For all readers who love cherry blossoms, dango, camaraderie, sake and hanami in general, please let everyone know if the sakura (cherry blossoms) are blooming in your neighborhood! Where you live doesn’t matter; Canada, Europe, South America, Hanami Central (Japan), wherever there’s sakura, post a comment below to update fellow hanami fans.

© The Anime Blog

Update people on the stages of the cherry blossoms by posting:

• Budding (about to bloom)
• Blossoming (are already blooming)
• Peak (all the blossoms are open)
• Post Peak (blossoms are half gone)
• Done (blossoms have all fallen)

Here in the St. Louis area, the forecast for blooming is April 5. If the weather grows warmer, the blossoms will open earlier, but for now, keep your eyes open for the weekend of the 5th. And remember St. Louis natives: If you live in St. Louis City or St. Louis County, flash your ID with your area code on it and get into the Missouri Botanical Gardens free on Wednesdays and Saturdays before noon!

What’s the story on the sakura where you’re at? Do you even have any cherry blossoms in your area? What are you planning to do for hanami this year? What eats are you going to make and how are you going to celebrate this beautiful time of the year?

Spring! It’s officially here, I can smell it. Winter knows its time has come, and even though freak snow storms batter our doors, they’re merely the death throes of a passing season. Soon, the ground will be covered in colorful drifts of crocuses, daffodils, and depending on the locale, cherry blossoms.

© The Anime Blog

For anyone who’s never sat in the gentle rain of cherry blossoms in spring, I encourage you to do so. It’s an incredible sight to watch as millions of pink petals slowly tumble to the ground and then cover it with a pastel carpet. Profuse amounts of cherry blossoms, sakura, are a rare sight in America (unless you live in Washington D.C.) but in Japan, cherry trees line streets and are common in parks.

It’s a Japanese rite of spring to travel to parks and boulevards filled with sakura to drink sake, sip tea and hang with friends during what’s known as hanami, “flower viewing”. This ancient rite of spring is a way to celebrate the end of winter and to rejoice in one of Japan’s national symbols, the cherry blossom.

Hanami is an old tradition which is hugely popular. Everyone enjoys hanami in their own way, but most hanami-goers can be put in two categories: those who go to silently contemplate the drifting pink petals and those who bring their stereos, a barrel of sake and as many friends as can sit on a tarp. The latter mostly adhere to the popular adage, “hana yori dango“, translated as “dumplings over flowers”, alluding to the preference of eating dumplings over admiring the flowers.

Hanami is such a big deal in Japan, it continues into the night, when it’s then called “yozakura“, night viewing. I have yet to experience yozakura, but who knows? Maybe this year is my year to see cherry blossoms under the stars.

© The Anime Blog

Personally, I enjoy both sides of hanami. I like to stroll through MoBot’s Japanese Garden, sit in the mossy alcove by myself and imagine I can hear the sound the petals make as they drop. Then I’ll go home, call my friends, pack a lunch and hightail it to a park to giggle like schoolgirls in the slow warmth of the new season.

There’s much to be enjoyed during hanami and even if you don’t have a groove of cherry trees handy, you can still celebrate hanami by enjoying a picnic under some dogwoods or other local blooming trees. The spirit of hanami is to have fun, relax, and reflect on the beauty of the season. Create your own hanami this year!

If anyone’s interested in reading more about hanami or in a recipe for one of the star confections of the season, hanami dango, check out my article on Sauce magazine’s website! The article includes a recipe for delicious hanami dango in the right side bar!

*Note: The ingredients which have an odd symbol in front followed by “1/2″ should be noted as being “1/2″.

It’s coming soon! White Day is this Friday! It’s our day ladies! Our day to rake in the goodies after we forked ‘em over on Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day in Japan, to those who are unfamiliar, is a day when women give men chocolate (choco) and don’t get diddly in return. That’s right, nadda. Women even have to go so far as to give choco to men they might not even like. Isn’t that a shame? Well, a candy marketer came up with the concept of White Day to correct this injustice.

White Day, which falls on March 14th, is the day men return the favor of candy giving, and pony up the treats to the women who gave them chocolate the month before. Originally, marshmallows were given on White Day, hence why it was dubbed White Day. I think that’s uber weak, and so did the ladies who eventually received white and/or milk chocolate and other goodies instead of marshmallows.

So you gents who were showered with choco last month need to get some treats handy for this Friday. For those who didn’t get showered with choco, no problem, show that special gal in you’re life there’s no hard feelings by making her some white chocolate chip cookies or better yet, by making her some Chizukeki Chichi Dango.

Chizukeki Chichi Dango is an easy chichi dango with the rich taste of cheesecake. Tell her your feelings for her are as pure as the white mochiko this treat is made from!

Chizukeki Chichi Dango

• 1 3/4 cups mochiko
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 Tbls lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup water
• potato or cornstarch for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil enough water to fill a shallow baking pan.
Whisk together the mochiko, sugar and baking powder. Set aside.

Cream the cream cheese, lemon juice, vanilla and water with a hand held mixer on high. Add the mochiko mixture to the cream cheese mixture and mix on high.

Pour the mochi batter into a greased 9×13 pan. Cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil. Place the pan in a shallow baking pan and place the baking pan in the preheated oven. Pour the boiling water into the baking pan till it’s full. Cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Let the chichi dango cool completely then turn it onto a starch dusted cutting board. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out hearts. Dust the hearts with starch and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Heat briefly before serving, if desired, for a softer texture.

Makes 12, 2 inch Hearts

Difficulty: Easy | Time: 1 hour 30 minutes | Ingredient Availability: Moderate

Last year, I posted a brief write-up of Valentine’s Day in Japan. To refresh our memories:

On Valentine’s Day in Japan, the women give all the men in their lives chocolate (choco- チョコ). If the recipient is a co-worker, or someone the woman sees casually, she gives him giri choco (obligation chocolate). Giri choco is cheap and can be bought at stores everywhere.

The man a woman has special feelings for receives honmei choco (prospective winner chocolate). Honmei choco is a superior variety of chocolate and can either be bought or handmade. Men who get handmade food stuffs from a woman know where they stand in her affections: at the top!

Female friends also get chocolate in the way of tomo choco (friend chocolate), but the main recipients of Valentine’s Day goodies are the men. However, the men don’t return the favor of giving chocolate or gifts to their lady friends on this day; they do that on White Day (March 14th).

This way of celebrating Valentine’s Day won’t fly here in America, but I’ve noticed many anime fans find this practice intriguing. Some want to make honmei choco at home to give to their sweeties or they want to give giri choco to their classmates and coworkers. I say make a compromise and celebrate the day in a unique way with a Japanese flair.

If you’d like to give your special someone, male or female, something inspired by the Japanese way of celebrating Valentine’s Day, make them a Valentine’s Day bento. Or craft a handmade Valentine with と書いたり (From Your Valentine) or と書いたりもする。(Be My Valentine) written on it. For some Japanese inspired sweets make them a selection of goodies, either yogashi, wagashi or both, and put them in a simple, elegant heart-shaped box.

There’s no need to leave the ladies out of Valentine’s Day fellas, even if you want to celebrate it Japanese-style. Make her something nice in the way of honmei choco, and you’ll be the winner!

Need some ideas for some honmei goodies? Here’s a recipe sure to please the mochi fan in your life!

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Daifuku

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups mochiko
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 Tbl. plus 1 tsp corn syrup
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• red food coloring
• potato, corn or wheat starch for dusting
• 10 maraschino cherries, rinsed and patted dry
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 squares unsweetened chocolate, minced

Directions

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate chips and unsweetened chocolate on high in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the mixture and return to microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Mix again. Repeat the steps until the chocolate is melted.
2. Dip the cherries in the melted chocolate and coat them well. Drop them onto a plate lined with wax paper and put them in the freezer for 20 minutes.
3. After the cherries have been in the freezer for 15 minutes, make the mochi by whisking together the mochiko, sugar, water, 1 Tbl. corn syrup and extract. Remove 1/2 cup of the mochiko mixture and tint it a desired shade of red or pink with the food coloring. Set aside.
4. Dust a clean work surface liberally with starch. Keep a bowl filled with starch handy for dusting your hands and any utensils used. Place the tsp. of corn syrup in a small bowl and keep it nearby.
5. In a medium saucepan, cook the uncolored mochiko mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. Spoon some of the cooked mochi onto the dusted work surface. With either a well dusted rolling pin or with well dusted hands, carefully roll or pat the hot mochi to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness, depending on your preference. Cut out circles two and half times as big as the chocolate cherries.
6. Place a well chilled chocolate cherry in the center of each of the mochi circles. Quickly wrap the mochi circle around the cherry, pinching the bottom to seal it. If you’ve having problems smoothing or sealing the bottom, use a tiny bit of warm water to seal up the mochi. Place the finished mochi on plate dusted with starch. If the mochi cools too much when you’re working with it, heat it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
7. For the hearts, repeat Step 5 with the pink mochi, but cut out hearts instead of circles.
8. To decorate the mochi, you can:

• Attach the hearts to the finished mochi with a dab of corn syrup.
• Coat the finished mochi in the leftover chocolate.
• Wrap some cherries in pink mochi and make white hearts for contrast.
• Drizzle some chocolate over the finished mochi.
• Sprinkle colored sugar onto the warm mochi then form the balls.

Makes 10 Bon Bon-sized Daifuku

Love it or hate it, one can’t help but be intrigued by modern Japanese fashion. With their loud colors, strange accessories, and daunting hairstyles, trendy fashions among Japanese young people seem almost alien in comparison to America’s goth, punk, and emo fashions.

It’s perplexing how some of the obnoxious, brash, and downright garish street fashions evolved from the elegant and subdued attire of traditional Japan. Perhaps these modern day styles are a way of creating an individual statement in the world. A, “Hey, I don’t follow your rules!” done in fabric and visual protest instead of petitions and demonstrations. Any way you look at the fashions, they’re still almost works of art and should be appreciated for their artistic appeal.

The traditional clothing of Japan are also quite artistic, if in a more subtle and refined way. Most clothing worn at the time were utilitarian and served a purpose: keep a person dry and warm or to better enable the drawing of a sword. Some was ornamental, like the many layered kimono favored by women of rank.

How much do you think you know about Japanese fashion and attire, past and present? A lot? A little? Do you consider yourself a Japanese clothing historian, or are you up to date on the latest in Shinjuku? Find out in Past to Present: A Quiz for Fans of Japanese Fashion!

(Answers and actual fashion facts given are below the quiz. The quiz is off site but come back to rate your score and see how you did!!! No peeking until you’re done!)

Rate your score!

• 100-90%= Sugoi!! You’re a regular Japanese fashionista!!!
• 89-80%= Yatta! Way to know your Gothic from your Lolita!
• 79-60%= Genki. You’re learning Japanese fashion one geta at a time!
• 59-40%= Ma-ma. Meh, you can do better.
• Below 40%= Baka! You need to spend some serious time in Harajuku!!

1. False. Geta are wooden clogs much favored for wearing during the rainy and snowy season since they keep feet dry by virtue of being elevated on two wooden blocks.

2. True. Obi is translated literally as kimono sash. These sashes can be simple and utilitarian or beautiful and artistic. They serve as both closure and decoration.

3. False. These are all hairstyles worn by women in different stages of their geisha training. Wareshinobu, Ofuku, Katsuyama and Yakko-Shimada are worn by maiko (geisha in training.)

4. False. Tabi are the split socks used when wearing geta or zori. Anyone can wear them, no matter their rank.

5. True. Yukata are light weight summer kimono. Cotton is an ideal choice for yukata since the fabric “breathes” well.

6. False. This elaborate kimono from the Heian Period is actually made of twelve (ju ni) layers, not fourteen.

7. True. Kanzashi are seasonal, decorative hair ornaments worn by women to compliment their elaborate dos. It’d be a no-no to wear momiji (maple leaves) in spring.

8. False. Happi are traditionally short coats worn by shop keepers. Nowadays, sushi chefs, taiko drummers, and festival goers also sport happi.

9. True. And like their American counterpart, zori hurt like the dickens.

10. True. Shibori is the Japanese term encompassing, but not limited to, tie-dyeing.

11. False. The line of the kimono should be on the right hand side. Only the dead wear the kimono aligned to the left.

12. True. Hakama were originally worn only by samurai, but the practice spread to other classes as well.

13. False. Yukata are summer kimono, and are worn by both men and women. Kimono are also worn by both sexes.

14. False. Yo- refers to the West and -fuku translates as clothing. Yofuku: Western clothing.

15. False. Street fashion is genre of fashion which is anything but “mainstream”. Wearers of street fashion really stand out in a crowd, not blend into it.

16. True. The wa- refers to traditional Japan. The fashion was made popular by Japanese fashion designer, Takuya Sawada.

17. False. This is one school uniform worn only by girl’s. Sera, is “sailor” and fuku is clothing or uniform; in this case, uniform. It’s popular in anime for schoolgirl’s to be wearing sailor suits.

18. True. But Aristocrats don’t have much in common with their colorful, puffy counterparts. Aristocrats like to dress in a dignified manner reminiscent of Victorian schoolmarms.

19. True. These “gals” prefer to spend cash and show off how they spent it. High heels, dark tans and blonde hair are indicative to the style. There are also various sub-styles to the Kogals, but Kogal was the first on the scene.

20. False. This fashion craze has been going strong for some time now. Schoolgirls like to accessorize their rather blah uniforms with these baggy leg warmer-like creations. The style shows no sign of letting up any time soon, either.

21. False Actually, Yamanba, characterized by wild hair, super-dark fake tans, and aboriginal-style makeup, is a sub-style of Kogal.

22. False. Yet again we have another sub style of Kogal. Ganguro (black face) sport blonde hair, white eyeliner and lipstick, long nails, short miniskirts, and high heels.

23. True. But only on the weekends. However, many street style-wearing young people flock to Harajuka to hang out and be seen, not just goth lolis.

24. True. Long, highly decorative nails are a favorite among young women.

25. False. Those dark colors won’t go anywhere near a sweet loli. Pinks, lilacs, creams and baby blues are the only colors fitting for a confection such as a sweet lolita.

26. False. Gotcha! Mana is the person responsible for creating the EGL/ EGA brand of clothing, however, Mana is a man, not a woman.

27. True. And how! Decora fans look like over qualified applicants for the Rainbow Brite show. They practically glow with all the blinding colors they adorn themselves with.

28. True. Goodbye black hair, hello auburn!

29. True. Ojisama means prince, and the men who follow this style do look like European princes in their tails and ruffles.

30. False. Think of Japanese street styles as young people’s way to express themselves within a highly conforming and homogenized society. It’s their way of making a statement via fashion.

Ninjutsu has captivated Americans since it first arrived in the US via movie and television screens in the nineteen eighties. Ever since the “ninja craze”, kids and adults alike have been fascinated by the notion of stealthy, secretive assassins lurking in the shadows, bringing silent death to any who see them.

But, how true is this portrayal? Who were the ninja and how did their art begin, but most importantly, why?

Hatsumi Soke Photo © Detroit Bujinkan Dojo

One theory states that a fugitive Chinese princess, living in exile in Japan, developed the art as a means of self-defense. Some people believe that the ninja were influenced in their art by a group of mystics known as Shugenja. And since records have been lost or destroyed over the years, no clear time in history has been defined as the birth date of ninjutsu.

People will agree, however, Daisuke Nishina started a school of ninjutsu, Togakure Ryu, over eight hundred years ago, which would eventually evolve into a modern form of ninjutsu: Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu.

Today’s Grand Master of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, Hatsumi Masaaki Sensei is the 34th Soke to hold the title in the Togakure Ryu. Hatsumi Sensei invited the world to discover ninjutsu when he opened his dojo’s doors to all nationalities; a first in an art which was only taught to native Japanese.

The “how” of the ninja equation can go much deeper, and for in depth answers as to “who” and “why”, I turned to someone who’s been training in the art for 15 years: Patrick Lee.

Patrick agreed to answer a few questions about common ninja misconceptions. He also shared his personal experiences with ninjutsu and what he’s gained from the art.

Interview

Rachel: Why did you get into ninjutsu? Why that and not karate, judo or any of the other martial arts?
Patrick: Well, I’ve done other arts before and there seems to be many limitations with the ones I took. There’s always something that is missing - there are gaps.

Rachel: So what drew you into the art was how it fills in the gaps that were missing in the other arts?
Patrick: In this art there’s more than just real fighting that it posses. There’s a deep history of spirituality in it; a way of life, of how people just want to live peacefully.

Rachel: What are some popular misconceptions about ninja?
Patrick: Well, the most popular are that ninja can disappear, they can be in multiple places at one time, walk on water, climb on walls…

Shuriken Photo © Ed Green

Rachel: What did ninja really look like?
Patrick: They were like everybody. But they practiced medicine, chemistry, meteorology, etc., which at that time was really ahead of the their times.

Rachel: What kinds of weapons did they use?
Patrick: They should be able to use anything. The weapon is an extension of one’s self. The ninja sword was used at a certain period due to its cost, but any sword can be one (ninja sword). There were certain situations in the old days where in narrow quarters it was impossible to draw the long sword, but the short sword was able to be brought in.

Shurikens are popularly associated with the ninja, but many samurai learned throwing stars and spikes. Shuriken are not throwing stars - they are hand blades/spikes. Throwing stars are called “Senban”. That’s another misconception.

Rachel: Did samurai really hate ninja?
Patrick: That is a doing of the silver screen. Samurai were the army, while ninja were the equivalent of special forces. Sometimes samurai were ninja too, if they were called into a special op.

Rachel: Can ninja be samurai?
Patrick: The famous Hattori Hanzo’s family were samurai and have ties to Iga, which were the birthplace of the ninja. So here’s the perfect example.

Rachel Most samurai had a very well rounded education. What can you say about the ninja’s education?
Patrick: It would be equivalent - perhaps even more intense. There were more weapons, philosophy, medicine to learn.

Rachel How do the Japanese view ninjutsu versus the Western view?
Patrick: Very ‘mythic’…like Batman. It’s not understood and sometimes laughed at.

Rachel What are some day-to-day ninjutsu activities?
Patrick: Like any good citizen. As a practitioner, I look at in not as a way to fight or take down an enemy but it transcends it. It’s about problem solving, it’s about living. It’s, ‘How do I change a situation that is dangerous to be better?’ This can be in a relationship, job or at play.

Rachel: What’s the difference between nin, shinobi, etc?
Patrick: The word ‘nin-ja’ can be pronounced as ‘ninja’ or it can be pronounced as ’shinobi’. Both are the same word with different pronunciations. The shinobi is a lower-level practitioner of the art. In order to be a ninja, you have to be elevated to a higher level of understanding the art; the way of life and the way you contribute to life.

Senban Photo © Jinenkan Seigi Dojo

Rachel: In movies, sometimes ninja run away. Was that part of that ‘getting the job done’?
Patrick: Yes, but the most important code - especially in the Iga school - at all cost, you must not kill unnecessarily. By running away, you would avoid killing. Their skill levels were very high in order to survive. Blinding powder and all of that were used to buy time in order to get away. They usually have several planned escape routes.

Rachel: This art used to be called ‘ninjutsu‘ and now it’s called ‘Budo Taijutsu‘. Why the name change?
Patrick: The name changed because in the 1980’s anyone with a mask, clad in black and carrying throwing stars and doing non-Japanese and non-Ninjutsu martial arts called themselves ‘ninja’; playing up the assassins, movie portrayal as the villains. So Hatsumi-sensei changed the name to reflect that this is also budo - which is the martial way towards enlightenment.

Rachel: What’s Taijutsu mean?
Patrick: Taijutsu is the art of using the body. The ‘jutsu‘ part of it means the warrior art. So if you put Budo Taijutsu together, there’s a duality. It’s like yin and yang. You’re practicing one thing that can enrich your life and at the same time if you practice it and use it for the wrong purpose it can take life. We’re not practicing on one end or the other but learning to be in the middle of it. It creates a balance.

Rachel: Will people find Budo Taijutsu online?
Patrick: There are three main schools that practices it; the Bujinkan, Jinenkan and Genbukan. A Google search will lead you there. The school that I study in is the Bujinkan and that can be found in winjutsu.com

Rachel: What kind of role did women play in ninjutsu?
Patrick: Yes, they played a tremendous role throughout history. In fact, they would be the ones who were most employed due to the ease of women blending into the household. They’d pose as servants, dancers and other roles. Once accepted into the household, they’d pick up intelligence. This is a really high form of getting information without bloodshed.

Rachel: What kind of role does the modern ninja play in today’s society? How do you fit in?
Patrick: To be a ninja..there’s a misconception. We do not train to assassinate, to spy or any subversive activity. A ninja in modern times, as in ancient times would be a person practicing perseverance, endurance. In modern times, they’re practicing to persevere through hardships; not to just give up. As Hatsumi-sensei would often encourage us, “Gambatte Kudasai” which means ‘keep trying, keep going’. In this modern day and age, we need that. Just like the old days, nothing has really changed. In order to change things, you have to persevere through hard work, go in with a lot of clarity and no ill intent.

Rachel: Were the Iga and Koga real?
Patrick: Yes, there were two neighboring regions separated by a lake. They were different families.

Rachel: Were they bitter enemies?
Patrick: A lot of that may have been exaggerated. Different schools were employed by different lords for their mastery of spying skills. When they came across each other, they’d sometimes have to fight in order to get the message back to the people who sent them to retrieve it.

Rachel: Is there a ‘ninja code‘?
Patrick: Yes. Most importantly, you’re not to take a life unnecessarily. The art that you study must be used for the sake of the country, your region, your town, your family and lastly yourself. It’s for the greater good - not personal gain.

Rachel: What sort of mindset is needed for someone just going into this art?
Patrick: Good-hearted people who are willing to endure a lifetime of training for the betterment of society and self.

If anyone has any questions for Patrick about Budo Taijutsu, please leave them in the comments section below!

Christmas, as it’s celebrated in America, is definitely a Western custom. The shopping season leading up to this most generous of holidays starts in the States the day after Thanksgiving: Black Friday. We Americans have a proud tradition of getting up at 3:30a.m.on Black Friday to shove lil’ old ladies down in the way of a $750 flat screen HD TV. Tis’ the season!

We also have a noble heritage when it comes to decorating our yards with giant inflatable reindeer and blinding displays of seizure-inducing lights. And what would Christmas be without the endless parade of obligatory work-related and family Christmas parties? Let’s not forget about the hours upon hours spent in the kitchen pouring over cookie cookbooks and rolling out endless varieties of Christmas confections. And for what? To give cookies and bon-bons away to people who will hate you for blowing their diet.

Since everyone in the US is familiar with what goes on here-and I know you are- why don’t we look at how Japan handles this time of year. Is their holiday season anywhere near as hectic as ours? Do they even celebrate Christmas? New Year’s Eve? The answers to that are no, somewhat and yes, and how.

Japan does celebrate Christmas, just not with the fervor and extreme enthusiasm as over here. The beginning of their shopping season coincides with ours; the day after Thanksgiving, sans blood-letting. They do have Christmas carols, in English, and they do exchange gifts.

However, the focus of gift giving is mainly directed between couples. This is a romantic night for couples, and is seen as a night when magic can happen. For someone to be single on Christmas in Japan is almost as bad as someone being single on Valentine’s Day in the US. The analogy of Christmas in Japan being like Valentine’s Day in America isn’t far-off. The gifts exchanged on both days are similar; teddy bears, jewelry, roses, personal gifts, etc.

Instead of a Christmas dinner consisting of a ham, goose, or turkey, a Christmas cake is standard fare in Japan. Every household tries to buy a Christmas cake before Christmas Eve to celebrate the season. These cakes are pretty things topped with fresh fruit arranged artfully on a frosted cake.

Bakeries do a booming business with Christmas cakes, up until the 24th, and then they discount their cakes on the 25th to get rid of ‘em. There’s a horrible analogy comparing marriageable women to Christmas cakes: Both are good until the 25th, then it’s hard to get rid of them, i.e. it’s difficult to marry a girl off after they’re 25 years old.

The Christmas tree does exist in Japan, but it doesn’t have nearly the prominence as it does in the West. Instead, pine trees, are more apropos for the Japanese New Year- a holiday much, much larger and more important in Japan than Christmas.

Traditionally speaking, New Year’s in Japan, shogatsu, is a time to give thanks to everything and everyone that helped make the previous year a good one.

Doorways are adorned on either side with twin kadomatsu, decorations made from pine branches, bamboo, and straw. The pine is a symbol of longevity and the bamboo represents prosperity. Other decorations adorn households, including kagami mochi. Kagami mochi is a large stack of two mochi cakes topped with a mikan (orange). These displays are meant to attract luck into the household.

Mass mailings of New Year’s post cards, nengajō, similar to our mass mailings of Christmas cards, flood post offices the days before New Year’s. Everyone writes to their friends and family to inform them of what’s passed in the former year, much like the American practice of stuffing annoying family newsletters into Christmas cards.

The following days of New Year’s are filled with “firsts”: Hatsumōde, first prayer at a shrine; Hatsuhinode, first sunrise and Hatsuyume, first dream. During the first visit to a shrine, people will dress in kimono and line up to pray and to purchase good luck talismans for the new year. The first dream of the New Year’s is a special one as it’s believed to portend what will come in the following year. The first food and drink of New Year’s has traditionally been toso or sake and ozoni.

During the first three days of New Years, no one works if they have the choice. The food has already been prepared, the gifts have been bought, the cards have been sent, and the house and streets are cleaned. People sit back, relax and enjoy themselves for three work-free days.

Our holidays may not be celebrated the same way they are in Japan, since Christmas is a Western import. However, we also consider New Year’s Day a time to relax, a time to reflect on the past year and to draw up resolutions for the upcoming one.

We haven’t imported any Japanese holidays of yet, but let’s allow some of Japan’s New Year’s traditions rub off on us: Going into this holiday season, let’s try to relax and be thankful that we survived the past year and grateful we’re here to celebrate the next.

Images copyright:
Japanese Santa
Christmas Cakes
Kagami mochi
Kadomatsu

For over half a century, a popular New Year’s Eve tradition in Japan has been to listen to or watch the Kōhaku Uta Gassen (Red & White Song Battle). This year will be the 58th edition of Kōhaku. The show features two teams of the most popular music performers of the past year. The Red team (akagumi) is made up of all the female artists/groups and the White team (shirogumi) is made up of all the male artists/groups. Each team will perform at least 25 songs.

At the end of the show, a panel of judges (celebrities) and the audience (who gets one vote…so it’s majority rules) selects the winning team. Since 2003, audience voting has become more complicated with the addition of voting from ISDB-T (Japanese digital broadcasting standard) viewers, cellphone users (since 2005), and, in 2006, 1seg (a form of mobile terrestrial digital audio/video and data broadcasting service in Japan) users. I believe that, after experimenting with giving each type of audience a vote, the system is back to a majority head count of the audience as a whole. Anyway, whichever team gets the most votes wins. The White team has won the last two years.

Although the show’s popularity has been diminishing recently, it is still an honor to be a participant. All the artists are there by invitation by a selection committee organized by NHK. This year’s lineup was announced by NHK and features 56 acts:

• Red Team: aiko, AKB48, Angela Aki, Amin, Ayaka, BoA, Leah Dizon, Dreams Come True, Natsuko Godai, Ayumi Hamasaki, Hello! Project 10th Anniversary Kohaku Special Team (Morning Musume, Berryz Koubou, °C-ute), Ayaka Hirahara, Yo Hitoto, Sayuri Ishikawa, Miyuki Kawanaka, Sachiko Kobayashi, Kumi Koda, Kaori Kozai, mihimaru GT, Kaori Mizumori, Yoko Nagayama, Shoko Nakagawa, Ataru Nakamura, Mitsuko Nakamura, Mika Nakashima, Ai Otsuka, Fuyumi Sakamoto, Yoshimi Tendo, Akiko Wada
• White Team: Masafumi Akikawa, Toshihide Baba, EXILE, Akira Fuse, Gackt, Kiyoshi Hikawa, Ken Hirai, Hiroshi Itsuki, Saburo Kitajima, Takeshi Kitayama, Kobukuro, Kome Kome Club, Kiyoshi Maekawa, Noriyuki Makihara, Kenichi Mikawa, Shinichi Mori, Porno Graffiti, Masashi Sada, SMAP, Masato Sugimoto, Sukima Switch, Akira Terao, Ichiro Toba, TOKIO, Hideaki Tokunaga, w-inds., WaT

The photo above shows the artists/groups making their first Kōhaku appearance…left to right: °C-ute (in red plaid), Berryz Koubou (in green plaid), Masato Sugimoto, Toshihide Baba, Ataru Nakamura, Shoko Nakagawa, Leah Dizon, and AKB48 (in blue jackets and gray plaid skirts).

Three of these “rookies” are quite popular among the Akihabara crowd…AKB48, Shoko Nakagawa, and Leah Dizon. NHK is planning to have them be the “top batter” (opening act) for the Red team. The will sing their songs individually, then perform together for an “anime theme song medley”.

AKB48 is short for Akihabara48. They are an idol group who has their own theater in Akihabara. They have 48 members who usually perform in 16 person teams (Team A, Team K, and Team B…of course). For their Kōhaku appearance, they will perform as a combined unit of 48.

Shoko “Shokotan” Nakagawa is a multi-tarento (multi-talented) idol. Besides singing, she is an actress, seiyÅ«, and illustrator. She also has a love of cosplaying…she was the World Cosplay Friendship Ambassador at the 2007 World Cosplay Summit.

Leah Dizon is a model and singer from the US (born in Las Vegas). She moved to Japan in 2006. In addition to her modeling and singing, she has become a TV personality co-hosting Webtama and hosting Sakigake Ongaku Banzuke Vegas.

This year will have a rarity. The host for the White team will be rakugo artist Tsurube Shofukutei. The host for the Red team will be SMAP leader Masahiro Nakai, who was last year’s White team host. This will be only the third time in Kōhaku’s history both teams have been hosted by men. The first two times, Teru Miyata and Keizo Takahashi were the hosts…this was in 1955 and 1956.

Kōhaku’s overall hosts will be announcers Miki Sumiyoshi and Kazuya Matsumoto.

Pictures from the Kōhaku website: © NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) All rights reserved.

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