Selfie Sticks

Recently selfie sticks have been incredibly popular in Japan, especially among teenagers. If you don't know, selfie sticks allow you to take pictures of yourself or a large group of people. The name selfie stick is fairly self-explanatory, it's a stick for taking selfies, or pictures you take of yourself. You attach your phone or a camera to the end of the selfie stick, connect the camera or phone to the selfie stick via bluetooth, and press the button at the bottom to take your picture.

Selfie sticks gained popularity quickly because the pictures taken with selfie sticks seem like they've been taken by an additional person who's not there. This allows people to take "candid" photos that are no longer obviously selfies. In Japan, however, its most popular use is with large groups of friends. Selfie sticks work perfectly for this because often people's arm are short, therefore cutting people out of the frame. The selfie stick lengthens the distance between the taker of the photo and the camera, so many more people can fit inside the frame.

Japan also has a lot of sightseeing places, such as large temples and mountains. These places are often very high up, and with a selfie stick much of the landscape can be included in your photo.


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Uchiwa

Japanese summers are often very hot. In Japan, there is a special type of fan used to fan yourself when it's hot. This is called an Uchiwa, or "flat fan" and it is usually made of paper and plastic or wood. Uchiwa have a long handle with a flat rounded end on top. The handle spreads out into many different rods to support the paper part. They don't fold, but they work very well.

Often Uchiwa are mass produced and bought by companies. These companies, such as restaurants or stores, print advertisements on them and have people hand them to people passing by. That way, on a hot day people are much more likely to take the advertisement as it serves a purpose, instead of just handing out pieces of paper.


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Religions in Japan

The major religions in Japan are Shinto (Japan’s first religion), Buddhism, and Confucianism. Christianity is not as popular in Japan as it is in many other areas.

Shinto, meaning “way of the deities or spirits,” appeared in Japan before the sixth century C.E. When it was first introduced, Shinto was practiced in an organized clan that didn’t have a written language. Shinto gods, called “kami,” were recognized all throughout the natural world. For example, twisted or very tall trees, mountains, rivers, and rocks could be considered Shinto gods. Even human beings could be seen as kami. Early mythology tells of the Yamato clan (the leading clan of the sixth and seventh centuries). The Yamato clan later became the Imperial Family. The myths describe the emperor as a descendant of their protector Shinto god, Amaterasu. Great warriors and poets could also be thought of as Shinto gods because of their prowess or special abilities.The goal of Shinto rituals was to keep the harmony between nature, humans, and Shinto gods. Communal festivals were held during planting or harvesting times or important times in the history of the community.

Buddhism arose in India in sixth century B.C.E. It traveled through China and Korea, and got to Japan around the sixth century C.E. The type of Buddhism that gained popularity in Japan was Mahayana Buddhism.

Buddhism is an eightfold path of values that helps an individual gain release from suffering. The Buddha taught that, no matter how happy one is in life, all living things eventually grow old and die. Buddha also accepted the Indian idea of rebirth and karma, so he believed one would suffer forever if they didn't take steps to stop it. The Buddha taught that the only way to get released from all the suffering was to gain a new understanding of reality. He wanted people to believe that all things are linked together, and depend on each other to survive. The Buddha discouraged people from thinking of themselves as individuals. 

A small elite was learning Chinese (Japan’s first written language) at the time Buddhism entered Japan, and some began to study and translate Chinese Buddhist texts. Some members of the clergy in Japan translate and recite traditional Chinese Buddhist texts today. Most Japanese people who started to follow Buddhism, however, enjoyed the Buddhist art or the seemingly magical qualities Buddhism held. Some were even attracted by the prospect of becoming closer to China through Buddhism, because China at that time was a very powerful and advanced society, and Buddhism originally came to Japan from China.

Confucianism entered Japan from Korea and China. Confucianism originated in China. It was created by Confucius, who lived from 551-479 B.C.E. Confucius' teachings were complied in a text called the Sayings of Confucius. Confucius emphasized the importance of filial piety, which means respect for your elders within your family. He also emphasized proper conduct, duty, loyalty, learning, and benevolence. Confucius believed stable families could be the basis for stable governments, which is why he emphasized filial piety so much.

During the Tokugawa period (1600-1868) Japan had just finished another period of political unrest. The new warrior family that took over, Tokugawa, saw the value of these religions. They used Confucianism, Buddhism and Shinto to try to create peace. The Tokugawa government even set up a Confucian school (the Shoheiko, which means “School of Prosperous Peace.” Each head of the feudal regions of Tokugawa (similar to lords owning pieces of an empire’s land) created schools similar to this in their own regions.

Several teachers during the Tokugawa era created their own teachings. They specifically created it for warriors. It is called bushido, or the way of the warrior. This brought together Buddhism's emphasis on self-restriction and discipline, Confucian values of filial piety and Shinto's nationalism. This new compact religion was spread throughout Japan by popular teachers at the time. One of them was named Baigan Ishida. His teachings, along with others, helped modernize Japan.

The last main religion in Japan is Christianity. Christianity was introduced to Japan in the 16th century. It didn't gain very many followers at all, and the Tokugawa family discouraged its spread through Japan. When Tokugawa fell, Japan opened up to the world and Protestant missionaries reintroduced Christianity. They built schools and hospitals and helped women and workers. Even with all of this, only one percent of the population in Japan practiced Christianity. Christianity wanted people to be allied to them exclusively, and not practice any other religions. Also, missionaries sometimes were disrespectful to Japanese people and culture, and that deterred Japanese people from practicing Christianity.


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Drink Machines

In Japan, there are lots of drink vending machines. In America, there are drink machines too, of course, but the ones in Japan are different. They don't display the drinks themselves like in America. In America there are generally two types of drink machines. Ones that don't show the product at all (usually have a plastic cover with a large picture of a cold Coke/Pepsi product, and ones that have a glass panel that show all the drinks.

The Japanese drink machines are very interesting. They don't display the drinks themselves, like I said earlier. They display the empty bottles of the drink itself. Sometimes plastic fills the bottle to the fill line, so it looks like a full drink. Others have advertisements to make the drink more appealing flowing around the can. It's nice to see the bottles and cans, however. It shows exactly what you're going to get. And since Japanese vending machines have varied sizes to their drinks, it's nice to see how big or small the drink itself actually is.

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Odd Drinks in Japan

There are many odd drinks you can get in Japan. One is called Pocari Sweat. It’s an electrolyte drink similar to Gatorade, but it's clear. My host family said they thought Americans don’t like it because of the name, and the fact that it’s a clear drink with an almost salty fruit flavor. So foreigners might think it’s actual sweat. Delicious. The drink is actually delicious though. I tried it, and it has a very faint flavor. It tastes kind of like tomato juice, but it's different. There are many different flavors and types of juice in Pocari Sweat, but the actual amount is small so the drink can remain clear.

Another interesting drink is a ginger drink. It’s darker than Coke or Pepsi, and it had extra ginger in it. I decided to try it with my friend on the trip with me, and it had so much ginger it was actually spicy. We dared people to take drinks of it because it was so spicy. The ginger was so strong you could smell it as soon as the drink was uncapped, and drinking more than tiny sips of the drink actually burned your tongue and throat.

There was a grape drink that was delicious that I bought in a vending machine on the trek to Kiyomizu-dera. It was a small can, and I thought it was just grape juice. However, once I took a drink I was amazed. It had actual cubes of grape in it. At first I was surprised, expecting the drink to be smooth. Generally when you want to drink something, chewing is the last thing on your mind but the grape pieces added so much flavor and good texture to the drink.

I saw a drink (but didn't try it) that was full of seeds. It was called Basil Seed and it had basil seeds in it. The basil seeds had a membrane around them, similar to pomegranate seeds but clear. It was a very interesting drink. If I had more time in Japan I'd like to try it.


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Chinese Food vs. Japanese Food

Chinese food is very different than Japanese food, but it seems like many people confuse the two. Often Japanese food and Chinese food are thought of as things like Fried rice, lo mein noodles, Kung Pao Chicken, General Tso's Chicken, and crab rangoons, among other things. These foods, however, are only Chinese food. And, if we're talking real here, many of these dishes are highly Americanized to be sweeter and more fried than their traditional Chinese counter parts. Sweet and Sour sauce, for example, is basically a sweet red sauce. I'm pretty sure it's in no way traditional Chinese food. I know that in Japan, for instance, people tend to like savory flavors better. In America, it's a one-way road to Salt-Fat-Sugarville with thousands of calories. Americans tend to like sweet things a lot more than Japanese people. For example, it's fairly common to find Japanese people (especially guys, although women can do this too) who don't like sweets at all. In America literally everyone I've talked to likes sweet things. I'm sure there are definitely people in America who don't like sweet things, and I do know a few people who don't like specifically chocolate (but still enjoy sweets). The fact that everyone I know in America enjoys sweets must mean that there's a fairly high percentage of people who like sweets in America. However, I digress.

American Chinese food is basically the foods I described above. Delicious fried things or vegetables in a soy sauce-based sauce. Japanese foods are things like sushi, yakitori, okonomiyaki, and onigiri. I did a blog entry about onigiri earlier that you may want to check out. If not, onigiri is basically a rice ball with something tasty inside. Yakitori is basically marinated chicken grilled on a stick (it's my Japanese teacher's favorite food). Okonomiyaki is my absolute favorite Japanese food. It's basically a savory pancake with many things mixed into the batter, and a piece of meat cooked in the center of it. My host family made it for me, and it was absolutely delicious.

Japanese foods and Chinese foods are very different. Some foods from China are also made in Japan, since Japan took a lot of cultural elements from China (such as certain kanji and traditions). Japanese food tends to be more savory, but it has a lot more flavor than Chinese food in my opinion. Part of the appeal of Chinese food is the Salt-fat-sugar combo that triggers the same response in your brain as if you had just taken drugs. Japanese food is the same way, but generally does it more subtly. In Japan quality of the food seems to be much more important than the quantity. Once, I ate Chinese food that burned my mouth because of how salty it was. That certainly made me salty. After I eat Chinese food I always feel bloated because of the high salt content. This could be because of where I am and the quality of food I was eating, versus the quality of food I was exposed to in Japan. However a Konbini onigiri tasted a lot better than a restaurant Chinese dish.

Many people probably confuse the two because of certain restaurants that serve both. Where I live there's a sushi restaurant that serves Japanese food, but also offers a wide variety of Chinese food as well. However, it advertises itself as a Japanese food restaurant. Now, I could be biased because I'm comparing totally different things. I'm not comparing traditional Chinese food to traditional Japanese food, I'm comparing traditional Japanese food you'd find in Japan to Chinese food you'd find in America.

So let's change it up a bit. In America, both Japanese food and Chinese food is prepared similarly, catering to an American audience. Even sushi in America is rolls that have many sweet sauces and

toppings that are only found in America, for example the ever-popular California roll with cucumber, fake crab, and avocado. In conclusion, Americans like sweet things, traditional Japanese and traditional Chinese foods are very different, but in America they are prepared similarly.

Yakiniku

Japanese yakiniku is a type of food that originated from Korean barbecue. Korean barbecue is very popular in Korea. Korean barbecue is basically a type of restaurant where you cook your own food. There is a built-in gas or charcoal grill at the middle of each table. Some Korean restaurants do not have built-in grills so they provide portable stoves to use at their tables. There are many different types of meat grilled. A lot of the meat is already marinated, customers cook it the way they want the meat to be cooked.

In Japan yakiniku is very similar to Korean barbecue. You get various cuts of meat and cook them yourself on a grill. The more delicious or rare the cut of meat, the more expensive it is. In some yakiniku, you pay by the plate or orders of meat. Some have set fees where you pay one fee at the front and it’s all you can eat. These places usually have lots of cheaper meat, but it’s still very delicious. At the all you can eat places, you can order different meats from a menu and pay for them separately. 

I went to a yakiniku place on my Japan trip. We paid a set fee, and it was all you can eat in 90 minutes. The grills were charcoal grills with small grates on top of them. They were very hot, and the meat we were given was thin so it cooked very quickly. There was unlimited drinks, all you had to do was go out of your little room and go up to the drink machines. 

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Idols

In both Korea and Japan, there are many different types of famous people. In both Japan and Korea, there are celebrities. However, there’s a different phenomenon that exists in Japan that’s not very popular in America. It’s a type of famous people. These famous people are called idols. Idols in Japan and Korea have a similar appeal. In Japan, idols have a specific characteristic or personality trait that makes the popular. What makes these idols famous is their personality trait. Japanese idols create their persona in order to gain more popularity and become famous. Some idols in Japan are known for their certain cute style, or how funny they are. Others are known for how cool they are. Sometimes Japanese idols' traits can conflict with their real personalities. For example, an idol whose persona is very kind and good natured may be a person who is very short tempered in real life.

Idols are very often associated with music. These idols often perform in groups. Some idol groups make sure each idol has a different personality trait or fashion statement so they blend well together. Having differences also allows each idol to be easily differentiated from fans.


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Other jpop groups use fashion and appearance to try to be very similar. These groups are pretty cool. The biggest one I've seen in Japan is AKB48. AKB48 is a girl's group with a huge number of girls. They match their fashion styles in photoshoots and music videos to try to blend. The huge number of girls also allows for many interesting dance styles and choreography.

Here is a picture of AKB48:

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Speaking of choreography, dancing is a HUGE part of idols and the music industry in Japan and Korea. There are even schools for dance, and a famous "idol school" in Korea where students are trained to dance, uphold an appearance on camera, deal with fans, and perform on stage as well as under pressure. The success rate of students who go to this school is huge. It's very hard to make it into the school, but almost all of the students who get in make it in the music industry as idols. It's crazy. Often there are lots of people who cheer them on, and that helps the succeed as well.

In both Korea and Japan, pop music is popular. In Japan, they have their own form of pop music called Japanese pop, or Jpop for short. Jpop features upbeat music and dancing. The dancing in music videos for Jpop is very tight and in sync, that's part of the aesthetic. Korean pop music is called kpop. Kpop is very popular in Japan, but jpop is not popular in Korea. Many dancers in kpop and jpop videos are much better than American dancers. Here is a video of Kpop dance practice:

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Korean, American, and Japanese Sushi

Kimbap (or Gimbap) is a type of Korean food. The concept of this dish is in a way similar to American style sushi. This food is usually eaten at picnics with Kimchi, which is a type of Korean pickled cabbage. There are not very many restaurants that serve only Kimbap, as it’s seen more of as a sandwich or snack (similar to onigiri). Protein ingredients that are very often used with Gimbap are fish cakes, imitation crab meat, eggs and/or seasoned beef rib-eye. This is similar to American California rolls in that the imitation crab meat is often used. Vegetables in Kimbap often include cucumbers, spinach, carrots and pickled radish. The picture below shows an example of Kimbap. It looks very similar to sushi you can find in America, but the flavors are different because of the ingredients used.


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Japanese sushi is very different than Korean “sushi.” Japanese sushi is generally fish with a rice ball underneath. Most Japanese sushi shows off the fish more, and focuses on the cuts of meat. Rolls in Japan can be seen, but they are often used to combine flavors or textures of fish. The goal of Japanese sushi is not of the roll or what’s inside the roll. Japanese foods focus a lot on aesthetic (appearance, or outward beauty) and texture. If a food is bland or has a bad texture, many Japanese people won’t eat it. Even if the food is very flavorful, some Japanese people will not eat it if it has a bad texture. Americans eat more for flavor, and texture can vary. For example, many people eat at McDonald’s in America, and some of their menu items have the same texture or consistency. McDonald’s in Japan have varied menu items specific to Japan, such as the Tsukimi, or moon viewing burger, which has an egg on top to resemble the moon.


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In America, sushi is more similar to Kimbap in that it’s generally a roll. The rice in American sushi is on the outside. If an American goes to a sushi restaurant in America, most of the menu items are rolls. You can get traditional Japanese sushi by ordering each cut of fish separately. This is called “nigiri” (fish on rice) in America, but in Japan it’s just referred to as sushi. I showed my host family in Japan pictures of American sushi and they said they didn’t know what that was, but it wasn’t sushi. In America, sushi also has varied sauces on top of it. Many of the sauces or ingredients inside rolls can be sweet. This is interesting to me because both Japanese and Korean sushi are very savory. Japanese sushi is traditionally dipped in soy sauce before eating, it doesn’t generally come with a sauce already on it.


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Japanese Elementary Schools

In Japan, elementary schools are similar to American Elementary schools. In America, Elementary school is 1st grade through 5th grade. In Japan, however, it is first grade through 6th grade. The 6th graders I interacted with in Japan were very mature and funny. It was adorable. Their English was very good (Japan has been increasing their English classes in recent years due to the possibility of the Olympics being held in Tokyo).

Students in some schools have to wear uniforms, however at the school I visited the students did not wear uniforms. All of the students wore cute outfits. Some of the girls wore overalls, or cute ruffly shorts. The guys wore t-shirts with cute patterns or sayings on them and shorts. Many of the students wore sandals or crocs because it was summer when I visited them.

The 6th graders showed me the Kendama and other Japanese toys, and they had a calligraphy class. Calligraphy is very difficult, even if it seems easy. The students drew an anime version of me, and even drew my name in Kanji. Below is their drawing of me! It’s very adorable and it made me really happy.

The students asked me lots of questions, and helped each other out with English to ask me more complex questions. It was very cute, because they all worked hard to talk to me. The proud looks on their faces after they’d ask me a question in Japanese or English and I’d understand was priceless.



Another interesting aspect of Japanese Elementary schools is lunches. During lunchtime, certain students put on face masks and then a cart of food is rolled into the class room. The students that serve food rotates every day. The cart has large bowls full of each type of food. Sometimes it has soup and bread, or other traditional Japanese lunch foods. The students then line up with trays and are served the food by their classmates. Leftovers are packed up by the students as well, and taken back to the cafeteria. The food is always rich in vitamins and very nutritious. We got to eat lunch with them too, and the food was delicious and very rich. There was a soup with potatoes and corn, and the milk was whole milk with lots of added vitamins.

This is a picture of me in Japan with the 6th grade students! I had a great time, and they were all very smart and talented. I loved talking with them. They made me origami animals, and I drew faces on them. We played a traditional Japanese hammer game, and I almost won it, but it got knocked over by another exchange student that was in my group. Many of the students were very interested in us because we were new people and we looked different than them and spoke another language. Visiting that elementary school was such a great experience! I’m glad to have visited them and met them all!

Pictures are mine so no source is needed.

The Pocky Game

The pocky game is a game that involves a Japanese snack called Pocky. It’s similar to a game of chicken or the nervous game played in America, however it tends to be more innocent. The game starts with two players. They can be any gender, however I recommend not playing with family members or strangers. Pocky is a cracker stick covered in chocolate. A box of Pocky will have many sticks. In America, Pringles has a similar product without chocolate called Pringles Stix. These Pringles Stix are savory and very flavorful. Pocky’s flavor comes from the chocolate coating, as the cracker stick itself is bland.

Below is an image of Pocky:

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The pocky game rules are simple. One person holds a pocky stick in their mouth, and another person does the same with the opposite end. Each person takes turns taking a bite of the Pocky. The person who loses is the first one to break the Pocky stick. If both people playing are very stubborn, the people will end up kissing. This game is popular in Japan among couples, and in mainstream anime or manga. People in America, weeaboos, are often drawn to the game due to its romantic nature.

On my trip to Japan,the first week was sightseeing. After each day, we’d come back to a Youth Hostel in Tokyo or a traditional Japanese Hotel in Kyoto. One day we came back a bit early and we weren’t incredibly exhausted like we usually were after walking 10 miles a day. We had pocky that we bought in Asakusa and we decided to play the pocky game. I didn’t know what it was, and two people did. The only people who actually tried the game were guys, which was hilarious. They ended up getting pretty close too. We basically spent the night watching a rerun of Dragon Ball Z and eating Japanese snacks until we fell asleep. The Pocky game was really fun, and we tried very hard to stifle our laughter. The walls of the hotel were very thin, and we could even hear people below us and above us talking in low voices. I’m sure our loud raucous laughter was annoying to the people staying around us, but we were very hyped from seeing new sights in Japan.

This is the only time I’ve ever seen the Pocky game being played, which is ironic since it actually happened in Japan.

Kendama

There are many traditional toys in Japan. When I went to Japan, I visited an elementary school and they showed me many types of toys. My favorite toy they showed me is called the Kendama. The Kendama is a wooden toy with a string attached to it. It is shaped similar to a hammer with a wooden stake at the top of it. At the end of the string, there’s a ball. The ball rests on top of the wooden stake or on the sides (the parts of the hammer) of the kendama. The main point of the kendama is to get the ball back where it started by letting it fall and swinging it back up. It’s a lot more difficult than it seems! Many people who are good with the Kendama can do certain tricks over and over. Tricks with the Kendama are similar to yoyo tricks in that you’re swinging an object on a string.

This is a picture of a Japanese kendama. Sometimes the kendama have lines painted along them, but this one is just plain wood. To the left is kendama in Japanese (ke-n-dama).

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A huge part of the kendama is balance and timing. I tried out the kendama again later at the high school my host sister went to, and I got the ball back on one of the sides. It made me really excited, since I’d tried a lot of times and I was very determined to succeed. I had many of my Japanese friends cheering for me, and it was really fun. There was a photographer and the vice principal filmed it too. The school has posters along the walls of all the foreign exchange students having fun with the students every year.

Just as America has a huge amount of people who love to do yoyo tricks, many people in Japan are very good with the kendama. People who like to do kendama tricks are in America too, but since the Kendama is traditionally Japanese, I have a video of a Kendama master in Japan. It’s 5 minutes, so if it’s long you don’t have to watch all of it. I highly recommend you watch some of it though, he’s very good at each trick he performs. The fact that he does each trick twice or more shows he really is a master, because each trick is very difficult. Doing the trick twice in a row makes it even more difficult.

Click here for the video!

Ganguro Girls

There have been many different trends throughout the years in Japan. However, this trend may be the most peculiar. In Japan, Americans are seen as cool. English speakers are thought of as automatically awesome, or kakkoi, no matter whether or not they have social standing. Which, I might add (as a person who’s not very popular), is pretty nice.

This trend is a type of makeup application that used to be popular among girls. It was made to be extremely flashy. These “Ganguro” girls would put on very very dark foundation, and put very light foundation as highlights. Sometimes they would wear white lipstick and even contacts (like the first girl shown below). Thick black eyeliner and long fake eyelashes helped make their eyes look much bigger. They would get their nails done and get long fake acrylic nails. Sometimes they would get very dark spray tans as well.

It’s also common for Ganguro girls to wear really bright colored clothing. They wear bright pink, neon green, yellow, or purple clothes. They sometimes have flowers or neon colored braids in their hair as well. Their hair is usually worn long and dyed to be blonde or white. Their hair is also straightened. Along with bleaching their hair, Ganguro girls also sometimes dye their hair different colors, such as pink. Or they’ll color certain strips of their hair a bright color.

This makeup trend is formatted after Americans. Ganguro girls are trying to mimic the appearance of American girs: larger eyes, different skin tone, and blond straight hair. It’s not trying to be rude or make fun of Americans, in fact it was considered beautiful when it was popular.


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Here’s an example of Ganguro girls with colored hair. They also have very brightly colored clothes. The exaggerated dark (almost orange) and light makeup and white lipstick show these are Ganguro girls. The umbrellas are for rain, but they can also help block out the sun on a particularly hot day. Blocking the sun makes it cooler, and it can keep you from sweating, which is really helpful if you don’t want your makeup to run (especially since these girls are wearing a lot of makeup).

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Ikebana

Ikebana is a traditional Japanese art. It’s a type of flower arranging. The kanji for ikebana, 生け花, is made of two parts. The first kanji, 生 (the i of ikebana) comes from the verb ikeru (生ける) which means “to live.” The second kanji, 花, (the “bana” of ikebana) means “flower.” Literally translated, ikebana means “living flowers.”

This makes sense with the creation of ikebana. Ikebana is about balance and composition of the flowers. The full ikebana arrangement takes into account space, colors, form, and material just like any professional art piece. The best ikebana arrangements make the viewer feel something, and invoke emotion.

Just like a painter in America, Ikebana artists work hard to compose each piece. In America, ikebana artists may be overlooked because of the simplicity of the art. Anyone can do it, dismissive Americans might argue. However, the same goes for painting. Anyone can paint, but it takes true masters to create amazing paintings.

Ikebana is the art of flower arranging, but that doesn’t mean that it’s only flowers. Below, berries and twigs make up most of this piece. The simplicity of ikebana is what creates most of its beauty. Using the least limbs you can and creating a masterpiece is very difficult. Each branch for this piece was probably meticulously chosen and placed to have the effect that it does. If there was a different branch there, or the same branches made different shapes, the piece would convey an entirely different message or have a different feel.

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Shown below is an arrangement of orchids. The natural curve of some of the branches contrast very nicely with the obviously bent limbs. The natural feel of the orchids themselves blends with the man-made look of the bent limbs. The leaves gathered at the bottom create a base, and the bent curves of the branches draw the eye up to the orchids and along the piece itself. The focal point of this piece is the first orchid, so your eye is immediately drawn to it.


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Another very important feature of ikebana is what the flowers are placed on. Whether it’s a bowl, pot, tray, or even this circular vase shown below, they each send a different message and give a different appearance to the piece itself. This piece is beautiful. The red leaves reaching up past the circle represent growing, and it draws the eye upwards. The focal point is the circle, and the white flowers contrast with the red in the leaves and the black in the circle. The way the leaves lay on the branch are elegant as well, they have naturally grown there and it accents the elegance and beauty of nature.


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Cherry Blossoms

Cherry blossoms, known as sakura (櫻- さくら) in Japanese are very popular flowers. They are not, however, Japan’s national flower. Many people I’ve talked to think that Japan’s national flower is the cherry blossom, but it’s not. It’s the chrysanthemum.

I asked people I knew what they thought of Japan, or what they thought of when they heard the word Japan. Whenever people think of Japan, you might think of Mt. Fuji or traditional Japanese temples, or sushi, but lots of people, upon a few minutes of recollection, say that cherry blossoms come to mind. Five of the around seventeen people I’ve asked said cherry blossoms came to mind first. None of the people I talked to knew very much about Japanese culture.

Cherry blossoms are very abundant in Japan. The can be found in many places in Japan. Cherry blossoms are found very often in parks and recreational areas. They are considered very important to Japanese culture. There’s even a holiday centered around cherry blossoms, called Hanami.

Cherry blossoms can also be found in America. In Washington D.C., many cherry blossom trees are found along the Reflecting Pool. In fact, the view is considered to be so beautiful that it’s famous for the cherry blossoms there.

Below is a picture of the Chureito pagoda (忠霊塔) to the right of the photograph. It’s famous for its amazing view of Mount Fuji and the cherry blossoms blooming around the bottom of the pagoda.

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Cherry blossoms are very pretty up close. Depending on the breed of cherry blossom, they can be different colors. Shown below are pink cherry blossoms, which is the most popular type. These are known for their beauty. Before these cherry blossoms bloom, the buds are a dark pink, almost red. As the flower opens and blooms it becomes lighter. Because cherry blossoms all bloom at different rates on the tree, you can find cherry blossoms at many stages of blooming on the same branch. This creates a gorgeous array of colors. Another type of cherry blossom has white flowers. These have light pink buds (similar to the color of the flower of the pink ones) and their blooms fade to white. Sometimes you can even find a cherry blossom tree with darker blooms and buds. I only saw one in Japan, but in my opinion these are the most beautiful.


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Shamisen

The shamisen (三味線) is a very traditional Japanese instrument. The kanji for Shamisen literally means “three strings.”  This instrument is similar to a guitar in the way it’s played. It’s more similar to a bass guitar with the number of strings, and a ukulele with the pitch of the sound. However, the child between both the bass guitar and the ukele is the Shamisen. The shamisen has three strings, and it’s amazing because it’s very versatile with the sound it can make. The strings are much more loose than a guitar, however, which allows it to be played freely. It has a twang to it, similar to other Japanese string instruments.

Below is a video of two men playing the Shamisen. The video is called shamisen vs. shamisen, and it’s basically two solos fading in and out from one another. What amazes me about that, however, is that the shamisen only has three strings and the players of the shamisen are very skilled. They can form notes easily, and play up and down along the pitches at breakneck speeds. This show is a performance, and it’s not traditional. Usually there is only one shamisen in a traditional performance, and it’s usually backed up by a few other instruments unless it’s a solo concert. The shamisen is very interesting. It can be played at many different tempos and the number of strings don’t limit the note capacity at all. Both of the men in the video are playing more traditional looking shamisen, but shamisen made today are often white and sleek with a base similar to an electric guitar.

Here is the video! Hope you enjoy:

click me for video!

Rilakkuma

Rilakkuma is a huge trend in Japan. Rilakkuma is a Japanese word, but it’s written in Katakana. When I went to Japan, Rilakkuma merchandise was EVERYWHERE. Basically, Rilakkuma is a series of characters. Rilakkuma himself is a bear. The word “kuma” means bear. There’s also a white bear and a duck. These characters are seen as adorable in Japan. I have to admit, they are pretty cute.

I indulged myself and bought a Rilakkuma plushie. It was actually my first gift purchase in Japan! I wanted to give it to my brother because I thought it looked cute. I had no idea it was Rilakkuma or what Rilakkuma really was. Later, after I had been in Japan for nearly two weeks and it was nearing the end of my stay, I visited a Rilakkuma shop in Aeon mall. This is the same Aeon that I mention in my earlier post. I found the cutest little Rilakkuma plushie, and so I bought it. Nearing the end of the trip I began to spend more frivolously because I felt like I could never go to these places again, or at least never again have an opportunity to buy those products. Three days later I was home in Iowa, unpacking my souvenirs, dirty clothes and thousands of food items. I found a Rilakkuma plushie in my suitcase, the one I had bought toward the last few days. Then, I found the exact same Rilakkuma plushie I bought the first day in Japan. The moral of this story is that Rilakkuma draws you in.

Here is a picture below of Rilakkuma:

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Noh and Shōmyō

Almost every country has traditional music. Whether it’s national anthems, special types of instruments, specific types of vocalizations or singing, many types of music exists all over.

Because of the diversity of music all around, each country has their own specific type of music. However, America, due to the fact that it is a melting pot, doesn’t really have traditional music. Native American music may be the closest, but immigrants with Germanic or other European roots don’t have very much to go on as far as tradition, especially traditional music. They can find music of their ancestors from the country from which they originated, or they can adopt new forms of music here. However, as far as traditional music, America doesn’t have much. It’s more of a combination of many traditions, and their music, depending on the family where the music came from. Jazz and rock were created in America as pop culture, but that’s not traditional music passed down from generation to generation.

Japan is an island, as many of you already know. Throughout history, Japan limited trading with other countries up until a certain point. This allowed a huge cultural distinction to be formed from other countries. No other country spoke Japanese or had the same cultural traditions as Japan. It was allowed to form its own traditions without much influence from very many other countries. This was great because very rare traditions formed. Japanese people hold these traditions very dear even now, as Japan is becoming increasingly more integrated with other countries' (especially American) culture.

One type of traditional Japanese music is called Noh, or nougaku (能楽). Noh is a type of theatrical music similar to kabuki. Noh uses many instruments. One is called the taiko (太鼓) which is a huge type of drum. Traditionally they are played with many other taiko in a drum show. Taiko drums are about the size of a person. Another instrument that’s very traditional to Japanese music is the ootsuzumi (大鼓), which is a small type of drum similar to a bongo. This type of drum makes a much higher pitched sound than the taiko drums. Taiko drums have a very low sound, and each time the biggest ones are hit, you can feel the resonating sound in your chest. It feels like your heart is beating along with the drums, even though it’s just vibrations. Another instrument is the kotsuzumi (小鼓), which is an even smaller type of drum. The kotsuzumi is found in many types of traditional Japanese music. It sounds very unique to other types of drums.

Here is a short clip of the kotsuzumi being played: video

Another instrument is the fue (笛). Fue is the Japanese word for flute, and the fue is just that: a flute. It’s made of bamboo and about 12 inches long. It creates a very clear and piercing sound. The highest notes seem almost shrill. Similar to a metal flute in America, the fue is fairly difficult to play. You need the correct embouchure (mouth placement) and some of the notes have very difficult fingerings.

Here is a Japanese high school student playing a fue: video

Another interesting part of my time in Japan was the Shōmyō. During sightseeing, we went to a temple. In the temple were monks doing a Buddhist ceremony. During the ceremony, they lit a large fire and a monk stood behind it and chanted. People attending the ceremony at that time were allowed to bring objects up to the monks. The monks would then take the objects and bathe them in the smoke of the fire for a moment, purifying the object. I chose my travel bag, since I didn’t have very many belongings with me. My travel bag happens to be my current backpack. Before the fire cleansing, the monks chanted and recited religious incantations. I couldn’t understand them because I’m not completely fluent in Japanese yet, but the way they said and sang the words was amazing. It’s so unique compared to anything in churches in America.

Here is an example of Shōmyō: video

Crocs

Crocs are popular in Japan. Yes, I said crocs, and yes, I mean the plastic shoe with holes in it. Crocs, shown below, are made in a few different styles. In America, they’ve gone out of style very quickly. They used to be very popular a few years ago in America, but now they are seen as unfashionable and impractical. They’re even seen as tacky.

However, in Japan there are often rainy seasons. These rainy seasons are usually called monsoon seasons. People in Japan need Crocs to keep their shoes from being ruined. Because there are so many days during the rainy season where the ground is saturated with water, and it’s hard to walk anywhere without stepping in mud or a puddle of water. Waterproof shoes are common in Japan, however these shoes don’t protect your legs or socks from water in a downpour, or if you accidentally step in a puddle. Even worse, the waterproof shoes hold water in the shoe itself once water gets inside it. This can create much discomfort because it forces you to walk with wet socks.

To keep your socks and legs relatively mess-free, people in Japan use crocs. You don’t need to wear socks with crocs, and there’s easy cleanup. That way, you can just clean off your legs and hose down your muddy crocs if you do get them dirty. It’s very easy cleanup, and they are very practical in Japan.


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90's Socks

In the 1990s, a very interesting fashion trend occurred in Japan. This trend was super popular among teenagers, especially those in high school. This trend included socks. In Japan, students wear a uniform and they are required to wear it a certain way. This means they can’t have their skirt be too short or wear their shirts or vests in an incorrect way. However, many students find ways to work around that and wear their uniform in their own unique way. Students in the 90s decided to use their socks in a creative way.

In Japan, girls would take thigh-high socks and push them down so it created folds all the way down. Then, they would glue or sew the socks so they stayed that way. This was a very popular form of wearing socks, however, it’s odd. The sock trend was seen as very cute in Japan.

Below are five Japanese high schoolers wearing these trendy socks:

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Karaoke

Karaoke originated in Japan. The creator of karaoke, Daisuke Inoue, never patented it, and so he lost millions and millions of dollars (or I guess yen) that he could’ve made if he had a share of the profits. However, instead of having any hard feelings about this, he was just content that karaoke could be enjoyed by so many people, and that it could be a source of happiness and fun. Karaoke is pronounced kah-rah-oh-keh (instead of carry-oh-key like Americans usually pronounce it).

Karaoke was very popular in America in the 2000s, but it has recently declined in popularity. Many people usually know what Karaoke is, but if you don’t, then here’s an explanation. Karaoke allows you to sing to songs. The words (lyrics) of the songs roll across the screen, or they just appear and a color flows over them as you’re supposed to read them and as they are supposed to be sung. In America, karaoke bars aren’t that common, but they do exist. Usually in America there are normal bars that feature karaoke. Karaoke is usually in bars in America because nervous people will lose their inhibitions with a few drinks. These people will sing more freely (even if it’s off pitch or sounds bad) and the bar will make more money.

Also available in America are portable Karaoke machines. Portable karaoke machines are rectangle devices with a TV screen in front and a microphone attached that you sing into. Once the microphone picks up sound, it sends signals to the karaoke machine to make it seem louder. I had one as a kid, and I sung all the High School Musical songs at full volume. I loved to pretend I was on stage. I even forced my neighbor to sing with me. We’d always sing duets with him being Troy and me singing as Gabriella. My parents humored us, although I’m sure we sounded terrible.

In Japan, Karaoke is very common. Karaoke bars in Japan are very different than ones in America. For example, they cater much more to high schoolers and college students, although adults are found in karaoke bars very often as well.

The front of a big or popular karaoke bar usually has Karaoke written in katakana (カラオケ) in neon lights at the front. When you want to do some karaoke, you go into the karaoke bar. The person waiting there will help you. Tell them how many people you have with you, and how long you want to be there. You pay by the hour in some places, and in other places you pay one set fee for unlimited time. By the hour, it’s usually 500-700 yen (5 to 7 dollars) for a cheap karaoke place. The standard is usually around 1,000 yen (or 10 dollars). The price for one unlimited karaoke place I saw was 3,500 yen (or 35 dollars) per person.

Karaoke bars in Japan don’t center around alcohol. Instead, karaoke bars are set in private rooms. The private rooms are usually dark with comfortable couches all around a big TV. There is a small square touch-screen device that lets you choose songs and put them in order. There are also usually two microphones for duets or many friends to share at once. Lots of food and many drinks are available from menus (if you want them). To order, all you do is type in your order and send it in, and it will be brought to you.

Since karaoke is such an important part of Japanese culture, we did karaoke on our Japan trip. We each paid the fee, and were led to a dimly lit room with super comfortable chairs and a large flatscreen TV in front of us. There was a large table in front of us as well, and it resembled a huge booth from a restaurant in America, because the seats wrapped around the walls. We sang Bohemian Rhapsody and other songs we all knew, as well as songs only a few of us knew. It was really fun after a long day of walking around Japan. We didn’t buy any food there, but the food on the menu looked delicious. The touch screen device was fun to use as well, although for some reason it was difficult to stop certain songs once they played. For example, our teacher wanted to hear a teenage pop song, and someone chose Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda. None of us remembered many of the lyrics and thought they were slightly risque, but not too bad. We were wrong; they were incredibly explicit and our teacher actually blushed from hearing them. Try as we might, we couldn’t get the song to stop until it was almost done. So, that was fun.

Here’s a picture of people in a karaoke room. It’s not our Japan trip group, but it seems like there are foreign exchange students there, or at least people who moved to Japan from another country.[source]

Kabuki

Kabuki (歌舞伎) is a classical type of Japanese theater. Kabuki traditionally features only men for all the characters, whatever the gender of the character may be. Originally, kabuki was created with all women performers, but throughout the years it has transitioned to all men. These men are usually dressed in kimono and have lots of makeup on. Their hair is gelled and styled to look like traditional styles from feudal Japan.

Another aspect of kabuki is Nagauta (長唄). The first kanji is the kanji for long (nagai) and the word “uta” means song. Literally Nagauta translates to “long song.” Nagauta uses the shamisen, a traditional Japanese instrument. Usually someone also sings in the background as well. Nagauta is used primarily to set the story or create a certain mood. Nagauta tells a story that gives background information to the characters or moves from one scene to the next.

Contemporary, or more current kabuki, is often comedy. These shows are set on small stages with props and sets, just like an American play. When I went to Japan, I saw a kabuki show in an onsen, or hot spring (in this case it was a resort developed around a hot spring), I went to. Many people in the audience were laughing and having a great time. I took lots of pictures, but I couldn’t understand very much of what they were saying. My host sister translated some of it for me in English, and it was really funny. A lot of the jokes were comical misunderstandings or language puns. My love for puns is very fierce, so I enjoyed the show greatly.

Below is a picture of Kabuki actors:

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MMD

MMD stands for Miku Miku Dance. It goes hand in hand with Vocaloid, but can stand alone as its own software. Miku Miku dance is named after Vocaloid’s Hatsune Miku. It is a software used to animate the characters from Vocaloid. This animation software is very popular, and it’s used to make some music videos for Vocaloid songs. It’s also used to animate the characters in Vocaloid for concerts.

Miku Miku Dance has a few major components to it. It acts as a 3D rendering software, and everything is editable. Basically, the Vocaloid characters are puppets that you move. Similar to a traditional animation software or stop motion films, each movement makes up a frame. If you combine many frames of movement together, it creates an animation. These animations are usually set to music, and they are the dance portion for Vocaloid music videos.

You can also edit the background, import music for your dancers, and change the camera angles. Because of how versatile this software is (and how popular the characters are, along with the fact that you can get MMD for free) there are also many memes and spoof videos created with MMD and posted on YouTube. Here is an example of an MMD meme. The video is of three guys lip syncing to Backstreet’s Back by the Backstreet Boys. They animated three characters to follow their movements, and I think it’s hilarious. It takes a long time to animate each frame, similar to real animation software.

Here is a picture of the actual Miku Miku Dance software itself in use.

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Vocaloid

Vocaloid, or boukaroido (ボーカロイド) in Japanese, is a hugely popular music software originating in Japan. Vocaloid is basically artificial voices. This is achieved by creating each sound in the Japanese language with artificial “voice” software. When you choose a certain sound in Japanese, and choose the pitch, it will sound like a slightly robotic-sounding Japanese person is singing that sound. With this, any word in the Japanese language can be created, so it’s highly versatile. The software lets you change pitch, speed, duration of the notes and lets you add your own background music (such as piano). You can upload background music, or create your own on the software. You do the same steps to create the background tracks that you would to make the voices themselves. You can mix your music, change volumes, edit tracks.

The Control parameter screen (shown below) is there to show expressiveness in the voices: if you want a song to have more passion, you can edit the voice to make it louder or give it more vibrato. The original version of Vocaloid is nearly impossible to use if you’re not fluent in Japanese (all the buttons, commands, and explanations are in Japanese). However, I think there’s a fan-made translated version of Vocaloid available, because the software has become so popular.

Here is a screenshot of Vocaloid. The different sections are labeled to show how they work.

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If you’re at all familiar with Vocaloid, I’m sure that software is the last thing you’re thinking. Each of the “voice” sounds are given in a few different starting pitches, which makes it seem like a different person is singing them. These different voices have names and even backstories. The most popular of these is Hatsune Miku, who has long teal hair in pigtails, and dresses in a gray stylized Japanese school uniform, thigh highs and black shoes. She is the face of Vocaloid because of her popularity, and many people all over the world recognize her.

These Vocaloid voices have become characters and even have their own appearances. Each of the characters have a specific color attributed to them. Hatsune Miku is known for her school uniform contrasting with her teal hair, but there are other characters as well. A character named Kaito always wears blue and has blue hair, while another character has red hair and wears only red. Two twin characters are blonde and always wear yellow.

The reason Vocaloid became viral so quickly is because of the songs created with it. It became popular in America through colorful music videos on Youtube, which people then translated and put subtitles on. In Japan, however, Vocaloid has become so popular that there are Vocaloid concerts.

If you’re familiar with the American band Gorillaz, you might know what a hologram concert is. Basically, they are concerts where music is played, and a huge screen is in front of a large audience. The screen displays an image that looks 3D, and the image is animated. The animation is matched to the music, so that it looks like the hologram is playing or singing the music. Here is a Gorillaz holographic concert.

Many Volcaloid songs have gone viral, such as “World is Mine” or one of my personal favorites, “Just Be Friends.” Just Be Friends is about a breakup, and it shows both people in the couple being sad about their happy memories. They grew apart, and they stopped dating. World is Mine, on the other hand, is different. The whole song is about a spoiled girl wanting her boyfriend to do everything and buy everything she asks for. She wants him to obey her, then she realizes the things she does and tries to love her boyfriend even more. This is the holographic concert for the song World is Mine.

For more information, the offical Vocaloid website is here: http://www.vocaloid.com/en/

Onigiri

If fine sushi is a culinary art form, you could think of onigiri as culinary arts 'n' crafts. Slightly more practical than sushi, onigiri is a main element of the Japanese bento box (boxed lunch) and a popular quick meal.

These little rice balls are made with sushi rice, but the rice is salted lightly, instead of seasoned with rice vinegar like in sushi. Sushi is meant to be aesthetically pleasing: it shows off the most delicate (usually expensive) pieces of seafood. Onigiri, however, uses leftovers and other ingredients you might have around, and hides them in the rice instead of showing them off.

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Above is a picture showing how to open pre-made onigiri from a konbini. If you open it correctly, it doesn't fall apart and it can easily be eaten.

If you want to make onigiri, not much planning is required. All you need is cooked sushi rice, salt, and a few other ingredients to fill your onigiri.

If you don't have a rice cooker, here's how to cook rice without one:
Put 1 ½ cups of sushi rice (sushi rice and rice used for onigiri are the same) in a bowl. Rinse the rice in water, then drain, and repeat this process a few times to fully clean the rice. Put the rice and two cups of water in a saucepan, then cover and cook on medium-low for about 15 minutes. Then, turn off the heat (keeping the saucepan covered) for 10 minutes to allow it to finish cooking fully.

You can leave the rice plain or mix seasonings or pieces of meat and vegetables into it. What I found common in Japan was putting a filling in the center of the rice ball.

If you choose to put filling in your onigiri, pick in ingredient with lots of flavor. That way, if you're eating it on the go, you'll be able to enjoy it thoroughly without having to use anything like a dipping sauce. If you put leftover fish or chicken inside the onigiri, a little bit goes a long way. If the filling seems plain or bland, mix it with a little soy sauce, lemon juice, mayonnaise, or hot sauce before putting it into the onigiri.

Other onigiri ingredients are tsukudani (a seasoned type of seaweed called kombu) and umeboshi (pickled plum) are also popular.

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Convienience of the Konbini

The konbini, (コンビニ) is a Japanese word meaning convenience store. These konbini are found all over Japan. Unlike convenience stores in America, konbini in Japan have a much larger variety of items. Konbini are smaller versions of Wal-Marts in America, with the same amount of items packed tightly in shelves along the walls. In konbinis you can find food for dinner, lunch, and dessert; masks, items for first aid kits, chap stick, magazines, manga, and shelves of 100 yen snack foods (right now 100 yen is a little less than a dollar).


In Japan, a popular reliable chain of konbini is 7 Eleven. These always have an ATM (which is very helpful for tourists) and are usually kept clean with high quality goods. However, every konbini I’ve been in was kept very clean and had very high quality items. The food (especially the sandwiches) were made in such a way that it seemed like they put quality over quantity, and valued the customer.

This is a konbini:

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One of the most interesting things that’s carried in konbini are the types of bread, or pan (パン). There are many types of bread in Japan. It’s often eaten as a lunch food (since it’s high in calories to be a snack), but the variety of breads amazed me. There’s the curry bread that’s a circle of dough filled with spicy curry (called kare pan); my favorite sweet chocolate chip melon bread (called choco melon pan); sausage bread (so-se-ji pan); and the most interesting of all, the yakisoba roll. The yakisoba roll is a hoagie or a hot dog bun filled with noodles in special type of sauce, or yakisoba. There’s also veggies on top, and it’s a popular savory food in Japan.

Below is a picture of Yakisoba roll for sale in Japan. To the right of it is a ham and potato sandwich bread, and to the left of it is an egg salad roll: 

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Bowing

In Japan, bowing is a very important part of daily life. The Japanese word for bowing is ojigi. Bowing shows respect for people who are important to you. Shown below is a picture of various degrees of bowing. In Japan, the most respectful bow is a saikeirei, or “deep bow.” This is generally 45 degrees. It’s proper to bow at this angle if you are very grateful to someone, or you are talking to your boss or someone in a position higher than you. The keirei (“medium bow”) is generally used when thanking or showing respect to people who are on the same level to you, for example your coworker. The eshaku (“light bow”) is when you are in a higher position than the person you are talking to (your employee, or someone younger than you or in a lower grade in school).


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Pets in Japan

Pets in America are very common. They range from poisonous snakes and spiders to parrots to huge purebreed dogs. Pets are kept because people want a companion, or some type of animal to take care of. Americans often have large pets in their homes, since they generally have larger homes than people in Japan. Some people in America (who own large areas of land) even have huge pets, like camels, cows, or even buffalo. The most common pets in America are dogs, cats, rats, rabbits, fish and reptiles. When I was younger, I had two big dogs and a hedgehog.

In recent years, pets have also become more popular in Japan. Because Japan has much smaller spaces for housing, smaller pets are vastly more common than larger pets. In the country, where bigger houses are built, bigger pets can be found, such as larger breeds of dogs. Smaller pets are much more common in the city. These small pets are also easier to take care of than bigger pets would be.

There are many types of animals that are kept as pets, such as small dogs (chihuahuas, pugs, miniature poodles and other miniature breeds) cats, and fish. Hairless cats are common because they don’t shed, and anyone can own one even if you have a cat allergy. Stag beetles and beta fish have little to no maintenance to be kept, so they are popular with people who want pets but don’t have much time to care for them. Breeds of hamsters, flying squirrels, chinchillas, chipmunks and Netherland Dwarfs (tiny rabbits) are kept because they are cute and can easily be kept in a cage. Ferrets and Chinese rats are generally more intelligent, and therefore more high maintenance, but for people who are willing to care for them, they are great pets.

Rare pets in Japan include Fennec foxes, wallabies (small kangaroos), alligator snappers, brush-tailed possums, raccoons, prairie dogs, Skunks, hedgehogs, armadillos, and even iguanas. These pets are found kept both in the city and the country, but they it takes lots of different types of intensive care to keep them healthy, so they’re not in very high demand. Still, these pets are bought because they’re rare. Fennec foxes are super cute, but other pets like the alligator snappers are purchased to seem intimidating. Nothing is cooler than having and living with a dangerous rare pet. A lot of these pets (such as wallabies or armadillos) are kept by people who live in the country. These larger pets can’t be kept in the city; they need more space to be comfortable.

In Japan, pet stores can be much, much smaller than those in America. I saw one in Shinjuku on a street corner. It only had twelve dogs and cats in tiny cages on display, and the entire space was only a few meters wide. It was pouring (it was the rainy season, after all), and a young couple huddled close together under their umbrella, oohing and awwing at how adorable the puppies and kittens were. A few people who didn’t have umbrellas went inside for a short time to look at baby animals instead of braving the rain.

Another pet store I saw was much larger. It was in Aeon (pronounced ee on) mall, and it had more variety of animals. Half of the store was shelves stocked fully with pet toys, outfits, and food of various kinds. The other half of the pet store was the animals themselves. It was mostly many breeds of dogs and cats, such as wiener dogs, tiny poodles, calico cats, hairless cats, and tabby cats. The wiener dog seemed relentlessly shy, and wagged its tail slightly from between its legs whenever someone tried to pet it. The hairless cat sat tall on his haunches, looking down on all who watched him. A scruffy puppy with curly brown hair bounced around its cage, playing with a squeaky toy. A tiny striped kitten laid on its back and peeked at all the people looking at her. Her huge green eyes captivated a large audience, and I heard more than one child begging their parents to play with it or buy it.
 This is a picture of the cute little kitty:

My host sister in Japan bought her pet dog (Cocoa, a super fluffy white poof) in that pet store in Aeon a few years ago. Cocoa is house trained and very obedient. They taught him to fall over and play dead when they say “bang bang.” He wears a pink and blue striped sweater, and every 20 minutes or so, my host family would lint roll the white hairs Cocoa shed off the sweater. Like Cocoa, many pets in Japan are loved and cared for by their owners.

Peace~!

The peace hand sign, shown below, was originally called the V sign.

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The V sign meant victory, and was shown whenever something was completed, or something good happened. After World War II in America, it was used as a symbol of pride symbolizing our victory. Later, in the Hippie era, the V sign was used to symbolize peace. Today, peace is the most common meaning of this symbol. It was widely used in America, but in recent years its popularity has drastically decreased. It’s not popular among American teens to form the peace sign in pictures. However, in Japan, that is not the case.

In Japan, teenagers and young people use the peace sign for pictures. Literally every single picture I took at the high school I went to had the peace sign in it. In Japanese the word for the peace sign is piisu sain (ピースサイン), or just piisu (ピース) for short. Many students think the peace sign is cool or cute, and even Japanese idols use it. In Japanese high schools, you don’t really fit in if you never do the peace sign in pictures. Similar to silly bands in America (for the one month they were popular), or that odd sock trend in Japan in the 90’s (which I’ll cover in a later post), it’s just a thing teenagers do as a fashion trend.

Here’s a picture of Japanese high schoolers showing the peace sign!

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I used the peace sign so much in Japan, I still use it in pictures when I’m not thinking about it. I don’t even realize it, and then I notice people are looking at me oddly, and I’m the only one doing a peace sign. Just because, here’s a picture of me and my Japan trip friends! This is the last picture we took together in Japan before we split up to go home (one person stayed behind for an extra week, so the group wasn’t the same). We are all making the peace sign, and it’s all become natural for us.  

(No source for this image since I took it myself)