Japanese first names

Today, I would like to talk about Japanese first names. As you may know there are three writing systems in Japanese: kanji, hiragana and katakana. Most of the time, we use Kanji - Chinese characters, for names. Because each kanji has its meaning, parents choose the names for their children with their special wishes.

For instance, if the parents wish the child to become a cheerful child, the kanji such as 明、晶、朗、輝、晴、陽 (This is only some of examples) will be used, and 大、宏、広、浩、寛、容 (Again, this is only some examples) may be used if parents wish the child to become a generous-hearted person.

My parents wished for their children to help each other and nourish bonding between brother and sister. So, they named three children using the parts of a tree: 幹(a trunk), 枝(a branch) and 葉 (a leaf). I love my name and appreciate my parents’ thought and idea to come up with my name and my siblings'.


今日は、日本人の名前（なまえ）について少し（すこし）お話し（おはなし）しましょう。日本語は漢字（かんじ）、ひらがな、カタカナを使って書きますが、ほとんどの場合（ばあい）、日本人の名前には漢字が使われて（つかわれて）います。 漢字にはそれぞれの意味（いみ）があるので、「どんな子に育って（そだって）ほしいか」という両親（りょうしん）の願い（ねがい）がこめられている場合が多い（おおい）のです。

たとえば、明るい（あかるい）子に育ってほしい場合（ばあい）は明、晶、朗、輝、晴、陽などの漢字が使われ、おおらかな子に育ってほしい場合は、大、宏、広、浩、寛、容などの漢字がつかわれます。

私の両親（りょうしん）は、３人の子供に３人仲良く（なかよく）助け合って（たすけあって）生きる（いきる）ようにという願いをこめて、一本の木にたとえて、幹（みき）、枝（えだ）、葉（は）をそれぞれの名前に入れました。私は私の名前が好きで、この両親の思いとアイデアに感謝（かんしゃ）しています。

O-higan

The spring Equinox comes around the 21st of March. This day, the daytime and nighttime become exactly equal. The week around Spring Equinox is called “O-higan” and people in Japan go to the family graves to visit their ancestors. “Neither heat nor cold lasts over the Equinox.” This means that by the Spring Equinox, the coldness is over and spring comes, and by the Fall Equinox, the heat is gone and fall has arrived.

You might be wondering why people visit their ancestors on the Equinox. On the Equinox, the sun sets due west. The old Japanese folklore belief that worshiping the souls of ancestors was combined with the Buddhist belief that Heaven lies due west.

２１日ごろは「春分の日（しゅんぶんのひ）」です。昼と夜の長さ（ながさ）が同じ（おなじ）になる日です。この前後一週間（ぜんごいっしゅうかん）を「お彼岸(おひがん)」といって、家族そろってお墓参り（おはかまいり）をします。「暑さ寒さも彼岸まで（あつささむさもひがんまで）」という言葉は、春のお彼岸が来ると寒さが終わり春になり、秋のお彼岸が来ると、暑さがおわって秋になるという意味です。

どうしてお彼岸にお墓参りをするのでしょうか？お彼岸には太陽（たいよう）がちょうど西に沈みますね。古代の日本の言い伝えによると、仏教（ぶっきょう）の教えにより天国（てんごく）は西の空にあるということから来ているという説があります。

Hina Doll Festival

March 3rd is the Hina Doll Festival. This is a seasonal festival for girls. Families who have daughters display a set of Hina dolls. The tradition of displaying Hina dolls started in the middle of the Edo Period (1603-1867). Hina dolls are normally placed on the seven steps, which are covered with red-felt-carpet. Hina dolls consist of fifteen dolls in formal classical court costumes. Starting at the top of the steps: Emperor and Empress with golden folding screens behind them, three ladies-in -waiting, five musicians, two retainers (minister of the right and minister of the left), and three guards. Also, two paper lanterns, a miniature cherry blossom tree and an orange tree, furnishing goods and a court carriage are also on the steps.

It seems like there are two explanations regarding the origin of the Hina Doll Festival. One is the ancient custom of making persons of straw to protect people from evil. The persons of straw were made of grass, straw and paper, and they were floated down rivers or into oceans with the hope that evil fortune would float away with them. Even now, this custom remains in limited parts of Japan as Nagashibina. Another origin is Hina asobi which were popular play using paper dolls, o-mamagoto - play house, among children of aristocracy in the Heian Era (794-1192). There is a theory that those two evolved into the current Hina Doll Festival.

３月３日は「ひな祭り」です。女の子のための節句で、女の子のいる家庭ではひな人形を飾ります。ひな人形を飾る習慣は江戸時代(1603-1867)の中頃から始まりました。ひな人形は通常赤いフェルトの敷物で覆われた７段の台に飾られます。ひな人形は１５の伝統的な宮廷衣装をまとった人形からなり、 最上段は 金の屏風を背景に内裏びな-天皇（男びな）と皇后（女びな）、二段目は三人の女官、三段目は五人囃子（はやし）、四段目は二人の随身（右大臣と左大臣）、五段目は三人の仕丁（じちょう- 宮廷で雑用をする人たちで、怒り上戸、泣き上戸、笑い上戸の三人で三人上戸ともいわれます）です。また、ぼんぼり、ミニチュアの桜の木,調度品、御所車 なども飾られます。

ひな祭りの由来は２つあるそうで、ひとつは人形（ひとがた）による身代わり信仰で、古代より人形が人間の身代わりに厄を引き受けてくれると考えられていたそうです。 草、わら、紙などでこしらえた人形をつくり、川や海に流して厄祓いをしていたそうです。この習慣はいまでも「流しびな」を行う地域で引き継がれています。 もうひとつは「ひな遊び」で、平安時代に、貴族の子供達の間で紙の人形でおままごとをする「ひな遊び」がさかんになり、のちにこと二つが今のひな祭りに変化してきたそうです。

March in Japan 1 - Graduation Ceremonies

March is also called "Yayoi" in the old calendar. "Yayoi" means to grow more and more, so it is a suitable name for the month when the plants and trees grow and children graduate from schools, isn’t it?

The school year in Japan starts in April and finishes in March, thus graduations and school closing ceremonies are held in this month. After graduation ceremonies, students and their parents set up "Shaonkai" parties to show their appreciation for their teachers.
In Japan, generally, students in public elementally schools in Japan wear street clothes, so girls wear simple dresses or suits, boys wear jackets and pants or suits for graduation ceremonies. At most of the junior high and high schools students wear uniforms, so they will attend their graduation ceremonies in their uniforms. For university graduation ceremonies, male students wear suits and ties and female students wear suits or simple dress and also still many wear Kimono, or Hakama for this special ceremonial occasion. Many mothers and fathers attend graduation ceremonies to celebrate their children’s graduations. After school closing and graduation ceremonies, there is spring break until the schools year starts the beginning of April.

Hakama
 : Hakamas are an outer garment worn over the kimonos that are either split between the legs like pants or non-split like a skirt. Hakama pants originated as an outer garment to protect samurai warriors’ legs from brush while riding a horse. Today, Hakamas are worn as formal attire for ceremonies, traditional Japanese dance, artists and martial arts. Contrary to belief, hakamas are worn by both men and women today.- Quoted from http://www.japanesekimono.com/japanese_pants.htm )

３月は旧暦で「弥生」とも呼ばれます。「やよい」とはますます成長するという意味で、草木が育ち卒業式や終業式のある月にふさわしい名前ですね。

日本の学校は４月に始まって３月に終わるので、卒業式、終業式がこの月に行われます。卒業式のあとに謝恩会が行われ、先生方に感謝の気持ちを表します。通常、日本の公立の小学校には私服で通学しますから、卒業式には女子はワンピースやスーツ、男子はジャケットとズボンやスーツなどを着用し、中学と高校では通常制服を着用しますから卒業式も制服で参加します。大学の卒業式には、男子生徒はスーツを着用し、女生徒はスーツやワンピース、また着物や袴姿もまだかなりみられます。多くの父母が卒業式に参加し、子供達の卒業を祝います。卒業式や終業式の後は４月の始めにある入学式や始業式まで春休みとなります。

Kimono Demonstration

February 14th, Valentine's Day, I had an opportunity to demonstrate how to put on Kimono at my friend’s Valentine’s party. It was a wonderful party full of creative, beautiful and delicious food cooked with her secret recipe; love.

I love Kimonos, and I used to go to Kimono School when I was in Japan. Let me talk about a bit about the history of Kimonos. Deriving great influence from China and Korea, Japanese created the basic of what we call Kimonos today. It was called “Kosode”, and was a kind of undergarment which was worn under longer robes, the bottom part brushing the floor. It was at the end of the Muromachi Period that women started wearing “Kosode” without the robes, and very similar ones with today’s Kimonos appeared in Edo Period (1603-1867).

The sense of the season showing on the patterns of the Kimono, Sash (obi) and other accessories create a piece of art, and they demonstrate the intelligence and taste of the person wearing the Kimono. With practice, it takes only 5 to 10 minutes to put on Kimono with Taiko-obi, a type of decoration of sash, which shows in the photo.

Nowadays, kimonos are only worn as formal wear on special occasions such as New Year's, weddings and funerals in Japan.

I don’t have many opportunities to wear Kimonos in Canada, but I am hoping to demonstrate Kimonos again.


２月１４日（バレンタインデー）に、友人宅で着物の着方を披露する機会がありました。
私は着物が大好きで、日本にいた頃は着付け教室に通っていました。

着物の歴史は、中国や韓国からの影響を受けながら、平安時代（７９４−１１９２）にその基本（小袖と呼ばれる長いローブの下に着る下着のようなもの）が作られ、室町時代（１３３８−１５７３）の後期に単独で着られる小袖が完成したと言われています。江戸時代（１６０３−１８６７）に現在の着物とほとんど変らない形の小袖が生まれたそうです。

着物の季節感のある柄と帯や小物の色あわせに着る人のセンスがうかがわれます。着物を着慣れた人は、太鼓帯なら５分から１０分で着物の着用を完了できると思います。

近頃の日本では、お正月や結婚式やお葬式などの礼服として用いるほかは着物を着る機会が少なくなりました。

カナダでは着物を着る機会はほとんどありませんが, また着物をカナダの皆さんに見ていただいと思います。

February in Japan

Japanese schools start in April. February is the time for tests – there are tests for entering universities, colleges, high Schools, and also some private/national junior high schools this month. People tend to believe that having degrees from top universities lead to their future success, thus the entrance exams are quite competitive – people call this “jukenjigoku” (examination hell).

February the 3rd is called Setsubun, and this is the turning point from winter to spring on the lunar calendar. On this day, a bean-throwing is held to celebrate the coming of spring and drive away evil spirits. It maybe different depending on the districts, but Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, Toshiotoko (men who are born under the same zodiac sign as the current year) and Toshionna (women who are born under the same zodiac sign as the current year), at home the head of the house play a devil while other family members throw roasted soybeans shouting “Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi” (Evil spirits outside, good luck within). People believe that if you ate the same number of beans as your age, you will stay healthy throughout the year.

February the 4th is called Risshun, which means the first day of spring. February is the coldest month of the year, but there are some areas where plum blossoms and daffodils start blooming. Because Japan lies between northern latitude of 24 degrees and 45 degrees, Okinawa in south may be 20℃, but Hokkaido in north may be only minus 3 degrees.

* Interested in teaching English in Japan?
Please visit www.irislinguistics.ca

日本の２月

日本の学校は４月に始まります。２月は受験シーズンで、大学や高校、私立や国立の中学に入る入学試験があります。日本では、いい大学に入ることが将来の成功につながるという考えから入学試験は競争が厳しく、受験地獄と言う言葉もあります。

２月３日は「節分」と呼ばれ、暦の上では冬と春とに分かれる日です。節分には鬼を追い払って新しい春をむかえるために豆まきをします。地方によって異なりますが、神社やお寺では年男と年女が豆まきを行い、家では家の主人が鬼となり、「鬼は外、福は内」と叫びながら豆まきをします。年齢と同じ数の豆を食べると健康な一年を送ることができると言われています。

２月４日は「立春」と呼ばれ春の初めを意味します。２月は一年で最も寒い月ですが、梅や水仙などの花が咲き始める地方もあります。日本は北緯２４度から北緯４５度までの南北に長い国ですから、南にある沖縄は摂氏２０度以上あっても、北の北海道ではマイナス３度しかないということになります。

＊日本で英語を教えることにご興味のある方は、
ホームページ　www.irislinguistics.ca　をご覧ください。

This is my very first blog.
I am celebrating myself for finally putting it up.

I started my small business on August 23, 2009.
Since then, I am learning a lot of new things about business, skills and people - especially I am still learning something new about myself.

I would like to believe that we all are living to become happy…
So, what is the happiness to me?
I would be happy if I can be a bit better than yesterday: helping at least one person a day, showing appreciation to others, smile more than yesterday, learn something new or do something I couldn’t do yesterday. Just do one thing better than yesterday–find something that I feel good about myself and praise myself for doing well.

Just do one thing better than yesterday…
Yes! I can do it!