JAPANESE NEW YEAR Japanese New Year celebration is called shogatsu. It's the most important holiday in Japan.

People say to each other "akemashite-omedetou-gozaimasu" (Happy New Year) whenever they see at the first time in the new year. The first day of the year (ganjitsu) is usually spent with members of the family. On the 2nd and 3rd days acquaintances visit one another to extend greetings (nenshi) and sip otoso (a spiced rice wine). Some games played at New Year's are karuta (a card game), hanetsuki (similar to badminton), tako age (kiteflying), and komamawashi (spinning tops). These games are played to bring more luck for the year. Exchanging New Year's greeting cards (similar to Christmas Cards ) is another important Japanese custom. Also special allowances are given to children, which are called otoshidama. They also decorate their entrances with kagami mochi (two mochi rice balls placed one on top of the other, with a tangerine on top), and kadomatsu (pine tree decorations). -wiki Japanese people eat special dishes called osechi ryori during shogatsu. They are packed in a Jubako box, which has several layers. Each dish has a particular meaning. For example, prawns for long life, herring roe for fertility, and so on. It is also traditional to eat mochi (rice cake) dishes during New Year's holidays. Zouni (rice cake soup) is the most popular mochi dish. The ingredients vary depending on regions and families. There is a custom of giving money to children during New Year's holidays in Japan. It's called otoshidama. If you are going to family gatherings, it's good to prepare some money in small envelopes. It is traditional for Japanese people to visit a shrine or a temple during New Year's holidays. People pray for safety, health, good fortune, and so on. The first visit to a temple or shrine in a year is called hatsumoude. Many well-known temples and shrines are extremely crowded. Some temples and shrines expect a couple million visitors during New Year's holidays each year. Most of businesses in Japan are typically closed around the 29th or 30th of December to the 3rd or 4th of January, depending on the kind of business and day of week. In recent years, many restaurants, convenience stores, supermarkets, and department stores are open even during New Year's holidays. Many department stores hold New Year's special sales, so it might be worth it to check the prices out if you have shopping needs. http://gojapan.about.com/cs/japaneseholidays/a/newyearday.htm

Seijin No Hi is the first holiday of the year after New Year's is all over. It is for all the women who have just become legal adults (age 20), and most families buy a kimono for their daughter. Throughout most of Japan, twenty is the age where people are subjected to adult laws, gain the right to vote, and to drink, thus making the age of twenty is the age of adulthood in Japan. The typical kimono is 300-400 thousand yen, but much more extravagant kimono can be even as high as a million yen each. On the day the young lady will typically go to a nearby Shinto Shrine and pray for health, success, money, etc. It's one of the few times you will see anyone wear a kimono -- except for the grannies running around going to study or teach tea ceremony. The other occasions are graduation from a college, and once in a while at a wedding. Meanwhile, men who are coming of age, have far less expensive needs; they usually wear business suits, though, finding men dressed in hakama (dark traditional kimono) is fairly common as well. http://www.thejapanfaq.com/celebrations.html http://www.jappleng.com/articles/view/festivals/29/seijin-shiki-coming-of-age-day -par 2 , 5

http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/english/newsletter/things_japanese_24_3.html

Valentine's Day and White Day

St. Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14, and White Day one month later on March 14. It is said that St. Valentine's Day was imported to Japan in 1958 by a Japanese confectionery company. In Japan, it is only the women giving presents - mainly chocolate - to men, but not the other way around. Men are supposed to return the favours received on Valentine's Day one month later on White Day, a Japanese creation. White Day is believed to have been introduced by a marshmallow manufacturing company in the 1960s. The white marshmallows gave the day its name but other kinds of presents such as candy, flowers, etc. have become more popular over the years.

http://www.japan-guide.com/topic/0003.html -par2

In the U.S., Valentines Day is pretty much for women. While women do give Valentines gifts to male partners, the emphasis among adults is on men giving items to women: flowers, candy, cards, taking them out to dinner, and so on. In many cases women arent expected to reciprocate, or can give a less expensive/significant present, and I doubt many give flowers or chocolate in heart-shaped boxes. In Japan, however, the roles are reversed: women give chocolates to men, as well as often buying gifts and providing meals. It apparently isnt entirely clear how this tradition emerged. http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2010/02/12/celebrating-valentines-day-in-japan/ -par2 and 3 There are two types of chocolates that women give men. Giri-choco, or obligation chocolate, is relatively cheap and is what you give to coworkers and the like:

Honmei-choco is higher-quality chocolate reserved for men a woman is close topartners or perhaps a family member:

In recent years, many Japanese young women exchange chocolate gifts with their female friends. These chocolates are called "tomo (friend) choco." http://japanesefood.about.com/cs/holidays/a/valentinechoco.htm -par2

Hina Matsuri / Doll Festival Girl's Day / March 3rd

The 3rd of March - (by the Solar Calendar) is called "Hina-no-Sekku","Hina-Matsuri" (Doll's Festival) or "Momo-no-Sekku" (Peach blossom's Festival) which used to be one of the important seasonal events of ancient China and has now developed into a function symbolic of Japanese arts and customs and has been in existence in Japan since the Edo Period (17 - 19 centuries). The 3rd of March - (by the Solar Calendar) is called "Hina-no-Sekku","Hina-Matsuri" (Doll's Festival) or "Momo-no-Sekku" (Peach blossom's Festival) which used to be one of the important seasonal events of ancient China and has now developed into a function symbolic of Japanese arts and customs and has been in existence in Japan since the Edo Period (17 - 19 centuries). The dolls are not the everyday dolls usually played with but are ceremonial dolls, a heritage of the household, handed down, many of them, from generation to generation. They are displayed for a few days in the best room of the house at this festival time, after which they are carefully boxed and put away until the next year. Parents who are able to do so buy new sets of dolls for a girl baby born since the preceding festival, and relatives and friends make gifts of dolls. Peach blossoms, symbolizing a happy marriage, are indispensable decorations of this festival day. The blossoms signify the feminine traits - of gentility, composure and tranquility. A set of Hina-dolls usually consists of at least 15 dolls, all in the ancient costumes. The display also includes miniature household articles which often are exquisite artistic productions. The dolls most highly valued are the Dairi-sama, which represent the Emperor and Empress in resplendent court costumes of silk. They are attended by their two ministers, three kanjo (court ladies), and five court musicians. All are displayed on a tier of steps, usually five, from 3 to 6 ft. long and covered with bright red cloth. This stand is specially set up in the home only on this day. The Imperial couple occupy the top step, the Emperor at the left of the Empress. Court ladies and banquet trays and dishes occupy the second tier; the other dolls are arranged on the lower tiers. In the old days, on March 3 by the Lunar Calendar, all the people, men, women and children, made crude dolls of paper, and in making them they transferred their ill fortunes or sickness to the dolls. Gathering the dolls, they went together to a nearby brook or river, and cast them, bearing all their evils, into the water. It was thus an occasion for a family outing, just when the pleasant spring season started. Also the date which this festival is held marks the onset of spring. Hina-matsuri used to be one of the very few occasions when little Japanese girls had their own parties. It was customary up to the prewar years for them to invite their small friends to these parties at which they partook of the sweets and food offered to the dolls. Sometimes they cooked and prepared the food and cakes to be offered to the dolls. They drank Shirozake, a sweet mild rice wine, on the occasion. The main offerings are small cakes - hishi mochi (diamond-shaped rice cakes) fruit-shaped candy, tiny white and red dainties of osekihan (glutinous rice boiled with red beans) and colored wheat gluten. The colorful air of both the dolls and the young girls add to the gaiety of this festival. Old country families still treasure their family hina-matsuri dolls and doll furniture which are preserved for centuries. Brides used to take their own dolls to their new homes.

Many interpretations are given about the festival. Families observe it to encourage filial piety, ancestor worship, loyalty, but above all is the love of children by Japanese parents, their joy and pride in them, and their desire to please them, and this love often impels poor parents to sell some of their belongings to buy dolls and decorations for the festival. http://www.ginkoya.com/pages/girlsday.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HinaSet.jpg

HANAMI

Cherry Blossom Festivals

Hanami
From Shizuko Mishima, former About.com Guide
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Cherry Blossom Festival

Photo (c) Shizuko Mishima Hanami is an important Japanese custom and is held all over Japan in spring. Hanami literally means viewing flowers, but it generally indicates cherry blossom viewing. It's said that the origin of hanami dates back to more than one thousand years ago when aristocrats enjoyed looking at beautiful cherry blossoms and wrote poems.

Nowadays, people in Japan have fun viewing cherry blossoms, drinking and eating. It is like a picnic under the trees. People bring home-cooked meals, do BBQ, or buy take-out food for hanami. In popular hanami spots, there are even competitions for the best spots. If you do not like a crowd, you can go to neighborhood parks/gardens or other quiet places. The most popular kind of Japanese cherry (sakura) tree which can be found everywhere in Japan is somei-yoshino (Yedoensis). Sakura trees bloom at different times throughout Japan, and the blooming period of somei-yoshino is usually short. Cherry blossom festivals take place all over the country. Most of them are held between March to May, though other regions have them in January, February, and June, based on their location. Festival dates are usually determined with reference to cherry blossom forecasts and vary from year to year. Gorgeous flowers are main attractions of the festivals, but a variety of traditional Japanese performing arts presented in many festivals can't be missed. Joining tea ceremonies held under cherry trees can be a memorable experience as well. It's fun to stop by festival vendors which sell

various food and souveniors, including regional crafts and speciality food in the region. It's notable that many cherry blossom festivals hold light-up events in the evening.
http://gojapan.about.com/cs/cherryblossoms/a/sakurafestival.htm

Hanami: The Cherry Blossom Festival Welcomes Spring

Spring Means Cherry Blossom Time! Hanami is a long-standing Japanese tradition of welcoming spring. Also known as the cherry blossom festival, this annual celebration is about appreciating the temporal beauty of nature. People gather under blooming cherry blossoms for food, drink, songs, companionship and the beauty of sakura (cherry blossoms). Celebrations begin in the day and often last into the night. The festival dates vary by location and year, as the trees bloom at different times with weather and climate variations, but they are typically in late March through May and last a few days to a few weeks. Although the traditional beverage of choice for hanami is sake, you can also drink tea. Seasonal foods (like wagashi- Japanese sweets) and seasonally decorated teaware can echo the beauty of nature in your hanami tea ritual. For a pleasing floral-tart taste, fresh, organically grown sakura can be blended with green tea or black tea and then brewed in a kyusu (teapotwith or without floral decorations). You can also embrace the wabi-sabi nature of hanami by drinking organic matcha from a chawan-style teacup. This year, I plan to celebrate hanami with friends over matcha, wagashi, assorted Japanese foods and some seasonal tea accoutrements.

Hanami Tea Accoutrements: Fukin with chawan motif, cherry blossom kaishi papers, and kyusushaped hashioki A few seasonal tea items a friend in Japan gave me are pictured here. The pink cloth is a fukin (washcloth) portraying chawan (tea bowls).The blue chawan pictured have hot matcha in them, hence the steam. On top of the fukin is some sakura kaishi (papers with cherry blossom motif), which well use to eat wagashi before drinking matcha, and a kyusu-shaped hashioki (chopstick holder), which well use for holding chopsticks (obviously). How will you celebrate springtime with tea this year? -Lindsey Vee for Samovar Life
http://samovarlife.com/hanami-the-cherry-blossom-festival-welcomes-spring/

Shichi Go San

Shichi-Go-San Matsuri (Seven-Five-Three Festival)

Published November 14, 2006 in Autumn, Candy, Childhood, CULTURES, CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS, HOLIDAYS, Japanese, Shinto | Comments [2] | Post a Comment

On November 15 is Shichi-go-san in Japan a day that is a rite of passage for young children, focused on celebrating their good health and longevity. Shichi-go-san literally translates as Seven-Five-Three, and it includes traditions and celebrations for boys aged three and five, and for girls aged three and seven. In Japanese numerology, odd numbers are lucky numbers. Traditionally, parents allowed children to start growing their hair at the age of three; boys first wore hakama a traditional covering for the lower body in public at age five; and girls first tied their kimono with an obi sash, instead of a cord, at age seven. In many regions, three- and five-year-old boys and three- and seven-year-old girls visit a Shinto shrine with their parents. Most girls wear kimonos when making their Shichi-go-san visit, while boys wear haori jackets and hakama trousers, or they wear nice Western-style dresses and suits. It has become common for parents to take formal pictures of their children on this day. Following the visit, parents generally buy chitose-ame a long, thin, red-and-white-colored candy. The name means thousand-year candy, to represent many years of life. The candy comes in a long white paper bag decorated with symbols of longevity such as pine, bamboo, plums, cranes, and tortoises. The candy and the bag are both expressions of parents wish that their children lead long, prosperous lives. Origins of Shichi-Go-San The festival is said to have started in the Heian period (794-1185) where the nobles celebrated the passage of their children into middle childhood on a lucky day in November. The festival was subsequently set on the fifteenth of that month during the Kamakura period (1185-1333), when Shogun Tsunayoshi Tokugawa was said to be celebrating the growth of his son, Tokumatsu, on that day. By the Edo period (1603-1868), the festival spread to commoners, who began visiting shrines to have prayers offered by priests. The shichi-go-san customs followed today evolved in the Meiji era (1868-1912). November 15 was chosen because it was considered one of the most auspicious days of the year in the Japanese almanac. Since the day is not a national holiday, most families pay their shichi-go-san respects on the weekend just before or just after November 15.
http://worldculturenet.com/2006/11/14/shichi-go-san-matsuri-%E2%80%9Cseven-five-threefestival%E2%80%9D/

Christmas in Japan
By: Billy Hammond Christmas in Japan is quite different from the Chrismas celebrated in most countries in which the population has a large percentage of Christians or a Christian heritage. Only 1/2 of 1% of the Japanese population is estimated to be Christian, with the majority of Japanese being tolerant of all faiths: Buddhism, Christianity, Shinto, etc. In spite of this, the Japanese are great lovers of festivals and celebrations, including Christmas. December 25th is not a national holiday in Japan, although December 23rd, which is the birthdate of the present emperor, is. Although it is not an official holiday the Japanese tend to celebrate Christmas, especially in a commercial way. The Japanese celebrate Christmas Eve by eating a 'Christmas Cake' which the father of the family purchases on his way home from work (or his wife does in the case where he has to work on Christmas Eve). Stores all over carry versions of this Christmas cake and drop the price of it drastically on December 25th in order to sell everything out by the 26th. This has resulted in a rather interesting expression in which young girls are referred to as a 'Christmas cakes': marriageable until their 25th birthday and requiring heavy discounts to get married after their 25th birthdays. In recent years, thanks to the marketing prowess of the folks at Kentucky Fried Chicken, the Christmas Chicken Dinner has become quite popular. Many Japanese even make reservations for their "Christmas Chicken" ahead of time. People line up at their outlets to pick up their orders. As a result of KFC's brilliant advertising campaign, most Japanese now believe that Westerners celebrate Christmas with a chicken dinner instead of the more common ham or turkey. Christmas Eve has been hyped by the T.V. media as being a time for romantic miracles. It is seen as a time to be spent with one's boyfriend or girlfriend in a romantic setting, so fancy restaurants and hotels are often booked solid at this time. It is often also a time when girls get to reveal their affections to boys and vice versa. Because of this, extending a girl an invitation to be together on Christmas Eve has very deep, romantic implications. Christmas presents are exchanged between people with romantic commitments as well as close friends. The presents tend to be 'cute' presents and often include Teddy Bears, flowers, scarves, rings and other jewelry. Christmas cards are also given to close friends. Christmas presents tend to be things which are cute and sometimes slightly expensive because of the relationship to the person to which they are given to. More obligatory year-end presents are given during this season as well to people who have done you a favor during the year, however, in contrast to Christmas presents, they are given between companies, to bosses, to teachers, and family friends. These presents are known as 'Oseibo' and are generally things which are perishable or which wear out quickly for which the price can readily be checked because of the system of 'on' and 'giri' (loosely translated obligation and reciprocity). These presents are usually

purchased at department stores so that the recipient can check the price and return something which relates to the scale of reciprocity. For the more elderly couples, many hotels host dinner shows featuring major singers, actors, and actresses. Tickets to these shows, due to the season, are very pricy. The Christmas season comes during the month of the year-end parties. Company groups, hobby groups, sports groups, etc. often book a section of a restaurant to have drinking parties, known as 'bonenkai' [forget the old year parties]. This phenomena leads to streets, subways, and trains full of people in varied states of intoxication during this season. Christmas lighting and displays are often up at the end of October and this year many stores have displays featuring Teddy Bears. There is also a trend developing for make-it-yourself presents. The New Year's holidays, which constitute the main holiday season for the Japanese, come closer to the American-European idea of assembling family and friends. Christmas seems to be closer to the Western concept of St.Valentine's Day.
http://tanutech.com/japan/jxmas.html