Cluture, Holidays

Japanese Culture

Exotic Japanese culture attracts many travelers to Japan from around the world. Even though you aren't visiting Japan, you might be interested in learning various cultural aspects of Japan with these resources.

Japanese Holidays

Here is a list of Japanese national holidays and traditional events in Japan. It helps you plan your trip to Japan. You might want to experience some of them or you might want to avoid the busiest travel season.

* Japanese New Year
* Valentine's Day in Japan
* Japanese Girl's Day
* Golden Week
* Tanabata

* Obon in Japan
* Christmas in Japan
* New Year's Eve
* Japanese Autumn Holidays

Japanese New Year

January 1st to 3rd are called shougatsu (Japanese New Year's holidays) in Japan. January 1st is called gantan and is a Japanese national holiday. Shogatsu is the most important holiday in Japan. People say to each other "ake-mashite-omedetou-gozaimasu" (Happy New Year) whenever they see at the first time in the new year.

Japanese people eat special dishes called osechi ryouri during shogatsu. Osechi ryouri is packed in a Jubako box, which has several layers. The foods are colorful and artistically presented. Each dish has a particular meaning. For example, prawns for long life, kuromame (sweet black beans) for health, kazunoko (herring roe) for fertility, tazukuri (teriyaki taste small sardines) for a good harvest, kurikinton (sweet chestnuts and mashed sweet potato) for happiness, and so on. It is also traditional to eat mochi (rice cake) dishes on New Year's holidays. Zouni (rice cake soup) is the most popular mochi dish. The ingredients vary depending on regions and families. If you are lucky, you can taste many different zouni in Japan. People usually spend New Year's holidays quietly at home eating various food. There is a custom of giving money to children on 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 to a shrine or a temple during New Year's holidays. People pray for safety, health and good fortune. The first visit to a temple or shrine in a year is called hatsumoude. It is not a very religious event but rather a custom. 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. If you want to visit one of the famous shrines or temples, be aware of pickpockets. The Most Popular Shrines and Temples for Hatsumoude

Government offices are usually closed from Dec. 29th to January 3rd. Financial institutions are usually closed from Dec. 31st to January 3. Since most businesses are closed during the first three days of the year, the streets tend to be quiet except for those near shrines and temples. 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.

Valentine's Day in Japan

Japanese Valentine's Day is for women to give men chocolates or gifts. This is a typical way to celebrate Valentine's day in Japan. Women are expressing love to men by giving chocolates. But it's also common for women to give chocolates to men who they don't actually love, such as co-workers and male friends. This kind of chocolates are called giri-choco which mean chocolates given because of obligations.

Many stores in Japan sell lots of chocolates before Valentine's day. Men who received chocolates or gifts on Valentine's day are supposed to give gifts back to the women on March 14th called White Day.

Japanese Girl's Day

March 3 is Japanese Girl's Day called hina matsuri (hina doll festival) or momo no sekku (peach flower festival). A set of hina dolls wearing kimono is displayed at homes of Japanese girls. It's a celebration for Japanese girls. People pray for girls' happiness and health, eating special food, such as chirashi-zushi (colorful sushi), clam soup, sakura mochi (sweet rice cakes), and more.

Hina matsuri originated in China, and it was established in Japan during Edo Period (1603-1867). Since then, different types of hina dolls have been created around Japan. In some areas in Japan, hina dolls are hung from the ceiling.

Golden Week in Japan

The end of April through around May 5th is called "Golden Week" in Japan since there are many Japanese national holidays during this period. Many businesses close for about a week to 10 days depending on the calender. Many people take a vacation and travel around the country or abroad. So, many sightseeing and amusement places are very crowded at this time. Also, airports and train stations in Japan are overflowing with people. It is extremely hard to get reservations for accommodations and transportation around this time.

The first holiday during Golden Week is April 29, which was the birthday of the former emperor Shouwa. Now, this day is called showa-no-hi (Showa Day). The second holiday is kenpou-kinen-bi (Constitution Memorial Day), May 3. The new Japanese constitution was put into effect on May 3, 1947. Then, May 4 is called midori-no-hi (Greenery Day) during which we show appreciation for nature.

The last one is kodomono-hi (Children's Day), May 5th. On this day, we pray for the healthy growth of children. Children's Day is also called Tangono-sekku. It's traditionally the day to celebrate and pray for the health of boys. Japanese families with boys hang up carp streamers (koinobori) outside and display May dolls (gogatsu Ningyo) inside their houses.

May is a pleasant season to travel in Japan. But, I recommend avoiding traveling to or around Japan during Golden Week. Try traveling after Golden Week. It is much better.

Japanese Holidays - Golden Week

* April 29: Showa-no-hi (Showa Day)
* May 3 : Kenpou-kinen-bi (Constitution Memorial Day)
* May 4 : Midori-no-hi (Greenery Day)
* May 5 : Kodomo-no-hi (Children's Day)


Tanabata

uly 7th is called tanabata in Japan. It's a Japanese tradition wherein people write their wishes on tanzaku papers (colorful, small strips of papers) and hang them on bamboo branches. People also hang many kinds of paper decorations on bamboo branches and place them outside their houses. Many cities and towns hold tanabata festivals and have tanabata displays, decorating the main streets. In some regions, people light lanterns and float them on the river, or float bamboo leaves on the river.

The most common tanabata decorations are colorful streamers. Streamers are said to symbolize the weaving of threads. Other tanabata decorations are toami (casting net), which means good luck for fishing and farming and kinchaku (hand bag), which means wealth.

Tanabata originated more than 2,000 years ago with an old Chinese tale called Kikkoden. Once there was a weaver princess named Orihime and a cow herder prince named Hikoboshi living in space. After they got together, they were playing all the time and forgot their jobs. The king was angry at them and separated them on opposite sides of the Amanogawa River (Milky Way). The king allowed them to meet only once a year on July 7th. This is why tanabata is also called the Star Festival. People say that Orihime and Hikoboshi can't meet each other if July 7th is rainy, so they pray for good weather and also make wishes for themselves.

In many regions in Japan, tanabata is celebrated on August 7th (which is near July 7th on the lunar calendar) instead of July 7th. If you are in Japan around these days, stop by a tanabata festival near your destination. Tanabata events are held all over Japan, but the festivals in Sendai-city, Miyagi Prefecture and Hiratsuka-city, Kanagawa Prefecture are particularly well-known. Huge Tanabata decorations fill the main streets in these cities and attract millions of visitors every year. It's fun to walk through the long streamers on the street. Sendai Tanabata is held around August 7 and Hiratsuka Tanabata is held around July 7th every year.

Christmas in Japan

It is estimated that less than 1% of Japan's population is Christian. Also, December 25th is not a Japanese national holiday. Unless it is on weekend, Japanese people work and go to school on the day. Christmas is mostly a commercial event in Japan. Many people don't know exactly what the origin of Christmas is. The big corporations do the main decorating. They light their buildings and the trees.

Many western customs in observing Christmas have been adopted by the Japanese. Lots of people decorate Christmas trees at home and hold parties around Christmas Day. Japanese people tend to find things of interest from abroad and transform them into something that is uniquely Japanese. It's a Japanese way to celebrate Christmas Eve by eating Christmas cakes. Also, Christmas Eve has become a night for lovers to go out and spend a romantic time together at fancy restaurants or hotels. It isn't easy to make reservations for such restaurants and hotels at the last minute on this day.

Besides exchanging Christmas gifts, there is a custom of sending oseibo (the end of the year gift) from business to business in Japan.

Japanese Holiday Gifts

December is the bounenkai (forget-the-year-party) season in Japan. Christmas parties tend to be mixed up with bounenkai. You see many drunk people on the street on December nights in Japan.

For Japanese people, Christmas is an enjoyable day in the year, but Japanese New Year is more important than Christmas.


The End of the Year in Japan

In Japan, December is called shiwasu, which literally means "teachers run around." This word reflects the busiest month of the year in Japan. Actually, Japanese people run around a lot to welcome a new year with a clean state. All cleaning need to be done by the end of the year in contrast to "spring cleaning" that is common in the US. People also decorate around and in the house. The decorations of pine and bamboo (kadomatsu) are placed outside doors. Twisted straw ropes (shimenawa) are hung on doors to bring good luck, and shimekazari which is made with straw, paper decoration, and tangerines are hung various places to thank to the god for harvest. The bamboo, pine, tangerines are also symbols of longevity, vitality, and good fortune. Kagami- mochi (rice cake) is a traditional New Year's decoration which consists of two round shaped mochi one on top of the other. Kagami mochi is placed in the main room in a house. It serves both as the dwelling place of the god of the harvest and the offering to the god.

In most households, usually women are busy preparing the New Year's food (osechi ryouri). It is traditionally said that people make enough food so that they can take a rest from cooking for the New Year's Days. Since Japanese eat rice cake (mochi) during New Year's Days, at the end of the year, mochitsuki (pounding mochi rice to make mochi) is held at some traditional houses, public places, and shrines. People use a wooden mallet (kine) to pound steamed mochi rice in the stone or wooden mortar (usu). After the rice become sticky, it is flattened and cut into pieces or shaped into rounds. Packages of mochi are available in supermarkets. So, mochitsuki is not as common as it used to be. Some people use automatic mochi-pounding machines at home. The fresh mochi is tasty but is very sticky, so be careful not to choke.

In December, people send oseibo (the end of the year gift) from business to business and also send New Year cards. It's a tradition for Japanese people to write New Year's cards in December so that cards will be delivered on January 1st.

Beethoven's Nineth Symphony (the Daiku) is traditionally performed in many places in December in conjunction with the New Year. Also, December is the bounenkai (forget-the-year-party) season in Japan. You see many drunk people on the streets on December nights in Japan.

After the all busy work, Japanese people usually spend New Year's Eve (oomisoka) rather quietly with the family. Most of businesses are closed from the 29th or 30th of December to 3rd or 4th of January, depending on the kind of business and day of week. Be aware that banks are closed around this time of the year.

It is traditional to eat soba (buckwheat noodles) on New Year's Eve since thin long noodles symbolizes longevity. It is called toshikoshi soba (passing the year). Soba-shops are very busy delivering and making soba. At mid night, the temple bells around the country are rung 108 times (joya no kane). It is said that we all have 108 attachments to our ego and that we need to rid ourselves of before the New Year. You can be one of the people to ring the bell. People say to each other "yoi otoshiwo" which means "Have a nice year passing" on New Year's Eve.