Private Import Japan Blog: japanese culture

Showing posts with label japanese culture. Show all posts

How does Japanese spend in New Year's Eve?

Talking about New year's Eve in Japan, these words come across my mind.

- Joya no Kane (除夜の鐘)

- Kohaku Uta Gassen (紅白歌合戦)

- Toshikoshi Soba (年越しそば)

All we appreciate this day, look back on this year, and decide next year's resolution. Also, a lot of people go back to their home town and they take their time with their families and enjoy a new year.

Joya no Kane (Midnight Tolling of the Temple Bells)

Joya-no-Kane is one of the event on New year's Eve in Japan. This event is held every year around Japan and the family waits up to hear the Joya-no-Kane, or midnight tooling of the temple bells. They usually strike the bell 108 times and there are various theories as to the 108 strokes. All Japanese thinks it is an important event to close out their current year.

Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Singing Contest)

Kohaku Uta Gassen is an annual music show on New Year's Eve produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK and broadcast on television and radio. Kohaku (紅白) means Red and White. In the show, male artists belong to White team and female artists belong to Red team, and they sing their song one after the other. Usually it starts on 7:00 pm and ends on 11:45 pm. As Kohaku ends, it's almost the end of the year. We hear Joya-no-Kane during the song program.

2013 Kohaku Uta Gassen Official Website
http://www1.nhk.or.jp/kouhaku/

Toshikoshi Soba (A bowl of hot soba noodles)

We have the habit of eating Soba noodle in New Year's Eve. Eating it, we watch Kohaku Uta Gassen, and hear Joya-no-Kane. This is an ordinary style in Japan for a long time. Also, this is how to enjoy New year's Eve for us.

Extras
I found Joya-no-Kane APP for iTunes. lol
https://itunes.apple.com/app/joya-no-kane/id299860675?mt=8

What is America Mura?

America Mura is a name of area in Osaka, and it is called "Ame-mura". Osaka has several places we can play though, I can say Umeda and Namba (Shinsaibashi) is TOP 2 cities in Osaka. Also, Umeda is called Kita area and Namba is called Minami area. Kita means north and Minami means south. We often hear someone's talking by phone when we walk in the street in Osaka.

"Hey, where are you now?"

"I'm in Minami!"

Ame-mura Fashion

In this area, we often see young people wearing unique clothes and accessories. Of course it is not for all people in Ame-mura, but I feel there are many of them. Also, there are a lot of used clothes shops along the streets. The prices of those used items run the gamut, but you will enjoy only seeing them in Ame-mura.

Kouga-ryu Takoyaki

There is a Takoyaki store in front of a park called "Sankaku Kouen (Triangle Park)". This takoyaki shop is vary famous in Japan. Kouga-ryu Takoyaki, we call it. My favorite menu at the shop is "Negi-pon" takoyaki. The takoyaki has green onion on the top and put a ponzu sauce. Can you imagine it? It is very delicious. Please try to eat "Negi-pon" when you have a chance to visit Ame-mura!

Does Ama-mura become a dangerous zone at midnight?

Actually, I say "yes". There are a lot of young people in Ame-mura even if it is midnight. Also, red-light area is working and many drinking places opens until morning, so it is true that someone who does bad things appears in those town. However, there are nice bars or great disco clubs, too. So if you choose the best place, you won't meet any troubles.

What the place Harajuku is?
Harajuku is the general name of the area in Tokyo. It is from Harajuku Station to the Omotesando area. Takeshita Street is famous street. As we see the history in Harajuku, it goes back a long way. Actually I don't know the history before I was born, but for example, a lot of young people were crowded at Takeshita street in 1980 because many shops dealing with apparel, talents' goods, etc. gathered shops, gathered there intensively. In 1990, some import shops came at Omotesando, and this area was called Ura-Harajuku.

Read, See and Know Harajuku with a book "Hara-J (Harajuku-Joshi)"
There is a book I recommend for you. The book's name is "Hara-J". There are many snap shots in the book and even if you don't know Japanese words, you could enjoy and know about Harajuku's atomosphere. Watch a video immediately below. It showed all pages of this book!

Skimming thru "Haraj"

Do you need more? You can see more photos and videos at Hara-J Official Website.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's Making of Hara-J

I guess many women's magazines control Japanese women's fashion. There are so many magazines for women. How many girls books are there in Japan? Click here to learn it.

Wanna buy this book? If you want, please make your order on PIJ with this link.
http://books.rakuten.co.jp/rb/12076712/, and go to How to order it on PIJ.

Many Itasha took part in "Minkara Open Meeting 2013" which was held at Yamanako lake in Japan. Itasha is a car decorated or painted with anime characters. I introduced some really "Itai (痛い)" cars here. Enjoy it!

(All pictures via from Alfalmosaic)

I often see illumination for Christmas coming. Since early times, in Japan, people have practiced Buddhism and Shinto for a long time, so there is a little difference in Christmas from overseas.

What does Christmas mean to Japanese people?

Streets, buildings, stores and houses are decorated with twinkling color lights during this season in Japan. As you already know, Christmas is originally the annual Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, and a widely observed holiday around the world, However, Christmas Day is not a national holiday in Japan. Christmas in Japan is a little different from Christmas in western countries. Usually, people in Japan enjoy celebrating Christmas regardless of their religion. It is like a festival and commercial matter for many people.

Christmas food in Japan

Important Christmas food for most Japanese are cake and chicken. Almost fathers buy cakes after thier works and get home to celebrate Christmas Day. Oh I must not forget the chicken. (my favorite food). In Japan, it is very popular to eat chicken in Christmas Day. Kentucky Fried Chicken stores are crowded with a lot of customers at the day.

Home illumination excited with feelings of competition

In this season, road in the night is light with the twinkle lights decorated with their homes. Daddy tries hard to decorate his house for their family using his holiday. As a house have lights, next door neighbor have more lights. Seeing it, daddy decides to raise the amount of lights, and the neighbor do the same thing again. In the result...

I went to the arcade (we call it the game center) the other day,
and I got some plushie of Hello Kitty! I took video :)

Watch it!
http://tinyurl.com/mgdk979

These are my catches :)

Hello Kitty 5 mascot plushie!
http://tinyurl.com/aus7ffm

Hello Kitty Big Cushion and Big Panda Plushie!
http://tinyurl.com/bcq8v8v
http://tinyurl.com/by2lq3v

You want them? ;)

Well, I saw new Hello Kitty Plush doll at "SANRIO ONLINE" in Japan.
This is that.
http://shop.sanrio.co.jp/item/9717.html

It will come with an original black box and it looks so cute.
You can make order for it through PIJ, so please try it :)

<<<How to order this item?>>>

Please visit PIJ first, and Click "Shop" tab on the front page.
http://www.private-import-japan.com/shoporder.php

Please let us know these information

Item URL: http://shop.sanrio.co.jp/item/9717.html
Quantity: 1 (if you want more,type in number you want)
Price: 6980 (type in items price you want to buy)
Note: (size, color, etc.)

Click "order" after you type your order.

※We will send your place as soon as item arrived.

<<< Returns Policies >>>

We wont accept refund after you made order.
Returns are accepted ONLY if the item was not the item described.

We will have Golden Week holidays soon. Some national holidays
run through in a period from the end of April to the early May
in the simplest terms. The period of holidays are called
Golden Week (GW) and a lot of people are looking forward to it :)

There are many events in Japan in the holidays, but I'll introduce
Tokyo Hotaru which will be held in Tokyo, Japan.

Do you have firefly in your country? I have often seen it
when I was child, but I haven't done recently. They usually
live near the clean water or clean river. They disappear (actually
the number of them decreased) in front of us now.

People in Tokyo remember them and imagine if the firefly live
near them, and they planed "Tokyo hotaru (firefly)" at Sumida river.
Actually they pour many LED lights into Sumida river in Tokyo
and people will enjoy it in the GW holidays.

Look at this video. They are veru beautiful.
http://tinyurl.com/cbxukpd

Please tell me if there are the items you want :D
Please Don't hesitate to tell me :)

Convenience Store in Japan!

Today I suddenly felt tempted to eat something sweet.

So I went to convenience store.

Well I bought this one finally.

This is BRACK THUNDER Big version!! Very delicious chocolate!!

Hey, Do you know convenience store in Japan?

I know it is in other county though,
I'm wondering the difference between your county and Japan.

Japanese convenience store have the stationery, bento (bag lunch), amazon card,
iTunes card, etc. Also bathroom at the convenience store is very very clean!

I didn't take a picture of it though.

Bye! :)

Please tell me if there are the items you want :D
Please Don't hesitate to tell me :)

Hello Kitty Plush Doll Convenience Store in Hokkaido Limited
http://tinyurl.com/ccwfjyc

LEGO 1254 Convenience Showa Limited
http://tinyurl.com/br22ae5

Mini Convenience Store Bread Cake etc.
http://tinyurl.com/cp4kbhe