Japan My Love - Japanese culture, tv, news, trend, food

We eat buckwheat noodles called "soba" in Japanese at midnight on New Year's Eve.
This is called "Toshikoshi soba" which means "soba to welcome the new year".
This special soba has some hidden meanings.
1. live happily for long since soba is thin and long.
2. throw all bad luck of the old year away since soba is easily snapped.
3. live like soba since buckwheat stands up in the sun even after it's exposed to a storm.
If you don't finish this soba, then it's said that you wouldn't have a luck of money in the new year.
It's also said that you have to finish this soba by 12 o'clock at night.
Otherwise it's said you'll bring on bad luck to the new year.

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We watch "The red and white singing contest" on New Year's eve.
It's the competition between teams of male and female singers, but on the other hand, there's an invisible costume competition between 2 singers.
One is a female singer called "Sachiko Kobayashi".
She's an enka singer.
Her costume has been the special-feature of this TV program for many years.
The other singer is called "Kenichi Mikawa".
He is a male enka singer, but his way of talking is completely middle aged lady.
We don't know if he's a gay or not...(mysterious...)
His costume is also the special-feature of this program.
Many people look forward to watch their costumes every year.

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Sachiko Kobayashi





Kenichi Mikawa

Japanese New Year's Day is just as same as Western's Christmas.
Most people spend time together with their family on this day.
On New Year's Day, we say "Congratulations!" to eath other.
And we eat traditional food like Osechi, Mochi.
Osechi is a special cuisine for New Year that consists of many kinds of ingredients.
Each ingredient has its own meaning, for example Kazunoko means "having many kids".
We also eat mochi on this day.
Mochi is Japanese traditional food called "rice cake" in English.
We decorate "Kagami-mochi" to pray God for family's prosperity.
On New Year's Eve, we watch "The red and white singing contest" on TV.
This program ends at midnight.
So many people celebrate the new year with the ending of this program.

Osechi


Kagami-mochi


Kazunoko


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It's the pecial TV program on New Year's Eve.
Red means women, and white means men.
So this contest is female singers VS male singers.
They sing the hit songs in the year.
The program starts at around 7 pm and ends at midnight.
At the ending of the program, the winner(red or white) is chosen by the votes from judges in front of the stage and audience.
The judges are celebrities from many fields like showbiz, sports etc...
Right after this program's finished, the New Year comes.
Most of Japanese citizens used to watch this program on New Year's Eve.
Less people watch it these days, but it's still the main program on New Year's Eve.

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NHK means "Nihon Housou Kyoku".
Nihon means "Japan", Housou Kyoku means "TV station".
It's the only TV station controlled by the government.
NHK channel doesn't have any commercials.
Popular foreign dramas like "ER" "The X-File" "Ally McBeal" "Friends"...were broadcasted on NHK channels.
NHK also offers many language lesson programs.
The picture is the character of NHK called "Do-mo kun".

Japanese people, especially young people tend to abbreviate words.
They abbreviate anything if possible.
Let me give examples...

America jin(=American) => Amejin
Kimura Takuya(=name of a pop star) => Kimutaku
Power Point => Powapo
Around thirty(=30 years old) => Arasaa
(* In Japanese language, thirty is pronounced as saaty)
Netscape Navigation => Neske

Jidaigeki is a drama(often on TV) of the old times.
Actors and actresses dress up in Japanese traditional costumes called "Kimono" when they act in Jidaigeki.
Their way of talking is also from the old times in the drama.
What's inevitable in Jidaigeki is a sword fight.
In Jidaigeki, innocent people are often killed in the first half of the story, and the villain is killed by the hero in the last half.
Its story is not so complicated as modern romance dramas.
Usually Jidaigeki tends to be loved by elder people, but not always.
Sometimes young popular actors and actresses act in Jidaigeki and young people watch it.
NHK(Japanese government-controlled TV station) makes one-year-long Jidaigeki series every year, and it's an hour to be the main cast in that drama for actors and actresses.
Many pop stars(even singers) act in that Jidaigeki.

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Konkatsu is mixed words of "Kekkon" and "Katsudo".
Kekkon means "marriage", and Katsudo means "hunting".
We often use "Shukatsu" that means "job hunting", but this "Konkatsu" word appeared recently and it's getting popular and often heard on TV, in manazines and news.
There are many Konkatsu parties all over Japan, and ladies and gentlemen who hope to get married join those parties.
They are generally in their late 20s or 30s and some are 40s.
This word "Konkatsu" even became the theme of a TV drama.

When people fill out a form, they usually write down 19XX at date of birth.
In Japan we have our particular way to call a year.
Years are devided by length of each emperor's enthronement.
For example this year 2009 is expressed as Heisei 21.
This means it's the 21st year since the current emperor was enthroned.
Heisei is the name of an era.
When the previous emperor passes away, the goverment picks up a new name for upcoming era.

1868 - Meiji
1912 - Taishou
1926 - Showa
1989 - Heisei

On our diver's license, date of birth is printed with Japanese year.
So when we have to show it for age certification in abroad, we have to explain our system of year.
Japanese year is part of our culture, but the government should take international situation into consideration.

In spring, there is a period when we have consecutive national holidays.
We call it "Golden week".

April 29 - Showa's day(birthday of Showa Emperor)
May 3 - Constitution Memorial Day
May 4 - Greenery Day
May 5 - Children's Day

In fall, there is once again the same kind of period.
According to the news, it is called "Silver week".
(I knew it recently...)

September 21 - Respect-for-the-Aged Day
September 22 - People's Day
September 23 - Automnal Equinox Day

During these periods, many people take days off and have a long holiday.
Summer vacation in August is common in most countries, but these Golden & Silver weeks are particular in Japan.
So it's nice to travel abroad during these holidays but plane tickets for these periods are sold out as soon as they are on sale.
This indicates how much Japanese people like to go abroad on holidays...
Is there any particular holiday like this abroad?