cherry blossom

The cherry blossom is a much beloved flower in Japan, more commonly known as the "sakura". It symbolises the coming of spring and the Japanese usually welcome the change in season by admiring the flowers and having parties under its trees.


In Japan, the cherry tree is planted and cultivated for its beauty and appreciated for its fragilility. During its peak, the flowers cover almost the whole of the tree and is a sight to behold. However, it only lasts for a few weeks before dropping off and being replaced by green leaves and buds.


Every year, the Japanese Meteoroligical Agency and the public in general track the "sakura zensen" (cherry-blossom front) via nightly forecasts following the weather segment of news channels. It shows the blossoming of the sakura from the southernmost part in Okinawa as early as January, up to the northern Honshu areas and ending in Hokkaido a end of April/May.

Good luck Talisman

A good luck talisman is known as "Engimono" in Japanese. It is believed that the engimono brings good luck, and are mainly sold at shops within shrine grounds. People buy them in the hope of having a better fortune.

Today I will share with you a form of the Daruma Doll, which is somewhat like an engimono.

The Japanese buys a Daruma doll when he/she wants to make a wish.

When the doll is bought, one of the eyes is painted in. If the wish does in fact come true, they will paint in the other eye as a sign of gratitude. Election candidates always have one of these dolls in their campaign office.

Getting a Daruma doll is good as a gift for new-borns as it is believed to give good health to both the mother and baby. It can also be a suitable gift for weddings as well.

If you want to have your own Daruma doll, please visit UJ.

Shogi

Was watching a Jap guy teach his Korean friend Shogi, Japanese chess. Played by 2 players, the objective of this board game is to capture the opponent's King. Shogi is played on a 9x9 board, each side having 20 pieces each - 1 King, 2 Gold generals, 2 Silver generals, 2 Knights, 2 Lances, 1 Rook, 1 Bishop & 9 Pawns.



Much of the moves are similar to what we all know as the western chess, except for some interesting differences. For example : some of the pieces get promoted to stronger pieces once they reach the opponent's side of the board. Their new ranks are written at the back of the pieces, so the piece is flipped to reflect the change. Promotion, however, is optional, provided that the piece still can make a legal move in case it is not promoted.



Another one is that captured pieces become part of the capturer's force. They can be dropped back onto the board, in an empty square. Pieces are always dropped unpromoted. Meaning, if a promoted piece is captured, it reverts back to its unpromoted rank.



This makes shogi an exciting board game to play. If you're familiar with western chess, it's relatively easy to learn up japanese chess, whose moves are a little varied. Once you are able to recognise the Japanese characters for each piece, you're on your way to enjoying this immensely popular Japanese board game. I even managed to play another type of game with the same board, but only using Pawns. It's called hasami, or scissors. ;)

Ninjutsu 忍術

The Japanese character for "Nin" (忍) is composed of 2 parts. The upper means "blade" while the lower means "heart" or "spirit". Combined together, they mean "stealth" and "secretness", along with "endurance" and "perseverance". The 2nd character "Jutsu" (術) means "technique". Although the popular belief is that Ninjutsu means the art of stealth, actual practitioners of this art consider it to also mean the art of endurance.

In the age of the warlordsm the ninja art of subterfuge was most useful in spying, obtaining enemy information, assassinations and undercover intrigue. Ninja formed a special social class of their own in certain areas of Japan. especially in the Iga, Koga, Yakeda and Togakushi areas. Ninja techiniques were grouped in a number of different styles.

One of the more popular tools of Ninja : Shuriken ("hand released blade"), which is to be thrown at adversaries). It is known in the West as "death stars".

Ninja-themed amusement parks are found in various parts of Japan. Visit one of them and have some fun!

Kansai ben

Have you been to the Kansai area? Also known as the Kinki region, it's located in the Southern-central region on the Honshu island of Japan. Both the Kansai and Kinki names are used interchangeably in modern times, even though their uses were different in the past.

If you are learning Japanese, you will find that the dialect used in Kansai is different from what you would normally hear in Tokyo or most parts of Japan. Like how the spoken English is different between the Scots and Londoners.


Most Japanese comedy, or Owarai, originated from the Kansai region.
Hence, the large number of comedy theaters in this area, notably in Osaka.


Another famous place in the Kansai region is Kyoto, where many traditional and beautiful temples can be found.

The dialect spoken in this region is known as the Kansai-ben, and people in cities such as Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe speak it. Even to Japanese from other parts of Japan, they can't make out some of these words, and have long been considered a sort of cryptic dialect! It is not surprising then, that foreigners trying to learn Japanese are baffled when in Kansai region or being surrounded by people speaking the Kansai dialect.

Take this example, of asking the price of an item :
How much is it? (English)
Kore oikura desuka? (Tokyo)
Kore nanbo ya? (Kansai-ben)

It is said that not only is the language slightly different in Kansai, but the culture as well. While it is almost a faux pas to ask for discount in Tokyo, or other parts of Japan, it is the opposite in Kansai. You can try to bargain for an item, but of course it depends on the store as well!

Cuttlefish are not fish but molluscs

Japanese food is not just known for its unique taste, but the methods of cooking and the ingredients used are also unique. Shown here is one of those unique but popular food.


In the northernmost island of Japan, Hokkaido, there is a large fish market area. Many people go there to get their supply of fresh seafood, in particular for sushi and sashimi. Cuttlefish is a specialty in Hakodate, which is located in the southern area of Hokkaido.


In the picture above, a live and moving cuttlefish is being shown to the people who are waiting to buy some. Usually you can just catch them from the water and cut it live.


If you're into seafood, especially if you're Japanese, you will feel hungry seeing this picture. But to some people, it looks so strange it doesn't arouse any appetite. However, this is how a cuttlefish looks like after it is cut. The skin is white in colour, and you can just pour some soy sauce and eat it fresh.

St Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is celebrated around the world on the 14th of February. In western countries such as North America and Europe, it is a tradition for lovers to express their feelings by sending Valentine's Day cards, bouquet of flowers and confectionery such as chocolates and sweets.

In Japan, we celebrate it quite differently. On the 14th of February, the girls will give chocolates to the guys, while the guys will return the favour 1 month later on the 14th of March. I first learnt about Valentine's Day when I was about 10 years old. I bought 3 boxes of chocolates, all wrapped in pink paper. I put one of it in my teacher's shoe box, and wrote my name on it ;) The other 2, I gave them to my father and grandfather.

Sometimes, we take the opportunity to give presents to say thank you to the other person as well. However, if you fancy someone, then it's a culture to make original chocolates or presents to show your affection. Many stores in Japan will be selling chocolates in fancy wrapping and boxes, in all types of brands and choices. Quite a sight, actually.

Today, I made some chocolate on my own, following a recipe from a book. I gave some to my father, brother, uncle, cousin, mother, aunt to show them my appreciation. I also made a special one to my boyfriend, to show him much I love him.

I wonder how Valentine's Day is celebrated in other countries. Perhaps you could share with us here? Or you could even visit our site at Unique Japan to find some presents for your loved ones!

Doraemon

Some of you might be familiar with Doraemon, a Japanese manga character created by Fujiko Fujio. This character is from a time somewhere in the future, and thus has magical powers. Doraemon has a fourth-dimensional pocket on its body, and is able to pull out many types of things or devices, known as dōgu from it.

In this manga series, the story always depicts the boy Nobita who goes through his daily live with some mischief and trouble, but with the help of Doraemon and his friends and family, they usually end happily. This particular manga has a faithful following due to its good-natured storyline, and its watched by both the young and old.

I'm not surprised if everyone who watches Doraemon takes a special liking to it!

Some of these are items from another popular character, Crayon Shin Chan. The manga series for this character is shown all around the world, making it very popular actually.

When I was in Spain, I stumbled upon Crayon Shin Chan and Dragon Ball on the TV. I was surprised to find out they were so popular there as well. Even though it was shown in a different language, but it's still quite heartwarming to know that people around the world still share some similar interests and values!

Guriko

The picture above shows "Takoyaki", the famous delicacy of octopus balls from Osaka. It is really an exciting city. There are many places for visitors to tour and sightsee, and delicious food to enjoy as well.


Dotonburi - This is also another famous tourist spot, so famous in fact that you will find pictures about Osaka filled with the image of the running Glico man. Here we call it the "Guriko man". This is taken near the bridge.


A night shot of this place :

Some may find this similar to CHIEMSEE, a brand of a sportswear company, but it actually is not!


Ezaki Glico is a Japanese confectionery company headquartered in Osaka. The company manufactures the traditional Glico caramel candy, as well as Pocky (also known as Mikado in Europe), and many others. The company name, Glico, is derived from a shortening of the word glycogen. The first candy produced by the company was known as Glico-Caramel.


The Glico 300 meter running man trademark is also derived from the original caramel candy: the candy is 15.4kcal, which is enough energy to run exactly 300 meters. (Calculated from the formula that for a person 165 centimeters in height, weighing 55 kilograms, an 160 meter run over the period of one minute will burn 8.21 calories. Over the period of 1.88 minutes they should be able to run 300 meters and burn 15.4kcal).


If you ever have the chance to come to Japan, please try Pocky, we have many variations of it!

Asakusa sanja Matsuri

SANJA MATSURI, which is one of the Three Great Festivals of EDO (now Tokyo)
It was called Sanja Gongen in honor of the three men, Hajinonakatomo, Hinokuma Hamanari, and Hinokuma Takenari who found and recovered the statue of Kannon that is now enshrined at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa-ura (Miyato River), now a branch stream of Sumida River.




The Sanja-matsuri is famous for its spectacular procession of portable shrines. The portable shrines from parishioner organizations of Asakusa Shrine in each of the 44 neighborhoods gather at 1 p.m. on Saturday in the precincts of Sensoji Temple, giving Asakusa a festive atmosphere. The three portable shrines are carried out of Asakusa shrine at 6 a.m. on Sunday. Each of them is carried off in three different directions and taken around the communities of the parishioner organizations.

Women also do!

These above are men with costume.



This call Wagasa that is Japanese Umbrella. Today they use for Sun block.

Wagasa will come Uniquejapan as new products soon.

2005/05/17

Celebrating Hina Matsuri

Hinamatsuri takes place on March 3, and is the day that families pray for the happiness and prosperity of their girls, helping to ensure that they grow up healthy and beautiful.

The history of Hinamatsuri is very long.


This Dall made at End of Meiji centry


Middle of Edo centry


Meiji centry

The festival was legally established in 1687; many 18th-century dolls survive now as antiques. Although the basic pyramidal style of the two main dolls persists, there have been many styles and fads over three centuries. Only gradually did the doll-makers of Kyoto and Edo, and their wealthy customers, evolve the full display with at least 15 dolls and plenty of miniature furniture. In the early 20th century it became more accepted that every little girl should have a hina-matsuri display, and various smaller and cheaper formats were devised. Nowadays small sets may be valued by apartment-dwellers, and once again the emphasis is on the two main dolls.

Happy New Year 2007

Wishing you a very healthy, happy and prosperous 2007
by Unique Japan

Bonsai Party in Japan

Bonsai Fever 2007

Bonsai (literally "tray gardening") is the art of aesthetic miniaturisation of trees and plants in containers.

Japanese bonsai is derived from the Chinese artform, and was introduced to Japan by imperial embassies in the Chinese Tang Dynasty (the C7th–9th).

The Japanese aesthetic is centred on the principle of "heaven and earth in one container". Three forces come together in a good bonsai: shin-zen-bi (真善美) or "truth", "essence" and "beauty".

From next year, we would like to show you how to create your very own true, modern Bonsai. It will light up any home or garden!

So please check back in 2007!

2007 - Year of the "Wild Boar" (Inoshishi)

Next year, 2007, is the year of the wild boar, or "Inoshishi" in Japan. It is said that "Inoshishi" people are honest and have a strong sense of individuality

In the back of this photo is a beautiful Japanese gold-leaf screen. The cost of this magnificent piece is approximately 10,000 USD. If you are interested in purchasing this item, please contact us here. Serious inquiries only.

ShichiGoSan - A Wonderful Day of Celebration

A wonderful day to celebrate



"Shichi Go San" means "Seven Five Three". Girls of ages three and seven and boys of age three and five are celebrated on Shichigosan, and it is prayed for their good health and growth.

Shichigosan takes place on November 15, however it is not a national holiday. On November 15 or the closest weekend, young people will visit a Shinto Shrine dressed up in kimono.

Odd numbers are considered lucky numbers in Japan. Long candies in bags that are decorated with turtles and cranes are given to the children. The candy, the crane, and the turtle, have all come to symbolize longevity.

Syougi - A Uniquely Japanese Game

Syougi" is the Japanese equivalent of chess. Here are two friends having fun on a Sunday afternoon.

Hannya mask Noh character, Japan

The Hannya mask, with its horns and sharp fangs, is probably the best known of all Noh masks. This character was once a beautiful woman who fell in love with a priest. Her unrequited love causes her to turn into a monster who expresses the fury of a woman overwhelmed by jealousy and anger.
Mayumi