except for little kids!

Japanese Food: Kyoodo Ryoori (郷土料理)

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Nov 14 2008

Kyoodo ryoori (郷土料理) translates to “regional specialities” in English.  By “specialities” I mean a dish or cuisine that a particular region in Japan is famous for; and in which tourists flock to the region to try out the local cuisine.  Every month or so I plan on highlighting a particular region with the food they are associated with.  So fasten your sealtbeats!  Today’s itinerary will include a stop in the Toohoku (東北) region of Japan.  Toohoku (東北) literally means “northeast” in Japanese.  As the name implies, the region is located in the northeastern part of Japan.  The climate tends to be a bit chilly and the locals who live there stock up on some gyutan (牛タン) to fill the belly and warm the stomach.

What is gyutan (牛タン)?  Gyutan (牛タン) is cow tongue.  Gyu (牛) means cow while the word tan (タン) is derived from the Japanese pronounciation of the English word “tongue.”  Gyutan (牛タン) is made from a cow’s tongue that has been grilled.  It can be served with salt or with tare (タレ) sauce.  Tare (タレ) sauce is a dipping sauce that is made from soy sauce, dashi (だし), vinegar, and sugar.  Dashi (だし) is used to make broth soups in Japan, and can also be used to make tare (タレ) sauce.  The dashi (だし) makes the tare (タレ) sauce thicker in texture.  Sometimes the gyutan (牛タン) is marinated with tare (タレ) rather than served separately.  Either way, the tare (タレ) sauce, which is sweet, gives the meat a nice taste.

Although gyutan (牛タン) is a popular dish in Japan, its popularity may die down in the distant future.  The scandal caused by Mad Cow Disease forced many gyutan (牛タン) restaurants to close down.  Hopefully gyutan (牛タン) will still be there for those of you who plan on going to Japan in the future.  If gyutan (牛タン) were to disappear, the region’s tourist market and cultural notorioty may also die with it as well.  There needs to be a balance between the public’s health and safety and its desire to enjoy delicious food.  You all can do your part by visiting the region and trying some gyutan (牛タン).  By doing this, you’ll be helping the region keep its tradition alive.

Ok minasan (みなさん), (minasan (みなさん) meaning everybody in Japanese) did you enjoy the tour?  For more regional tours, check the blog monthly.  You’ll never know where we might go next, so check frequently!

Japanese Food: Ocha (おちゃ)

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Nov 13 2008

Ocha (おちゃ) is the Japanese word for tea.  Japanese tea is important to the Japanese culture.  It serves many important functions.  Sometimes ocha (おちゃ) is served for the purpose of relaxation, sometimes for ceremony, and at other times it can serve as a source of treatment for one’s health. 

There are many different kinds of tea consumed in Japan.  The most popular is called Sencha (せんちゃ).  Sen (煎) means roasted while cha (茶) means tea.  Like the name says, the leaves of this tea are roasted in the fire and left to dry in the open.  It is worth mentioning that it is not customary for Japanese people to put sugar in their teas like the British are known to do.  As a result, some Westerners may find Sencha (せんちゃ) to be a bit bitter tasting.  However Sencha (せんちゃ) is very good for your health.  I actually drink it quite often myself.  It’s useful for regulating body temperature; especially if you have a predispostion for abnormal sweating.  (Which is good because less sweating = less body odor.) 

The next most well-known tea is Genmaicha (げんまいちゃ).  Gen (玄) means dark, while mai (米) means rice.  Genmaicha (げんまいちゃ) is a mixture of brown rice and green tea.  A lot of people mistake this tea as having popcorn as one of its main ingredients.  What they don’t realize is that some kernels of rice actually pop and open up like a flower, creating an appearance like that of an individually popped corn.  Genmaicha (げんまいちゃ) is great because you can actually make it at home instead of buying it at the store. 

For those of you on a budget, here’s what I suggest you do: 1) First toast a tablespoon of brown rice on a stovetop burner until it turns a nice dark brown color.  Remember I said brown, not black.  If it turns black, you probably burnt it!  2) Then cool off the rice and when it’s cooled, mix it with a teaspoon of green tea leaves in a strainer.  3) Boil about a cup of water and pour the water over the rice and leaves.  4) Put a lid over the rice and leaves for about a minute, or until you see a yellowish color to the liquid.  This is the last step.  Now all you have to do is drink it!  Oh and don’t forget, make sure you use brown rice.  White rice will not give you a rich, nutty flavor like brown rice.  If you don’t like it so nutty flavored, try adding more water.

The tea that I’m going to introduce right now is one of my favorites.  This tea is called Hoojicha (ほうじちゃ).  This tea will give off a dark red or light black or brown color.  It’s different from other teas in that it’s baked over charcoal rather than roasted.  Also, Hoojicha (ほうじちゃ) is made from twigs rather than the actual tea leaves.  Therefore, it has less of a stronger taste than Sencha (せんちゃ) or Genmaicha (げんまいちゃ).   I especially like this tea because it has no caffeine.  I wish I had some Hoojicha (ほうじちゃ) right now.  That way I wouldn’t be figeting and up at odd hours of the night and writing this blog at the same time!

Now there are many more teas that I have not mentioned in this post.  Go out and try some, because you never know unless you try.  You might not like some of them, but who knows, you might find one you really like and become a tea addict!  Unlike coffee, tea has some restorative effects on your immune system, so it might not be too bad if you were to become a tea junky!  Furthermore it’s legal too!

Japanese Language: Pronunciation

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Nov 11 2008

The Japanese language is called a “shallow” language.  (At least that’s what the linguists call it.)  It’s labeled as “shallow” because words and letters are pronounced as how they are written.  If we compare the way Japanese words are pronounced to the way English words are pronounced, you’ll find that English is a “deep” language.  For example, in English the “i” in “ice cream” is pronounced differently from the “i” in “interesting.”  Getting back to Japanese, while it’s true that for the most part words are pronounced as they are written; there are some exceptions.

For example, the character つ is pronounced as “tsu” in English.  However when “tsu” or つ is transcribed in the middle of a word, it’s no longer pronounced as “tsu” (つ).  Let’s look at the Japanese word かつた.  Since the word かった contains a  っ, this word would be pronounced as katta.  Notice that there is a double “t” sound in かった.  In fact, whenever you have a  っ transcribed in the middle of a word, the  っ indicates that there is a double consonant.  When you take out the っ what do you get?  You get the word かた, which is pronounced as kata.  Notice here that without the っ the word lacks the double “t” sound and reverts back to the single “t” sound.  It’s important to notice the difference in sounds because the two words are very different in meaning.  かった means “won” as in the past tense of the word “win” and かた means “shoulder” in Japanese.

Also, consonants can also change in sound by the sounds following it.  For example, this character ”ん” is pronounced as an English “n” sound.  However, whenever an n, t, d, s, and z sound follow after the ん sound, the “n” becomes an “m” sound.  Lets look at the word さんぽ.  This word is pronounced as “sampo.”  Notice that the “po” sound or the ぽ that follows after the ん sound turns the “n” sound into an “m” sound.  Since the “n” sound and “m” sound so similar when Japanese speakers use them in their daily speech, you’ll be understood whether you say “sampo” or “sanpo.” 

Moreover, I also notice that some of my students have difficulty pronouncing long vowels.  For example, the う or the character pronounced as “u” is sometimes transcribed in the middle of words after an “o” vowel which elongates the “o” vowel.  Here is a demonstration: the word おはよう is pronounced as ohayoo, not as ohayou.  Since よ is a type of o vowel, it is pronounced as a long o vowel with the addition of う.  Again, since おはよう is a standard greeting that means good morning, you’ll probably be understood; even if you pronounce it incorrectly. 

However, you should try to make an effort to know the difference between long vowels and short vowels.  For example, I once called my aunt おばあさん (obaasan) instead of おばさん (obasan).  おばあさん, the one with the long vowel, is a term for grandmother, while おばさん, the one with the short vowel, is a term for aunt in Japanese.  Long story short, I called my age sensitive aunt a grandmother!  Guess who didn’t get what they wanted for Christmas that year? 

To sum it all up, some mispronunciations may not make much of a difference, while others may cause you to make a social blunder.  To be on the safe side, just pay attention to how the words are written and how they are pronounced.  Just one vowel may cause some misunderstanding, so be sure you know your vowels and consonants!

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