Are you ready for Otsukimi (Traditional Moon Viewing) night today? Unfortunately it's not clear weather in Tokyo area now so I don't think it is possible to see the Fifteenth Night's Moon for Otsukimi tonight. However you can enjoy the moon on this Saturday instead of tonight.
The truth is that technically this Saturday (17th) is the full moon day of mid autumn, and the moon tonight is not at the full. Then why tonight is called Otsukimi (Traditional Moon Viewing) Day?
Actually the Otsukimi Day was decided based on Japanese old lunar calendar and it is always August 15th of the old calendar. Since it's a lunar calendar, it is enough close to the schedules of real waxing and waning of the moon, but not completely fits. Sometimes Otsukimi Day is at full moon, and sometimes there is a little lag from the full moon day.
This year, 2016, there is two days difference between Otsukimi Day and the full moon day. So if the middle autumn moon is not available for you tonight, you can enjoy seeing the full moon on this Saturday. Moreover, there is still time to get Otsukimi-dango (Otsukimi rice-cakes) for the full moon day!
I'd like to continue the topic of "Otsukimi(Moon Viewing)" which I introduced on my previous post on September 11th.
Japanese people had believed that rabbits are living on the moon in old days. Ancient people thought the shadow shape on the surface of the moon looked like a rabbit making Mochi(sticky rice cake) in a traditional way and thought that was a proof rabbits were on the moon.
Even now many people still say they can see a rabbit shape on the moon's surface. Thus rabbits are often associated with the moon in Japan especially in designs related to "Otstukimi" in fall as in the illustration above.
The zoomed photos of the moon wasn’t my own photos this time, but it was taken by one of my friends last year , at "Otsukimi Night" (luckily last Otsukimi Day was a very clear night and the full moon was very beautiful). Then I layered a drawing showing how Japanese people see a rabbit on the moon on the right hand side photo.
I have heard people in other countries describe the shadow on the moon such as “man’s profile”, "reading old woman", or “a crab”. What do you see on the moon? With the drawing of the rabbit, do you think there is something in what ancient Japanese people thought of?
Coming September 15th is a day of full moon and people have a traditional "Otsukimi" night in Japan. Since old times, it has been said that the moon in middle autumn is the most beautiful moon of the year, fall is also the most important harvest season, thus people combine them and it became one of the major seasonal event called "Otsukimi (Moon Viewing)" or "Fifteenth Night (of the old Japanese lunar calendar)".
On "Otsukimi" Day, people would display round rice-cakes and Japanese Miscanthus sinensis grass (Susuki) as offerings for the moon as in the lower right hand side photo. The rice cakes are usually plain without any flavor and piled like a pyramid. It is called "Otsukimi Dango". The round shape of them represents the "full-moon".
However this event is actually becoming more miner as a seasonal event as people started to enjoy Halloween more. Well, piled candies may be better than piled plain rice-cakes, especially for kids, but I hope this traditional nice event to enjoy the beauty of the moon will continue!
