This Saturday is August 6th. Whether the events of August 6th 1945 were right or wrong has been debated for years. One thing is clear, we should not forget what happened on that day and on the 9th in Nagasaki, nor the fact that the nuclear weapons stored around the world now are far more powerful.
They say that a picture tells 1000 words. Is there an image that sums up what Japan / Japanese means to you? If so, please link to it in the comments below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/acjeppo/5372080834/
But if it's words...
I generally ask my new Yr7 classes what words come to mind when they think of "Japan". The most popular response this week was, as is usually the case, 'sushi'. 'Ninja' is also usually high on the list, but the prevalence of particular words does vary according to the time of year (we have a new class at the start of each term). 'Whales' or 'whaling' is common at the start of the year and 'tsunami' was higher up the list than usual. The wordle below was created using students' responses from the whole year.
Over the next couple of lunchtimes at school we will hold a 'mini-matsuri' to raise money for Japan. We have decided to donate all money raised to Medecins Sans Frontieres. We will have a variety of activities: けんだま、だるまおとし、ヨーヨーつり and more. Some of the posters advertising our event are below and on flickr. Use them if you can.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/acjeppo/5570153707/in/set-72157615918120959/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/acjeppo/5570742568/in/set-72157615918120959/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/acjeppo/5570153781/in/set-72157615918120959/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/acjeppo/5570721126/in/set-72157615918120959/
Sometimes known in English as 'Girl's Day', "Hina matsuri" is a festival celebrated before and on March 3rd in Japan. "Hina" is a doll, and it is around this time that families with daughters will decorate their houses with displays of dolls. These displays range from the quite simple, compirising of 2 dolls (Emperor and Empress), to exquisite displays that consist of the Emperor, Empress and all the courtesans that go with them. As shown over at Shibuya 246, some of these displays can be quite expensive.
Hina matsuri is a simple affair at our house, though there is a hint of superstition that ensures we put the dolls away for another year on the 3rd, to ensure that our daughter does in fact one day find a husband.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/acjeppo/5483068111/
1. Ueno Park, Sakura, 2. Sakura Tea, 3. Night Sakura, 4. Hideo Wakamatsu: Sakura Luggage, 5. Ueno Park, Sakura, 6. Sakura Zensen TV, 7. Apple Store: Ginza, 8. Chuo-ku Manhole Cover, 9. Cherry Blossoms Diamond
http://www.flickr.com/photos/acjeppo/5387307114/
The contents of one of the outdoor stalls on our recent trip to Sensouji (Asakusa, Tokyo) revealed rows and rows of Daruma dolls waiting to be purchased by those looking for good luck or those with a particular wish or goal in mind for the year.
Daruma dolls are representations of Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, who is represented as having no eyes and no limbs. One story reflecting the lack of limbs explains that Bodhidharma meditated for so long that he lost the use of his legs, hence the shape of the daruma doll. The eyes are drawn in when you buy the daruma; the first eye when you make your wish or set your goal, and the second eye is drawn in when you achieve your goal, or your wish comes true. The daruma are then often taken back to the temple at New Year, explaining the abundunce of new daruma patiently waiting for a new set of goals.
On my first trip to Japan I can still remember looking out the window of the shinkansen and wondering what were these giant nets I seemed to see everywhere.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/acjeppo/5372543882/
Initially I thought perhaps they were baseball grounds,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/acjeppo/5372433974/
though I was a little confused by the different levels.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/acjeppo/5371829637/
Eventually I worked out that they were golf driving ranges. Some, like this one, are huge, others are crammed into much smaller areas.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/acjeppo/5371828235/in/photostream/
and here's a quick look at how they work:
