Giant Japanese Statues

Posted by Ginny 1 Comment
Aug 30 2011

Kannon (観音) is the Buddhist goddess associated with compassion. There are large statues of the Kannon that can be found all over Japan. One of the more famous statues of Kannon is the Ōfuna Kannon (大船観観音) in Kamakura (鎌倉) of Kanagawa Prefecture (神奈川県). It is 82 feet tall was built to commemorate those who died in the atomic bomb attacks of Hiroshima (広島) and Nagasaki (長崎).

 

The Kaga Kannon (加賀の観音) is located in Kaga (加賀), in Ishikawa Prefecture (石川県). It is 240 feet high and stands above a hill that is next to a temple that is dedicated to the Goddess Kannon. The Temple is also next to a hotsprings hotel, which is one of the reasons why this statue is visited by many travelers seeking to see the Goddess and relax at a hotspring afterwards.

 

 

The Sodoshima Dai Kannon (小豆島大観音) is located in Kagawa Prefecture (香川県) and is 164 feet high. The Statue is famous for containing a tooth that is said to have belonged to the Buddha. The other famous features of the Kannon Statue are the gold crown, necklace and waistband that adorn the Goddess. Inside the Statue is an observation deck, prayer halls, and an elevator.

 

 

Takasaki Byakue Dai Kannon (高崎白衣大観音) is located in Takasaki of Gunman Prefecture (群馬県) and is 137 feet high. The Takasaki Byakue Dai Kannon is presented with one hand on her wrist and the other hand holding a scroll. The Statue is made of concrete and is surrounded by peaceful looking gardens. Visitors come every day to get a view of the Goddess of mercey.

 

 

The Heiwa Kannon (平和観音) in Funaoka (船岡) of Miyagi Prefecture (宮城県) is 77 feet long and stands above a tall hill. People can climb the hill and see the statue of the Goddess close up. The Heiwa Kannon in English literally means ‘Peace Kannon’. The Statue represents the Goddess bringing peace to the world, which is why the statue is so beloved by people all over Japan.

Japanese Lakes

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Aug 28 2011

There is definitely no shortage of lakes in Japan. One of the most beautiful lakes that I’ve ever encountered is Lake Towada (十和田湖). Lake Towada is in Honshū (本州) Island between the border of Aomori Prefecture (青森県) and Akita Prefecture (秋田県). Lake Towada is a crater lake created by volcanic eruptions. Today tourists go to to see the rainbow trout, eels, salmon and crap of Lake Towada.

 

Lake Ashi (芦ノ湖) is located in Kanagawa Prefecture (神奈川県). Lake Ashi provides a good view of Mt. Fuji (富士山) and that’s why you’ll see many ferries and boats that offer rides for tourists. Lake Ashi is a crater lake with many hot springs. The resorts, hotels and restaurants in the area are what makes Lake Ashi a popular tourist destination.

 

 

Lake Biwa (琵琶湖) is located in Shiga Prefecture (滋賀県) and is the largest freshwater lake in Japan. Lake Biwa is famous for its historical and literary importance. Many battles have occurred near this Lake and there are frequent references to this Lake in Japanese poetry. Today, Lake Biwa is home to an assortment of flora and fauna.

 

 

Lake Shinji (宍道湖) is located in Shimane Prefecture (島根県) and is most famous for its clams. Tourists from all over flock to Lake Shinji to get a taste of Lake Shinji’s clams. If you don’t like clams, you can also choose from an array of sea bass, eel and many other aquatic fish from Lake Shinji. There are also local cruises around Lake Shinji that provide a scenic view of the area and just a plain good old chance to relax.

 

Lake Kasumigaura (霞ヶ浦湖) is the second largest lake in Japan that contains a numerous bunch of other small lakes. There is so much to do in Lake Kasumigaura which include bird watching, boat racing and fishing. The waters of Lake Kasumigaura are used to irrigate the farmland around the area, so there are lots of crops and flowers that tourists can see in plain sight.

Japanese Pitch Accent

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Aug 27 2011

Japanese pitch accent can be tricky, especially when it comes to words that are spelled with the same hiragana but have different pitch accents.

Rain (あめ) (雨) (ame) a[high] me[low]

Sentence : 雨が降ると思う (ame ga furu to omou) I think it’ll rain

Candy (あめ) (飴) (ame) a[low] me[high]

Ex: 飴がほしい = (ame ga hoshii) I want candy

The first two words are ‘rain’ and ‘candy’. Notice that the hiragana that comes after these two words are the same, but the kanji are different. In written communication these two words can be easily distinguished by their kanji. In verbal communication the way to differentiate the two words is by context and pitch accent. The first part of the word for rain starts off with a high pitch accent with ‘a’ (あ) but falls to a lower pitch accent with ‘me’ (め). However the word for candy starts off with a low pitch accent and ends with a higher pitch accent.

Here are some other examples:

Bridge (はし) (橋) (hashi) (accent on second mora)

Ex: 橋は修理中です = (hashi ha shūrichū des) The bridge is being repaired

Chopsticks (はし) (箸) (hashi) (accent on first mora)

Ex: パーカーさんは箸で食べてみた (paakaa san ha hashi de tabetemita) Mr. Parker tried to use chopsticks

Another way to look at pitch accent is by looking at what part of the word is accented. For the word ‘bridge’, the accent is on the second mora. A mora is something that determines syllable weight. So with the word bridge, は would be the first mora and し would be the second mora. The word for bridge will have the accent on the second mora, but the word for chopsticks will have the accent on the first mora.

Watch out for this one:

Oyster (かき) (硴) (kaki) accent on first mora

Ex: 硴はたべれますか (kaki ha taberemasu ka) Can you eat oysters?

Fence (かき) (垣) (kaki) accent on second mora

Ex: 父は庭のまわりに垣根を作りました (chichi ha niwa no mawari ni kakine wo tsukimashita) My father made a fence around the garden

Persimmon (かき) (柿) (kaki) no accent

Ex: 今日スーパーで柿を買います (kyō sūpā de kaki wo kaimasu)

So with the word for persimmon, there is no accent on any mora

Sports Arenas of Japan

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Aug 22 2011

Spectator sports are a huge pastime in Japan and its only natural that there will be some spectacular sports arenas to accommodate all the fans. The Tokyo Dome (東京ドーム) is a famous baseball stadium that also hosts an entertainment complex that includes an amusement park, restaurants, souvenir shops, game centers and a horse race betting track.

 

 

Ryōgoku Kokugikan (両国国技館) is a sumo arena in Tokyo. The Ryōgoku Kokugikan is primarily used for sumo tournaments, but other indoor sporting events like boxing and wrestling are also hosted at this arena. The Ryōgoku Kokugikan also houses a museum that details the history of sumo, so it’s a place that you can go to get your fill of all things sumo.

 

 

The Nippon Budokan (日本武道館) was originally a judo hall for the 1964 Olympics, but now other martial arts tournaments in karate, kendo and akido are also held at the Nippon Budokan. In addition to hosting martial arts tournaments, the Nippon Budokan is also a large concert hall, so it has a multi functional purpose.

 

 

Kokuritsu Kasumigaoka Rikujō Kyogijō (国立霞ヶ丘陸上競技場) is the National Olympic Stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo that was built to be the main stadium for the 1964 Summer Olympics. Today the Stadium mostly hosts major soccer matches in Tokyo, but other sports matches like rugby also take place at this Stadium.

 

 

The Tōkyō Taiikukan or the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium (東京体育館) is a large gymnasium in Shibuya, Tokyo. The events that have taken place at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymansium range from tennis matches, wrestling matches, figure skating championships, table tennis games, gymnastics tournaments and volleyball games.

Japanese Dried Confectionary

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Aug 17 2011

Higashi (干菓子) is a broad term for Japanese confectionary that is dry and sweet tasting. One of the confectionary items that fall under Higashi is Hanakazura (花かずら) is a type of confectionary that is usually cut into rectangular blocks with sweet bean paste on the inside. The sweet bean paste is not very gooey and the outside is made of sugar. The most common filling is sweet bean, but recently I’ve seen a coffee bean version and a sweet soybean version of this kind of confectionary.

Nininsuzuka (二人静) is similar the vanilla wafers that the Nabisco company makes, but is softer. Nininsuka can come in various colors, but the most common colors are white and pink. They are usually wrapped in a type of paper foil that looks a lot like a candy wrapper. Nininsuzuka is a wonderful, sweet snack to have at tea ceremonies. They also don’t rot easily when left opened because they contain very little moisture.

 

Shigure no Matsu (時雨の松) is typically green colored and cylindrical in shape. They are soft and are sometimes coated with a sweet, white flour powder. Due to the dry nature of this confectionary, they are sometimes semi crumbly in texture. Shigure no Matsu looks similar to how a green bamboo stalk would look. Due to the fact that this confectionary looks traditional, it’s often served at traditional tea parties events.

 

Rakugan (落雁) is the most well known confectionary among the many different types of higashi. Rakugan is a type of confectionary that contains rice flour, starch and sugar. Rakugan come in many colors and designs. The really expensive kind of rakugan is made from wasanbon (和三盆), which is a kind of high quality, fine-grained sugar made from the sugarcane plants of Shikoku (四国). The rakugan made from wasanbon is sometimes given as gifts to guests.

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