the Seto Machhendranath and the Swayambhunath vs Japanese shrines

スワヤンブナートとセト マチェンドラナート

Eyes on four sides of Swayambhunath 

Speaking of Nepali temples, this eyes painted on the four sides of the spire of stupa may be famous.This is the Swayambhunath in Kathmandu and the eyes are Buddha's eyes.
We also have Buddhist temples and shrines here in Japan but it is not common for them to have eyes. And the eyes are actually like cartoons and even they have eyebrows too. They look funny a bit.... But these Buddha's eyes mean a lot. Question-marks between each pairs of eyes is the Nepali character for the number 1. They lead us to one way to reach enlightenment or became awakened.
Anyway this style is pretty different from our temples and shrines.

Spring in Japan

日本の春

Official announcement of Sakura's blooming

Spring is arriving in Japan.
Today the Weather Ministry made an official announcement that the cherry trees are in bloom in Fukuoka and Nagoya today. Actually I found on tree in full bloom last week in Tokyo. But they haven't announced it for Tokyo.

I found this Sakura in the night

That is why there are some kinds of Sakura trees and when to bloom depends on them. For instance, Kawazu-sakura blooms in the middle of February but the most bloom from the middle of March to the middle of April.

How safe is it?

安全度合いは？

Japan may be very safe... but

I saw one "salary man" (it means office workers in Japanese) wearing an eye mask for sleeping in the commute train this morning.
Yes that man was sleeping on the seat.
I was so surprised that I could not take my eyes on his face.. A couple of mins later, he woke up and took off the mask down on his neck and started to look at his phone. After a while he took up the eye mask from his neck to put it into the eye mask bag and got off the train.
hmmm, Viva Japan! even he sleeps deeply with an eye mask like in bed putting his bag on his legs, nobody steals it. It is Japan.

Japanese Valentin day

日本のバレンタインデイ

One month after Valentine's Day is White Day

Tomorrow March 14th is called "white day" here in Japan. Actually people celebrate this day same way in Korea and China, Taiwan.

Men who received something in Valentine's Day will give something back to girls. Something to be received in Valentine's Day is commonly fancy chocolate in Japan and something to be received in White Day is fancy candies and cookies, something sweet. Japanese Valentine's and White Day is commercialized by confection industry.(Of course people show their special affection too)
Those days are supposed to be days for couples originally but they have another aspect.

Japanese wedding parties

～日本の結婚式

Today I want to think about Japanese wedding parties. Actually I don't have experiences of hoding it but have attended friends wedding ceremonies and parties.

There are rare Christian in Japan but...

Couples have many options for places to have wedding parties like hotels and special halls for wedding parties, fancy restaurants. There are options for ceremonies too.

Shinto style and Christian style ceremonies are common options. If you hold Shinto one, ceremonies are held in temples. Bride will wear Kimonos. Shinto is a kind of traditional religion.

Only 1.3 percent of Japanese are Christian, but Christian style ceremonies account for most wedding ceremonies in Japan . That means  couples who aren't Christian hold Christian ceremonies.
 Girls admire white western wedding dresses since they are kids. And you can see small chapels in many hotels in Japan.

Japanese nice snacks

日本のお菓子

Today I want to introduce Japanese snacks. Japanese snacks are great as much as Nepli!
From the left....Calpis Gumi Drops, Umaibo, Koala's martch, Caplico. On the top is Look A la mode.
今度は日本のお菓子の紹介。日本のお菓子はネパールのお菓子に勝るとも劣らずすごいんです！
左からカルピスグミ、うまい棒、コアラのマーチ、カプリコ、Look A la modeです。

Calpis Gum Drops

This is gum drops flavored with “Calpis”.

The earthquake

MARK FIFTH ANNIVERSARY

Coming March 11 is the Japan earthquake and tsunami fifth anniversary. I am watching a TV program details about the disaster now. Tokyo where I am living is far from the epicenter in Tohoku area but we felt the strong shaking in the office that day. I remember many things on the desks fell down and I saw the walls cracked.

THE TSUNAMI

In Tohoku, the tsunami followed the quake swallowed many buildings and cars, people and damaged the nuclear power plants. The tsunami was pretty huge and had reached the fourth floor. Tohoku area is still winter in March. Many survivors even were supposed to be killed by coldness.

this is just after the day

It may be

Girl's Day in Japan(Hina matsuri) ひな祭り

Today I visited a museum to see exhibition of ancient dolls "Hina-ningyo" collected by Mitsui-group that is one of the biggest company group in Japan.

 

March 3 is Doll's Day and families celebrate praying for the growth and happiness of their girls. So people call this holiday Girl's day also.

History of this festival starts back to ancient era like the 17th century. People believed their sins could be transferred to dolls and they started the practice of setting dolls with their sins afloat on a small boat and sending down a river to the sea. In modern times, we don't do it. 

Families generally start to display ceramic dolls dressed in the ancient imperial court from the middle of Feb.

The dolls called "Hina-ningyo" are commonly bought by grand-parents when a baby girl is born. Hina means small and lovely object, Ningyo means doll. So people call this festival "Hina-matsuri" too. Matsuri is the Japanese word for festival.

Hina-ningyo has many kinds of style in the display. A full one consists of seven-tiers, with 15 dolls.  The top tier holds two dolls, known as a imperial couple. Other dolls are their attendants.

BTW, there is a superstition says that the daughter misses her chance of marriage if you leave the dolls past March 4.　Actually my mother always left them more than one month later than March 4…..

今日は三井グループ所蔵の雛人形展を見に、美術館に行きました。 

三月三日は、ひな祭りといって、女の子の成長や幸せを祈ってお祝いをします。なので、女の子の日とも呼ばれます。

ひな祭りの歴史は17世紀に、さかのぼります。罪を人間に移すことができると信じ、人形を小さな船に乗せて、罪と共に川から海に向けて流しました。現代は、この習慣はもうないですけど。

昔の宮中衣装をまとったこの人形は、2月半ばから飾られます。 

人形は、「ひな人形」と呼ばれ、女の赤ちゃんが生まれたとき、祖父母が買うのが一般的です。「ひな」とは小さくて愛らしいものという意味です。なので、「ひな祭り」とも呼ばれます。

ひな人形の飾り方はいろいろあります。全部飾る場合、7台に15個の人形で構成されます。一番上は二つの人形が置かれますが、これは皇室カップルです。ほかの人形はお付きの人たち。

ところで、もし人形を三月四日以降も出しっぱなしにすると、娘が今期を逃すと言う言い伝えがあります。うちの母は、いっつも一箇月くらい出しっぱなしでした。。