Nihongo Ninja

Hello everyone! Japanese calligraphy (書道、shodou) was one of the first cultural activities I did when I first started learning Japanese. What is 書道, and how does it play into Japanese culture? Japanese Calligraphy「書道」 Japanese calligraphy involves using a calligraphy brush (筆、fude) and black ink (墨、sumi), along with other materials, to artistically write different Japanese characters (Kanji). There are many different styles, and each person writes calligraphy a little differently - which led to the common phrase 書は人なり (Sho wa hito nari), or "calligraphy reveals personality". The History of Shodou 「書道の歴史」 Like with many things, kanji originally spread to Japan from China. Confucian texts near the end of the third century were the first to introduce kanji, and their usage gradually increased until around the seventh century. One of the first forms of calligraphy was "Zen calligraphy" (墨跡、bokuseki), practiced by early Buddhist priests. It was known for its a...

Happy late New Year (and new decade), everyone! Like with my Christmas in Japan post, I did some research on Japanese New Years and compiled it to share now. What's New Years like in Japan, and what relevance does it have to Japanese culture? New Years in Japan「日本の正月」 Main Tradition Overview In my Christmas in Japan  post, we talked about how American New Years is like Japanese Christmas, and American Christmas is like Japanese New Years. That's because Japan is heavily Shinto/Buddhist, as opposed to Christian. A New Year's card from 2020, the year of the rat. I guess a mouse is close enough! Many Japanese people tend to follow both Shinto and Buddhist traditions on New Years, maybe going to a shrine the day of and a temple the day after. Large temple bells (除夜の鐘, Joya no Kane) are rung at midnight 108 times, signifying the worldly desires people experience throughout their lives. On New Year's Eve, many people eat buckwheat noodles. These long so...

Merry late Christmas, everyone! I know it's almost a month late, but I did some research on what Christmas is like in Japan, and wanted to share some of the most interesting information I found. What's Christmas like in Japan, and what relevance does it have to Japanese culture? Christmas in Japan「日本のクリスマス」 Christmas Day Japan is mostly Shinto/Buddhist, so Christianity doesn't have much of an influence. This means that Christmas doesn't have much religious or cultural meaning. It's more of a consumerist holiday, similar to New Years in the U.S. (and unlike New Years in Japan). Many consumerist traditions were brought to Japan from U.S. and other foreign companies. Christmas Cakes 「クリスマスケーキ」 are extremely popular. They're generally sponge cakes decorated with strawberries and whipped cream. Tokyo Disneyland's "Christmas Fantasy" is very popular, especially for families with young children. The entire park is decorated themed to ...