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Composed as a love poem.

kaeru sa no
mono to ya hito no
nagamuran
matsu yo nagara no
ariake no tsuki
-----
’Tis time to be homeward bound;
Does he
See it, I wonder?
Having waited through the night
The moon at dawn...
-----
Sada'ie -------- SKKS XIII: 1206

posted by Message from Japan on Saturday, February 24, 2007 0 comments

お花見(おはなみ) - Ohanami

Which are better Sakura or Bluebells?
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In Japan, sakura, or the cherry blossom, starts blooming in March in the south and the "blossom line" moves all the way north through April and May.
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Coloured autumn foliage is most famously noted in two regions of the world: most of Canada and the United States; and Eastern Asia, including China, Korea, and Japan. Fall foliage tourists are often referred to as " leaf peepers".
There is a press release ON an Internet Survey ON Ohanami (conscious investigation - 2004 March 17th regarding Hanami) at the “Asahi beer (Asahi Breweries)” website and which was conducted in early March.
To the question “What are you looking forward to at Ohanami?”35.0% answered “enjoying the cherry blossoms” whereas 25.4% answered “drinking while watching cherry blossoms” and 13.5% answered “eating tasty things while watching cherry blossoms”.

Clearly this is a pastime that needs some brain food in order to be fully appreciated!

posted by Message from Japan on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 1 comments

The Choushuu Five (長州五傑, Chōshū Goketsu)

The Choushuu Five, left Japan at a time when travel into and out of Japan was punishable by death, they studied in England from 1863 at University College London (see left) under Professor Alexander William Williamson.

Inoue Kaoru and Ito Hirobumi, destined to be two of the greatest Japanese statesmen of their time, worked as deckhands aboard the 1500 ton steamer Pegasus as they made their way to Europe.

Identity of the Chōshū Five
Ito Shunsuke (later Ito Hirobumi)
Inoue Monta (later Inoue Kaoru)
Yamao Yozo studied engineering at the Andersonian Institute, Glasgow, 1866-68 while working at the River Clyde shipyards by day.
Endo Kinsuke
Nomura Yakichi (later Inoue Masaru).

They were members of the Chōshū han of western Japan. The Capital of the han is based in the city of Hagi. Hagi (萩市) is a city located in Yamaguchi. During the Edo Period, the city was ruled by the Mori clan.

A movie entitled "Chōshū Five" has been released in Japan in January 2007.
The dream of the Chōshū han to overthrow the Bakufu would eventually be realized after 260 years, when forces under their leadership would overthrow the Shogunate.

日本の手紙

posted by Message from Japan on Friday, February 16, 2007 1 comments

Happy Birthday

The JSNW web site is now two years old. Here's a reminder of how it all started.

posted by Kevin on Sunday, February 11, 2007 0 comments

unagi-no-nedoko

unagi-no-nedoko.

How to play the game
now, you can figure out what unagi-no-nedoko look like, can't you?
Go to page
http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/game/machiya/index_e.html

For more games (I haven’t tried these) look at …
http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/game/

posted by Message from Japan on Wednesday, February 07, 2007 0 comments

Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" (鬼は外! 福は内!).

In Japan, Setsubun (節分) is the day before the beginning of each season. Usually the term refers to the Spring Setsubun, properly called Risshun (立春), which is celebrated yearly on February 3 (associated with the Lunar New Year).
Setsubun is traditionally celebrated by the head of the household throwing pan-heated soybeans (called irimame) out the door, while chanting "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" (鬼は外! 福は内!). The literal meaning of the words is "Demons out! Luck in!" -- the beans are thought to symbolically purify the home.
In the Heian era, a famous Buddhist monk was said to have driven away Oni (Oni (鬼) demons or evil spirits) by throwing beans.
Families will also put up small decorations of fish heads and holly leaves on their house entrances so that bad spirits will not enter. People eat the same amount of soy beans as their age, plus one for bringing good luck for the year to come.