ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

In Taiwan, there is a famous art piece at the National Palace Museum near Taipei that is a carved, jade sculpture of a type of Chinese cabbage.

If you look closely, you can see that carved into the leaves of the sculpture is a katydid locust. This piece of art was originally thought to be a wedding gift that symbolized fertility. When you gaze upon it, you almost believe that it is a real cabbage. The details are amazing!

The carving was done using the natural colors of the jadeite, turning the green parts into the cabbage leaves and the white parts into the stalk.
  

Buddhism began in India about 2,500 years ago. It spread throughout Asia, eventually influencing most of the continent. The religion's teachings focus on understanding suffering, and the way to achieve peace and harmony.

The religion spread eastward into China, Japan, Vietnam, etc. via the trade routes used between various countries in both Europe and Asia. It reached Japan around the 6th century, and is today the prevalent religion in the country (along with Shinto), and it has adapted to the local culture and beliefs.
  

Sudachi-kun is the official mascot of Tokushima Prefecture. The character first appeared in 1993. Sudachi is a citrus fruit that grows all over Shikoku, and in Tokushima in particular. It’s similar to a lime, but has a stronger and more pungent taste. In Shikoku, sudachi is served as an accent to fish, udon, and alcoholic beverages.

Sudachi-kun was originally drawn by a group of primary school pupils in the prefecture in response to a public request for proposals for a local mascot. After initial rejection, the children’s character was reconsidered and then unanimously selected by the local committee. Thus, Sudachi-Kun was born and is now the official mascot of Tokushima!
  

Kuroshio-kun is the official mascot of Kochi Prefecture. The character was designed by a woman from Aichi Prefecture, and made its début in 2002 for the Yosakoi Festival held annually during the summer in Kochi. It then became known as the official mascot of the prefecture.

The character was so popular that on the day it was introduced it sold around 3,000 stuffed toys designed as Kuroshio-kun. The Kuroshio toys sold out on the morning of the first day of the festival!

Kuroshio-kun’s motif is the sea of the Kuroshio current which flows off Tosa Bay, but the character is often mistaken for a whale. Nonetheless, the Kochi mascot was and is a very popular figure within the prefecture!!
  

Ehime Prefecture's official mascot is called Mican. The combination of a mandarin orange and a puppy creates the cute and lovable character. The name mikan is a play on words in the Japanese language, where the sound of mi (from mikan) and kyan (the sound a dog makes when it barks).

This character design helps to promote the prefecture and its local specialties. Mikan oranges are a local specialty of Ehime, and the character symbolizes the abundance of mandarin-type oranges grown in the prefecture. They taste great too!
  

Each of the 47 Japanese prefectures has at least one mascot/character (or more) to symbolize something that it is well-known for within the prefecture such as local food, nature, etc. The character helps to promote tourism and recognition for the prefecture.

For Kagawa Prefecture, the character is called Udon Nou, which is a character with noodles for brains. Kagawa is known for its delicious udon, and the character helps to promote the prefecture’s love for udon, as well as highlighting the ubiquitous nature of udon within the prefecture. Kagawa is known as the Udon Prefecture!
  

Tosa tea is a green tea named after the regional domain of Japan during the Edo Samurai period, that is now called Kochi Prefecture. It is a sweet and refreshing tea, that is a perfect complement to wagashi, or traditional Japanese sweets.

On a recent visit to Kochi, I had the pleasure of trying this tea for the first time. I enjoy the tea very much. I have tried many Japanese teas as well as numerous teas from around the world, and I really liked the Tosa tea. It was excellent, and the taste was smooth and easy to drink. If you get the chance, please give it a try.
  

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There is a temple called Koyasan in Wakayama Prefecture, which is one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in Japan. It was established 1,200 years ago by Kobo Daishi, a Buddhist monk who lived during the 8th and 9th centuries, and who founded the Shingon sect of Buddhism in Japan.

He created and visited the well-known 88 temples in Shikoku that are today called the Ohenro (or pilgrammage) for people to travel to find peace and spiritual happiness.

If you complete the Ohenro and visit all 88 temples, it is customary to pay a visit to Koyasan show respect to Kobo Daishi by visiting his grave site in Wakayama. It is a popular tourist place to visit.
  

Tenmaya Sandwich Shop in the Busshozan area of Takamatsu is a small shop with great, local, fresh food and bread. They offer healthy sandwich options with set meals, as well as freshly baked bread for purchase. The food is delicious and the service was great.
The price was excellent too. I highly recommend this shop if you are in the area. There is also a popular onsen (or hot spring bath) in the area called Busshozan. Give them both a try!!
  

Dotonbori is a section of Osaka that is famous for its shopping and food. There are many well-known signboards and landmarks in the area, as well as local, tasty food offerings such as okonomiyaki, kitsune udon, and takoyaki
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On a recent visit to the area, I stopped by a well-known kushikatsu restaurant (deep-fried meat and vegetables on a skewer). The front of the restaurant has a large sign of an angry man. Supposedly, the reason that the man has an angry face is that the owner of the restaurant was always angry when he saw customers dipping their food into the same community sauce used by all customers. The proper way would be for customers to pour their own sauce into a separate container for their own use. This would prevent spreading germs to other customers. I found this to be fun cultural fact about the Dotonbori area!
  

In Okayama Prefecture, there is a special shrine called Kibetsu Jinja. It is known for a Shinto ritual called the Narukama which predicts fortune by the ringing sound of a cauldron, and also for the folktale about Momotaro or the Peach Boy.

It is a peaceful and beautiful shrine with wonderfully spacious grounds to wander around, along with interesting buildings and local sights to see. It is situated in a local neighborhood and surrounded by houses. It was quite an interesting site and location. I think it is worth a look if you are ever in the area.
  

Kua’ Aina is a sandwich and burger shop that originated in Hawaii in 1975. They currently have stores in Hawaii, London, Taipei, and at over 30 locations in Japan.

I had the good fortune to visit one of their shops while recently in Kobe. The burgers are cooked over a lava rock and the toppings include such items as pineapple, avocado, bacon, chili, etc. The taste is outstanding. I highly recommend trying their burgers if you find one of their shops throughout Japan. You will not be disappointed!
  

There is a doughnut shop in Kobe, called the Donut Factory, that sells handmade, fresh doughnuts every day. There are at least 2 locations: one near Sannomiya Station and another a few blocks away off of Tor Road. Most of the ingredients used to make the doughnuts come from Hyogo Prefecture such as the wheat and milk.

They offer 24 types of doughnuts and use fresh fruit in their selections. I have eaten many doughnuts in my life, but these were absolutely delicious. The selection is quite varied and the customer service is some of the best I have experienced in Japan. If you go to Kobe, check this place out!
  

Japanese rice crackers or senbei are an ubiquitous commodity; they can be found most everywhere in Japan. In the Kobe area of Hyogo there is a hot spring that is over 1000 years old, called Arima, that is famous for its senbei or rice crackers.

They are called tansan senbei or carbonated rice crackers. The making of these crackers uses a carbonation process with flour and not rice during the creation, but they are still considered part of the rice cracker family.

I recently purchased and tried these unique “senbei” and they were delicious. They come a a variety of flavors, and are worth every bite. Give them a try if you get the chance.
  

About a five-minute walk from Okayama Station is a small, trendy restaurant called the Okayama Kitchen. On this past New Years Eve, I was looking for a place to eat dinner, but most restaurants were either closed or you needed reservations.
By chance, this restaurant had two open seats for me and my spouse, so we asked and took the available seats during a very crowded time.

The food was excellent, the drinks delicious and the service very pleasant. They have a number of small tapas-style foods (pizza, soups, sandwiches, fish, etc) as well as sangria and Japanese drinks.

This was a very fortunate or serendipitous find for us, especially during such a crowded time of the year. I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking to have a good and tasty meal in a pleasant atmosphere.
  

Japan has a tradition called Kagami Biraki (literally the opening of the mirror). This term is today used when opening a wooden cask of sake with a wooden mallet at a ceremony. This is performed at various times of the year such as New Years, sporting events, business deals, etc.

Over the holidays, I recently witnessed this event on New Years Day at a hotel I was staying at. All guests were invited to watch, while selected guests opened the sake cask using the mallets. Then the guests were offered a small glass of the sake to bring in the new year.

Supposedly, the round, wooded lid of the cask represents harmony, and the breaking of open the cask represents breaking open good fortune for the new year. I have seen this done on TV and in movies, but this was the first time I witnessed it in person. It was an interesting experience of Japanese culture.
  

I recently took a short trip on New Years Day to a local shrine called Ubushina (in Utazu where I live) to ring in the new year. The first visit to a shrine during New Years is called Hatsumode in Japan.

The procedure to make a small financial offering for good wishes for the New Year typically involves the following:

1. Walking up to the main hall entrance and bowing (respect).
2. Clapping your hands twice (to wake up the gods).
3. Throwing in a small monetary donation (usually small coins - 5 yen coins are best since 5 is considered a lucky number here in Japan),.
4. Saying a small, silent prayer.
5. Clapping twice again (to notify the gods you are finished).
6. Taking one step back, and then bow again and leave.

You can also purchase, for a small fee, a fortune card predicting your upcoming year; although it is only written in the Japanese language. Visiting shrines in Japan are done at various times of the year, but New Years is a special time with most Japanese people paying a respectful visit to their local shrine. This was a simple and pleasant experience that added to my cultural learnings about Japan. I enjoyed it very much.
  

I have noticed that on long-distance, crowded buses and trains (bullet train, etc,) here in Japan, that there are quite a few people that place their luggage on an adjacent and open (free) seat next to them. It appears that the person does not wish for anybody to sit next to them, so they occupy the nearby seat with a piece of luggage.

My observation has apparently been noticed by at least one bus company in Japan. While traveling on a special bus recently, I saw a sign located in front of the seat behind the bus driver. The sign clearly stated (in Japanese) that you should not leave your luggage on the seats, and to remove it if somebody needs the seat. The person sitting there had luggage on the empty seat, and the bus was full. The driver politely notified the passenger that they would have to remove their luggage so that somebody could sit there.

Possibly a sign on the train is next.
  

There are small, buddha -shaped, stone, statues in and around Japanese temples are called Jizo. The figures are believed to provide a spiritual power of protection to people from trouble.

The statues originated from Buddhist traditions in India, and are now prevalent in Japan. They are sometimes dressed in red bibs and hats, because the Japanese believe that the color red can keep evil away, and they dress up Jizo in small knit hats and knit sweaters to help protect children from harm.
  

While traveling through the Shimonseki area of Yamaguchi recently, I stopped by a place that I thought was a restaurant. When I entered, I found out that you could partake in a variety of athletic pursuits such as basketball, volleyball, rock climbing wall, among other activities. The design of the area was interesting as it is located in a large, warehouse-style building with lots of space and a souvenir shop with local food and drinks for sale.

Following your recreation fun, you could eat at the attached restaurant. They only served local, meat dishes in a Japanese-style with set meals (rice, soup, vegetables, and drink). The staff were very friendly and accommodating; the food was tasted and reasonably priced, and the whole atmosphere was a lot of fun!