Amezaiku

Today, I would like to talk about Japanese traditional sweet, sugar sculpture(飴細工;amezaiku). It has been said that tradition had started in Osaka in early 1800s, Edo period.

In regard to how to make amezaiku, according to Kiritani (1995) says;

Glutinous rice (mochi gome) and patatp poweder are boiled carefully to a specific transparent doughy texture, and then hand pulled and kneaded. Contact with the air during into a huge ball and allowed to harden untill ready for use. Tadon (charcoal) in the box of amezaiku's cart heats the large candy ball into a pliable mass. Animals must be formed quickly before the candy hardens-a rabbit, for instance, takes about thirty seconds. Dexterity, an artistic sense, and a lot of imajgination are needed(p.20).

Making amezaiku is required not only technology and but also imagination.By the way, where can we see amezaiku? We sometimes see amezaiku at yatai festivals. I have seen the amezaiku yatai in Yasaka Jinja.
When children see amezaiku, they order candy into animals or characters.

As you see left picture, these are rabbit, Doraemon, Hello Kitty in this picture. We can say amezaiku is not only Japanaese traditional art but also enjoyable for children. Amezaiku practioners keeps amezaikuk tradition and they give children to dreams.

As you also see right picture, this is amezaiku sold at yatai.

Ame-zaiku practitioners make candy into animals or character in less than 3 minutes.One of the famous Japanese Amezaiku practitoner is Takahiro Mizuki. He is often picked up in TV.

Amezaiku practitioner is very few nowadays, so it is noexaggeration that it is vanishing.

this is a movie about making amezaiku.
You can find that this required clever skill.


http://books.google.com/books?hl=ja&lr=&id=5_GGbiw1-y4C&oi=fnd&pg=PA7&dq=Amezaiku&ots=vqeOiJfLfP&sig=K8j9y_NYHa2X2yOVZ2fBla4Pwkw#PPA20,M1

Undou kai in Japan

Today’s topic is sports in Japan, so I would like to talk about Physical education in Japan.
P.E is one of the subjects of school, and people grow up through sports and exercise.

First of all, I introduce P.E clothes.

P.E clothes style is a little different from school to school.
However, everyone wear same gym suit (体操服;taisou fuku) in same school.

As you can see, Japanese children wear half-sleeved shirt and half-pants in PE class now.
However, boys had worn short pants and girls had worn bloomers after Tokyo Olympic.
The reason of change of gym suit is influence of professional sports uniform.
So, now Japamese students wear half-sleeved shirt and half pants-after 1997.

Next, I’ll focus on big event of P.E, 運動会(Undou kai).
Undou kai is like sports festival.

Students prepare for Undou kai durinf some days.

On the very day of Undou kai, parenrs come to see their children's activity.

Many of parents bring their camera, they record it.

First Undou kai in Japan was held in 1874 by British man, Strange.

However, trriger of spreading out of Undoukai was Undou kai which was held in Sapporo in 1878.
Every elementary school, junior high school and high school hold Undou kai in autumn.

Undou kai is also held by community such as city or town.

Students are devided some teams, such as Red team, White team, Blue team and so on.

Each team has cheering party, this is characteristic of Undou kai.
Many games are held in Undou kai and I’ll introduce some common games.

This picture shows tug-of-war (綱引き;tsuna hiki).

Two teams pull one rope against each other for each other's positions, and it is a competition to compete for the superiority and inferiority.

This picture shows piggyback fight (騎馬戦;Kiba sen).

This game style imitate a fight between a samurai and the knights who ride a horse.

One Kiba consists of four members and win and loss are depend on how many cap does kiba get.
Kiba is consist of only boys because Kiba sen's model is samurai fight.

However, gilrs can participate Kiba sen depends on school because of considering of gender equality.

Kiba sen's roots is political movement because it was made in Meiji era and government's power was too strong that people were not allowed to express their opinion.

But they needed the Diet and making the constitution.

So people came up with idea of Undoukai because it was not speech.

Kiba sen which was born in Undou kai that people who did a movement for democratic rights made "the government struggle piggyback fight (政権争奪騎馬戦；seiken soudatsu kiba sen)."

Kiba sen shows competition that who the political leader is.

It very related to Japanese histrical background.

Cremation

Cremation is one of the Japanese funerals.
It is a convincing opinion that the cremation came with transmission of the Buddhism. This is associated with Buddha having been cremated.

This is the Uji funeral hall in Kyoto.

As you see, it adjoins cemetery.

You will see the vent in the left side of central bulding's roof.

There are some reasons Japanese has cremation funeral.

Many Japanese people doesn’t believe in any religions, so they are not particular over the way of funeral. In addition, cremation is the easiest way of funeral.

Cremation is respected in the Buddhism which has constant power in Japan.

Crementation is strongly promoted in the Jodo Shin Shu in particular.

Retracing Japanese funeral in the past, burial had been maintained in the early modern times.

That's because cremation was considered as an insanitary way in this period.

In this period, burial is the mainstream of Japanese funeral.

Burial is not prohibited in Japan, but considerinf sanitary aspect, government announces cremation is best way of funeral.

Because of progress of cremation technology, cremation spread drastically in Japan now.

Takarazuka

I would like to talk about Japanese art and entertainment, Takarazuka Kageki-dan.

We Japanese call it Takarazuka.

Takarazuka Kagekidan means Takarazuka operatic group.
This group is consists of only women, so some women play men's role.

Theme of Takarazuka's show is various, they play SF, fantasy, love story and so on.

Actresses who graduated Takarazuka music school play and are unmarried on the stage.

This is Takarazuka musical school.

We call them Takara jennu because we imitate calling Paris jennu.

To be Takara jennu, girls have to go to Takarazuka musical school for two years.

During two years, they practice ballet, voice training, dance, English conversation and so on.

Takarazuka has five classes, flower class(花組), moon class（月組）, snow class（雪組）, star class（星組）, and sky class（宙組）.Each class gives a performance.

This is sky class's performance, Reimei no Kaze.

This story about Japanese recovery after the Wolrd War II.

As you can see, you will find women make up men's style.

Takarazuka's performances are held in Takarazuka big theater and Tokyo Takarazuka theater.

This is called Hon Kouen (main performance).

1 or 2 Hon Kouen performances are held there in a year.

However, Takara jennnu performes national tour and which is held some theater, such as Umeda art theater like this.

Takarazeka is Japanese unique entertainment.

Omizutori

Japan has many religious events that we pray everyone’s health or we pray we won’t have bad accidents.
Today I’d like to write Todai-ji’s event, Omizutori.

There is Todai-ji in Nara prefecture.
You may think Omizutori (お水取り) is water event, but actually it is fire event.
Omizutori, which means taking sacred water, has become the popular name of the ceremony. It has taken place as an annual rite for 1248 years. In the past it had taked place in eburuary in the lunar calendar. At present, it starts on March 1 and ends on the 15th of the month.
This event is taken place because Buddhist priest repent sins of profane world.
As picture shows, firebrands(松明) are lighted. And this is very popular, so many tourists visit there to see it, especially March 12th. Because March 12 th's Omizutori is special. Firebrands which size is 6 meter long are lighted.

Firebrands make people's sin pure, and you soak up spark, you spend this year without disease or accidents.

Valentine Day, White Day

Many countries have Valentine Day.
What they do in Valentine Day is different from country to country.
In America, men give women candy, chocolate or flower.
Japan imitate this event, however Japanese spends unique Japanese Valentine Day.

Japanese Valentine Day is women give men chocolate and this chocolate has two patterns of meaning.

First, it is called Giri Choco(義理チョコ). Women give man to Giri choco because they preserve the harmony of human relationship. For example, my father brings back chocolate which he gets it in his office from women subordinates.
Second is Honmei choco.　Women give honmei choco(本命チョコ) to men because they really love their partner.　So, Valentine Day is known as love confession's day for women.

In addition, women give chocolate to their friend, especially friend of woman in recent years. This chocolate is called tomo choco(友チョコ).

On the other hand, White Day is men return candy for woman. Men give candy to women
This is answer day of Valentine Day.

In Japan, Valentine and White Day is very popular events, so many sweet exhibit in the shop, even convenience store.

So we can say Valentine Day and White Day make big edonomy effects because women and men buy for the gifts. Sweets indutry make large profits.

Japanese people in train

Today, I'd like to write about write about Japanese people.

When you ride in train, you can see many people in the train using keitai denwa. Some of salary-men read newspaper, some of women make up. Many of them use keitai and send keitai mail. Each people spend their own time by keitai mail. I think this is playing alone, in Japanese, "hitori-asobi".

I examine makes each people's space, because many people are

absorbed in reading books, newspaper, using keitai, Nintendo DS, making up. However these things causes bad situations. That's why people doesn't care about people his/her around.In Japan, people think making up in public as shame manner, because it is Japanese manner! When I see a woman making up, I feel uncomfortable and I regard this woman as not knowing manner.

One of Japanese value is style in Japanese "hinkaku". Recently series of book which about hinkaku is very popular. Josei no Hinkaku(women's style), Oya no Hinkaku(parents' style) which are written by Mariko Bandou are bestseller, so number of people who care about manner is increasing.

Now, manner problem dependes on each people's moral.