A Tale of A Tokyo-salamanders’ Sanctuary

In old days when people lived around nature, mountains and forests adjoining farm and villages were used as resources for materials such as wood and bamboo, water for rice paddies, and wild vegetables and fruits. These areas were regularly maintained by the locals, taking care of trails, waterways and pruning trees. As a result, semi-nature areas which were different from complete wildness appeared. Many local elders say there were tons of tadpoles in spring, countless fireflies in summer, gorgeous coloring foliage with wild fruits and nuts in autumn, so the semi-nature areas were their favorite playgrounds in their childhood―

Recently people started to call these areas “Satoyama”, and it is receiving attention in terms of nature preservation. However, now people’s life styles have changed a lot. Therefore, many of former Satoyama-areas have been neglected for years.

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Over the many hills in Hachioji, which is located in the western edge of Tokyo, there is a hidden Satoyama field that looks just like a traditional semi-nature area in old yore. A man, who is mainly supervising the field, retired more than a decade ago, and got an idea to work on an abandoned rice field near his house to get back a beautiful view of Satoyama just like old days. He got a permission from local land owners, then started to maintain 2000 m² (22 thousand ft²) of land.

　He irrigated the dried “Yato” (a local word for small valleys often used as water sources for rice paddies in old times) and made a tiny rice paddy. After water came back to the field, it kept overflowing the rice paddy and was absorbed into the field gradually over the years. The natural water flow re-created tiny creeks, ponds, wet land, and dry land in the field, then slowly aquatic life and aquatic plants came back to the diverse surroundings. He watched it over for years as he maintained the water flow and plants’ growth.

Today, there are tons of snails in the water and they are good food for firefly larvae and therefore the field is now known as the best local spot to see glows of fireflies in summer. Many kinds of flogs lay eggs in spring and tadpoles fill the small ponds for a while. Various creatures come to eat them then it brings more biodiversity to the field. What’s more, habitats for Tokyo Salamanders (photo on the next page), which is designated as an endangered species by the Ministry of the Environment, have been recovered here, and hundreds of them come to the ponds to lay eggs.

　The man says “I just maintain the area a little. Well, it actually took many years initially to understand what kind of condition they prefer. Now I occasionally adjust the water flow and mostly I enjoy watching them.”

　Tokyo salamander is an amphibian, so they came out of the ponds and leave to hills after they grew up. However, they remember the water they were born and come back to the home-water when they lay eggs just like salmons. They are very sensitive with the condition of water when laying eggs so that ponds in well-preserved nature is essential to make them increase their number. Since many of them come back to this Satoyama field every year it proves that this place is providing very safe spawning ponds to them. On the other hand, the numbers of salamanders are in decline in many of other Tokyo salamanders’ habitats in Hachioji.

　Although there are more endangered creatures and plants can be seen here, the man said with a smile “I don’t think this location is special. If you have an eye you may be able to find same rare creatures and plants, which people thought they were gone, in some other local spots. Because they are native to this area and spontaneously recovered the numbers here.”

However, managing of the area by checking each plant or maintaining optimal conditions for many creatures are clearly not easy. Hard and steady work and observations, great affections and curiosity for wild life and plants keep this Satoyama beautiful…

What Is The Japanese Semi-natural Area Called 'SATOYAMA'?

Recently, the use of Japanese word, “Satoyama”, which means “Traditional Smi-natural Area Formed Around Human Habitation”, is becoming more frequent in magazines, newspapers, TV programs, and in event advertisements. The word itself is not a new word, but it is receiving a lot of attention.

Since Japan is a small country where mountains account for two third of the land, most habitable areas are very close to the mountains or on the  mountains since ancient times. Therefore, traditionally, people have made good use of everything that mountains provide, built houses near the mountains using wood and bamboo for their houses, fences, and many kinds of daily necessaries, collected edible fruits, nuts, and wild plants from the mountains, started rice paddies and vegetable fields utilizing natural springs or creeks. For this reason, people have been maintaining the boundary between the wildness and their habitation zone, by thinning the forest and bamboos, cleaning around the water source, and controlling weeds and the bush.

As a result, this way of traditional living style created semi-natural areas surrounding local communities with seasonal wild flowers and small creatures. This type of surrounding area is called “Satoyama”. “Sato” means villages and “Yama” means mountains, so it is like “villagers’ mountain area”. Satoyama often includes rice paddies and narrow irrigation canals, and frogs, insects, small freshwater fish and shells are typical creatures in Satoyama in addition to birds and small mammals.

However, during the course of the high-rate economic growth after 1960’s, people developed many large-scale residential areas for houses, shops and facilities for daily life, and “Satoyama” areas are disappearing quickly especially around Tokyo. Recently, though, some people living in the city wanted to have nature close to their lives and found a few remaining of Satoyama areas, then they started to appreciate “Satoyama” concept. As more people are becoming aware of the importance of nature conservation, they realized that Satoyama is a good example to show how people and nature can exist together. Now Satoyama is becoming a symbol of coexistence with nature. 

Hope you will enjoy seeing typical views of Satoyama in the photos!

Aigamo-ducks Are Working Hard In Rice Paddies In Hachioji

On my previous post on May 25th, I introduced a farmer cultivating rice with “Aigamo-duck Method” in Hachioji. 

In Japan it is well-known as an organic rice-farming method with "no waste". Aigamo-ducks are a hybrid between wild and domestic ducks. They help keep the rice paddy free of insects and weeds. As you can see in the photos the rice paddy has beautiful rice plants because the ducks are really working hard and have eaten all the insects and weeds. Furthermore, when the ears of rice are formed, the ducks are sold for their meat. So, they are agricultural products at the same time they are workers of the farm.

The reason that Aigamo-ducks are specifically used for this style farming is that they grow faster than wild-types and easily adapt to the environment. In fact the ducks work only for several months after farmers planted rice seedlings into rice paddies. They will be harvested right before the rice years start to come out, because they are too diligent to eat up all the ears of rice.

After Aigamo-ducks were released into rice paddies with enclosures they are left free, but it is not difficult to catch them at harvesting. The farmer said that the ducks remember the farmer because of imprinting and also he sometimes gave them additional food as treats, so they come out of the rice paddies when they hear the farmer's voice as you can see in the lower row of photos. It is important because the farmer can’t leave any ducks left behind not only for protecting his rice but also for a regulation of environmental preserving that tells these types of hybrid created by human must not be released into nature.

Apparently, their meat is very good for making soup broth although it is a little too hard to eat as meat dishes. Probably their hard work makes their body muscularity, but anyway rice and a soup with duck broth would be a wonderful set for a meal. Hope you have a chance to taste them!

Introduction of Local Agriculture in Tokyo 1

It might be against the typical image of Metropolitan Tokyo, but you can still find farms inside Tokyo as I introduced before. There are even full-time farmer families who have kept their land for generations. Since rice has been the most important staple food for Japanese from ancient times, rice farming had given a lot of influence to Japanese culture and many farmers used to grow rice in addition to other vegetables. It can be said that farmers are handing down a certain part of Japanese culture. However, the situation is becoming more and more harder for them due to increasing costs and lack of successors and imported cheap rival products. I’d like to introduce two farmers in Tokyo this time as examples of Japanese agriculture.

Sawai Farm is run by a 12^th generation full time farmer family in Hachioji. Surprisingly, Mr. Sawai said, his family history goes back to the early 17^th century. He is growing rice and raise pigs on the land which has been handed down for generations. He took over his family business after graduating from university about 20 years ago. The business circumstances were already not good at that time because people preferred to buy rice from prefectures like Niigata which are famous for good rice brands. Then he started to grow organic rice using "Aigamo-Ducks Method". At that time the issue of conservation of nature and organic farming were getting people’s attention. Word got around that his rice was safe because it was pesticide-free, so it became popular and sold out every year.

Unfortunately, the good condition got an end suddenly in 2011. Many of his customers started to buy rice from western Japan because the area is farther from Fukushima. 

However, Mr. Sawai is not giving up. He is even taking over his neighbor’s rice paddies which were about to be abandoned due to lack of a successor. Also he is trying to build new connections with consumers by holding farm tours to see the debut of Aigamo-Ducks in rice paddies and selling his rice through the internet. Since Hachioji is a major residential area in Tokyo, his farm is easily accessed to hold the tour, and also the cute ducks are helping to attract people!

Takaharaya Farm is also run by a family who has kept the family business for generations in Hachioji. They are cultivating various products including rice, and trying to make a new local specialty from Hachioji to liven up the local market. 

They said that the size of farming area and the amount of agricultural products in Hachiohij City are both No.1 among the cities and wards in Tokyo but somehow there has been no famous agricultural specialty of Hachioji since old times. Although Takharaya Farm was growing more than twenty different vegetables and fruits, none of them was a Hachioji special. Therefore, 7 years ago they decided to grow passion fruits. The reason they chose tropical fruits was because of the climate conditions of Hachioji. Hachioji is known as the place of “hotter in summer and colder in winter” compared with other places in Tokyo. So they thought the hot summer in Hachioji would fit the image of passion fruits and started to grow the fruits with several neighbor farmers. 

Now the new product has gotten some local attention, as some local cake shops started to sell new sweets containing Hachioji passion fruits, such as Swiss roll cakes and Japanese traditional sweets, Dorayaki. Hope Hachioji passion fruits will be spread widely as a new specialty in Hachioji!

How Japanese People Are Enjoying Valentine's Day?

Happy Valentine's Day! 

Yes, February 14th is Valentine's Day in Japan, as well, yet events of this day are a little different from that of Western countries. Then, how Japanese people enjoy the day?

Apparently Valentine's Day culture was originally imported to Japan in late 1950s as a romantic event for couples although it wasn't really anchored down. However, in late 1970s, Valentine's Day started to be common among young girls because Japanese candy companies made advertisements such as "Girls! Valentine's Day is a day for romantic love! Why don't you muster up your courage to give a chocolate gift to the boy you love on this day? The chocolate will tell the boy how you feel!".  It attracted many young girls who were very shy to verbally confess their feelings. 

Surely it would be much easier for them to just hand a chocolate gift and say "This is my Valentine's gift, please receive it" than confessing own feeling. Also girls and women who had a boyfriend or husband welcomed the culture because most Japanese people were very shy back then and it was easy and fun to give a chocolate gift instead of telling "I love you".

Since then, Valentine's Day has been a day for girls and women in Japan. They give chocolates to the boy they love, or their boyfriend/husband. So, most shopping malls have Valentine's chocolate gift corners in this season, and the customers at the corners are mostly girls/women.

Yet apparently some parts of Japanese Valentine's Day culture is now changing. According to a newspaper survey, nowadays not so many girls/women are giving chocolates to boys/men who they want to confess their feelings. Instead of that many girls/women answered that they give chocolates to their friends or father. It seems like giving chocolate gifts on Valentine’s Day is becoming more like a social activity in these days.

Perhaps Japanese girls and women are not very shy anymore to need this day to confess their feelings? Anyway, they are still buying chocolates for this day!

Setsubun Event At Major Shrines/Temples And Local Small Shrine/Temples Would be Very Different

I introduced about a traditional Japanese seasonal custom on February 3rd, "Setsubun", in my previous post on February 2nd. Actually the event is not only for at home, many shrines and temples has "Setsubun" event all over Japan.

However, the event would be very different between big famous Shinto shrines/Buddhism temples and local small shrines/temples as you can see in the photos. 

Many major Shinto Shrines and Buddhism temples hold "Setsubun" event as one of their biggest seasonal events. They invite celebrities such as popular singers, actors, sports athletes and ask them to scatter soy beans for the ritual. Also some people, who were born in the same "year-of-the-animal-symbol" in the cycle of Chinese zodiac,  are asked to scatter soy beans since it has been said that they can bring good luck more than other people. 

This year is a "Year-of-Rooster", so many people who were born in a "Year-of-Rooster" wore traditional clothes called "Kamishimo" and scattered soy beans at Mt.Takao Yakuo-in Temple in Hachioji City, Tokyo as you can see in the upper photos. Then the spectator tried to catch the beans as many as they can to bring good luck back to their home.

On the contrary, in local small shrines and temples, people enjoy Setsubun event with a homey atmosphere as you can see in the lower photos. They were taken at Asakawa Konpira Shrine near Takao Station in Hachioji City Tokyo ( I introduced the shrine previously on my website.Please click here to see the post!). Since local small temples and shrines have been working as community centers, people just get together and enjoy eating soy beans or scattering soy beans as priests/monks say a prayer for people's good luck and healthy life. 

Both of types of Setsubun Activities are fun! Hope you can have a chance to experience these!

To Northwest By North! A Japanese Traditional Custom on Setsubun Day

The title is not a typo of Hitchcock movie. I'm continuing the same topic about "Setsubun Day(Feb. 3rd)". As I introduced in my previous post, Japanese people eat roasted soy beans the same number as their own age on Setsubun Day to wish a healthy year. Actually there are more traditional customs relating food on this day.

Many people also eat an un-sliced whole rolled sushi on Setsubun Day as shown in the upper photos. Although it was originally a local Setsubun custom in Western Japan, it became common all over the country these days since supermarkets and convenience store industries thought it would be a good business chance to sell lots of rolled sushi and started to advertise the custom. 

According to the custom, eating whole rolled sushi facing the lucky direction of the year based on the Chinese zodiac animal symbol of the year would bring a good luck. Therefore, nowadays many shops sell un-sliced whole rolled sushi on Setsubun day with information on the lucky direction of the year. Then, the lucky direction of 2017 is north northwest.

So, how about trying to eat whole rolled Sushi looking toward north northwest on Setsubun Day? However, whole rolled Sushi can be too much amount to finish. In fact people often eat just cut rolled Sushi instead as shown in the lower photos. 

*If you would like to cook rolled Sushi at home, here is the recipe of basic rolled Sushi! (Click here!)

Introduction Of A Japanese Traditional Seasonal Event Called "Setsubun"

Tomorrow, February 3rd is called "Setsubun" day in Japan. “Setubun” directly means “The Boundary of Season”. With Japanese traditional season calendar called “Nijushi-sekki (24 seasons in a year)”, February 4th is the day of “Risshun”, which means the beginning of spring. Thus, February 3rd is the last day of winter.

On Setsubun day, there are traditional customs of people removing evil things from their houses and welcoming good luck. For the ritual to expel ogres and to invite good luck, people spread roasted soy beans inside and outside of their houses, because ancient people believed soy beans have some spiritual power.

People throw soy beans inside of their houses to invite good luck as they say “Fuku wa uchi! (Good luck comes inside!), and outside of their houses to expel ogres as they say “Oni wa soto! (Ogres go outside!). Also some people put holly branches on their front porch, too, because it has been said that ogres hate holly leaves.

Some of roasted soy bean packages for Setsubun contain a mask of ogre as shown in the upper photo above. As a part of the traditional custom of throwing soy beans, one of the family members plays a role of ogre wearing the mask, and other family members throw soy beans to the ogre-person to expel him. Families with little kids especially enjoy this simulated expelling activity.

However, nowadays some people feel clean up work after the activity is troublesome and it's a waste of food. Then as you can see in the lower photo above, supermarkets started to sell peanuts with shell for Setsubun Day because it's big enough to collect completely to clean up rooms, moreover the thrown peanuts are still edible after they collected them from the floors. Sometimes practicality would be more important over traditional ways.

After the activity of throwing beans or nuts, people eat the same number of roasted soy beans as their own age, as a traditional custom for Setsubun to keep a good health for the year. 

Well, this one would be easier for everybody to practice. So how about trying it tomorrow?

Are Japanese People Losing Traditional Eating Habits?

On January 7th, there is a traditional custom called "Nanakusa" and people eat special rice porridge with 7 kinds of vegetables which is shown in the lower right hand side photo. 

"Nana-kusa" directly means "Seven Grass". The seven kinds ingredients for this traditional porridge are exactly decided but most of them are nowadays considered as the weeds rather than vegetables. In ancient times people often took their cooking ingredients from fields, so the custom keeps a vestige of the old eating habits.

During New Year’s holidays, most Japanese people have gatherings with family and friends. Even after the holidays ended people would have New Year's parties until the end of the traditional New Year's celebration period, 7th (or sometimes 15th). Therefore people tend to have lots of food and drinks during the days, and eating rice porridge containing leaf vegetables on January 7th would be a good break for the stomach. So, "Nanakusa" is a custom of an ancestral wisdom.

However, since people just use common vegetables from shops for their daily cooking nowadays, this custom may be becoming a very unfamiliar cooking. Thus, today we can find a detailed instruction in the set of the seven ingredients of "Nanakusa" porridge when we buy it from shops.

As you can see in the instruction paper on the lower left hand side photo, there are illustrations of the seven kind of ingredient plants with the cooking direction. What's more, there is a note to explain about trifling matters of the ingredients. For example, "one of the ingredient leaves might have a black spots on it but it is a natural feature of the grass", or "the other one might contain seeds with it but the seeds are also edible", and so on. 

Perhaps, some people are completely forgetting about old eating habits cooking wild plants and became too picky about unfamiliar food in these days...?

A Recipe Of Japanese New Year's Dishes:How To Cut Kamaboko Fishcake Into Decorative Shapes

Are you interested in Japanese New Year's dishes, "Osechi dishes"? Today, I'd like to introduce one of the easy recipes. It doesn't require too much labor but it can instantly add a New-Year-Celebration feeling on dishes. 

In Japan there are various kind of fish cakes. "Kamaboko" is one of them which is steamed fish-meat in a semi-cylindrical shape, and it is often served as a New Year's dish. You can just slice it to serve, but if it is cut into decorative shapes, they can be a nice accent on New Year's dishes as you can see in the photos on the first row.

Here in the second row and the third row of photos above, I'm introducing 2 kinds of cutting way which look like birds' shape. Since this year is a "Year of Bird" in Japan as I wrote in my previous post on January 3rd, it would be good decorations for the New Year. Even for later years, it would still fit New Year dishes because cranes are one of major lucky symbol animals in Japanese culture. 

Hope you will enjoy trying this decorative cut!

Do You Know A Special Kind Of Tokkuri (Sake Serving Bottole) That Can Chirp?

With Japanese traditional custom, people make a toast and drink Sake to celebrate the New Year even from morning between January 1st and 3rd. Originally the Sake was a special kind of medical drinks called "Toso" or "Otoso". The ingredients were a mixture of Chinese medicines, and people put it into Sake by hoping a longevity and drink for New Year's toast.

You can still find the powder mixture for the traditional medical drinks before New Year, but nowadays many people drink just plain Sake although they still call it "Toso" or "Otoso". The word probably had become a word for new-year-toast Sake. 

By the way, for these occasion people tend to use more old-fashioned Sake set. Traditionally, Sake is served with Sake serving bottles called "Tokkuri", and small Sake cups called "Choko", as you can see in the photos. They are made of ceramics and very useful since Sake can be served with both of cold temperature and hot temperature, and china ware can work well for both condition. During New Year's celebration, when families get together they serve Sake each other with these traditional Sake set and make a toast at home.

As I wrote in my previous post on January 3rd, this year is a "Year of Bird" in Japan. So, I'd like to introduce a special kind of Tokkuri (Sake serving bottle) which would fit to celebrate this New Year. It is shown in the upper right hand side photo and lower photo.  

The Tokkuri (Sake serving bottle) has a little bird on the top. Actually the bird is not only a design. Underneath of the bird there is a hole and with the structure the bottle itself works as a whistle. Every time when it is tilted to serve Sake, the bottle make a sound like the little bird is chirping. 

This kind of Tokkuri (Sake serving bottle) is called "Uguisu Dokkuri". It means "Bush-Warbler's Sake Serving Bottle". It would be a perfect item to serve Sake for this New Year!

If you are interested in the sound of "Uguisu Dokkuri", there is a short video of it below. Please check it to hear how the little bush-warbler chirps!

There Are Many Designs Related To Birds For The New Year's Celebration

In Japan people have been using the 12 animal symbols of the Chinese zodiac, which are shown in lower left end photo, since ancient times. In old times it was applied for many general indications such as direction, time, date, and year, but nowadays it is commonly used only for year indication. This year, 2017, is a "Year of Rooster", so you would see many "Rooster" designs for New Year's celebration.

As you can see in the photos on the upper row, there is a rooster design for 2017 New Year's greeting cards section at a shop, a big votive wooden board with a rooster design for a Shinto shrine, and a rooster figure on a rice cake for a New Year's offering. 

However, the Japanese word of "Year of Rooster" is "Tori-doshi" and actually it just means "Year of Bird" phonetically. Thus people tend to stretch their interpretation and use other kinds of birds designs as same, although they know it originally meant "rooster". 

Please look at the right end photo on the lower row. It is a display windows of a department store for the new year located in Shibuya. The left-hand side window shows "A Happy New Year" in Kanji (Chinese characters), and the right-hand side window shows many Kanji (Chinese characters) for various birds. The photo would be too small to read, but here are characters for crane, hawk, swan, heron, bush warbler...

You might think they seem to be too complicated characters to understand. Actually we don't have to know all of them to recognize the characters mean some kinds of birds. Kanji (Chinese characters) are ideograms, and there is a part of Kanji (Chinese characters) means "bird". So when passersby find the part in these complicated characters, they can tell they means different kinds of birds even though they don't know all of them exactly. Perhaps, some people would slow down to read them, then it can be a good idea for a display window. 

If you find some bird designs after the New Year, they may be designs which meant this "Tori-Doshi (Year of Bird)"!

New Year Greeting In 2017, Happy New Year!!

A Happy New Year!!
These dishes in the photo above are Japanese traditional New Year's dishes called "Osechi Dishes". In Japan, families and friends get together and enjoy these dishes with Sake during New Year celebration period (between January 1st and 3rd). 

Actually the "Osechi Dishes" would be different in almost each family. Even in one family it can be different because there are huge variety for these traditional cooking and almost every legion has some local special dishes/styles. So the dishes in the photos are just my tradition and it's not completely same with my mother's since I added some dishes I'd like to have and also took in my husband's family's tradition. 

However, in the dishes above there are many typical traditional Osechi dishes which many families cook as standards. If you are interested in each dishes, please check my previous post in 2016, "Introduction of Major Osechi Dishes" (Please click here)! 

Hope you will enjoy my blogs in 2017!

Typical Schedules Of Japanese People At The End Of A Year

New Year celebration is one of the biggest seasonal events for Japanese people. Also it's the biggest vacation time and most people have their New Year vacation at least between December 31st and January 3rd. However, traditionally there are many things to do as preparations for New Year celebration, so most people become more busy before having their vacation. 

One of the pre-new-year preparations is sending out New Year greeting cards as I introduced in my previous post on November 22nd, then after finishing the work, what else people would do for the preparations? 

First, people have a big clean-up of their house, then go out for shopping to get all the stuff for New Year celebration. There are traditional New Year decorations, and since the decorations are for one time use, people buy them every year. It is said that the new year decorations should be set up by 30th. 

Also, from January 1st to 3rd is traditionally the time for family gathering and New Year celebration parties. People eat New Year special dishes with their family and friends and actually the traditional dishes should be cooked before New Year. So, after Christmas grocery markets are still full of people coming to buy the ingredients or cooked new year food. 

Then, for those who prefer homemade new year dishes, between December 30th and 31st would be the busiest time for the cooking. Some people even make Mochi (rice cake) from sweet rice at home on December 30th and decorate part of it at home as you can see in the photos above and eat the rest during New Year celebration days.

On December 31st, the last day of the year, people eat one kind of Japanese noodle "Soba" called "Toshikoshi-soba (Noodle for New Year's Eve)". It is a tradition for the end of a year to wish longevity. After eating the noodle, finally it is the relaxing time to wait for count down!

Traditional Customs Need Practicality To Survive?

December 21^st was "Toji Day" which means a a winter solstice day. Since the day has the shortest daytime in the year, Japanese have traditional seasonal event for this day.

With traditional Japanese customs, people eat pumpkins and set Yuzu (one kind of Japanese citrus) afloat in the bath before they take a bath. Some say the reasons of these customs came from the facts that Yuzu is a kind of tree which has a long life span, and strong resistance against tree diseases, also pumpkins are good for preventing a cold because they contain good nutrition such as vitamins. Some other say the custom came from the round shape and the yellow color of pumpkin and Yuzu which remind of the shape and color of the sun. 

I heard many different countries all over the world have a seasonal event on the winter solstice day, too. It would be a natural consequence since this day seems like the end/start of the solar cycle and it must have been important for people since ancient times. Apparently Korean people eat red beans soup containing rice cakes for this day. One of my friends told me that in her hometown before people have the dish people spread cooked red beans in their room by throwing beans to the wall when she was in school. It was to avoid evils from home.

The Korean custom sounds familiar for Japanese people. In Japan red beans is also often considered as a lucky item which can avoid evils, so we have other seasonal event to eat red beans soup. Moreover Japanese eat "red beans rice" traditionally when they have something to celebrate. Even for the winter solstice day, people in Nara prefecture cook pumpkins with red beans. There are sometimes common customs between countries.

However, she told me that she doesn't think people still keep the old custom in Korea. actually, to make the beans ritual work and avoid bad lucks and evils from the house, it is said that people need to leave the scattered beans at least one whole day. Then, obviously cleaning work on the next day is hard. We can easily imagine sometimes the stains caused by red beans wouldn't be able to be removed. 

In Japan, still the traditional custom for the winter solstice day is practiced. Every year supermarkets have piled pumpkins and Yuzu on the day and people eat pumpkin dishes and set Yuzu in their bath at night. Perhaps it was because the custom happened to have enough practicality although people didn't know initially and also doesn't bring any troublesome afterwards?

There is a previous post about the winter solstice day!

What Are Japanese Galapagos Cellphones (Gala-kei)?

I introduced recent Wi-Fi services and the circumstances in Japan in my previous post of my another blog on December 15th. Then, today I'd like to introduce Japanese cellphones which were prosperous before smartphones and tablets came out. 

As I wrote in my post on 15th, until several years ago each Japanese cellphone had always had a phone number and an email address provided by the cellphone company which sold the cellphone because Japanese regulation didn't allow people to change sim-card by themselves. Cellphone companies improved their products individually and people could use their phone number and email address as far as they used same cellphone company. So, when people switched their cellphone company, they had to change their phone number and email address.

It was inconvenient but as far as people keep using same cellphone company, it wasn't a problem and they could renew their cellphone machines to a latest model. Since Japanese cellphones included email functions from the early days, it got color display quickly and by 2000 new models with camera came out. People started exchanging photos via emails with their new cellphones and it became an explosive hit item. 

After that, Japanese cellphones got more and more small improved functions such as a small window display on the surface to show mails arrivals, missed calls, and time, connection condition, and battery level, IR communications function, internet accesses and so on. Therefore, when first smart phones came out, some people said, "So what? Almost same things are available with my current cellphone." In fact, still certain number of people are using the old-type Japanese cellphones even now.

Of course the emails with old-type cellphone can't see files made by computer, moreover nowadays the size of most internet sites became too heavy for these cellphones, but still they has enough advanced functions similar to smart phones. Then, from some point people started calling them "Galapagos Cellphones". 

Galapagos is the name of islands on the Pacific Ocean belonging to Ecuador. Location-wise the islands has been isolated and creatures on the islands are uniquely evolved. The famous historic scholar Charles Darwin (1809-1882) visited the islands and wrote "The origin of Species". Yes, it is a metaphorical name to express it got isolated improvements inside of Japanese islands.

The cellphones are still on sale and some people prefer them over smart phones. Apparently their OS systems are particular to these cellphones, moreover the OS is different between each cellphone company thus it is said that it won't be a target for computer viruses because they are too minor. So, perhaps they have less functions but safer. Then, do you think they can survive for a long time same as elephant tortoises on Galapagos Islands?

Feel Free To Join "Konpira Picnic", A Nice Local Activity Held At A Small Shrine In West Tokyo!

On this coming Sunday, December 4th, a nice local community event will take place in Hachioji City, Tokyo. A small mountain near Takao Station on JR-Chuo-Line/Keio-line is designated as a green conservation zone by Hachioji-City. On the top of the mountain there is a tiny shrine called “Asakawa Konpira Shrine”. It is one kind of Japanese Shinto-Shrine.

Since the late 1980s, a monthly community activity named “Kompira-Picnic” has been held there on the first Sunday of every month (except August) although "picnic" is not a traditional Japanese activity. It would be very rare as an activity at a local Shinto-shrine. Moreover, it is an open event for everybody, to join it people need neither registration to the group nor reservation.

However there is only one requirement for the Kompira-Picnic which is "Bring your own food and drinks and share with others". Despite that, you are always welcome if you go there in the afternoon around lunch time. This picnic activity has been getting international people's attention and almost every time there are some foreign people as you can see in the photos. So People use both English and Japanese at the picnic.

At one time the picnic became quite popular and the shrine was full of people on every first Sunday, but unfortunately the number of participants has decreased in recent years. However, there are still some regulars (including foreigners and Japanese), and people enjoy talking and having a nice time with lots of good food and drinks. Of course tourists can also join this picnic. It's a fun activity! 

In addition, two of the long time foreign regulars of the picnic activity became Shinto priests there. Both of them are Australian ladies. They got a training to be Shinto priest in the head shrine of Konpira Shrine in Shikoku Island, and became Shinto priests many years ago. Apparently TV crew will also come to the picnic activity to film the rare foreign Shinto priests on this Sunday!

Please feel free to join the picnic!
☆If you are interested in reading more about this picnic, please check here!
☆Also there is a facebook page providing information about this picnic! https://www.facebook.com/ActiveLineHachioji

☆The location of the Konpira Shrine is below!

There Are Traditional Lucky Lakes Showing Sightseeing Spots In Tokyo!

In my previous post on November 26th, I introduced food stalls at "Torinoichi Market" which is a traditional lucky charm market held a couple of times during November. Many people buy "lucky lakes" at the markets to collect lucks for the next year.

Plain type of the lucky lakes looks like the one in the second photo from the left end on the upper row and you can tell it is a small lake. However, most of lakes on sale at the market has lots of decorations on it as shown on the third photo from the left end on the upper row so that they don't look like lakes. The decorations are usually traditional lucky items such as gold coins, rice years, a beckoning cat, and so on. 

However it can be something out of the ordinary. Then, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office building located in Shinjuku has nice examples of it at their travel information corner on the ground floor. Many lucky lakes are displayed there representing major areas in Tokyo. The decorations on each lucky lake are showing famous landmark in the area. 

For example, the lucky lake for Ryougoku area where the "Hall of Sumo Wrestling in Tokyo" is located shows a figure of a Sumo wrestler, hot pots called "Chanko-nabe" which are Sumo wrestlers' typical meal, and the special fan for Sumo judges. In the same way, the lucky lake for Shibuya and Harajuku area has the Hachikou-dog statue and famous shopping mall "Shibuya 109". The one for Roppongi is showing "Tokyo Tower" and The Diet Building.

How many travel spots on the decorated lucky lakes can you recognize?

Would You Like To Try A Virtual-Reality Tour Of Japanese Festival Food Stalls?

Last Wednesday was the day for traditional Japanese custom, "Torinoichi (Dey of Bird Market)". It is a seasonal event to sell one kind of lucky charms which is held a couple of times in November every year. I introduced about the market last year, so please check the previous post post for more explanation! (Click here to read the previous post about "Trinoichi"!)

With these kind of traditional events held at shrines and temples, we can find many festival stalls selling food. Buying these festival food would be one of the enjoyments when people go out for festivals. 

The photos are showing Otori Shrine in Hachioji City, Tokyo. Streets around the shrine are filled with lots of food stalls. They sell various food such as cotton candies, spit-roasted meat, Takoyaki, roasted chestnuts, traditional mix spice, and so on. I took a short video when I walked through among the stalls and linked below.

Hope you will enjoy the virtual-reality tour of Japanese festival stalls!

When Do Japanese People Start To Prepare New Year's Greeting Cards?

As I wrote in my previous post yesterday, some traditional custom to prepare for New Year has been started already. Then, generally when Japanese people start to prepare their New-Year's-greeting cards (Nengajou)?

I have introduced about special postcards for New Year's greeting on my blog last year, and most people use prepaid postcards issued by post office because they have lottery numbers. Every year, these postal cards are put on sale on November 1st. So, technically people can start working on their "Nengajou" from November 1st. Thus, many shops already have "Nengajou" corner as you can see in the upper left hand side photo above. 

For the designs, the animal symbol of the year based on Chinese zodiac is very common. Next year, 2017, is a "Year of Rooster", then many of postcards have illustrations of roosters or Chinese characters means "bird". Also all kinds of traditional lucky symbols are popular for "Nengajou".

However, many people wouldn't start the work during November since people need to check if there is anyone who wants to skip New Year's greetings. After receiving  "being-in-mourning cards" and revising their list for "Nengajou", people can start writing the cards. Well then, when people can start sending them out?

Japanese post office recommend to drop "Nengajou" into postbox between December 15th and 25th for those who want to be certain they will be delivered on January 1st. Then how "Nengajou" will be separated from many other mails which are send out at the same timing? 

I'm showing typical Japanese postal box in the upper right hand side photo. Usually one of the opening is for usual letters and postcards, and the other is for large size letters, international letters, and express letters, but after December 15th some of the opening will be only for "Nengajou". Moreover, When people tie their "Nengajou" and put a label of "Nengajou" on it, post office will keep them for a while and deliver them on January 1st.

However, please be careful, these system are only applied for postcards and somehow envelopes for New Year's greeting are not applied for the system.