When one uses the word HANAMI (花見, flower viewing) on its own, it is understood by native speakers of Japanese to refer to the viewing and enjoyment of blooming CHERRY BLOSSOMS alone, and not of any other flower. This clearly shows the high regard given to the fragile pink blossoms which have since ancient times symbolized the transient nature of all things, one of the cornerstone concepts of Japanese aesthetics and philosophy. Going to a meisho (名所, a famous place） for viewing cherry blossoms can reveal to you how the Japanese have turned the simple pleasure of enjoying flowers in bloom into what seems like a religious pilgrimage. From near and far they come, as couples, families, or groups shuttled in on karaoke equipped tour buses. They bring lunch-boxes and of course cameras. The blossoms are observed intently (and I mean with great intention, as if posing in a kabuki play) from afar and then from way in up close.
The atmosphere is at once, solemn and celebratory, reverent and ribald.
Though not as philosophically appealing, the more prosaic plum (ume) blossoms also bring in the crowds (though the late night drinking and revelry beneath the trees is reserved for the cherry). This week you have a chance to see the 3000 plum trees of the famed Kairakuen Garden in Mito in full bloom. Until the end of the week, a temporary train station will be in use bringing you direct service to the gardens entrance. The garden offers the chance to see varieties of plum trees you never thought existed. The tora-no-o, which looks like a tigers tail, the darly pink kounshomu, the nearly translucent tsukikage, etc.
The plum blossoms are the first of the major flowers to bloom each year. Their fragrance in the air is a sign that spring is coming. Their hardiness and resistance to cold and wind make them a very auspicious symbol. If you read ancient Japanese poems, there are hundreds of references to the blossoms of the beautiful and practical plum tree. It is because they provide the medicinally important and tasty plums for umeboshi (salted plums) which have become a standard part of every boxed lunch, that the frugal and practical minded Tokugawa Nariaki, the founder of the Kairakuen Garden planted so many of the trees.
You can enjoy the fruit of his efforts by getting on the Joban line this week, heading north just one stop past Mito station, and enjoying the blossoms, the spectacle and maybe a little plum wine (ume shu, 梅酒). Entrance is FREE!
I have written more about PLUM BLOSSOMS ( ume no hana) in Japanese culture and history. Read it here:
http://blog.alientimes.org/2009/02/a-glimpse-and-whiff-of-things-to-come/
It is March 3rd and across Japan families with daughters are celebrating the Hina Matsuri (雛祭り) Doll Festival with chirashizushi (vinegared sushi-rice topped with shrimp, salmon roe and colorful strips of egg, carrot and seaweed) clam soup (hamaguri no ushio, はまぐりの潮汁）, brightly dyed traditional rice-based sweets called hishimochi (ひし餅) and a milky colored sweet rice wine called shirozake ( 白酒). Though these 3 dishes and the sake have become the standardized Girls Day FARE throughout the country, there is surprising variation to be found among the Japanese in terms of how they display and subsequently put away the star attractions of the season — the Hina Dolls themselves.
Department stores and other shops start displaying and promoting the fantastically ornate and very expensive Hina Doll sets right after the New Year Holiday. This type of set became popular in the Edo Period (1600-1867) and has been customarily presented upon the birth of a first daughter by the maternal grandparents. A full set requires a seven-tiered staircase-like deck on which to display the prince and princess, ministers, attendants, musicians and the procession of dowry goods. Of course such a set can cost an arm and a leg and even more importantly takes up a lot of precious space. Thus it has been quite common for families to have and display just the prince and princess dolls.
The Hina Dolls are taken out and displayed in February, though there seems to be no consensus on exactly when it is best to do so. Some people do it right after Setsubun in the first week of the month, or on any other auspicious date after that. It depends on the family.
In this way, Japanese families can enjoy these sublimely beautiful seasonal decorations for a few weeks or days before March third, the day of the festival itself, on which it is commonly believed that the dolls must be put away. According to tradition, if the dolls are not packed in their boxes on the 3rd, the daughters of the house will have trouble getting married.
I have found, however, that many of the old Ibaraki families do not put there dolls away until May! They explain this by saying that they like to have the dolls out right up until it’s time for the Boys Day decorations. They usually claim that it is so troublesome to set up the Hina Dolls that they would like to display them for as long as possible.
Alcohol free Shirozake ( in Kitty-Chan bottle) and Hina Dolls made from silkworm cocoons
It goes without saying that these families live in large homes in which the sets don’t get in the way of anybody. As so many Japanese now live in small apartments, I have found an endless variety of smaller rabbit-hutch friendly Hina Dolls or figures. These can be made of origami or be simple cut-outs. I have even seen families display postcards with pictures of dolls.
In fact, these smaller, paper dolls are more authentic than the ornate artworks created by the Edo Period craftsmen. This is because the Hina matsuri has its roots in Heian Period ( 794-1185) Japan when people would purify themselves by projecting all their sins into paper dolls which were then cast off into the sea or a river. In Wakayama Prefecture I have seen the dolls being set afloat on rivers as the tradition still lives on there.
For a more detailed discussion of this festival`s history see my article:
http://blog.alientimes.org/2010/02/the-evolution-of-japans-hina-dolls-hina-ningyo-a-brief-look/
I guess it can be said that the custom of packing away the dolls is what has replace the casting off. It became impracticle to discard the dolls each time when they evlved into elaborate and extremely EXPENSIVE sets. Many families still believe that the bad energies absorbed by the dolls would bring bad luck if not PUT AWAY..
Shirozake- a special sweet rice wine for Hina matsuri
Update
Hina Doll Set in the Lobby of Tsukuba`s Okura Hotel
If you are interested in Japanese culture, February is a good time to be invited into Japanese homes. Hotel lobbies, community centers and department stores can also be interesting at the same time of year. This is because, traditionally, from early to mid-February through March 3rd, Japanese people take their HINA DOLLS, in all their variety, out of storage, and put them on display. These past few weeks I have seen and photographed a wide spectrum of these popular festive decorations, from enormous and elaborate ( and extremely expensive!) multi-level sets, to tiny, hand-made origami ( folded paper) dolls. Many families have put out more than one set, and then, other Hina Doll decorations, for example hanging scrolls or paintings, as well.
To simply explain what this custom is all about, Japanese friends will tell you that these dolls are meant to celebrate daughters- and represent a prayer for their healthy growth and a happy marriage in the future. They will also probably tell you that these dolls should be PUT AWAY right after the Hina Festival, which is on March 3rd. The reason for this is that there has long been the belief that if a family does not put the dolls away promptly, their daughters will not be able to find a husband.
Hina Dolls on a Hanging Scroll in Tsukuba
The fact is, however, that now, customs are changing. Even families without daughters might display dolls. In families with only sons ( or no children at all ), these are often the mother`s own Hina Dolls brought from her parents home. Then there are those without family who simply like to decorate their apartments with Hina Doll motifs just to get into the spirit of the season.
Interesting Dolls at a home in Matsudo
There are also many families with daughters these days who do NOT follow the custom of promptly putting the dolls away. Either they are too busy to do so, or they just like to keep them out on display. Anyway, they are not worried about the old superstition. Thus, you might find dolls still on display at people homes throughout march. For more on this read my past post: http://blog.alientimes.org/2008/03/tsukubans-in-no-rush-to-pack-up-hina-dolls/ .
What Japanese friends will probably not tell you ( because they might not know!), is about the amazing evolution of this beautiful custom and about how dolls, or figurines have been so important in Japan for millenia as SCAPEGOATS used for taking on the impurities and bad energies of humans.
First lets look at why there is a festival held on March 3rd.
In ancient China, the first DAY OF THE SNAKE of the 3rd month ( in the Chinese calendar there is a 12 day cycle with each day representing an animal of the zodiac) was a day for ritual purification known in Japanese as JOSHI NO SEKKU 上巳の節句 （which is still an alternate name for the Hina Doll festival in Japan).
These symbolic ablutions were performed by a pond or a river, with water and rice wine being used to cleanse the mouth hands and feet.
Hina Doll motif chocolates
The day for performing these rituals eventually changed to the 3rd day of the 3rd month according to the Chinese calendar. This is because for the Chinese, ODD NUMBERS were considered lucky, thus making 3/3 an auspicious day. The 3rd day of the 3rd month became one of the five seasonal change days, called SEKKU ( all on odd numbered days of odd months), which were celebrated ( in China , and later in Japan) with special rituals and foods. These days are the seventh day of the first month ( 1/7), the third day of the third month ( 3/3), the fifth day of the fifth month ( 5/5), the seventh day of the seventh month ( 7/7), and the ninth day of the ninth month ( 9/9)
It became customary on this day ( 3/3) for Chinese aristocrats to hold poetry parties by artificial streams. A bowl would be floated down the stream with a cup of wine . Participants sitting at various points downstream, would have to compose and recite a poem before the bowl reached them. This was an elegant and cultured festival game, played under the peach blossoms which bloomed in April( the month on the Gregorian Calendar which usually corresponds to the 3rd Chinese month).
This is significant because the Japanese Doll Festival is still strongly associated with PEACH BLOSSOMS ( another alternate name for the festival in Japan is the Peach Festival and little peach trees are part of the full doll sets). Strangely, however, since 1873, when the Japanese changed their calendar, the Peach Festival has been celebrated in March ( the new 3rd month), making it fall about one month before the arrival of the actual peach blossoms- see my article:http://blog.alientimes.org/2009/03/where-are-the-real-blossoms-at-peach-festival-time/
HITOGATA figurines at the Nara Culture Center
These Chinese customs were adopted by the aristocracts and noblity of Japan , probably in the Nara Period ( 710-794), when everything Chinese was the rage, and certainly by in the Heian Period ( 794-1185). Thus, each of the seasonal change days ( SEKKU) was recognized and celebrated by the Japanese court.
However, as with so much else which came from China, customs evolved and blended with native Japanese traditions.
Today`s Hina Dolls evolved from HITOGATA such as these
In Japan, the ritual cleansings for the 3rd day of the 3rd month were performed in a typical and very ancient Japanese way- by rubbing the body with human shaped figurines made of paper, straw, clay or wood. These were called KATASHIRO or HITOGATA, and were believed to have the power to absorb all spiritual impurites and bad energies.
Straw figurine used for UNLUCKY YEAR purification ( yakuharai 厄払い)
The Japanese have used figurines in this way for thousands of years. The clay figurines called DOGU, commonly found at JOMON period ( 10,000 BC-300 BC) archaeological sites, are believed to have been used for similar ritual purposes, as surrogates to take on sickness or bad luck before being smashed, to rid the individual or community of these evils.
Paper Hina Dolls at the Okura in Tsukuba
For the purification on the 3rd day of the 3rd month ( the Peach Festival) , however, under the influence of the Chinese poetry recitings by the stream, the KATASHIRO figures were cast off onto rivers or ponds, sending away impurites and bad luck.
DOGU figurine found at a Jomon Period site in Nagano Prefecture
(It is very important to keep in mind that at this early stage, the Peach Festival, the day for ritual cleansings with the HITOGATA was NOT yet thought of as GIRLS DAY, and the ceremony was carried out for both sexes.
No one is exactly sure when, but probably in the Edo Period, the seasonal change day on the 3rd day of the third month became associated with girls, while that of the 5th day of the fifth month became so for boys.
The rationalization for doing this can be seen in GORO AWASE ( association by similarity in shape or sound) which is so important in Japanese culture.
Simply stated the JOーSHI of JOーSHI NO SEKKU( First Day of the Snake, the original name of thr festival) was similar in sound to the word JOSHI 女子, which means female, while the SHOBU of SHOBU NO SEKKU ( which is a plant,calamis, used for ritual ablutions on the 5th day of the fifth month) is a homophone for sho-bu 勝負, which means TO BATTLE, which was associated with boys of the samurai class.)
The ritual dolls themselves then came to be more decorative, dressed in kimono etc., and children would sleep with them the night before they were cast off ( letting impurities be drawn out overnight!).
Nagashi-Bina dolls floating away on a stream
By the Muromachi Period ( 1336-1573) beautiful Hina Dolls were being made for the aristocracy using new techniques imported from China. They were posed in a standing position ( Tachi-Bina)
Tachi-Bina in Tsukuba
It was only later, in the Edo Period ( 1600-1868), that Japan`s craftmen created the elaborate Hina Dolls, which we know today, for a growing merchant class which could afford them, as well as for the warrior class and the aristocracy. There were special doll markets held in Edo, at the end of the 2nd month. The competition between families vying for the most exquisite dolls led the Shogunate to issue order for restraint and modesty during the festival.
Still throughut the Edo Peiod Hina Dolls were mostly sold and displayed in Edo (Tokyo), and other major cultual and commercial centers.
It was not until the Meiji Period ( beginning in 1868) that the custom of displaying Hina Dolls became universal throughout Japan.
Even with the creation of the elaborate sets, which represented an Imperial wedding procession, the Japanese believed that each years impurities were absorbed by the dolls.
Interestingly, the custom of putting away the dolls right after the festival, is probably a replacement for the casting dolls off into the rivers. Naturally, the expensive sets could not be thrown away each year.
For more on these dolls read my past articles:
http://blog.alientimes.org/2009/02/hina-dolls-coming-out-of-the-closet-in-the-literal-sense/
and
http://blog.alientimes.org/2009/02/makabe-all-dolled-up-until-march-3rd/
Shiina-San all set to go!
I had heard it said, more than once, that in Japan, THE BEST soba (buckwheat) noodles were to be had NOT at famous restaurants, but at the homes ( or at the hands) of experienced, soba-loving AMATEUR noodle-makers.
This is good news for those of us who live in Tsukuba City, since our Prefecture, Ibaraki, is SOBA COUNTRY, where a delicious variety of buckwheat ( Hitachi no Aki Soba) is abundantly produced, and where it is very common for THE MEN of the family (soba making requires a lot of muscle!) to be skilled soba noodle makers, who love to share the fruits of their labor with neighbors and friends.
Of course, some of these soba-makers are more serious than others. That is why my eyes lit up ( and my mouth began to water) when my friend Mr. Shiina suggested that he show me how the noodles were made. I knew that these noodles would be something special. Shiina-San is a real buckwheat afficionado, whose sister actually grows the grain up on a farm in Hitachi Ohta ( in central Ibaraki), and who is a member of a soba making circle which meets regularly for making soba noodles from scratch. I probably dont have to mention, that without hesitation I said -” Good idea ! !”
Though I knew at that moment that I was going to have a great soba experience, I could not imagine what was actually in store. Not only the best buckwheat noodles Ive ever had, made from freshly milled flour, but the additional treat of soba prepared in the MUCH more ancient way- as dumplings ( soba-gaki), and also in a novel form- as a tasty cake made of soba flour and sweet azuki beans ( anko). Even the dipping sauce for the noodles was home-made, and all the vegetables from the participants gardens.
I would like to share the experience ( and the recipes) with you, as I think that you might be able to learn a few things about Japanese culture from the story ( I certainly learned alot!)
Blending the flours In Japan, people take their hobbies seriously and as a rule prepare all the besｔ equipment they will need even before they get underway in their lessons. This often involves great expense. That is why you will more often than not find Japanese skiiers, scuba-divers, fishermen, bird-watchers etc., enthusiasts in any activity really, decked out in the best appropriate wear and with the best equipment and gear.
That is why I was not surprised to find that Mr. Shiina, and the other soba makers who gathered at the Oho Community Center`s kitchen, had brought with them an array of special tools, and proceeded to wrap towels around their brows giving them that authentic soba-maker look.
Kneading the dough Another important feature of Japanese culture which was in evidence during this event was the UNIQUE INTENSITY OF FOCUS and ENERGY which I have so often encountered here.The first time I noticed this phenomenon, was at my first tea ceremony, years ago. The woman who was preparing my tea was going through the ritual, which on paper should have been quite boring ( all the fuss for a little tea). However, her deep concentration and focus somehow filled the atmosphere with electricity. A shiver actually ran up my spine as she slowly wiped the tea container with her cloth. Since then I have often found that same special GAZE and focus , even in the most unlikely places and situations- cherry blossom viewing time, funerals or pubs ( Japanese bartenders pouring beers!) I have often even found the old farmers hired to tend the bushes and weeds to sometimes be so deep in focus that they dont notice you walk by( thought some would say they just dont want to have to say hello!)
Flattening the dough Mr. Shiina showed the same focus and intensity, as he little by little, slowly slowly, blended the buckwheat flour and wheat flour ( we were having NI HACHI SOBA- which literally means 2-8 soba. 20 percent wheat flour and 80 percent buckwheat). He continued in the same way to blend in the water, even so slowly and carefully, to form the dough ( the water would end up comprising about 40 percent this). Kneading a large ball required plenty of effort and it was at this time that I realized why the towel was so important- to keep the sweat from dripping into the bowl!
When he was satisfied with the condition of the dough, Shiina-San started to roll it out .
Rolling out the dough When the proper thinness was achieved, slicing was begun.
Cutting out noodles It was then we got the pots boiling. After dumping a lump of soba ( one servinging) into the bubbling water, it was boiled for 20 seconds after it rose up to the top.
Soba noodles ready to be boiled At the same time we started to make soba-gaki ( buckwheat dumplings). This was extremely simple, great fun and rewarding to the tastebuds.
We merely had to mix in hot water, again little by little, into a pot of plain buckwheat flour and stirred. We did this till we got the right consistency.
To eat we just spooned out the paste and molded out dumplings with our hands. we dipped this in soy sauce and wasabi. Rustically delicious!
e VOILA As I have already, said the resulting meal included the BEST soba I had ever had- BY FAR! Not only because of the fresh ingredients and skillful preparation. Not only because our appetities had grown strong after all the hard work and long wait before eating. What made it so very extra special was something which is another key characteristic of Japanese culture and life in Japan in general- everyone loves FOOD, and EATING is always a joyous occassion, especially when everyone helps out in the preparation.
It was truly a SOBA CELEBRATION!
Hot water and buckwheat flour for soba dumplings ( sobagaki) 
Sobagaki I have written more on soba as a food and plant:
RECIPE FOR SOBA DIPPING SAUCE ( tsuyu)
Ingredients:
100 cc sweet rice wine ( mirin)
100 cc soy sauce
500 cc water
200 grams dried bonito flakes ( katsuo bushi)
3 grams brown rock sugar
Process
Boil the mirin to remove the alcohol ( 1-2 minutes)
Add water and soy sauce and continue boiling for another 1-2 minutes.
Add the bonito flakes and the sugar
strain
This keeps in the fridge for up to ten days. You can also freeze it and defrost it whenever needed.
ECIPE FOR SOBA AND SWEET BEAN CAKE
Ingredients:
Half a cup of buckwheat
One 200 gram can of azuki beans
Process:
Mix together
Spread on sheet of plastic wrap
Roll ( like a sushi roll)
microwave at 600 watts for 2 minutes
Harumi Takaya`s Misopi
Born and raised in the U.S., I grew up eating lots of peanuts. Sometimes I would crack them out of their shells, but more often I got them out of cans, jars and packets, dry roasted, or roasted in oil and salted. No matter the container or method of preparation, once you started on them it was nearly impossible to stop. They were also an ingredient in a dozen different candybars and other snacks that I used to love.
But the way I MOST OFTEN consumed peanuts was in the form of peanut butter. Coming back from school, I would head right for the kitchen and open a jar of the stuff, preferably the chunky kind. I would spoon it by the heapful onto bagels, bananas, apples, carrots, chocolate bars or just directly into my mouth. I would always make sure to give some to my dog, who seemed to love it , too. It was always amusing to see how she struggled to clear it off her long canine tongue , extending it out far and then pulling it back into her mouth repeatedly, scraping the sticky paste off against her lips.
Besides use as a snack, peanut butter actually becomes the CENTERPIECE of the meal in that classic of American culinary culture- the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. A standard feature of the schoolchilds lunchbox or family`s picnic basket.
Japanese people usually grimace in disgust when I mention these sandwiches, but when I think about it- what a magical combination- with the loose and slippery jam being the perfect foil to the thick and sticky peanut butter,. Imagining it still gets my mouth to water.
Arriving in Japan, I found that the area that I had had come to live, Tsukuba City in Ibaraki Prefecture, was the major peanut ( rakase 落花生) producing region in the country ( with neighboring Chiba Prefecture actually being the no. 1 grower). The many delicious snacks which employ peanuts in novel ( for me) and exciting ways, might even be one of the reasons that I enjoyed living ( and eating) here so much, at first, and why my waistline expanded so rapidly.
One thing that really surprised me, though, was to discover that for the families whose parents have lived in Tsukuba fo generations, peanuts could be served as the O-Kazu, that is the main accompaniment to the rice, and thus the centerpiece of the meal,and not just a snack.
This dish is called misopi- (味噌ピー), and it is popular throughout this region. It is only in the Tsukuba area , however, that it often becomes the main course.
Yesterday, I was at pot-luck lunch party. One of the guests, Harumi Takaya, brought misopi which she had made using her mothers recipe. It was impossibly delicious, and I had to use all my will power to keep myself from eating the whole thing.
Harumi says that her family eats this dish twice a week and that often when she was a school girl, her lunchbox contained just rice and misopi.
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
200 grams raw peanuts ( you can get them at JA shops in Tsukuba)
1 tablespoon miso paste
1 tablespoon mirin ( sweet rice wine)
1 teaspoon granulated brown sugar
How to make:
Roast the peanuts in a frying pan over a low- medium flame for fifteen minutes
Remove from frying pan and spead out on a dish
Mix the miso paste and mirin thoroughly and spred over the peanuts
Let cool
Sprinkle sugar to taste ( this will cling to the peanuts which will have become very sticky)
Serve on rice ( as they do in Tsukuba)
or eat as a snack
You be very surprised at the deep flavor which this simple process will bring out.
As alternatives in preparation process, the peanuts could be fried in oil, and honey used instead of, or in addition to the sugar.
Enjoy
A closer look
Check hear for some commercially available misopi products:
tsukubans speak