In Japan, September 17th is a national
holiday called [Respect for the Aged Day]. We celebrate the
day annually to honor elderly citizens. The national holiday
used to be held on September 15th, but Japanese government
implemented the Happy Monday system, which moved a number of
national holidays to Mondays, in 2003. Respect for the Aged
Day is one example. I think it’s a good idea because we can
have more chances to visit our grandparents to say hello if we
have a longer weekend. I will send a gift to my grandmothers
this year…what shall I send?... (Risa)
August 24th
How was your week? I know most of you have
one more day to go…last day before a fun weekend, right? I
can’t believe August is nearly over…it’s still very hot every
day… Actually it was a bit cooler yesterday, but the heat has
come back already! The temperature went up to 36 degrees here
in Kyoto today… I prefer summer to winter, but I am really so
sorry a lot of people were killed by the heat this year… Hope
you have a lovely weekend! (Risa)
August 17th
Look at the cucumbers and eggplants in the
photo below. What do you think they are? We cerebrate Obon (If
you want to know the Obon deeper, please go and visit;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon_Festival) here in Japan. It
is said that our ancestors come back to the earth from the
heaven during the Obon time. They are coming back on a horse
very fast, and then they are going back to the heaven on a cow
very slowly. The cucumber in the photo is a horse, the
eggplant is a cow. Hiroko’s nephew who is only 8 years old
made them at home. He did a good job, eh? I think it is
important for parents to teach the old traditions from ancient
times. (Risa)
Auguest 16th
I’m so sorry I have been lazy these
days…Actually I can’t think of any topic to talk about… Today,
a big event called [Daimonji-yaki] is held in Kyoto. Do you
know what it is? It is one of the iconic festivals of Kyoto.
It is the culmination of the Obon festival on August 16th.
(Obon is a Japanese Buddist holiday to honor the departed
spirits of one’s ancestors). Starting at 8pm, five huge
bonfire designs in the shape of Chinese characters are lit on
the mountains which surrounded Kyoto city. The most famous and
the first to be lit is the character DAI, meaning large, on
Daimonji-yama mountain. The other four fires are lit at
10-minute intervals, and by 8:30, all the characters can been
seen. The best place to see the festival is from the Nakagyo
Ward, in the centre of the city. A lot of people also go to
the Kamo River between Sanjo and Imadegawa Streets, for a good
view of the initial fires. I guess I see millions of people on
my way back home today. (Risa)
August. 13th
How was your weekend? It was burning hot in
Kyoto over the weekend, but I think it’s getting cooler in the
morning and evening. My workmate, Hiroko went to the fireworks
show in Uji city after work on Friday. According to her, there
were millions of people…but she enjoyed it very much. Here is
the photo to share with you. Have you been to any interesting
summer event? (Risa)
August. 9th
It’s been so hot and humid in Kyoto these
days. The temperature goes up to 35 degrees during the day
every day….and it doesn’t go down under 25 degrees at night. I
usually don’t like being in the air-conditioned room, but I
can’t stand the heat any more. I have had trouble getting to
sleep… I heard lots of people were killed by the head in
Europe last month…Have you been enjoying your summer? (Risa)
August 6th
How was your weekend? I had a very relaxed
one. I didn’t do anything special…I met a friend for a coffee
and went to the yoga studio etc. One of my workmates, Hiroko
went to Universal Studio Japan in Osaka with her family on
Sunday. Have you ever been there? If you come to Kyoto with
little kids, maybe they would love to go there. I guess they
get bored if you take them to temples & shrines every
day….so it’s one option for one day.
http://www.usj.co.jp/e_top.html (Risa)
August. 2nd
Have you ever heard of [Okuizome]? It’s a
Japanese tradition handed down from ancient times. When a
newborn baby is 110 days old (It is a bit different from area
to area though), parents and relatives arrange small meal
(fish, soup, boiled vegetables, pickles and rice) and a tiny
stone for him/her. Of course, he/she isn’t old enough to eat
those things…but they pretend to feed him/her. The tradition
has two meanings; 1. Parents and relatives wish that a baby
has sufficient food throughout life 2. Parents and relatives
wish that a baby has hard teeth like stone. One of my
workmates just had the traditional event for her niece last
weekend, and she thought keeping a tradition is very
important. Do you have a similar tradition in your country?
(Risa)
