Check out Ajisai Flower, Hydrangea!

The whole month of June in Japan is a rain season, or “Tsuyu.” In the most days in June it will rain which may disturb your travel plan. Don’t worry. A rainy season also has something for you. We recommend you the beautiful flower, Ajisai, which bloom only in this season.


Ajisai is very colorful flower: pink, yellow, blue, purple, white, green, or red. The colors are very strong and beautiful. It’s even more beautiful in the rain. Some people say it’s not a rainy season, but an ajisai season.


Many temples of Kamakura have Ajisai garden. Hase Temple and Tokeiji Temple has excellent Ajisai gardens. The hillside of Hase Temple is covered by 1,000 of Ajisai flowers. Meigetuin Temple is also known as an Ajisai Temple. On the weekend, those temples of Ajisai will be very clouded, so we recommend you to visit on weekdays. Ajisai are planted everywhere in Kamakura. Temples in Kamakura are beautiful in any season. Ajisai are beautiful this season. So, June is the time to visit Temples in Kamakura, it’s a double gain!


The Kaisei Town is also well known for Ajisai. They have over 10,000 Ajisai in public garden. This year, from June 6 to 14, they have Ajisai Festival in which you can enjoy local food, dance and drum performance.

Don’t let these rainy season bother your travel. Make it your friend. Make sure to see the art of nature which only presents itself in the Tsuyu rain.

Resource:http://www.mustlovejapan.com

Free Aikido lesson at Yokohama!

If you are in Japan and interested in Aikido, Pleaes feel free to visit our Dojo. It's free Aikido Lesson for all people.

Our insturctor had been trained under Matsuoka Sensei who is used be Steven Segal's best student and now trains under Abe Senesi, 10th degree of Black Belt. So our style is much like what you see in Steven Segal's movie. However, Matsuoka sensei keep train to come up with much stronger and peaceful way of Aikido. So, our style is look like Segal but not raugh like him at all.

Most of our students are beginners, including kids and women.

So, if you are interested in Aikido, but not too serious to join real Dojo which requires you a lot of money and attention, please feel free to visit and join us. We can teach from the basic in English. There is senior students who have over 3rd degree of black belt, too.

Admission fee for the practice place: 100 yen.
When you decided to join longer period, requires joining sports insurrance.

Location: Nitta Chiku Center
URL:http://www18.ocn.ne.jp/~nitta/koutuu.html
Access: 5 min. from Nippa Station, Yokohama Shiei Chikatetsu.

大きな地図で見る

conntact:Toshi Asaka
e-mail: haoh5(at)hotmail.com

Video Instructionof How to wear Yukata, Japanese Kimono.

To enjoy Japanese summer festival, we introduce how to wear "Yukata." Yukata is Japanese light cloth which usually offered at Japanese Hotels. However, it is also tradition to wear it at Japanese summer festival. ( 日本語音声です。是非ビデオを御覧下さい。）

Click here to see the video instruction of how to wear Yukata.





First of all, when you wear Yukata, make sure that hiding your underwear.

Deciding the length of hipline:
Grip here to measure the length from inner skirt.
Make sure bring little higher at the end point.
Hold down with outer skirt. Also, bring little higher at the end.
Fix up the length from hip to heel.

Tie hip with inner cord:
Tie on the sidebone, not around waist.
Tie the inner cord very tight so that Yukata never become the worse for wear.

Adjusting backside:
Adjust the length by putting hand from inside of Yukata.
Pull back outside and fix up the wrinkle.
This is very important to make the line of back center straight.
Make space at back-collar about one clenched hand.
For the short hair parson, make it little tighter.

Adjusting front:
Make "Hashori" (Edge bend) by hand from inside.
Fix up the line straight here, too.
Fix up the front collar this much. Just below throat. Not too open, not to tight.
Tie middle cord.
When it is too loose, adjust it after tie middle cord.
Then, wear "Datejime" (inner belt).

Wearing "Obi" (belt):
Adjust the wind length. It is little longer than shoulder.

Begird twice then tie strong once.
Fix the length of the wings.
The length of the wings will be same as the shoulder line.
Then, bend it couple times, and fix up in the center.
Use the wind to begird. Let it into the middle part.
Pull sideway to tighten up. Put the leftover part in Obi.
Then, roll it back side.

Finishing:
Put "Obiita" (Belt plate) inside of Obi to fix up the belt.
Finish!

Point.
Tie inner cord very strong.
Make "Hashori" part not too long. It should be about 3cm (1.5 inch). It's not beautiful if it's too long.
Adjust the front collar with V-shape.
Don't make back collar too wide.
Erase the backside wrinkle. Make sure the back center straight.
Obi must be really tight.




Click here to see the video instruction of how to wear Yukata.



Instructor: Kanrei Fujima
Experience Her Japanese Traditional Dance School.

Japanese Lesson part 2

How many words for "a first personal pronoun" in Japanese.

In English, it's very simple, "I."

However we have many "I" in Japanese.


Here is the list of "I" in Japanese without any dialects.

Watashi - formal and poliet for both male and female. Too formal to use it to friends.

Boku - semi-formal for male. Can be used talking to friend, business parson and seniors.

Atashi - female version of Boku. Written in the same as Watashi, but female pronounced this way.

Ore - casual for male. Little strong to use any senior or elder friends.



Here is special words of Japanese first personal pronoun you must know.

Watakushi - Only rich and high society madam, lady or girl are allow to use it.

Washi - Hirosihma Dialect for male but senior parson can use it, too.

Uchi - Kyoto Dialect for female especially Geisya girls use.

Oidon - Kagoshima Dialect for male. If you want to be strong and bigger, use it.

Yo - Only Emperor, kings, queens, high-priest or Shogun can use this.

Sessya - for Ninja and Samurai. Ninja MUST Say Sessya for I.

Wagahai - Anyone who believe himself special, especially in the feild of novel writer, singer song writer. Also, cat allow to use Wagahai, too.

Chin - only the emperor use it.

Japanese Lesson! Part 1

"Sumimasen"


Everyone believe that Japanese "Sumimasen" means " I'm sorry" in Japanese. It is correct, but it means also "Thank you so much" in Japanese. In fact, we used more "Sumimasen" than "Arigato" for thank you.

Actually, in our daily life, we don't use Arigato for thank you because it is too light and kiddish. Sumimasen is more polite.

Is it confusing?

Well let me explain, Sumimasen comes originally from Kotoba de sumaseru koto gadekimasen which means, there is no word to appreciate your kindness. Or, there is no word to apologize to you. So, we use this for both situation.

So, simple and kiddish word for I'm sorry is "Gomennasai." However, Gomennasai and Arigato is just to casual.

If you use Sumimasen for thank you, people think that you know Japanese well.

Oh, by the way, suimasen and sumimasen is the same in Japanese.

What Japanese don't like.

Many people said Japanese are hardly get upset, or they don't show their emotion on thier face.

Do you think that Japanese don't have the anger emotion?

The answer is NO. We get upset as well as anyone in the world.

This won't work to Japanese.
1. yell at Japanese and say bad things at them.
2. burn our national flags. (We don't have much feeling on our flags.)
3. discriminate against us with racism. (We don't care.)
4. talking about anti-Japan topic. (I am sorry.)

These are not spots for Japanese to make them angry.

Here is what really make Japanese angry.
1. stepping into their house without wearing off the shoes. (this is UNACEPTABLE.)
2. pouring soy sauce over rice. (Time to leave for you)
3. receiving business card by one hand. (NO MORE DEAL with you)
4. taking cel:phone in the train. (this single action can make 50 Japanese angry with in 2 second)
5. start drinking beer before"Kanpai (toasting)." (You have no right to drink)

These are some samples of the anger spots for Japanese people.

Also, we are very unconfortable with hug, hand-sake and kissing. Don't touch Japanese. They don't like that. Just bow.