Silver Week

Today is a Japanese public holiday called 「敬老の日」. In English, it means “Respect For Elders Day“. Sometimes it’s called “Grandparents Day“.
It occurs on the third Monday of September. (When I first came to Japan, this holiday was on September 15th, but was changed around fifteen years ago).

Google Japan’s logo shows Japanese bento lunches made for “Grandma & Grandpa” today.

And, on September 23rd is 「秋分の日」 (Autumn Equinox). In Japan, the Spring and Autumn equinoxes are days to pay a visit to the family grave-site.

So, on years like this year…where these two holidays fall close together, the day between them becomes a “filler holiday” to make a series of consecutive days off similar to Japan’s “Golden Week” in Spring.
Golden Week is an annual occurrence…but a long holiday period only occurs occasionally in September. When it does, it’s called “Silver Week“.

Right now, Japan is in Silver Week. Most people have holiday from last Saturday until Wednesday.
The next Silver Week won’t occur until 2026!

Today is Setsubun

今日は「節分」。(Today is “Setsubun“).

Google’s Japanese page has a “Setsubun” logo today.

Setsubun is a day to cast out bad luck and bring in good luck. It involves an old tradition of throwing beans at someone wearing a demon mask representing bad luck.

It’s mostly done in homes with young children, in which the children throw the beans at their father wearing the oni (demon) mask.

Click here to read about this, and other Japanese customs and holidays in February.

Hina-matsuri

Today is 「ひな祭り」 (Hina-matsuri (“Princess (Doll) Festival“)) in Japan.

It’s sometimes still called “Girls’ Day” because families with daughters set-up special elaborate doll displays of Japanese royalty and eat a special sushi dinner.

The city of Katsuura in Chiba Prefecture is known for their huge Hina-matsuri display.

This year’s display could be seen there until today (2014 March 3rd).

Even if you can make it to that area to see their big doll display, Katsuura is still a very beautiful place to visit.

昨日は・・・

Yesterday, February 11th, was the anniversary of a few things…not all of them good.

For one, February 11th is a holiday in Japan. 「建国記念日」 (“National Founding Day”). (Click here for my short FAQ about it.)

It was kind of a waste that February 11 was on a Saturday this year because most people already had the day off and the holiday wasn’t observed on another day. If it was a Sunday, then tomorrow (Monday) would have been a day off.
Oh well.

February 11th also happens to be my father-in-law’s birthday.

Those two are the “happy” anniversaries of February 11th. The following two are more somber ones:

Yesterday, February 11 (2012), was the eleven-month anniversary of the 2011 March 11 earthquake / tsunami in north-eastern Japan.

The other sad event happened exactly twenty-four years ago yesterday. On 1988 February 11. At my high school in Florida.
It was many years until I was finally able to talk about this. Maybe it was post-traumatic shock.
But at lunch time on 1988 February 11, I was a senior-year high school student (in the final year of high school) and when I went into the lunch room I witnessed two students in a struggle with some teachers and then suddenly one of the boys drew a gun and shot the assistant principal Richard Allen fatally in the head!
All of the students in the lunch room began screaming and running but I suppose I was in shock because I just stood there staring. Everyone seemed to be running past me in slow-motion.
The memory no longer wakes me in nightmare but I will never forget that day.

A memorial photo of Richard Allen at my former high school in Florida (Pinellas Park HS).

If you click here, you can read a newspaper article about the tragic shooting at my former high school that was written four years ago on the twentieth anniversary.

Richard Allen, R.I.P.

Today is Girls’ Day

Today is March 3rd. In Japan, ひな祭 (“Princess Festival“) is celebrated on this day.
This day used to be called “Girls Day” (and sometimes still is) because families will daughters display elaborate sets of dolls of the Emperor and Empress of Japan and the Royal court.
It’s often called “Doll Festival” too.

The dolls are displayed on a staircase-like stage with the Emperor and Empress at the top and the royal court arranged by rank (the lowest “step” having the lowest “ranked” members of the court).

We have three daughters so of course we have a display of dolls like this. But now that my kids are getting older, we don’t display the dolls anymore. It’s too much work! 😉

Japan also celebrates 「子供の日」 (“Children’s Day“) on May 5th…this holiday used to be called “Boys Day” because families with a son display 「鯉のぼり」 (“Carp Streamers“) and a Samurai display.

On May 5th, Carp Streamers are flown by familes with a son.

Anyways, many families in Japan with daughters set up their Doll Festival sets in late February and take them back down promptly on March 4th (the day after the holiday) because it’s an “Old Wives’ Tale” in Japan that daughters in families that delay putting the dolls away will have difficulty finding a future husband.

If you want to see a ひな人形　(“Princess Festival” doll-set) on display, you should visit 勝浦 (Katsuura, Chiba, Japan) on March 3rd. They have a huge display every year.

And, as they often do for world holidays, Google‘s logo is presently representing Japan’s 「ひな祭」　(“Princess Festival“).

Does your country have special holidays for children too?

Japan meets India meets Mexico

Today is 「七夕」 (“Tanabata“).

(Click here to read my short FAQ about this holiday.)

「七夕」 (“Tanabata“) is on the seventh day of the seventh month (July 7) and the name literally translates to “Seventh evening”, but the English translation of the holiday’s name is “Star Festival“.

On this holiday, people in Japan write a wish for the future on a piece of paper and tie it to a bamboo tree.

Today both Yahoo Japan and Google Japan incorporated a 「七夕」 (“Tanabata“) design into their logos.

"Google Japan" Tanabata logo

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The Japanese fast-food chain “MOS Burger” is currently offering a 「ナン・タコス」 (“Indian Nan-bread Taco”) and 「ナン・チョリソカレー」 (“Indian Nan-Bread with Mexican Choziro-sausage and Curry”).

Each for ¥360.

ママ、ありがとう！

今日は母の日 (Today is Mothers Day).

Last year at this time, my kids made a “Mothers Day” dinner for their mother.

Today we’re gonna buy a 「母の日ケーキ」 (“Mothers Day cake”) from 不二家 (“Fujiya Confections”).

(I put a couple photos of one of this company’s shops on this post that I wrote about the “Kabuki Theatre”).

In Japan, young children commonly give their mother a handwritten card for Mothers Day.
But after that, it’s common in Japan for people to give their mother flowers on this day.

How is Mothers Day commonly celebrated in your country? What will you do for your mother today?

Krispy Kreme White Day

As I mentioned in a previous post, Valentines Day is done differently in Japan than in the West…but on March 14th, Japan has a holiday called “White Day” which is closer to Western-style Valentines Day.

Click here to read my F.A.Q. about “White Day“.

From now until March 14 in Japan, the donut chain “Krispy Kreme” is selling special donuts for “White Day“.

The White Day donuts look like this:

Actually, I still have never tried a Krispy Kreme donut yet. Are they good?
Maybe I’ll get some of these for my wife and daughters on White Day…I’ll think about it.

秋分の日

Today is 「秋分の日」 (“Autumn Equinox“).

In Japan, both 「秋分の日」 (“Autumn Equinox“) in September and 「春分の日」 (“Vernal Equinox“) in March are holidays (Click here to read my short FAQ about Vernal Equinox and here for the one about Autumn Equinox).

The time around 「秋分の日」 (“Autumn Equinox“) and 「春分の日」 (“Vernal Equinox“) are both called 「お彼岸」 (“O-higan“).

There’s a type of Lily flower that grows around the 「お彼岸」 (“O-higan“) period in both Spring and Autumn. So it’s called 「彼岸花」 (“Higan-bana”) in Japanese.

「彼岸花」 (Higan-bana)

And there’s a Japanese expression:

暑さ寒さも彼岸まで

It means “Both the hot weather and the cold weather ends at O-higan.”

「お墓参り」 (O-haka-mairi (visiting the family gravesite)) is tradition at 「お彼岸」 (“O-higan“).
And that’s what we did today.
Then we went on a bike ride around the river because the weather was nice today.

The Sea and The Sun

今日は「海の日」 (Today is “Sea Day“).

It’s the Japanese holiday in July to appreciate the ocean and sea life…many people go to the beach on this day.
(You can read my short FAQ about this holiday on my website by clicking here).

We’re not going to the beach today.
My wife and second daughter are at the shopping mall now, but I’m at home waiting for our youngest daughter to come home from basketball practice at her junior high school (she’s on the girls’ basketball team) and my oldest to come home from her part-time job.

My youngest daughter will be home about 2:00 and my oldest will be home around 3:00…at which time we’ll go to the mall to meet my wife and other kid.

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On 水曜日 (Wednesday), 2009 June 22, the longest total 日食 (solar eclipse) of the 二十一世紀 (21st century) will be viewable in Japan (and other parts of Asia).

In southern Japan, at just before 11:00 AM, a full eclipse will be visible.
Other parts of Japan will be able to see a partial eclipse.

Over Tokyo at about 11:10 AM on Wednesday, a 70% eclipse will occur.

Here’s a map of Japan showing the approximate percentage of 日食 (solar eclipse) will be visible from around 10:45 – 11:15 AM on June 22 (I got this map from Japan Guide):

(click to enlarge)

If you will be in the area to see this 日食 (solar eclipse), don’t forget that looking at a solar eclipse without the proper equipment can damage your eyes permanently (and taking a photo of it without the proper equipment can damage a camera).