Don't be a bully!

I saw this colorful character the other day performing while walking around Shibuya. He was singing a song encouraging young people to not do "ijime" which is a form of bullying among students that is a ongoing worry in Japan as there have been an upsurge in student suicides recently. I liked his hat ...

Aquarius sports drink spot airing

Glad this spot is finally airing. I'm still trying to get a full res copy for my reel (the production company is kind of strict about releasing spots), but in the meantime, I just wanted to post this link to the online site for Aquarius Vitamin Guard, which has the 15 sec and 30 second version of the spot.

Small 'quake' the other day ..

was about 3 or so on the Richter scale (out of 7)...was enough to
wake me up at 3 AM...whole building was shaking pretty good. lasted about 30 seconds. For Japanese, a 'jishin' of 3 is kind of nothing but, but to me is was definitely kinda freaky :0

Oshougatsu Part 2: Hatsumoude and Fukubukuro

Continuing from the last post, the second part of the holiday of Oshougatsu is 'Hatsumoude' (taking the trip to the local shrine), and Shopping sprees. Going to the local (or a famous one) shrine can be done either at midnight on New Year's eve, if you are brave enough to bear the cold and long lines, or in the days right after. I went that night and it was really cold! At least you get a warm cup of 'amazake' at some shrines (Amazkae kind of warm rice mile with some sake added. I guess its like eggnog a bit).

Going to shrine is not so much a religious thing as it is a cultural one. I understand from friends that Shinto its not considered religion, since it's so deeply ingrained in the culture and has less emphasis on money, as opposed to the way Buddhism has evolved here, but I digress. Bascially you wait until its your turn and then approach the shrine, bow, throw 5 yen in (its like 5 cents and is pronounced 'go-en' is a play on a word meaning 'luck'), clap your hands to awaken the gods, and make your wish. After that there are various fortune and luck-related services available. Some people write their wish for the new year on boards called 'ema'. I have read things like "help me pass this exam", or things like that. Another thing some people opt to do is get an 'omamori' or talisman/protector for the year. You can get different ones for different things you want luck in such as health, school, travel, etc. When the next year comes, you bring the one from last year and they burn it there at the shrine in a ceremony, you dont throw them away.

Lastly, you can get 'omikuji', which is your fortune for the year. Basically you rattle a box with wood sticks inside and pull one out. Each has a number and the number corresponds to your fortune. Even for some Japanese, they can be hard to interpret, but basically you get 'daikitchi' (bigluck), 'kitchi' (luck), or 'kyou' (not so great luck). I dont know what mine is, I have to find someone to interpret it for me! lol

For more worldly pursuits, there are plenty of incredible shopping sales going on, where vendors cut prices from 10 to 50 percent and most take advantage of this, since living here is kinda expensive. Instead of buying off the rack, a lot of stores offer what is called 'fukubukuro' which means lucky bag. You pay a set price, much lower than the value of the contents, but what's in the bag is unknown in most cases. The fact it's such a low price (like half or more) can be a good deal if you like most of the items in that store. I am not much of a gambler so this didn't appeal to me. I did get a nice deal on a winter coat, but waited in probably the longest line of my life! It went around the store 2 times and took about an hour and a half. It’s holiday so people have time and surprisingly no one lost their tempers or got impatient about it. They say 'shouga nai' which means 'there is little you can do about it' (so dont get upset!)

Oshougatsu Part 1: Osechi

New Year's is a great time to really experience a lot of tradition in Japan as there are so many things going on. It basically runs from Dec 31st to Jan 3rd and the whole country takes a break from busy life to be with family, celebrate and relax. I was lucky enough to be invited to experience this festive tradition yet again this year in the traditonal way. The main parts of of 'Oshougatsu' (New Year) seem to be eating, games, sleeping, TV, shopping, and a visit to the local Shrine. I will cover the Shrine visit and shopping in the next post. Ok, first the food (my favorite part)...

Many different types of food are eaten during this time, the centerpiece being the 'Osechi' which is made up of variety of pickled and stewed vegtables, sashimi and dried fish, meat, and other delicacies which are served in stackable, black-lacquered trays. Basically all the ingredients represent the wishes for long life, wealth, happiness, and a fresh start to the new year. Other foods come before or after the osechi, such as soba noodles called 'toshi-koshi soba', which represents the wish for long life (long soba noodles, get it?). Then on New Year's you eat 'ozouni', which is a delicious soup with warm, gooey omochi(glutenous rice cakes) inside. Its a favorite for most people and certainly one of mine.

All these yummy foods are enjoyed traditionally around a 'kotatsu', which is a low table that is heated and has a blanket attached to keep in the heat. Usually only houses that have 'tatami' (straw-mat floor) have kotatsu. Everyone sits under the kotatsu's heated blanket and then lies down under it to watch TV, sleep and roll around (gorogoro), and then wake up and eat again. Its really an eating and sleeping marathon with lots of leg-kicking as members jockey for position under the table.

Speaking of TV, there are some great shows that people do not miss during this time. The biggest are the fighting events (Pride and K-1) and 'Kouhaku' (means red and white which are celebration colors in Japan). Kouhaku splits famous singers into 2 teams , red and white, as they compete for the audience's vote for the prize. Everyone pretty much flips between these 2 types of shows between naps.

Oshougatsu reminds me a lot of Thankgiving with all the emphasis on family, eating and napping, etc. Its a great family holiday and a needed break from the daily grind for everyone, I think. I feel lucky to have been able to participate in it. Here are some more pics of the osechi I enjoyed...

Christmas Eve Wedding

I was fortunate enough to be invited to my boss's 'kekkonshiki' (wedding) which was the first time I ever attended a Japanese weddding. Even though it was western style for the most part, the cuisine and a lot of the details of the ceremony had touches of Japanese traditon to them. There was a small chapel service and then the reception was held at the Teikoku Hotel which is right next to the Koukyo (emperor's palace). It's a very ritzy place for weddings and everything was 5-star for sure. I had to make a short toast as i accepted a gift (as no surprise, there is lots of gift-giving in all directions) so I made it short and sweet. I felt very honored to be included as i was the only gaijin there. Some pics are of the bride and groom, as well as myself with some of my coworkers. Kampai! (Cheers!)