Posted by Ginny
This December 31st will be a busy day all over Japan. New Year’s Eve is called Oomisoka (大晦日) in Japanese. Towards the end of the year many companies will hold office parties called boonenkai (ぼうねんかい). Boonenkai (ぼうねんかい) can be translated as ‘end-of-the-year party.’ Many employees will present an oseibo (おせいぼ) or an end of the year gift for their boss. Oseibos (おせいぼ) are usually wrapped in a thin tissue paper called noshigami (のしがみ). Oseibos (おせいぼ) are obligatory gifts. Technically speaking you don’t have to give a gift for your boss, but it’s a good idea to prepare one. Number one, you don’t want to offend your boss and start the new year with bad feelings. Number two, who knows, you might get that promotion you’ve always wanted. For a lot of employees, it’s a good opportunity to suck up to the boss with an expensive bottle of wine.
New Year’s Eve is also the day companies do their oosooji (大掃除). Oosooji (大掃除) is a term used to describe a thorough cleaning of the entire place. It’s a day when employees clean out their desk, get rid of old (or suspicious) documents, clean out files, etc. Many households do their oosooji (大掃除) as well. The entire house is turned upside down with cleaning solution and dirty rags. All this cleaning is done to prepare a fresh start for the New Year.
Around seven in the evening on New Year’s day, families all over Japan will watch a popular show called Koohaku Uta Gassen (紅白歌合戦). It’s a musical show divided into two teams. The two teams are divided by sex. The red team or akagumi (赤組) consists of female singers and the white team or shirogumi (白組) consists of male singers. It’s a battle between the sexes to determine which side has the better singers. Koohaku Uta Gassen (紅白歌合戦) is a musical program with all sorts of musical styles like pop, rap, and traditional Japanese music. It has everything for everyone. All of Japan’s famous singers are on the show, so it’s a great show to watch if you want to know the most current and popular singers in Japan.
Around eleven in the evening families will eat a traditional meal of toshikoshi soba (年越しそば) which are buckwheat noodles. The noodles symbolize long life and the Japanese eat it out of the desire to live a long life. During this time, shrines all over Japan will pass out amazake (甘酒) to all the people who have made a pilgrimage to the shrine. Amazake (甘酒) is a sweet, alcoholic traditional Japanese drink that people drink on New Year’s Eve. During this time a bell called a bonshoo (ぼんしょう) will strike at midnight to ring in the new year.
Ok, well this is going to be the last post for this blog for this year. I can’t explain it, but I feel kind of sad that the year is ending, but excited for the new year as well. I’ll post again on New Years, so look for that post. See you next year!
Posted by Ginny
Christmas is not a national holiday in Japan. Nevertheless, some people still find time to celebrate Christmas, even after a long day at work. The Japanese have a tendency to take a tradition and make it uniquely their own. Some of the things that I’m going to mention in this post are going to sound strange to some people, but like any culture that comes in contact with another culture, tweaking things here and there is only natural.
For example, instead of a turkey or ham dinner, Japanese people like to buy fried chicken from KFC for Christmas. Why KFC? It’s a clever marketing strategy run by the KFC corporation in Japan. Sometimes I’ll walk by the KFC restaurants and discover to my shock, that people are waiting in line for some KFC chicken. Don’t get me wrong, I like KFC, but I don’t exactly associate Christmas with KFC. I suspect though, some people are confused with the image of Colonel Sanders as being the same person as Santa Claus. (Pronounced as Santa Kuroosu (サンタクロース) in Japanese.) Both are elderly Caucaisan men, so they must be the same person, right?
In the American tradition, Santa Claus is the bearer of gifts for children who have behaved well all throughout the year. The Japanese also have this type of figure. His name is Hoteiosho (ほていおしょ). He’s a buddhist monk, with a large belly and a cloth sack full of toys. He has eyes in the back of his head, which means that he’s able to see the children and how they behave without them knowing. Hoteisosho (ほていおしょ) is one of the seven gods of fortune. He’s one of the more jovial, happy-go-lucky chaps, which is very convenient, because I don’t think a vengeful and scary god is something that is appealing for children.
Everyone, I hope this year you were all good boys and girls. Merry Christmas (メリークリスマス)!
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Posted by Ginny
Christmas Eve or crismas ebu (クリスマスエブ) the way Japanese people pronounce it, is often a romantic holiday. If someone asks you out on a date on Christmas Eve, it’s usually a sign that the person is serious about you. On Christmas Eve, you’ll see lots of young couples walking and holding hands. Sometimes I get confused because it’s a lot like Valentines Day than Christmas. You’ll also find it difficult to book a reservation in a restaurant on that day. Gift shops are also packed. The most common gifts are sweet and cute like teddy bears, flowers, candy, promise rings, etc.
Depending on the family, fruit cakes are also consumed on Christmas Eve. (Sometimes a family will eat a fruit cake on Christmas Day rather than Christmas Eve.) I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking about those awful fruit cakes in America, where most of them get thrown away or get stale from sitting out in the open so long. The fruit cakes in Japan are not quite the same as the ones in the U.S. The Japanese call these fruit cakes crisumasu keeki (クリスマスケーキ). Crisumasu keekis (クリスマスケーキ) are really delicious. They’re usually made of sponge cake with whip cream. The cake is usually decorated with fruits like strawberries, oranges, and peaches. It’s so delicious!
In fact, if you buy these cakes on Christmas Day you can get a discount on these cakes. A lot of confectionary stores are eager to get rid of these cakes and start the new year with other treats. The cakes are sometimes wrapped in pretty square boxes. They have a hole at the top where you can insert your fingers and carry the cake without having to worry about ruining the cake. It reminds me of those Happy Meal boxes at McDonalds.
This isn’t a national tradition in Japan, but it’s a tradition in my family. On Christmas Eve, the adults will drink plum sake called umeshuu (うめしゅ). It’s nice to have it after consuming a big dinner. It clears out your throat really well. I like it not for its taste, but because I like to see grandpa’s reaction after he gets drunk. He’s usually a reserved guy, but after some umeshuu (うめしゅ) he starts telling stories that never stay consistent year after year. Haha! Well that’s it for today. Tune in for my post on what happens on Christmas Day in Japan!
Posted by Ginny
What is Tennoo Tanjoobi (天皇誕生日)? Tennoo Tanjoobi (天皇誕生日) is a national holiday in Japan. Translated in English, it’s the Emperor’s Birthday. Which emperor are we talking about here? It’s the current and living Emperor Akihito (明仁). Emperor Akihito (明仁) was born on the 23rd of December. As a result, every year on the 23rd of December, businesses and shops close to commemorate the Emperor’s birthday.
Every year starting from around 9 am in the morning, crowds of Japanese people line up to see the imperial family on the 23rd of December. The imperial palace is in Tokyo. Despite the cold and the fact that it’s early in the morning, many people, especially the elderly, show up to wave their hinomaru (日の丸), or Japanese flag. Each group is allowed to cheer and show their Japanese pride for about three minutes. After the three minutes are over the next group is shuffled in to start the cheering and waving all over again. Personally it’s not my thing but lots of people seem to enjoy it.
Usually on this day the Emperor gives a speech about his reflections on the end of the year and what the new year will bring. You’ll also find a lot of uyoku dantai (右翼団体) members patrolling the area as well. The ukoku dantai (右翼団体) is a nationalist right wing party that holds a nostalgic fondness for the past, especially the era between WWl and WWll when Japan used to have colonies in East and Southeast Asia. They ride about in black vans called gaisensha (街宣車). The gaisensha (街宣車) is decorated with the Japanese flag and equipped with loud speakers. The gaisensha (街宣車) will drive around the block blasting nationalist rhetoric and will feature the Japanese anthem the kimigayo (君が代) as it’s musical soundtrack.
Interestingly enough, you may see members of the yakuza (やくざ) at the Emperor’s birthday as well. For those of you who don’t know what a yakuza (やくざ) is, it’s the Japanese mafia. The yakuza (やくざ) has always supported the imperial family. Well, at least they support the symbolic idea behind the imperial family, an idea that is linked to tradition and Japanese pride. Since the uyoku dantai (右翼団体) and the yakuza (やくざ) both dress in black suits, sometimes I really don’t know who I’m standing next to. I mean, what’s worse, standing next to a racist nationalist or a gang member?
Well, the good thing about this event is that admission is free. Also, the police frisk you for weapons so I doubt there’ll be a gang war or an assination attempt of the emperor. It’s pretty safe. If you’re going to be in Japan this December, it might be a worthwhile visit.
Posted by Ginny
Welcome to the second post of kyoodo ryoori (郷土料理). The kyoodo ryoori (郷土料理) post is a montly run post where we visit a region and the special food that region is known for. Today, we’re gonna to check out the Kansai (関西) region.
The Kansai (関西) region contains a host of famous cities like Osaka (大阪), Kobe (神戸), and Kyoto (京都). There are so many things to see and do in Kansai (関西). It’s a famous region known to tourists and many restaurants are set up to cater to these tourists.
Kansai (関西) is known for its okonomiyaki (お好み焼き). Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is a pancake style dish consisting of eggs, cabbage, green onions, shimp or pork. First a batter is made. Then the ingredients are added. Before it’s fried, the teppan (鉄板) is greased with vegeatable oil. Then it’s fried on the teppan (鉄板), which is an iron griddle. About a minute later, you flip the other side with a spatula.
Some restaurants have the option of a self-serve policy where the customer fries his/her own okonomiyaki (お好み焼き). All the restaurant does is provide the teppan (鉄板), the batter with the desired ingredients and utensils to eat it with. Other restaurants have a wide open teppan (鉄板) where you can see a professional chef make the okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) in front of you. If it’s not too cold out you can grab some hot okonomiyaki from a street vendor. The okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is folded in half and wrapped with a paper plate so that you won’t need utensils to eat it. The only bad thing is that street vendors do not always have the most variety when it comes to the ingredients.
After the okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is made, some people sprinkle some fish flakes or some soy sauce on top. The great thing about okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is that you can put whatever you want in it. It’s a great experimental food for all you aspiring chefs out there!
