Tea Ceremony

Obu Rikako

What is Tea ceremony?

Japanese traditional tea ceremony is called sado. In Sado, the master of the ceremony invites guests and serves Japanese traditional tea Matcha.

Matcha

Matcha is natural green tea leaves, steamed, dried, and ground down to form a fine powder. In addition for used by drinking in tea ceremony, it is widely used for Japanese sweets, confectionery and dishes. Some powdered green tea, there are those called processing of Matcha and food of Matcha. Matcha powder is used for drinks and seasoning food.

History

First, tea and how to drink from in China are transmitted during the Heian period. At first it was used as a medicine. So, under the influence of Zen during the Kamakura period, the act of drinking tea begins. And in the Muromachi period, games to guess of tea vogue.

Tea ceremony mode

The act of making a tea is called “Temae”. The master of the ceremony will bring his tools to makes the tea. He will then, clean the tea bowl and pour some hot water to warm up the bowl. The master of the ceremony will add Matcha, a powdered green tea blow, pour hot water, stir with a bamboo whisk called “Chasen” and then serve it to guest.　When you receive the tea, you must bow. Before holding the bowl, you have to say “Otemae itadakimasu” to the master of the ceremony. You pick up the bowl with your right hand and put in your left hand. Then, turn the bowl twice clockwise. Sado is based on Japanese sprit of hospitality.

Summer Festival of Japan

Isaka Suzuna

Yukata

You can find a lot of people wearing Yukata at the festival. It’s a Japanese traditional clothes. Yukata has variety of colors and pattern. Such as flowers, fireworks, gold fish . Yukata is often worn with wooden sandals called　“Japanese traditional elevated wooden sandals” In addition, it is cooler than Kimono. There is also Yukata worn by men. In Japanese, it is called Jinbei.

Stalls at a festival

There are many stalls.You can buy favorite food. For example, candy apple , cotton candy, shaved ice , octopus dumpling, which is “Japanese chow mein” and stuff like that.

There are other even goldfish scooping. This game is that you scoop goldfish with a paper scoop from water tank. And, Yo-yo fishing is one of the most common attractions in festivals. You can fish Yo-yo with a hook.

Bon festival dance

Bon festival dance is originally a dance to charm the spirits of our ancestors that have come back during Obon.

Now, we enjoy Bon festival dance as a recreational event. And its religious meaning is weakened.

Fireworks

Fireworks are called hanabi in Japanese, which literally means flower-fire. Many fireworks displays are held across the country during the month of July and Auguest.

The final excitement of the summer festival is fireworks. The fireworks display famous in Ibaraki, Tsuchiura fireworks, Koga fireworks, and Tonegawa fireworks.

Japanese Cool Culture

Hinako Seki

Japanese archery is a part of the traditional culture of Japan. It is called Kyudo. The aim is to train the body and mind through the act of shooting an arrow with a bow. The act is comprised of eight fundamental movements. It is important to perform them correctly. Whether the player can shoot an arrow at the target well is related to players’ mental state and ambient conditions. They have to not only practice shooting an arrow, but also practice having an immovable heart.

Japanese archery and archery are similar, yet very different. What’s the difference? Japanese archery players must wear specialized clothes and women need breastplates. They use a traditional Japanese bow called a yumi. The number of arrows to hit the target determine the victor in a game. It is not important where the arrow hits. The players have to master forms completely to hit the target.

On the other hand, archery players don’t have a dress code but they must wear unified clothes in team games. There are three kinds of bows players can use and it is very important where you hit an arrow on the target. The player who hits closest to the center of a target wins. Therefore, they have to improve the accuracy of their shots.

Japanese archery has a long history. About 20 thousand years ago, ancient people used the bow and arrow to hunt prey. It is said that this became the origin of Japanese archery. Today, some schools even have Japanese archery clubs in Japan.

The Japanese Soccer Legend

Sasaki Mayu

Ogasawara is one of the best soccer players of the Kashima Antlers. It’s not simply because he can play soccer well, rather, there are many reasons why he is respected by many people.

He debuted as a professional soccer player in 1998 and from that time, he spent almost all of his life with the Kashima Antlers. Especially, he was the captain of the team for the past ten years or so. He had encouraged the team sometimes with his voice, other times with his playing. It’s not too much to say that all members of the team respect him. Of course, he had been selected as a Japanese national player.

Kashima Antlers had only won 19 titles until 2017. It was the team which had the most titles amongst any Japanese professional soccer team and he contributed to 16 of these titles of them. But they had never won the AFC Champions League (ACL) until recently. To win the ACL was their most earnest wish. In 2018, the team survived the final round. He didn’t take part in the game, but he watched over and encouraged his team. Finally, the team won the championship; the team won the 20th title and he held 17th title.

Ogasawara’s amazing qualities are not only his soccer skills but also his kindness. When the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, it had destroyed everything, including Morioka city which was his hometown, as well as Kashima city, which has his team’s town. He acted quickly to help disaster area’s people. First of all, he gave them relief supplies and talked with them. Then he said to children, “Do your best with playing soccer.” But children said to him, “We can’t do it. We lost our soccer ground.” He was shocked and he decided to build new soccer ground for them. Last year, the ground was finally finished.

Last year, he declared he would retire from professional soccer playing because he would not be able to contribute. This news surprised many people who liked the Kashima Antlers. But now, he takes the post of youth football team’s adviser and he is raising future soccer players. In the near future, soccer players who inherit his will might be active in the world of soccer.

About the Japanese Climate

Yuki Koike

In Japan, there are prefectures which have different climate characteristics although they are in the same country. For example, Hokkaido, which is the northernmost prefecture in Japan, is very cold in the winter. On the other hand, Okinawa which is the southernmost prefecture, is very hot in the summer, and not so cold in winter. This is because Japan’s latitude is long from north to south.

Japan also has a rainy season from the beginning of summer, which also exists in many other countries. In Japan, most Japanese people hate the rainy season because it is humid and difficult to dry their clothes. However, Japanese people in the ancient times enjoyed it. They wrote short poems and drew pictures of its landscape. Japanese people feel differently today about the rainy season.

Japan has four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. These seasons are not only in Japan, but also in many other countries. However, Japanese people especially tend to enjoy Japanese traditional culture in each season.

In spring, we go to the park to see beautiful cherry blossoms. Many Japanese people love the cherry blossoms. People watch the weather forecast every day to check the information on cherry blossoms, to make sure they can see the beautiful cherry blossoms. Under the cherry blossoms, people hold small parties. They enjoy eating delicious dishes, drinking, and singing songs.

In summer, we have a lot of festivals in many parts of Japan. Some people wear the yukata, which is a kind of kimono worn during summer festivals. At the festivals, many fireworks are launched and they are very beautiful. On July 7th, we write our wishes on short pieces of paper and hang them from bamboo branches. This is called Tanabata. This event started in China and came to Japan during the years 710-794. On July 7th, there is the Milky Way in the sky and it is very beautiful.

In autumn, we go to the sights that are famous for their red leaves. Not only Japanese people, but also many foreign visitors come to see them. Furthermore, in Japan, autumn is the best season to read books, workout, and eat food, thanks to the good temperatures. There are also a lot of delicious foods on sale, such as chestnuts, sweet potatoes and mushrooms. Autumn gives us a lot of good things every year.

In winter, some regions in Japan have a lot of snow every year. Children who live in heavy snowfall zones make snowmen and fight with snowballs by using a lot of snow. Most children enjoy doing these activities. However, most adults who live in heavy snowfall zones don’t like the snow. This is because they have to get rid of a lot of snow to avoid accidents. 

There is a great variety in the Japanese climate. Please try to find the good points of the Japanese climate and enjoy them.

Shamisen

Ayano Ikeda

The cat or dog-skin covered shamisen from Okinawa is one of Japan’s traditional musical instruments. This three-stringed musical instrument is similar to the guitar. It is played with a plectrum, which is shaped like a triangle pick.

The shamisen was introduced from Okinawa to the main island of Japan used for traditional music. It was first built in 15th to 16th centuries, so the shamisen is newer than other traditional Japanese instruments. In the 16th century, the sanshin, which is also a three-stringed musical instrument made of snake-skin, came to Japan from China. The shamisen is derived from the sanshin. Today, the sanshin is a popular musical instrument in Japan. The shamisen was one of the musical instruments that ordinary citizens could play in the Edo period between 1603 and 1868. The shamisen was used in many songs: trendy music in the city and folk music in the country. This music improved and helped to develop modern Japanese music. Therefore the shamisen has become most popular Japanese traditional musical instrument.

There are three types of shamisen: thick, medium and thin. They have different sizes, materials, and sounds, so they are used in different folk songs. The Tsugaru-shamisen is one of the most popular and famous shamisens. It was built in the Tsugaru region in Aomori prefecture. Tsugaru-shamisens are usually thick and most of the music played by the Tsugaru-shamisen is loud and upbeat. Why don’t you play shamisen?

Nebuta Festival

Yamada Eriko

A nebuta is a big lantern shaped like dolls or animals, like a gigantic float. It is made of historical and kabuki characters. A nebuta is nine meters wide including its truck, seven meters long and five meters high.

A nebuta is made by people who love nebuta and had skills with their fingers in service group or neighborhood association in Aomori prefecture. They made nebuta as a hobby. However, as production techniques of nebuta are gradually improving, the people who made nebuta are specialized and they are called Nebutashi. Some of them are continuing to produce a nebuta in high quality and made a contribution to the nebuta festival. They are recommended as nebutameijin. The Nebuta festival is held in Aomori in August, for at least 6 days. Also, we celebrate the eve of the festival. There are so many Nebuta festivals in Aomori prefecture. Festivals are held in over forty areas of Aomori. In this festival, people walk around with Nebuta. Aomori Nebuta festival is the one of the three most famous festivals in the Tohoku region.

In addition to the Aomori Nebuta festival, the Sendai Tanabata festival, which is held in Miyagi prefecture, and the Akita Kanto festival, which is held in Akita prefecture, are the other famous festivals in Tohoku region. Dancers called Haneto jump with the traditional Japanese music in the Nebuta festival. They set the mood for the festival. Many visitors come to see it. Every year, you can see different ones so you can enjoy the festivals. At the end of this festival, you are able to watch over ten thousand fireworks.

There are two ways to watch this festival. You could watch it for free if you watch from the street, or you can watch it from a pay seat, which you should reserve in advance. If you buy clothes called nebutaisshou, you can also take part in this festival.

Omuraisu

Ayumi Nakajima

Omuraisu is a Japanese foreign dish using eggs. It is very popular in Japan. It was first made in Tokyo in the latter part of the Meiji period. Initially, this food was very simple because the owner cooked it for the restaurant staff. However, customers wanted to eat it, so the restaurant owner began to serve it.

Omuraisu consists of chicken, rice, and an egg made into an omelet. But, there are many other kinds these days. For example, omuraisu with stewed beef sauce, a rice casserole with white sauce with omuraisu on top. We can make a few adjustments to it. Also, Japan has omusoba. It is a food which mixes omuraisu and yakisoba. Yakisoba is fried noodles. It contains fried noodles instead of chicken and rice. You can cook it just by changing the ingredients. The place of origin is Satomi in Osaka. The food’s first name was called soba-roll. Now, I will introduce how to make a basic omuraisu.

First, I’ll tell you how to make chicken rice.

1. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
2. Add butter to the frying pan.
3. Add the chicken when the butter melts.
4. Add salt and black pepper when the chicken’s color changes.
5. Add rice and mix together.
6. Add ketchup when the rice doesn’t stick together.
7. Add chopped parsley.

And then, I’ll tell you how to make an omelet and omuraisu.

1. Add egg, milk and salt into a bowl and mix.
2. Put oil into the frying pan and warm it.
3. Add the egg and mix.
4. Put the chicken rice on the bottom half of the egg.
5. Fold the other side of the egg on top of the rice.
6. Flip it over onto a plate.

These days, omuraisu is very popular among university students. There are many specialty restaurants in Ibaraki. My favorite one is the Lettuce Café in Tokai. This café is very trendy. It is little far from Tokai Station, so I recommend you go by car. Also, you should go early because it’s very popular. I would like to recommend the plain omuraisu. It is made with a big omelet so you will be able to be full and satisfied.

Kendo

Mayuko Ishihara

Kendo is one of the traditional Japanese martial arts, like fencing. From around 5 B. C. to around the 3^rd century, the first metallic swords were used in Japan. Kendo was not invented in Japan, it spread from China and Korea. Between 794 and 1185, the samurai created the skills and Japanese swords to protect themselves and their lords in battles. At the end of the 18^th century, the bamboo sword and protective gear was introduced, and the martial art became more like a sport. Now junior high school students must do kendo or judo in PE class. It is not something only Japanese people can do, everyone can do it as well.

Kendo uses a bamboo sword and gear which is used to protect the body from strikes. Players put on a kendo uniform. It is called dougi and hakama. Kendo uniforms are the samurai’s formal clothes.   

Kendo has four strike zones. They are the head, waist, wrist and throat, which must be struck to achieve points during the competition. Junior high school students or below are prohibited from striking their opponent’s throat because if a bamboo sword directly hits the throat, it is a danger to people’s lives.  

We don’t get points if we just hit without using the basic techniques. The most important is Ki-ken-tai which mean spirit, sword and body. In addition to them, other important aspects of kendo are manners and etiquette towards the other player. We must not forget to respect and appreciate others when we do kendo. Besides that, there are things that should not be done. For example, we must not step over the bamboo sword or protective gear to go to other people. We must not throw the bamboo sword to the floor because we are fouled. Even if we get points, we must not do a victory pose. The spirit of the All Japan Kendo Federation is to develop the personality of players. In this way, kendo is not just a sport, but also a way of showing Japanese spirit.

Japanese flower arrangement called Ikebana: from chrysanthemum to tulip

Ikebana, one of the traditional Japanese arts, uses flowers, branches, and leaves to match the four seasons in Japan. Ikebana and western flower arrangements differ in style. The former utilizes space while the latter doesn’t and seems crowded.

The spirits

When we make ikeru flowers, we ought to be careful because we must treat flowers as important as people. Ikeru flowers means arrangement. It’s meant to feel the life and look at it from the heart, and express the beauty of the flowers.  

The history

Generally speaking, Ikebana originated from kuge. Ikebana is related to the old belief that green trees have a specific called yorishiro. It is closely related to animism. Ikebana first appears in the literature and materials in the Muromachi era. As you know, in this period other original cultural practices also came up—for instance Japanese tea ceremony or Noh play. Samurai were more into these practices, including Ikebana, than the aristocrats. They had created the Rikka style where branches are put in the middle of a vase so they seem tall.

Picture 1: “the Rikka style”
According to HP of Ikenobo

In the Azuchimomoyama era, from 1568 to 1600, Sen-no-Rikyu’s ideas affected Ikebana too, not only tea ceremony. The chabana style decoration in tearooms was made by Sen-no-Rikyu and it was simple and modest, the opposite to Rikka.

Finally, from 1603 to 1868, Ikebana style changed from the Rikka style in the Edo period, to the Seika style.

Picture 2: “the Seika style”
According to HP of Kinjo-Kuryo

In the Meiji era, from 1868 to 1912, the government taught women how to do Ikebana as a way of bringing up “a good wife and wise mother”. Because of that, it became very popular. Moreover, we now have the Moribana style for non-native flowers. As history has change so has Ikebana, Ikebana and surrounding it could be evolved with age of change. Finally, from 1603 to 1868, Ikebana style changed from the Rikka style in the Edo period, to the Seika style.