japaneseblog

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The three wise monkeys can be found at the Tōshō-gū shrine in Nikkō, Japan. The message the statues carry is as follows: ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’, but what does it mean exactly? Well, it is debatable, as some may see it as a depiction of inaction or blindness toward corruption, while others - a spiritual shield against evil. The second would be closer to the Buddhist or Shinto interpretation, as it is a reminder to not act upon evil thoughts. The usage of the monkeys theme is present in pop culture to this day.

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Fun fact time!

Hokkaido - one of the main Japan’s islands is located in the north part of the country, hence it’s the coldest. As we all know, Japan is filled with hot springs, especially there.

The island has its monkey sanctuary (Jigokudani Monkey Park), where monkeys can bathe in onsens (hot springs). As the only species in the world, Japanese arctic monkeys have snowball fights!

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Ema plaques are small, wooden boards, on which people write their prayers down to Kami (Japanese Shinto deities). Usually, people leave their plaques at the shrine. After that, the message needs to be sent, which is performed by a ritual burning. It is believed, that by doing so, the wish can only then be conveyed to the spirits.

The plaques can only be found near shrines, as these are Shintoist, whereas temples are Buddhist. Shinto and Buddhism are the two main belief systems in Japan.

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Hi!

Today - a few words about Hiroshima. On the 6th of August, 1945 the 'Little Boy' bomb was dropped on the city, which is mostly known for this historical event. Hiroshima was almost completely obliterated.

In the first picture we can see the building of the Atomic Bomb Dome (or Gembaku Domu / Genbaku Dome) before the bombing, but on the second one - after the attack. It used to serve as an exhibition hall. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park was opened in 1949 with the Atomic Dome as a part of it. After a few years - in 1955, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum was opened.

The Atomic Bomb Dome is one of the symbols of the event because the dome part of the building was left in a good state, whereas the rest of the construction and the city were just flattened.

The death toll is estimated to be between 90 and 166 thousand people in Hiroshima only. Hiroshima had been chosen to be bombed since the city was the military center of Japan, so it had a huge meaning during the Pacific War.

Casualties' families and friends gather annually in the park every 6th of August to pray. Peace Bell is rung for one minute from 8:15 (when the bombing took place).

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Hi!

Today I'd like to give you some information on one of the most known and recognizable Japanese temples. Kinkaku-ji (actually Rokuon-ji) is a Buddhist temple located in Kyoto. It was built in 1398 (or 1397 according to Wikipedia) by Yoshimitsu, the III shogun from the Ashikaga line.

At first, the building was the founder's mansion, but after Yoshimitsu's death, his teacher (Soseki) turned it into a temple. The building consists of 3 floors. Each floor represents something: the ground floor - the residence style, the second floor - the samurai style, the third one - the zen sanctuary style. On the roof of the temple, we can see a statue of a Phoenix made of bronze. The whole temple (as it is Buddhist) is sacred to Kannon, which is one of the main Buddhist Bodhisattvas in Japan.

In 1950 Kinkaku-ji almost burned down, which is mentioned in Yukio Mishima's book (The Temple of the Golden Pavilion). The fire was actually started by a monk, that committed suicide after that. After this episode, the temple was precisely reconstructed.

The word 'kin' means 'gold' in Japanese, hence Kinkaku-ji means 'the Golden Pavilion', as it is covered with golden pieces. There is a similar temple in Kyoto called  'Ginkaku-ji', which means 'the Silver Pavilion'.

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Hi, 

You might wonder why I put these two pictures together. They both are connected with the word kappa, the first one is Kappa, a Japanese mythological creature, while the second one is kappa maki, a type of sushi filled with a cucumber. Confusing, right? Tighten your seatbelts, this is going to be a crazy story...

Kappas, the creatures, might be pictured as monkeys or (more often) turtles. They live in forests near water. What is absolutely bizarre about them, is that they are believed to suck human blood. From the anus, of course... (Why, Japan... why?)

In the picture on the top - we can see Hokusai's woodcut presenting a kappa.

But... Why is this kind of sushi called 'kappa maki'? Kappas are incredibly crafty - they are believed to kidnap children. They have one weak spot, though. They just love cucumbers, so giving them a cucumber is a way to survive!

Nowadays kappas are taken as friendly creatures, opposite to the past. Those mythological animals are sometimes shown in anime as good characters, not even wanting any blood from your anus!

* fun fact: Japanese people think that the Ninja Turtles resemble kappas ;)

* fun fact # 2: in Asakusa (Tokyo) there is a place called Kappabashi, in which we can see a statue presenting such creature :)

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Hi!

Hanami is one of the most important Japanese festivals, because it's the celebration time of one of the major symbols of Japan: the cherry blossoms. It only lasts a few days and lets the Japanese remind themselves about evanescence.

Hanami is the time when the Japanese spend a lot of time in parks with their relatives and colleagues, have a big picnic, take pictures and drink. 

Most people think hanami is only about the cherries, but actually - it starts with the blossoming of plum trees (ume) in February, which is taken as a forerunner of cherry blossoming between March and April. First ume (plums) and sakura (cherries) flower in Okinawa (southern Japan), through Tokyo (central) and in the last place - Hokkaido (northern part of Japan).

Celebrating the flowering of plums isn't very popular anymore, but still celebrated by older people, who spend time watching ume in silence. When it comes to sakura - the festival is very loud and buzzing, because the whole nation celebrates this amazing phenomenon.

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Hi, 

Today I'd like to share the oldest and the longest wisterias in the world with you. Those can be found in Ashikaga Flower Park (Ashikaga, Tochigi prefecture). I think the view and the colors are just stunning! The flowers are usually within the shades of purple, but wisterias can be also white and yellow.

Have a nice day!

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Hi! 

Today I'd like to touch on Aokigahara, which is a mixed forest located on the territory of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park in Japan. The forest is well-known as the Suicide Forest or Sea of Trees. Such epithets didn't come from nothing: the amount of deliberate deaths is huge. Many signs ask people to think about their decision again and not pass the barrier tapes. Also, after crossing the tapes one can get lost easily. The forest is very dense, filled with caves, foggy and phone service may be disrupted due to magnetic iron deposits. 

Unfortunately, the infamous forest is the second most popular location for suicide, right after the Golden Gate Bridge. The forest is also associated with Japanese mythology, according to which, there are many bad spirits and ghosts (Yōkai) residing in Aokigahara. For that reason, it is acknowledged as haunted.

Fun fact: in the last picture we can see Oliver Sykes (Bring me the horizon),  who has been to the Suicide Forest when visiting Japan in 2013 :)

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Hi, guys! 

The amulets in the pictures above are called omamori. Those talismans can be bought near shrines and temples in Japan. Most of them have a traditional knot, which is a simple version of a Chinese good luck knot. The sky is the limit in terms of design, in the last picture we can even see some Hello Kitty omamoris. They all are lucky charms and they are a form of asking Shinto or Buddhistic deities for a happy life.

I thought you might be wondering how does an omamori look like inside, so I decided to open mine and took a picture. This one is from Asakusa in Tokyo (which is shown in the penultimate picture). The text says 'protection from Asakusa | protection amulet | The Golden Dragon Mountain' - according to my Japanese friend. There was also a little surprise for me, in a form of a Japanese figure of bodhisattva Kannon, to whom Asakusa is dedicated.

Have a nice day :)

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This remarkable bamboo forest is called 'Sagano' and it's situated on the west side of Kyoto (district of Arashiyama). I think the view is absolutely breathtaking :)

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Hi!

Today I'd like to share some of Katsushika Hokusai's ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Katsushika Hokusai is one of the leading Japanese ukiyo-e artists and his works are recognizable worldwide. His inspired by landscapes, animals, and people. Let me leave the erotic part of his work for your own research.

Today we can see his works on t-shirts, wallpapers, notebooks, postcards. etc., however, most of the people who have seen those essential symbols of Japan, don't even know his name. Accordingly, I thought that would be a good idea to give you some brief information about this superior and remarkable artist. 

Have a nice day :)

[japaneseblog]

Hi there, have you ever thought of where the name of Naruto Uzumaki came from?

Let me share the answer with you. Naruto is the capital of Tokushima prefecture located in Shikoku. Not only Naruto is known as a city, but it is also a name of a strait - the Naruto Strait between Awaji Island and Shikoku. The word ‘uzumaki’ means a spiral or a vortex in Japanese.

Taking a look at the pictures of remarkable whirlpools appearing in the water near the Naruto Strait, I believe the name is well-earned.

I'd also like to add that a lot of ukiyo-e artists got inspired by nature, hence this couldn't have been omitted by Utagawa Hiroshige. His woodcut picturing one of the more spectacular views of whirlpools is called 'Rough Sea at Naruto in Awa Province' from 1855 :)

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Jingu Bridge (Jingu Bashi) is a bridge situated in a district of Tokyo called Harajuku, Jingu Bashi connects the commercial part of Harajuku and Yoyogi Park. Harajuku is a place, where you can basically buy every kind of Japanese clothing fashion. A very characteristic feature of this place is the fact that during weekends we can see loads of Japanese teenagers clothed in their cosplay outfits and fans of j-rock also dressed up as their favorite musicians. Hardly can we spot many of them on workdays because Japanese teenagers wear their school uniforms (seifuku) during school time. They have an opportunity to express themselves only on the weekends. Jingu Bridge is of course frequently visited by tourists (who love taking pictures of this place with dressed-up Japanese teenagers) and also fashion designers looking for new ideas, which makes this place well recognizable.