2015年4月24日金曜日

Japanese and Cherry blossom (sakura)

From the end of March to beginning of May, Japan is colored pink everywhere by the flowers. It is season of cherry blossom which we call Sakura(桜).

During this season, many people go out and enjoy beauty of this flower day and night. There is a Sakura forecast aside from weather forecast. Japanese people know when can be the best timing to enjoy the flower.

Many foreign friends remember my country with this beautiful floor. In fact, when I asked students here in the Philippines; what do they know about my country, one of the list they mentioned is Sakura.

I could say we have sort of special feeling toward it. In my view, the following can be the reasons why it is so special to us.

Period of this flower 
Only once a year, during March to May, we can see it blooming. Period we can enjoy Sakura is very short. Sakura blooms usually around 2 weeks. Once we notice it starts blooming, next time we see it falling. Some counts how many times enjoy this view in my life time...It sounds very melancholic.

Sakura often becomes theme in Poems, Haiku and songs (even pop songs).

久かたのひかりのどけき春の日にしづ心なく花のちるらむ (Hisakata no hikari nodokeki harunohi ni shizu kokoronaku hanano chiru ramu) 

Meaning of this poem is:
Flower petals are falling while we enjoy subdued spring sun light. Even though it is mild day of spring, why Sakura is rushing to fall.  

When I was elementary, teacher requests us to memorized all one hundred poems. This was the one I remembered the most because it appeals to our imagination and describes well its beauty and melancholiness.

Timing
It blooms after long cold winter season. Spring is people awaiting season. Sakura become one of symbol of Spring.
Season of Sakura is also season of graduation or entrance ceremony. So some people may recall memories of graduation or entrance  of schools.

Gracefulness
Sakura ends gracefully. Even thought it is beautiful and people praise its beauty very highly, it seems knowing its time ending.
In our society, people appreciate this kind of attitude. As the proverb says, A defeated general should not talk of the battle.

Color of Sakura
Color of Sakura is pink but it is close to color white. Its color is not appealing itself. It may not irrelevance that Japanese like a self-effacing person.

My province in Japan, season of cherry blossom has ended. Sadly, I missed the season again this year.


2015年2月14日土曜日

Valentine's Day in Japan

Last night, I saw one of my niece preparing a Valentine's Day card for someone. I asked who will receive the card. She answered someone's name but I do not know that person and it seems not her clash. He might be a teacher? I missed chance to tease her.

Since yesterday, my nieces and relative's girl greeted me by saying Happy Valentine's Day. I heard this greeting from the radio too. This morning, my husband also greeted me in that way. It is weird to hear so because we are a couple not celebrating any date except Christmas.

As a Japanese who has been observe very strange Valentine's Day's tradition in my country, I sort of get disenchanted with the day. It might be a reason why I am sort of nothing to say about this day even people greeted me by saying Happy Valentine's day.

The following four points might be uniquely observed in Japan on this day.

1. Gift on this day is dominantly chocolate
Do you like Chocolate?
It is not bad to chose a chocolate as a gift. In fact, I pick this as a gift or souvenir for friends or relatives and I love it. But what if the gift is dominantly chocolate and people somehow expect to receive this?
Before this day, shopping malls, super markets and even convenience stores display different kind of Valentine's Day chocolate. This is commercialized event which was created by chocolate industry :D We are all aware of this point but people still consider chocolate is the gift on the day.

2. Girl to boy, one-way gift giving event
It is commonly observed one-way, female to male gift giving. The reason why this practice- female to male gift giving- are accepted in our society, can be academic  research :D
Why not, other way around? Is it because our society decades ago male is the one who are expected to lead the relationship? So if we revise the gender based expected action, it shows empowerment female? Female is not anymore being passive in the relationship.
Or simply is it just commercially motivated? Male like my husband! usually do not care about the day or event. So it is better to start from female? If female gave a gift to a male, he feels obliged to return a gift to her?

Anyway, we somehow imprinted this idea.            

3. Opportunity to express love
Elementary days, there were several very courageous girls to give a chocolate to her clash. It was sign she liked him. Even she declare her love for her clash. The idea won't change that much even we get old.    

4. Chocolate out of courtesy
Previously I mentioned, chocolate is sign of love on the day of Valentine's day. But we are people obsessing sense of obligation. This sense applies even to this event. How? Women prepare chocolate(or gift) for her clash or loved one, but at the same time, they prepare chocolate for her colleagues and close male friends too. It is called "giri choco" (chocolate out of courtesy). Eventually, girl spend a lot to distribute chocolate.
By the way, there are categorizations of level of chocolate(or other gifts). Honmei choco means chocolate for your special someone. Tomo choco means chocolate for (usually female) friends. Anyway, girls love chocolate. It is nice to bond among friends.

I usually enjoyed tomo chocolate from my female friends who are good at these things. In this way, I enjoyed this day..I wish Happy Valentine's Day.