Tamaki SAITO（西東たまき）

Have you noticed a plate mounted onto the gatepost or by the entrance door of a residential house? They are called ‘Hyosatsu' and the letters indicated on it is the householder's name. Hyosatsu － name plate － carries the family name of the residents, the first name of the householder as well as other family members' names can be added optionally.   We can recognize it as your house In that way, Hyosatsu is an aid for the identification yet also what personalise the house. Therefore, people usually choose the one very carefully.The plate helps to identify the house you ...

Keiro-no-hi, Respect for the Aged Day is a national holiday, was established in 1966. It was first set on the date of 15th September though it was moved to the 3rd Monday of September to achieve a long weekend since 2003. The day is to express appreciation and gratitude for aged people for decades of their dedication to the family as well as to the society, also to celebrate their health and longevity. Celebration party would be held in the unit of a family or on a community basis with a feast and a gift. Hotels and restaurants offer the ...

Japanese housing used to be very cold during the winter season as they were traditionally built to accommodate the heat of summer. To get into the cold bedding in the icy cold room is simply tough. When the home heating was not enough, a hot water bottle had been a perfect solution as a bed warmer; it is a container into which hot water is filled and used as a heating source. It was once being declined in contrast to the rise of electric blankets However, since the middle of the 2000s in Japan, the use of hot water bottles ...

Chestnut is a symbol of autumn. Japanese love to eat chestnuts cooked with rice, with a touch of sake rice wine and a pinch of salt. That's the specialty food for the autumn season. To obtain really fresh chestnuts though you will have to do a bit of labour; chestnut farms are opened to you. Go there one of the fine autumn days and pick spiny cupules in which two or three ripe chestnuts are contained. Actually, picking up chestnuts is a popular seasonal activity especially for the family with small children. Kindergartens usually include this event in their annual ...

‘Sports Day' a.k.a. ‘Undo-kai' is a must-do event in schools in every part of Japan. Basically, it's an all-day event which brings the whole family together, not only a core family but even extended family are invited because the day is ‘special'. It's held even in Japanese communities overseas. The event is a combination of fun plays and sports competitions challenged by the children that are divided into the team of two or so. They had spent weeks to prepare and practice to display their efforts. Traditionally, this event has been a symbol of one autumn weekend activity However, with ...

There is an event to appreciate the autumn full moon which is said to have started since Heian period (794-1185). Japanese aristocrats got aboard boats for moon viewing. The event is called ‘Tsukimi' – moon viewing. What noticeable is that what was enjoyed was the moon reflected on the water surface -- or even the surface of the glass they hold -- rather than the actual moon in the sky. Then they enjoyed writing and reciting the poetry. How elegant… isn't it? Now the tradition is not only for aristocrats On the day of the autumn full moon, modern people ...

Persimmon is a fruit which often stands between people's likes and dislikes. Large persimmon trees when most of the leaves have fallen in autumn depict a typical country scene and give us a feel of nostalgia.   Kaki This fruit, Kaki in the Japanese language, becomes very distinct if you eat fresh or dried Dried Kaki are not the ones remained and dehydrated up on the trees, of course; they have to be carefully processed especially preventing from getting mould. You will call this dried fruit ‘Hoshi-gaki' in Japanese which literally means ‘dried-persimmon.' You could see farm houses hang the ...

How does it sound that there is no cleaner stationed in school in Japan? Public school is cleaned by children themselves. Cleaning time is even set into their daily time table, about 20 minutes. Bloomed and swept, even regularly waxed by them. While in a conventional school, classroom floors are parquet, those of a modern school building are carpeted so that they are vacuumed. Cleaning task is undertaken by the team Children are divided into teams and deployed to every corner of the school. It gives them an opportunity to learn how to operate cleaning and how to cooperate each ...

'Misoshiru' or miso soup has been quite known and familiar by now among Japanese food lovers. The traditional Japanese soup consists of ‘Dashi' broth and Miso paste into which vegetables and/or non-vegetarian ingredients are added as you prefer.   Dashi The broth used for Misoshiru is what used for any basic Japanese cuisine; made out of Katsuobushi bonito flakes, Kombu dried seaweed and/or Niboshi dried infant sardines.   You have a choice of Miso pastes to use Miso is what makes difference in the flavour, taste and colour of the soup. You would like to pick the best Miso to ...

‘Obon’ is a certain period of time in the middle of August where majority of Japanese will be engaged with ancestor-related rituals, basically in their home town. This is a Buddhist event occurring from the 13th to 16th of August． Obon is said that it’s the time the ancestors come back to visit their family. Actual rituals are totally different depends on the areas and regions. In some Tokyo area, for example, in the evening of the first day of obon period, family visit the ancestor’s grave, holding unlit lanterns. Lanterns are only lit at the grave and carried to ...