Sports Day (Tai iku no Hi, 体育の日). this year on Monday the 10th, Commemorates the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Why is this holiday in October? AND a little about this weekend`s festival at Tsukuba University (again)
By Avi Landau
1964 was a pivotal year in post-war Japanese history. With the inauguration of the first SHINKANSEN bullet train, the introduction of the first color TVs, and most importantly, the hosting of the Olympic Games, it was a year which now symbolizes Japan’s economic recovery and marks its return to the forefront of the international scene after a two decade period of frenzied rebuilding following the total devastation of WWII.
In 1966, the Japanese government designated October 10th as Taiiku no Hi (Sports Day) to commemorate the Games. If you are wondering why October was selected as a day to remember the Summer Olympics, you are not alone. The fact is, however, that in 1966, the Opening Ceremonies were held on the 10th of October! The wise decision to hold the Tokyo Summer Games in Autumn was made in deference to Japans cruelly humid summer weather (why wasn’t the same change made for Beijing when the games were held there?).
Since the year 2000, as part of the HAPPY MONDAY MOVEMENT (having national holidays on Monday to make a 3-day weekend), Taiiku No Hi has been moved to the second Monday of October, giving us a nice break in what is probably Japan’s best season weather-wise ( not this year, though!).
Over the Sports Day weekend you are likely to hear signal fireworks (aizu no hanabi) announcing that school and university sports festivals (UNDO KAI) are being held. For the Japanese, these events are MAJOR markers of the passage of years. It is common for grandparents to come from afar to be present, and in Tsukuba, parents often go out in the middle of the night to stake out a good place to put down their plastic sheet for the next morning’s festivities. You can get a glimpse of what goes on at an UNDOKAI on YouTube.
If you turn on the TV on a Sports Day morning, you will most probably see some of Japan’s Olympic medalists and other celebrated athletes giving workshops for schoolchildren. Two years ago I remember watching scenes of little Aiko (the daughter of the Crown Prince and Princess) running (victoriously, of course) in her first Sports Festival.
Many Tsukubans set aside time every year during the second weekend in October to attend Tsukuba University’s three day Culture Festival. All of those who do have their own favorite attractions. For me, there is the music, especially the jazz cafe and the Andean Folk Music Troupe. With a wide range of cheap and delicious foods, live music in all genres, arcade games, scientific displays, and technological exhibitions all served up with youthful enthusiasm, for me the GAKUEN-SAI is the true TSUKUBA FESTIVAL (Tsukuba Matsuri).
As I have written before, one noticeable thing for many graduates of foreign universities is the lack of any political or INTELLECTUAL presence in the Tsukuba University festival. In recent years, however, environmental awareness has started to be felt with several booths selling organic produce or showing data from research on GREENER LIVING. Still walking the length of the campus this weekend, I felt pessimistic about recent calls to lower the voting age in Japan to 18.
For LOTS OF INTERESTING DETAILS ON THE TOKYO OLYMPICS SEE THIS PAGE and THIS ONE. (You should read more about this event!)
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A late-night encounter with O-Demari (大手毬) – Japanese Snowballs!
O-demari ( Japanese snowballs) in Tsukuba (May 2011)
By Avi Landau
They`ve changed the bus routes! As of April 1st 2011, the Tsuku Bus- the city`s subsidized transport service, no longer stops in front of my house- though it still does pass by as it follows its route ( as if to mock me)!
Now if I want to get around town by bus I have to walk over to the old Sakura City Office. The fastest way for me to get there is to take a short-cut through one of Tsukuba`s most beautiful undeveloped areas- the wilds between the Sakura Junior High School and the former city office, which is a rich ( though unmarked) archaeoligical site ( a government office stood there more than 1,000 years ago) that is now something of a small, very unofficial, nature preserve- replete with all sorts of small animals and birds, and of course plenty of interesting vegetation.
One night last week, I decided to take the bus back home, and I got out at the lonely Former City-Office stop at about 10 PM. It certainly IS a creepy place to get dropped off at that hour, but still, instead of walking around the LONG WAY, taking the street-lit and paved sidewalks, I headed on, without flashlight, into the wilds- with the crazed frog choruses from nearby rice fields as background music!
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I realized that the moon, though not full, would provide adequate illumination for me to navigate the dirt paths.
Very soon along my way, I noticed the silhouettes of two large Ural Owls ( FUKURO) perched on a tree. They were unnerved by my presence, and silently took off into flight, displaying the outlines of their broad wingspans in the moonlit sky. MAGICAL!
Transfixed, I stopped in my tracks to admire them, though in less than an instant they had vanished from sight.
Straining my eyes in the dark to see the birds, I noticed something unusual up ahead- large and glowing ghostly white. A chill ran down my spine.
I approached slowly, and realized that it was no spectre I had come across, but a tree- more than two meters tall and fully bedecked with surprisingly large, round, white flowers. From the size and shape of the blossoms I realized it was an O-Demari tree (Viburnum plicatum var. plicatum f. plicatum), whose flowers in English have come to be called ( quite appropriately) JAPANESE SNOWBALLS!
I stood transfixed for a few moments beneath the tree which glowed in the weak moonlight and seemed to come to life with each breeze- before continuing on my way home.
A closer look
The next morning, I knew that I just HAD TO take the bus into town, so that on my way to the stop I could get a look at the tree in the daylight.
And it WAS as spectacular as it had been the previous night. And though not as mysterious as it had been in the moonlight, I still missed my bus.
The O- demari, also known as the TEMARI BANA（手鞠花 ) in Japanese, is a member of the Honeysuckle Family, and is in fact a cultivar developed over the centuries by Japanese horticulturalists, of a native species called the YABU DEMARI (ヤブデマリ,V. plicatum var.tomentosum).
The flowers of the O-demari bloom in May, giving us what look like snowballs just when the weather is finally warming up ( they look so tempting that you want to pull one off and throw it at someone!)
It is interesting that if I show a close-up photo of these flowers to botanically-savy Japanese they all immediately assume that what they are looking at is HYDRANGEA. In fact, the O-demari DO look uncannilly like those much more famous ( and commonly found) blossoms.
Another confusing point, is that there is another decorative plant in Japan called the KODEMARI, which is usually assumed to be a relative of the snowballs. There are two reasons for this. One is that they look quite similar, especially from afar. More importantly, however, are the names of these plants, which can be taken to mean LARGE DEMARI ( O-demari), and SMALL DEMARI ( kodemari).They are in fact, not even of the same family.
Snowball petals on the ground
Anyway, my mysterious encounter with the O-demari was so impressive, that I think I will have to try to get to a tree nursery and buy one for my garden. I hope to enjoy its SNOWBALLS in future Mays- especially on moonlit nights!
Check here for some pictures of KODEMARI ( more commonly seen than, and completely UNRELATED to O-DEMARI):
http://www.hana300.com/kodema1.html
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A Climb To The Top Of Tsukuba`s Little Mt. Fuji (23 steps high) Sheds Light On Local Edo Period Dispute Resolution Processes, Folk Beliefs, And The Origin Of The Place Name SENGEN (千現 )
Sengen-Zuka ( 千現塚), Tsukuba`s Little Mt Fuji
Tsukuba`s Sengen (千現) District is not only a conveniently located upscale residential neighborhood (within easy reach of both the TX rail and JR Highway Bus Stations), but it is also home to an internationally renowned research institute (NIMS) and a major facility for Japan`s Space Agency, JAXSA ( I should also mention the presence of the tastefully appointed flower shop- Blomster Anna ). Thus, I guess it could be said that this makes SENGEN one of the more prestigious and sought after addresses in Tsukuba City. The other day, while walking through that part of town, I made a fascinating discovery which revealed how EVEN IN PAST AGES , when the area that is now called SENGEN was still mostly MARSHLAND, it had been a coveted piece of real estate which was vied for, and fought over by local residents, who at that time (The Edo Period 1600-1868) happened to belong to different clans . I got to know this , and plenty of other fascinating things as well, by stumbling upon a wooded mound, which I learned had been dubbed - Tsukuba`s Mt. Fuji- atop of which stands a large slab upon which its tale has been inscribed.
The Stairs Leading Up The SENGEN-ZUKA (千現塚), Tsukuba`s Mt Fuji
Before telling you the details of the history I found etched into the stone, let me first explain how I stumbled upon it, because some of the scenery I found along the route which brought me there bears great significance ( I realized later) to the tale which I will tell.
On a beautiful early summer day, I was in the Ninomiya neighborhood of Tsukuba, and had a couple of hours to spare before an appointment a few Kilometers away in Takezono (another of Tsukuba`s neighborhoods). Instead of taking the bus, as I would have done if I had been more pressed for time, I decided to stroll around Doho Park and try to catch a glimpse of some of the kingfishers ( kawasemi) which can often be seen on the western edge of the park`s pond, and then walk to Takezono.
The pond at Doho Park , still thick with reeds and other marsh vegetation on its eastern edge, is a remnant of an extensive system of marshes and woods which once existed in the area upon which The Tsukuba Science City was eventually built. These marshlands ran pretty much on a North-South axis, with the Oto-Numa Marsh (which still exists) demarcating its southern limit, and the grounds of what is now KEK (The High Energy Physics Laboratory), which had once been a big marsh, near the systems northern edge. We can still find reed filled ponds within the precincts of The Space Center, Sanso-Ken ( NIAS), The Meteorological Research Institiute, Matsumi Park, Tsukuba University, etc., and these are all aligned along the same axis (now sandwiched between Nishi-Odori and Higashi-Odori, major boulevards which run paralel to each other), and they are a testament to what Central Tsukuba was like in past ages.
Remnants Of Tsukuba`s Marshlands
I walked around the Doho Park pond and then headed off towards Takezono. I passed through the Sengen neighborhood, dropped in at the flower shop, and then crossed Higashi-Odori (at the interesection near the Chin-Rai Ramen Shop) and entered into the Kurakake section of Tsukuba City, which has until now been relatively free of modern development. After 50 meters or so down the road, just passed a graveyard, there was a little hill, crowned by a big, old cherry tree. If I had been in a car or on bicycle, I probably would have just kept going (as I had, many time before on this road) and not found anything. But as I was on foot, I noticed a staircase, just barely visible from the road, which led up the hill. I then proceeded to skamper up the 23 steps to the top.
The Story Of The SENGEN-ZUKA
There, the land had been flattened out creating a tiny hilltop plateau. Directly in front of me, in the shadow of the big cherry tree, stood two low, squat, stone monuments, one of quite recent make, and the other, so old that it had been severely mis-shapen after years (centuries?) of exposure to the elements. On the newer stone, inscribed with perfect clarity, were the characters reading: FUJISAN (MT. Fuji). A careful examination of the older stone, also revealed, (after finding the angle at which the light hit the stones surface in just the right way), the same characters.
As I straightened myself up and turned to the right, I found myself face to face with a large gray stone slab , which stood much taller than the average person. At the top it read- SENGEN-ZUKA YURAI (千現塚由来), which means: The Origin of The Sengen Mound. Here ( in summary) is the story the stone tells:
In the year 1690, there was a land dispute between two villages. One was Onozaki, part of the Yatabe Clan`s holdings (lying to the west of the marshlands) and the other was Kurakake, then part of the the Tsuchiura Clan`s Territory. Each village claimed the marshland as its own. At that time the resources of the marshes, reeds, thatch and other grasses were of great value for the villagers for use as roofing, and animal fodder, and also for making various objects for everyday life. The two villages took the dispute to court. In an effort to ensure victory in the suit, certain Kurakake villagers travelled to the foot of Mt Fuji, to the Sengen Shrine (浅間神社) to appeal for intervention.
A New Stone Reading- Mt Fuji, Beside A Much Older Stone With The Same Inscription
In 1697 the Shogunate`s officials made a decision in favor of Kurakake. In thanks to the God for helping to make the vilagers prayers come true, a mound was constructed which offered a view of Mt. Fuji, and the Goddess of the Sengen Jinja was enshrined there. Thereafter it become a focus of worship for the people. Erected 1979.
Now this story is interesting at many levels. First, The Japanese now pride themselves on having a society with very few lawyers, and in which LITIGATION is unusual. It is surprising to find that more than 300 years ago, traditional hamlets in this area resorted to lengthy( 7 years), and probably very expensive legal maneuvering (just think of the cost in bribes alone!).
Then there is the matter of Mt. Fuji Worship, a religious sect (FUJI-SHINKO) which actually came into being in Nagasaki (quite a distance from the mountain itself !) between the years 1532 and 1553) . This sect focused on pilgrimages to Mt Fuji and asceticisms in the caves and lava tubes around the mountain. During the Edo Period (1600-1868), the popularity of this sect spread among the people (especially in and around the capital, Edo). To this day when climbing mt Fuji, you might come across devotees of the sect, clad in wera pilgrim-wear , while walking keep up a continuous chant of ROKKON SHOJO ROKKON SHOJO. The little Fuji Mound in Tsukuba, was a place where people could not actually make it to the REAL MOUNTAIN could make a SYMBOLIC visit. It also intersting to note that there is a big cherry tree on the Fuji Mound. This is not the work of chance. You see, the Goddess of Mt Fuji, KONOHANA SAKKUYA HIME. is also the Goddess of Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom ( and by extension, the Goddess of Mortality, as cherry blossoms quickly fade away after blooming).
This Goddess is also appealed to for families who want children, and for pregnant women`s easy delivery. The reason for this is that according to japanese mythology, KONOHANA SAKKUYA HIME was inpregnated after spending just one night with her huband, NINIGI NO MIKOTO, who became extemely suspicious. Thinking that the child must be from another man (or God, should I say), NINIGI set fire to the hut is which his wife was giving birth. Miraculously, mother and child were unscathed. This naturally makes theisGoddess an obvious choice as a deity to appeal to for conception or easy delivery.
Then we have the matter of the place name SENGEN. It was only natural for the villagers, as a way of expressing their appreciation, to name the piece of land that they had won in the suit after the God which had give them that little extra edge. Now the characters used for this neighborhood have changed to 千現, so unless one knows the obscure bit of history inscribed on the slab, it would not be possible to guess at the origin of the place name. Also, the characters for the SENGEN SHRINE ( 浅間神社), are often misread even by Japanese, as ASAMA JINJA. Thus, few people who read the slab would make the connection between the story of the mound and the name of the neighborhood which lies just across the road.
Well now you know!
And if you are thinking about climbing the real Mt Fuji this summer, but are PUT OFF by all the effort and SUFFERING that this would involve, you might want to consider conquering Tsukuba`s little Mt Fuji instead. You can do it in just 23 easy steps!
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A Deeper Look at Japan`s Shichi-Go-San Celebrations ( which are especially extravagant in Ibaraki Prefecture!)
By Avi Landau
One of the questions you are most frequently asked by Japanese people who you meet for the first time is- HOW OLD ARE YOU? This can be a little disconcerting for you once you get beyond a certain age, but dont let it make you paranoid- its not that you look SO OLD or SO YOUNG- its just that in Japanese culture being aware of other`s ages is extremely important. You could even say that in Japan there is a CULT OF AGE. By this I do not mean one of youth or old age ( though youth IS highly regarded in itself). What I mean is that in Japanese culture, one`s age, no matter what it my be, bears with it great significance.
The foremost reason necessitating being aware of another`s age for the Japanese is to determine who is senior and who is junior, since in this Confucian influenced society this will affect the character of the relationship formed and the form of speech which will be used .
Besides this, in Japanese culture, certain ages represent certain MILESTONES or TURNING POINTS in ones life. These include the many UNLUCKY AGES ( yakudoshi, 厄年), the main ones being ages 42 for men and 33 for women. (interestingly these age related events are mirrored almost perfectly for The dead with memorial services on the 1st ,3rd, 7th, 13th 33rd etc. year anniversaries).
Most of these special ages, however, beginning with a baby`s official naming on the 7th day after birth, are happy occassions, culminating in the special longevity celebrations held at 60, 70, 77,80,88,90,99 and 100 years.
Since it is now November, today I would to discuss one of Japan`s most popular, and probably, with its minions of adorable kimono clad kids being escorted to atmospheric shrines by beaming parents and grandparents, its most photo-friendly rite of passage event- SHICHI-GO-SAN ( 七五三), literally the 3-5-7 celebration.
Today, this event is typically celebrated by families with 3 year old or seven year old girls and five year old boys. These families buy or rent FESTIVE WEAR ( HARE-GI- 晴れ着), traditionally meaning Japanese style kimono( though you will often find boys in suits), going to the photographers studio for commemorative portraits ( often in different styles of dress) and then visiting a shrine to pray for the childs growth and health. The child will also usually carry a bag of special candy called CHITOSE AME ( 千歳飴- thousand year candy), beautifully decorated with symbols of long life- cranes, turtles, pine, bamboo and plum as well as auspcious chinese characters.
Optimally this should take place on the 15th of November, though anytime in November is appropriate ( however, I HAVE heard that before the 15th is better than after)
In Ibaraki Prefecture ( yes, it seems that it is true ONLY here), the event is often celebrated with much more extravagance- especially by families from traditional hamlets. After, visiting the shrine, relatives and friends are invited for a reception at a restaurant or even a fancy hotel. Emcees and photographers are invited, speeches are made. It is not very differentt from a wedding.
I have even heard that when children celebrate a shichi-go-san, their family changes the tatamis and shoji doors ( which is also a custom for weddings).
Now just what is the origin of these customs? Well, as is the rule with Japanese culture, the sources are diverse and the evolution intriguing.
As I have often mentioned in relation to Japanese festivals, ODD NUMBERS are considered auspicious ( this concept was introduced in the 6th century from China). Thus, the Doll Festival is on March 3rd ( 3/3), Childrens Day May 5th (5/5), Tanabata July 7th ( 7/7), etc.
It is thus understandable why the aristocrats of the Heian Period ( and subsequent generations of Japanese)would hold rite of passage ceremonies for their children on ODD NUMBERED years.
Another important concept behind the 7-5-3 ceremony is the fact that the Japanese did not consider children to be full members of the community until they were seven years old. By this I mean that children were not registered as part of the population ( in the NINBETSU-CHO), until they were seven. Those who died before that age were not given the usual funeral or buried in their family graves.
Thus attaining the age of 7 signified becoming a member of the community and of becoming a full-fledged PERSON.
Still, in the years from the Heian Period (794-1185) to the end Edo Period (1600-1868), there was no standardized SHICHI-GO-SAN, as we know it today. The noble and samurai families DID have special ceremonies for 3 year old children ( KAMI-OKI) after which their hair was allowed to grow out instead of being shaved. Five year old boys had a ceremony for wearing their first HAKAMA ( special trousers) called HAKAMA-GI. And then for seven year old girls there was the ceremony for tying their first OBI sash, called the Obi-toki.
These ceremonies DID NOT necessarily take place specifically in November.
As I have written many times before, the Japanese populace always admired the higher classes and aspired to their ways. Thus, during the Edo period and the growth of a prosperous and thriving merchant culture, these customs were taken on by the townspeople and farmers as shrines , kimono makers , and sweets makers all promoted this event. It was a huge hit and had a huge commercial impact, hinting at things to come with Valentines Day and Christmas in contemporary Japan.
Just why Shichi-Go-San came to be celebrated in November, and especially on November 15th, remains unclear. Some it is because that was the celebration day of one of the children of the Tokugawa Family, ( which ruled during the Edo Period). Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, to be specific
Anyway, being just after harvest season, it is a perfect time for rural Japanese to celebrate their childrens growth and health in style.
And to make everything I have written about above even MORE CONFUSING!
Traditionally, the Japanese considered chidren to be 1 year old at the time of birth. Even today when considering celebrating the various special age events, many Japanese decide to do so on the KAZOE DOSHI ( meaning the tradiotional way of calculating age). That means that many people that celebrate SHICHI-GO-SAN when their children are either 6, 4, or 2 ! Or celebrate their BEI JU ( for 88 year-olds) when they are in fact 87. With the westernization of all things advancing at a steady pace, however, more and more people are celebrating these events according to their MAN doshi ( which is how westerners have calculated age: 0 at birth).
Good places to see families dressed up for Shichi-Go-San in Tsukuba are the Mt Tsukuba Shrine and the Izumi Kosodate Kannon, near Hojo.
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A Fine Day to Try The Segue Human Transporter (and for Cosplay) near Tsukuba Center
Learning to ride a Segue Human Transporter in Tsukuba
I cant remember exactly when it was, but it must have been more than a decade ago when there were rumors of a new invention, soon to be revealed, which would radically tranform the way we all lived. When I finally DID find out what this contraption was, a silly sort of battery-powered scooter upon which the rider stands upright, I could not help but feel GREATLY LET DOWN ( and I guess that MOST people felt the same way), and in all the years since I had only seen this environmentally friendly machine ONCE- at Narita Airport being ridden by a patrolling security guard.
Once, until TODAY, when I saw three or four SEGUE Human Transporters ( as these vehicles have been dubbed), which have been lent by Segue Japan to Tsukuba City for a special event focusing on CLEAN ENERGY!
That means that YOU, or anyone else with the gumption to try riding one of these crazy machines ( as you have probably heard the man who had bought the company from its original owner died after falling off a cliff while riding his Segue), can give it a try- completely free of charge!
To assist you in getting the hang of it, several Tsukuba university students, who have been trained by the Segue company, will be there, as instructors.
You will be able to take advantage of this opportunity through February 16th, from 10AM to 4 PM- at the building in the middle of the pond, just across from Tsukuba`s Expo Center.
While there, you can also try riding a battery powered bicycle. While waiting for your turn you can soak your feet in the warmth of a solar- powered foot bath.
I gave the Segue a try myself, and I must say that I enjoyed it alot. It IS quite amazing! You can learn the basics in a couple of minutes and then can guide the scooter with the merest shifting of your weight.
It will not revolutionize society, but it sure is fun.
Getting the hang of it!
Those of you who tried the Segue today (Feb. 13th 2011), or were just enjoying a stroll through Tsukuba`s Central Park, were in for an EXTRA treat- The Cosplay Festival- which was held a mere 100 meters away from the Green Living Event!
Dozens of young men and women ( and some not so very young) were dressed up as their favorite ANIME or game characters! What did they do? Well, nothing much- just alot of preening and posing before the cameras. Yes, there were plenty of eager photographers ( professional, or at least with professional looking equipment!) shooting away. It seemed as if some were even paying money for the Cosplayers to pose.
I found out the hard way that you had better ask for permission before taking pictures at such events. As I was taking a couple of candid shots ( with my cell phone), three girls came over to scold me for my poor manners. Then again, by being so authoritarian they might have just been getting into their characters- they were dressed as Nazis!
Cos-Play in Tsukuba`s Central Park- right in front of the library ( Feb. 13th 2011)
It was all quite bizzarre! A conversation that I overheard between a 40- ish Japanese couple sums it up. Shocked by the scene of so many photographers snapping away at the Cosplayers, the wife disapporvingly said- Why are they paying them so much attention? Why are they taking pictures?
Her husband cooly responded: Its....... CULTURE.
And what brings all this culture to Tsukuba? The Tsukuba Express! Yes, train-lines, like rivers of old, are conduits of culture- and now brainy, bookish conservative Tsukuba is linked directly to Akihabara- the OTAKU Capital of Japan!
TX has brought the commuters, the Mt.Tsukuba Day-Hikers, and now the Cos-players!
But sorry, if you werent there today, you will probably have to wait a while before before such a scene at Chuo Koen ( Tsukuba`s Central Park)
More Cos-Play in Tsukuba
For more about the Segue:
http://www.answers.com/topic/segway
One of the many Cos-Players around the pond at Tsukuba`s Chuo-Koen Park (Feb. 13th 2011)
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