TsukuBlog
A Local Perspective on Life in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
All Doors are Open, as the Old Town of Makabe gets DOLLED UP for its annual HINA DOLL FESTIVAL (真壁の雛祭り) -until March 3rd
7 February, 2020
Nearly one hundred of the old houses and shops (including this deliciously rustic book store) will be open to the public with antique Hina Dolls and other heirlooms on display as part of the Hina Matsuri Festival in Makabe, Sakuragawa City ( just north of Tsukuba)- till March 3rd
A pair of antique Hina Dolls (from the 19th century) on display at an old shop which in makabe
Like tiny yellow PARABOLIC ANTENNAE, these flowers emerge from the frosty (often snow covered) ground in the first weeks of February- exactly when New Year`s ( O-Shogatsu) fell according to the old Japanese calendar (and the same time the Chinese still celebrate it). It is because of their timely appearance, at what was the most auspicious time of year, that these curious looking, low laying, poisonous plants are considered great symbols of good luck. This is reflected in the name by which they are still called- FUKUJUSO (福寿草), which means the GOOD FORTUNE- LONG LIFE PLANTS. For the same reason they have also been called GANJITSU-SO (元日草), the New Years Day Plant, and during the Edo Period (1600-1868） these stumpy, bright yellow, INDIGENOUS flowers were sold in flower pots, often coupled with other auspicious plants of the season, as New Year`s decorations. Besides the real fukujuso (called Adonis ramosa in English), painted versions also made for a popular decora
TsukuBlog
A Local Perspective on Life in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
MORE LOCAL CUSTOMS: DANGO-BURUMAI (団子振る舞い)- In Some Parts of Ibaraki Prefecture, 42-Year-Old Men are Presented Rice Dumplings (dango) AND Some New Underwear!
5 February, 2021
Yaku-Yoke Dango (厄除け団子)- Rice Dumplings for Those at an Unlucky Age, sold at Shimotsuma`s Taiho Hachiman Shrine
By Avi Landau
On the evening of February 3rd, which is called SETSUBUN, families throughout Japan perform a popular ritual called MAME MAKI (literally- bean throwing). What happens is this: one member of the household, usually the father, dons a demon mask ( most often a simple paper job), while the rest of the family pelts him with soy beans ( or occassionally peanuts) while shouting ONI WA SOTO, FUKU WA UCHI ( Evil out, good fortune in) ! Then everyone eats their own age worth of beans. The original idea for doing this was to spiritually purify the home and fortify the body on what was then t
TsukuBlog
A Local Perspective on Life in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
In Tsukuba`s Old Neighborhoods SETSUBUN can be just as lively as O-Shogatsu ( New Year`s) – or even MORE SO!
3 February, 2021
Most of the houses in my former neighborhood of Hojo, Tsukuba have put these talismans of thorny leaved holly and sardine heads on their doorposts on the occasion of SETSUBUN
By Avi Landau
Setsubun is Japan`s traditional celebration of the first day of spring as it is recognized according to the traditional Japanese calendar (which was imported from China). According to that system, the year is divided into 4 perfectly equal seasons ( of 90 days each) with the equinox days and solstices used as markers for determining the seasonal change days- which were all called SETSUBUN ( though now this term is only used to refer to the eve of the first day of SPRING). The four SETSUBUN, which were also believed to be spiritually unstable days in which the world ( and humanity) wa
Traditionally, the Japanese have always felt a deep connection to the seasons. And though this might be to a highly idealized Four Seasons based upon cultural memories of a very specific geographical region within this diverse archipelago(the Kinki Region of the Heian Court), the strong
connection of these Four Seasons to the sense of identity of most Japanese today is undeniable.
Manifestations of this consciousness can be seen in high art as well as daily life, whether it be in a sublime tanka poem, a mundane letter to a friend or in a the kimono chosen to wear at a