Posts from September 2009

Geography of Japan

Posted by Ginny 1 Comment
Sep 30 2009

Japan is a island nation. Japan was formed from volcanic eruptions that cooled off to form islands. Unfortunately, Japan is located in a volatile zone. Several devastating earthquakes have shook the stability and infrastructure of the Japanese economy and society. However, even with such setbacks Japan has been able to rebuild itself.

The best natural resource for Japan may be its waters. Japan’s waters have fostered Japan’s extensive trading and coastal shipping. Fish has always been a plentiful resource in Japan. However, this may change as global warming affects the conditions for fish to survive in Japan’s waters.

Japan’s main islands are Hokkaidoo (北海道), Honshuu (本州), Shikoku (四国), and Kyuushuu (九州). There are also smaller islands like Okinawa (沖縄本島). Hokkaidoo is located towards the northern part of Japan, towards Russia. Honshuu is the largest main island of Japan and hosts Japan’s capital city, Tookyoo (東京). Shikoku is located towards the south of Japan. Lastly, Kyuushuu is Japan’s southern most tip, and known for it’s hot springs.

In addition to the four main islands, Japan is divided into eight regions that are commonly taught in elementary schools. The eight regions include: Hokkaidoo (北海道), Toohoku (東北), Kantoo (関東), Chuubu (中部), Kansai (関西), Chuugoku (中国), Shikoku (四国), Kyuushuu (九州),

Ramune

Posted by Ginny 4 Comments
Sep 27 2009

Have you ever tried Ramune (ラムネ)? Ramune (ラムネ) is a soft drink with a twist! Ramune (ラムネ) bottles are known for the way they look rather than the way they taste. Ramune bottles are made of glass. The neck and top of the bottle is very unique looking. The interesting part of a Ramune bottle is that inside of the bottle is a marble that seals the opening of the bottle. To drink Ramune, you’ll have to push the marble back and let the liquid flow through the sides.

For me personally, the first time I drank Ramune, it was a disaster. Every time I tried to tip the bottle to drink it, the marble would block the opening and the liquid. When I tried to quickly tip the bottle before the marble floated to the top, all the liquid would rush out and spill all over my neck. Yes, it definitely takes some talent to drink Ramune!

Ramune drinks are carbonated, so when the marble sinks to the bottom, you can see all the fizziness of the soda. The marbles sometimes rattle on the bottom of the bottle. Drinking Ramune is almost like playing with a new toy you’ve never played with. It’s exciting and at the same time you’re trying to figure out how everything works.

There are several different Ramune flavors. My favorite is strawberry and kiwifruit. The original flavor for Ramune was a citrus like lemon flavored drink. In fact, the name Ramune comes from the English word for lemonade. There’s also a curry flavored drink. Let’s hope that it tastes better than it sounds.

If you type Ramune on Youtube, you can see various people’s attempts to open ramune. Some of videos are pretty funny!

Shintoo Shrines

Posted by Ginny 1 Comment
Sep 24 2009

So now that you a little about the Shintoo belief system (from the previous post) let’s talk about Shintoo shrines. The best way to experience or see Shintoo practices is to visit a Shintoo shrine, especially on festival days. There are several famous Shintoo shrines. Each shrine may be different in the sense that it may house a different kami (かみ) or spirit. For example the Ise Jinguu (伊勢神宮) or the Ise Shrine is dedicated to the goddess Amaterasu (天照) or the sun goddess, while the Meiji Jinguu (明治神宮) is dedicated to the Emperor Meiji.

Although the shrines may be different in the spirits they house, a lot of the shrines open to the public have similar architectural features. Before you enter a shrine you’ll see torii (鳥居) or a red gate. Torii gates marks the entrance of sacred space in Japan. The major shrines have a gate from which the public can enter and a different gate from which the priests and other holy people can enter.

There are some basic protocals for when you omairi (おまいり) or visit a shrine. Before you enter a temple, take a bow first. When you enter, you may see a temizuya (てみずや) or a place where you can wash your hands and rinse your mouth. This washing ritual is to purify your actions and the words that come out of your mouth. You’ll see some ladles and a communal basin of water. When you’re done, leave the ladle facing downwards.

There are some general prohibitions when entering a shrine. Japanese people abstain from visiting a shrine when a relative has died. Being around a corpse is thought to be unclean. Also, certain areas of the shrine may not be open to visitors. Even lower level monks are not allowed in the honden (ほんでん) or the worship hall, and only a high level priest is allowed to enter. This is because the honden (ほんでん) is the place where the kami (かみ) or spirit is housed. If you enter in any room on the shrine’s premises, such as the haiden (はいでん) or the public hall of worship, remember to remove your shoes before you enter the room.

My general recommendation for first time visitors to a shrine is to be cautious and aware of every action performed in a shrine. If you have doubts about doing something, try watching others and copy after them. Also, behave in a way that you would behave if you were at a formal establishment. Chances are, you probably wouldn’t talk in a raised voice and chew gum at a formal event, so the same rule should apply to a shrine as well.

Shintooism

Posted by Ginny 1 Comment
Sep 21 2009

The word Shintoo (神道) means “way of the gods”. Some people refer to Shintooism as a religion, but others prefer to call it a “belief system”. The problem with calling Shintoo a religion is that in some ways many Japanese people follow Shintoo practices, however, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they are active “members” of the Shintoo way of life. In fact, it’s not unusual to see a Japanese person dabble both in Shintoo and Buddhist practices at the same time. For public events like sumo wrestling matches, whether or not the audience members are Shintoo followers, Shintoo rituals are performed before the match. Therefore, it’s difficult to say which part of shintooism is actually culture and which part is religion.

In some ways, it’s difficult to express a central theology of Shintoo ideas. There are different types of Shintoo beliefs, including minzoku shintoo (民俗神道), a kind of folk Shintoo, with cultural beliefs mixed in with Shintoo elements. Then there’s jinja shintoo (神社神道), or shrine Shintoo, which is the most predominant among the Shintoo sects. Generally, the common factor within all sects of Shintooism is the respect for kami (神) or spirits. These kami (神) can be forces of nature or a deceased ancestor or, a mythological god.

There is a heavy emphasis on rituals; especially rituals of purification. Oharai (おはらい) is a general term for Shintoo purification rites. Shintoo purification rites can be performed daily, seasonally or yearly, depending on the rite. In business, new buildings are blessed by a Shintoo priest in a ceremony called Jichinsai (地鎮祭). The ceremony is performed to keep impurities or kegare (穢れ) to a minimum. The term “impurity” can imply bad spirits, bad auras or anything negative that can bring bad luck, in this case, to a new company or factory.　　

Shintoo beliefs are apparant in the daily life of Japanese people. Before eating, you’ll notice that Japanese people tend to say itadakimasu (いただきます) before putting any food in their mouth. There is not set phrase in English for itadakimasu (いただきます), but it can mean, “I give thanks to this meal” or “I will humbly receive”. This phrase is said not just for politeness. It goes back to a Shintoo belief that the spirits of the plants and animals that died to be a part of the meal may hold a grudge or urami (怨み), against the person eating the meal. Therefore itadakimasu (戴きます) is a way of acknowledging the sacrifice of the killed spirit.

This is all the time we have for today. There will be more about Shintooism next time. Mata ne (また ね) See you next time!

Respect for the Aged Day

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Sep 18 2009

Every third Monday of September is Keirou no ni (敬老の日) or Respect for the Aged Day. On this day, news stations like to report the current statistics on the geriatric population. As of now, the oldest Japanese woman is Kama Chinen (知念カマ). She is one hundred and fourteen years old. Not surprisely, she is from Okinawa (沖縄), Japan. The local elderly population of Okinawa are known for their longevity. A low fat diet, low stress lifestyle and a caring community for the elderly, are some of the things that contribute to the long life span of the Okinawans.

Despite Kama Chinen’s long life, her age has taken a toll on her. She can no longer move around without a wheelchair. Other than that, she is considered a ‘healthy’ for her age. Not just in Okinawa, but in Japan in general, the elderly population is rising rapidly. This has profound social implications for Japan. Insurance premiums are rising, which has some impact on the Japanese government and its tax paying citizens. Although longevity is increasing with age, the quality of life isn’t necessarily rising in direct proportion to age.

Some of the elderly have very high salt and cholestrol diets. The instability of the economy has made it so that some members of the elderly community have to continue working; contributing to a high stress lifestyle. Even in Okinawa, the expansion of the U.S. military has caused environmental degradation, noise pollution and the introduction of fast food (like McDonalds), which has serious implications for the elderly. With these changes, Respect of the Aged Day may become even more important.

As of now, the types of social services that are provided for the elderly depend on the region and city of Japan. Some towns are generous enough to hand out free bentos (べんとう) or boxed lunches to the elderly. Some towns have annual school plays where children perform skits for the elderly. Like towns, individual families also differ in the way they chose to spend Respect for the Aged Day. Some families use this time to go on vacation and some choose to spend quality time with a grandparent or two with gifts in hand.

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