New Year Firefighter Drill & Review

Every year on January 6th the Tokyo Fire Department has their annual 「消防出初式」 (“Firefighters New Year Drill & Review“).

I watched this impressive show five years ago.
(My post and photos, here).
And, earlier that year, I saw the annual 「消防慰霊祭」 (“Firefighters Memorial Service“), which is impressive too (Click here to see my post and photos about that festival).

Tomorrow is January 6th, so the 「2015 東京消防出初式」 (“2015 Tokyo Firefighters New Year Drill & Review“) will be held tomorrow.

Flyer for the “2015 Tokyo Firefighters New Year Drill & Review” (2015 東京消防出初式).

If you want info about this festival (location, etc), feel free to contact me.

 

Happy New Year 2015

It’s now midnight on New Years Day 2015.
Happy New Year!

In Japan, New Years is the biggest holiday. There are many traditions, customs, decoration and a special meal with family.
2014 was the “Year of the Horse”…but it’s now the beginning of 2015 “the Year of the Sheep“.

2014 “Year of the Horse” passing the baton to 2015 “Year of the Sheep”

明けましておめでとうございます！ (“Happy New Year!“)
How did you celebrate the New Year?

(The above image is from プロ年賀状 (“Pro New Years Postcards”) website.)

Year of the Horse

It’s now 2014! あけましておめでとうございます！ (Happy New Year!)

It’s the “Year of the Horse” on the Chinese zodiac.

I came to Japan in 1990. That year was also the “Year of the Horse”. That means I’ve been living in Japan for two complete cycles through the twelve year Chinese zodiac…this will be my 24th year here! Time flies!

2013 New Years Cards Lottery winning numbers

Here are the winning numbers for the 2013 New Years Postcard Lottery:

957503 – Prize: Computer, digital camera and printer – or – Digital TV

111316, 294651, or 346247 – Prize: Digital camera and digital picture frame – or – Humidifier – or – Bicycle

xx5635 – Prize: Regional food items

xxxx29, or xxxx70 – Prize: Postage stamps

Did you win anything?

New Year ’13 Station

In Tokyo, there is a subway station named 「辰巳駅」(“Tatsumi Station”).

The Japanese kanji characters that spell “Tatsumi” are the characters for “dragon” and “snake”.

So, for that reason, every twelve years … including this year … that station is a kind of unofficial New Years station.

This is because 2012 was 「辰年」(“the Year of the Dragon “) and this year (2013) is 「巳年」(“the Year of the Snake “).

So, for this New Years, Tatsumi Station changed the signs in the station to read:

辰 → 巳
(Dragon → Snake)

It’s great!

Year of the Snake

It’s now 2013 January 1st in Japan.

明けましておめでとう！(Happy New Year!)  ♪

On the Japanese calender, 2013 is 平和25年 (Heisei 25) … the “Year of the Snake” (巳年).

New Years is the biggest holiday in Japan.
It would take a lot to explain Japanese New Year in detail … New Years postcards, TV specials, relatives coming together for a special meal, temple visits, lucky charms and New Years decorations, and many other things.

I’ll just briefly introduce you to Daruma.

Daruma is a round doll that people buy at New Years in Japan.

He has a funny face … and no eyes!

If you get a Daruma, you’re supposed to make a wish for the new year and paint one of his eyes in.
If the wish comes true, you paint in the other eye.

Regardless of whether the wish comes true or not, at the end of the year, you’re supposed to bring the Daruma (and any other New Years decorations you have) to a temple to be burned … and then get a new one for the next year.

It’s bad luck to keep a Daruma for over one year.

Year of the Dragon

It’s now 2012 January 1. 明けましておめでとうございます！ (“Happy New Year!”)

2012 is 「辰年」 (the “Year of the Dragon”) according to the Chinese zodiac which is popular in many Asian countries, including Japan.

If you want to know what year you were born in according to the Chinese zodiac, check on this chart.

The chart above translates the year “animals” into English…but they can be translated slightly differently too.
For example, ネズミ年 (Year of the Rat) can also be called “Year of the Mouse”.

I prefer to translate them as such:
+ 子年 : Year of the Mouse
+ 丑年 : Year of the Ox (or Cow)
+ 寅年　: Year of the Tiger
+ 兔年 : Year of the Rabbit
+ 辰年 : Year of the Dragon (this year)
+ 巳年 : Year of the Snake
+ 午年 : Year of the Horse
+ 未年 : Year of the Sheep (or Ram)
+ 申年 : Year of the Monkey
+ 酉年 : Year of the Rooster (or Chicken)
+ 戌年 : Year of the Dog
+　亥年 : Year of the Wild Boar (or Pig)

I won stamps…again

As I mentioned before on this blog (including this post), Japanese people send friends and family 年賀状 (New Years postcards) every year and each of these postcards has a unique six digit serial number on the back lower-right-hand corner.

This number is for the annual お年玉 (Japan Postal New Years lottery drawing).

Every year in late January, the post office announces seven sets of winning numbers.

This year’s winning numbers were announced today.

They are:

— First Place (with a 1 in one-million chance of winning) postcards with the number 651694.
People who have a card with this number can choose a prize of either a digital TV,

a trip to Hawaii or any domestic (Japan) location,
a set of office supplies,
a laptop computer / digital camera / digital printer combo,

or a bicycle

— Second Place (with a 3 in one-million chance of winning) has winning numbers of either: 403580, 228949, or 022471.
These prizes are a choice of a wii Game set,
a digital camera and digital frame set,
a humidifier,
a domestic trip (with hotel, dinner, and lunch), or
a coffee maker.

— Third Place (1 in 10,000 chance) are cards with the last four digits of 8363.
The prize is a choice from a large variety of foods.

— Fourth Place (2 in 100 chance) are cards with the last two digits of either 69 or 02.
The prize is two Japanese postage stamps with pictures of a rabbit (2011 is “The Year of the Rabbit”).

Last year (2010), I had a post card with the winning number for a set of two stamps with pictures of a tiger (2010 was “the Year of the Tiger”)…and this year I have two postcards with winning numbers for stamps again.

Maybe one year we’ll win one of the big prizes.

Upcoming movies in 2011

あけましておめでとうございます！ (“Happy New Year!)
2011 is　「うさぎ年」 (“the Year of the Rabbit”).

***********************

Foreign movies (usually “Hollywood” releases) usually premiere in Japan long after they’ve been shown in their home country (usually America).

This is because, I’ve heard, first the movie must be either subtitled or dubbed into the Japanese language…but sometimes the distributors wait to see how the movie does in it’s home country to help determine if it would be worth the cost to show it here.

Here are a few of the many Hollywood movies that are scheduled to be shown in theaters here in Japan in 2011:

– 「アンストッパブル」 (“Unstoppable”)

Stars Denzel Washington in a true story about a runaway train.
It was released in America in November 2010…and is scheduled it show in theaters in Tokyo on 2011 January 7th.

– 「ソーシャル・ネットワーク」 (“The Social Network”)

The story of how Mark Zuckerberg started the internet phenomenom called “Facebook“.
The U.S. release was in October 2010. It will show in Japan on 2011 January 15th.

– 「グリーン・ホーネット」 (“The Green Hornet”)

The story of a masked crimefighter called The Green Hornet and his partner Kato (who was played by Bruce Lee in the 1960’s TV series).

Bruce Lee as "Kato" in the 1960's U.S. TV series "The Green Hornet"

Sometimes American movies are released at the same time (or close to it) in both the U.S. and Japan.
“The Green Hornet” is one such movie. It is scheduled to be shown in the U.S. on 2011 January 14th and in Tokyo on 2011 January 22nd.

– 「トゥルー・グリット」 (“True Grit”)

Stars Jeff Bridges in the role made famous by John Wayne in the 1969 original movie adaptation of this story of a drunken U.S. Marshal in the 19th century “Wild West” who is hired by a fourteen year old girl to track the killer of her father.

The U.S. release of this film was in late December 2010 but won’t hit theaters in Tokyo until March 2011.

Have you seen any of these films? Do you recommend them?
I think “True Grit” looks the best. I’m looking forward to it.

New Years Postcard Lottery

New Years is Japan’s biggest holiday.  The holiday has many traditions in Japan.
One of the traditions is sending 年賀状 (New Years postcards).

One the back of Japanese New Years postcards, in the lower right-hand corner, is a six-digit number.
Every year in late January, the Japan Post Office has a New Years Postcard Lottery.

Yesterday was this years drawing.

The winning numbers for the 2010 年賀状 (New Years Postcard) lottery:

★ First Place (TV, computer, travel, digital camera or an office set)
– 975424

★ Second Place (Wii, digital camera, DVD player, TV)
– 259668,
– 446722, or
– 630838

★ Third Place (brand name merchandise)
– any number with the last four digits as 0977

★ Fourth Place (postage stamps)
– any number with the last two digits as either 00 or 52

★ “C” Prize (JTB ¥5,000 gift certificate)
– any number with the last five digits as 27520

There is also a Summer postcard lottery in Japan.
And I wrote a post about the New Years Postcard Lottery last year.

Did you get 年賀状 (Japanese New Years postcards) this year?
Do any of you cards have a winning lottery number?
I have three winning cards…all for postage stamps.