Posts published in “Japan”

Mirror rice cake and Japanese Spirituality

Mirror rice cake and Japanese Spirituality

July 6, 2020

By Masato Kusakari

Japanese families display enormous rice cakes called kagami-mochi, namely, mirror rice cake, during the New Year Holiday. The kagami-mochi is as large as a volleyball, but it is flat like a pie.

The kagami-mochi is a sacred food for Japanese. The New Year Holiday is for Japanese to welcome the god of the incoming year, and the god must be welcomed to their houses and entertained by the special rice cake.

The incoming year god is called Toshi-gami-sama, namely, Mr. God of the Year. The god visits everyone’s house on January 1, and after a few days the god leaves back to the mountain. Then people are allowed to eat the rice cake. People eat it on a certain day, which is called “the day to open the mirror.”

They believe the rice cake has special powers: they will not get sick and can avoid disasters by eating the mirror cake on the mirror opening day. To sum up, kagami-mochi represents traditional beliefs that have been passed from generation to generation.

Photo by Masato Kusakari

Meaning of Osechi

Meaning of Osechi

July 6, 2020

By Kotone Muraki

Osechi a dish that can be eaten during the New Year in Japan. There are 20 to 30 types of side dishes in osechi. I think osechi is a gift from ancestors who have wished for good health. The reason is that each side dish in the osechi has its own meaning.

For example, shrimp symbolizes longevity because a shrimp is bent, which is similar to the back of an old man who lives long until the waist is bent. Black beans have the meaning that they work hard until they get a black tan. In addition to this, osechi also has wonderful meaning that each side dish can be healthy for one year this year.

Also, osechi has a very long history of 1000 years. These are inherited from the generations of ancestors. Therefore, osechi is a present from forefather who is connected to the past and the future.

Photo by Kotone Muraki

Craftmanship in Stone Walls

Craftmanship in Stone Walls

July 6, 2020

By Kohei Nozaka

Japanese castles are built on stone walls, called Ishigaki, namely, walls made of stone. Although a lot of Japanese wooden castles are destroyed, the stone walls are still standing proudly on mountain tops overlooking downtown areas in many cities in Japan after being constructed during 10th century.

The magnificent ancient stone walls give modern people a glimpse of craftmanship: passion, expertise, and creativity. In order to build stone walls, a tremendous number of heavy stones must be carried from various parts of Japan. Unlike today powered by modern machinery, they needed to procure materials by sea.

Only passionate lords and dedicated servants were able to accomplish such a difficult task. Another amazing thing about the stone wall is how stone wall builders figured out the combination of variously shaped stones into a perfect wall.

The stones had various shapes and sizes, and some were good for the top and others were good for the bottom part of a wall. The builders were able to find out how to balance the pieces like solving a difficult puzzle.

In addition, the ancient builders developed a creative solution for water to flow through the gaps between stones. That is why the ancient stone walls remain unchanged even today. Thus, the stone walls of Japanese castles are filled with the wisdom of old architects.

Photo by “Matsue Castle” by Clay Gilliland is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Calligraphy in Japanese education

Calligraphy in Japanese education

July 6, 2020

By Ryuya Nozaki

This is a calligraphy set which I used when I was an elementary school child. In this bag, there are brushes, ink, paper wait, pieces of thin paper, and felt mat. This smells like the ink that reminds me of my calligraphy experiences.

Calligraphy was brought to Japan from China in the 11^th century and Japanese started to learn how to write. Since then calligraphy has been an important subject of education. Japanese children take calligraphy lessons in elementary school and junior high school as a required subject.

Currently Japanese do not use brushes and ink for regular writing, but letters drawn by a brush has special meanings. For example, Japanese perform kakizome, the first writing of the year, to show their new year resolutions on long sheets of paper in January.

Such letters are displayed on the wall because Japanese feel something spiritual in the brush drown letters. There are so-called a shodo performance, an exhibition where writers wearing white kimono and traditional black trousers draw powerful letters using an enormous brush on a sheet as big as a carpet, among calligraphy clubs at high schools.

The audience enjoy watching the exciting process of brush-drawn lines and dots turning to something spiritual. I am glad I took calligraphy lessons because I am able to admire the beauty of calligraphy.

Photo by Ryuya Nozaki

Carp streamers, symbol of Japanese family

Carp streamers, symbol of Japanese family

July 6, 2020

By Tatsuya Hironaka

Tourists who travel in rural areas of Japan in May can watch colorful fish-shaped objects fluttering in the wind. They are called koi-no-bori, namely, carps climbing upstream.

The fish objects are carps because carps are considered strong and beautiful fish in Japan. The carp streamers are a symbol of the ideal Japanese family. There are usually more than three fabric carps displayed, symbolizing the nuclear family.

The set should have the biggest one, the second biggest and the smallest. The biggest one on the top, usually painted in dark colors, represents the father. The size is usually seven meters long. The second one painted red, represents the mother, whose size is about five meters long.

The smallest one shows the child, whose size is about three meters long. If a family has more children, they should add the number of the small one. Since they are enormous, it is rare for families living in cites show off traditional carp streamers, but they hang smaller sets made of paper in their balconies, hoping that their children will grow up healthy and strong just like the carp streamers.

Photo by “Apr09(2009-04-30)308” by giu205 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

2020 Entrance Ceremony held at the University of Shimane

2020 Entrance Ceremony held at the University of Shimane

April 3, 2020

With Shimane prefecture’s being one of the three corona virus free prefectures in Japan, the University of Shimane held the entrance ceremony on April 2, 2020 as scheduled.

In welcome address, the University Shimane’s President, Dr. Masayoshi Kiyohara congratulated the 248 undergraduate and graduate students, wishing a fruitful and enjoyable student life ahead. He stated the college experiences form the foundation of an individual as it is the time to foster various abilities such as creativity, understanding, cooperation, overcoming difficulties through meeting a variety of new people.

Dr. Kiyohara encouraged the new students to play an active part in various fields of the campus and community as the “anchors” of the Faculty of Policy studies, as they are the last cohort of the faculty, which will be reorganized into the Faculty of International Relations and the Faculty of Regional Policy Studies in 2021.

Miss Momone Kakita made an oath on behalf of the new students, promising that they would like to acquire foreign language and communication abilities as well as expert knowledge on policy studies to contribute to the development of society.

The entrance ceremony was shortened this year for 20 minutes with health authorities recommending social distancing in order to prevent the corona virus from spreading across Japan.

Announcing all the students’ names, speeches by guests, singing songs and photo shooting were cancelled.

The mother of a freshman, who waited outside of the auditorium, said that she was very pleased at the fact the University of Shimane did not cancel the entrance ceremony, as it is a very memorable day for parents.

Mr. Takenao Masuda, a male student, said he liked the short ceremony. For him the most memorable part of the ceremony was the song Dr. Kiyohara offered: The breeze of spring across the hills, to tell the start of new learning. He would like to learn a lot of new things so that he can become someone who can make people smile.

Despite the request of social distancing, the freshmen hung out in front of the auditorium. They took photos and discussed what to do for a week, because the orientation programs and classes will be cancelled next week. They will have nothing to do until Monday, April 13.

Students were wondering when they would receive their PC’s, how to log on the University’s wifi network, which courses to register, etc. A lot of students were at loss because face to face orientations were cancelled, and they must read written documents with college jargons to navigate the first few weeks in a new environment.

Life Saving Summer Memory

Life Saving Summer Memory

February 17, 2020

By Shin Takebe

The University of Shimane

This summer I was working at Iwami Seaside Park as a lifeguard. It was really fun because during my free time, I could enjoy some activities with other lifeguards but also there were dangerous days. It was a really hard job for me but I got a lot of experiences through this job.

Hamada city, in Shimane prefecture is located on western side of Japan. This prefecture facing the Japan sea so there are many beaches. Iwami Seaside Park is the largest beach in Hamada city, the total length of this beach is 3km! You can see beautiful sky and sea at this beach but when typhoon is approaching, The waves get higher and nobody can swim. At the beginning of the August, This beach was always crowded but Around late August, the sea bathers were less than before.

There are lifeguards who belong to Hamada Lifesaving Club and they are lifeguarding at the beach during the summer season. The members are twenties to fifties. Also they did some activities like stand up paddleboarding, wakeboarding, and snorkeling. They are not professional because they are working at company during the week and if they have a free time like the weekend, they lifeguard at this beach.

The first day, I had free time so I did stand up paddleboarding with sea bathers and other lifeguards. That was a hot, sunny day so I got a tan but the sea was a really beautiful. That’s why we really enjoyed this activity. In the middle of August, a typhoon came to Japan. This caused big waves, These big waves took some sea bathers out to the sea and I helped them by using a rescue board. The rescue board is looks like a long board to surf but it has more buoyancy and thick. We have a lot of rescue board and we use this like this situation. It was a really dangerous day but no one was hurt. Around late August, there were less sea bathers than at the beginning of the month, so we did wakeboarding. I think that wakeboarding is a little bit it more difficult than the other activities but we really enjoyed this sports.

In brief, it was really hard job but I learned that how to help people who are taken away by the big waves, how to work as a lifeguard, and so on. My Lifeguarding job became a great summer memory that I can not forget!!

Archery Changes My Life

Archery Changes My Life

February 17, 2020

By Chihiro Morihara

The University of Shimane

This August, my life of Japanese archery was changed. I participated in preliminary contest of the National Sports Festival in the Chugoku region, held in Izumo, Shimane. Meeting great teachers, teammates and other participants from other prefectures affected me very much. I could learn many things and I grew as a player of Japanese archery.

Before writing about my special experience, I will explain to you about Japanese archery. Japanese archery is one of Japan’s traditional sports. We use a bow and four arrows. We can get a point when we hit a row on the target. The length from the center of the target is not related to the score. All we have to do is hit the target. Players compete by adding up the total number of hit arrows.

The meet gave me three opportunities. First, it gave me a chance to meet many players of Japanese archery. I could see many players in Shimane; 10 teammates, 3 coaches and their friends and teachers. We could get to know each other through this meet. They told me not only how to play Japanese archery better but also how to repair and maintain my equipment.

Second, it gave me a chance to learn about the way to control my nervousness before a large competition. The meet was held in Izumo Dome in Shimane. Domes are larger than places where I usually practice and play. I have participated in a large meet held in a big dome like this, but I didn’t play well because I was too nervous to do my best. So, I didn’t want to make the same mistake again this time. To do my best, I did two things. First, I talked with my teammates to prevent me from thinking too much about possible mistakes I might meet. Second, I wrote out why I was so nervous. Before writing out about it, I didn’t know what made me nervous, so I wrote out what I feel anxious to visualize my worries. For example, I wrote “It’s important to calm myself down because I can’t hit my arrows when I feel heat.” These two things worked well.

Finally, the meet gave me a chance to improve my skill of Japanese archery. Through not only the day of the meet but also self-practicing for it, I certainly could make progress. The environment around me was great because people around us cheered me and gave me advice. I was very pleased when my teammates and coaches noticed my effort and praised about it and my progress. That helped improve my skill and motivate me. In addition, it helped me even more mentally. People around me gave me the power to practice more and more. I had practiced harder than ever for the meet and improved my skill because players around me were much better than me. However, they were not students and didn’t have time to practice hard, but I was a student and had much more free time than them, so I thought the only thing I could win over them was quantity of practice, and I practiced about 4 hours per day. As a result, I could hit 3 of 4 arrows on the target on the day of the meet. However, I noticed the quantity of the practice is as important as quality of it to prepare for the day of the meet, because our team couldn’t win the meet. I think I should have practiced with my teammates together more. I always practiced alone but it was important to practice like the real part.

Through the meet, I learned that the more I practice, the better I can do. Also, knowing each other with players of Japanese archery is important because they help me when I fall in a slump. Also, I noticed the environment around me is very important for upgrading my skill. I think the three opportunities I got through the meet held this August and practicing for it changed my life of Japanese archery, and I believe this experience will help me in the future.

Be Prepared, Secret of Success

Be Prepared, Secret of Success

February 17, 2020

By Takumi Oto

The University of Shimane

On October 1^st, I found again that getting ready is essential for success. I got a job offer from the company I will enter after graduation from university this April. The company held a “newbie ceremony” at its building called the Comprehensive Center in Osaka on October 1^stfor new recruits.

One day, I was given a mission by the human resources employee before the ceremony was held. The mission was to read an address replying beck to the president’s encouragement one for the new recruits. When I got the call, I felt honored, but at the same time, a little nervous, too. Referring to two previous addresses sent to me, I wrote an original one, and sent it to the company to check. After making sure my address was suitable for the ceremony twice, the time when I would have to read it got closer. Not to read it out loud with a shaking voice, I decided to practice reading and to give myself confidence. I went to a karaoke booth alone with my address paper and read it again and again through a microphone. That was the first preparation I did by myself for success.

My second form of preparation happened on the day, October 1^st. I arrived at the center two hours earlier than the opening of the ceremony since I planned to practice the actions in the ceremony and read out loud the address. One HR employee and I did it together, and that was helpful because I could imagine how to behave during the ceremony. After having lunch with him, at 1:00 pm, the ceremony finally started. It’s held in a medium-sized hall, 23 new recruits including me were in the hall and 10 board members sat in front of us. After the introduction of each board member, the receiving of the offer confirmation, and then the president’s address, my turn came. I was not nervous but confident because I knew how to walk in the front of the president, read out loud the address, and fold the paper to give him, so I carried out the mission. Practicing those steps was the factor for my success. Without this practice, I would have felt more nervous and would have not been that confident when I was in front of all the participants.

Therefore, I was able to realize again that to keep practicing is the huge factor for succeeding. Those two steps -reading out loud alone in the karaoke box and practicing with a partner in the real situation- gave me confidence and better understanding of what to do in the ceremony. Getting ready for the actual performance is necessary for the success.

Beach cleanup raises environmental awareness

Beach cleanup raises environmental awareness

March 12, 2019

Fifty volunteers gathered at the beach of Iwami Sea Side Park, Shimane prefecture on Sunday, March 10, 2019 for collecting trash on the beach.

The volunteers were 28 US service members of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and 18 Japanese students of the University of Shimane.

The international event was organized by ISP, the company that manages Iwami Seaside Park, which consists of two beaches, campsites, cabins, sports facilities, aquarium and parks.

Mr. Yoshiro Morikawa, President of ISP, welcomed the volunteers and expressed his gratitude to the participants. He said a lot of trash was washed up to the beach in winter and the beach cleaning effort in winter was necessary to welcome tourists in summer.

The volunteers then grabbed big garbage bags for burnable and non-burnable trash and walked the length of the beach and picked up the litter.

There were a lot of objects on the sand. Seina, freshman, said “there were a variety of items: salad dressing containers, fishing nets, plastic spoons and plates. I picked them up again and again, but no matter how much I collected trash, I saw a lot of trash lying on the beach.”

The volunteers worked for one hour, ending up collecting ocean trash that filled two trucks.
After the cleaning, a big BBQ lunch was offered by the organizer. Both the students and the Americans enjoyed a great lunch and conversation in English.

The beach cleaning was educational for the college students, because it raised awareness of the litter problem on the beach. Kasumi, sophomore, said she had not realized there was so much litter on the beach because she had never participated in this type of project before. Shusuke, freshman, noticed the trash on the beach was an international issue, because a lot of plastic bottles had labels written in a foreign language.

The interaction with the Americans also motivated the college students to study English more. Amane, freshman, said, “I could not initiate conversation in English. I thought that I had to to overcome my shyness. I also need to increase my English vocabulary, because I could not understand what they said well nor was I able to express myself in English.”

Takumi, junior, said the best thing was that the Americans were friendly and he enjoyed English conversation so much. Yui, freshman, said he enjoyed learning about the life in military. Rie, sophomore, got curious about the life in the base and felt like visiting it.

At the end, the cleanup crew took a group photo and exchanged LINE information each other. Despite the rain, the international beach cleanup was a very successful event: a cleaner beach, insight into the trash problem, motivation to study English and heart-warming conversations. Everyone is looking forward to a next opportunity to make a meaningful contribution.