Post by Hatsuharu Souma on Jul 12, 2005 21:54:56 GMT -5
Ayu season
June 1 marks the first day of ayu season in Japan. On this day hordes of people eager to catch some ayu, or sweetfish, grab their fishing rods in the morning and head for the rivers and streams. Fishing for ayu is prohibited except during a specified season, to make sure the ayu remains a plentiful species. The official season may sometimes start on different dates in different areas of the country, depending on how large the ayu grows. The season runs until September or as late as December, depending on the area of Japan and the particular river or stream.
As a country surrounded by the sea, Japan has a long history of fishing, and is to this day one of the top fishing nations in the world. Japan is also located in a warm, wet climate, which means it gets plenty of rain to feed the many fast streams that flow down from its mountains. Many kinds of freshwater fish live in these streams, making river fishing a very popular pastime in Japan. And the ayu is one of the most prized of all those freshwater fishes. It is cooked in various ways - because of its delicious taste, the ayu has long held a special place in the lives of the people of Japan. Indeed, the Japanese have been fishing for ayu for many centuries: The oldest poetry collection in Japan - the Manyoshu, which was compiled in the eighth century - contains some poems about fishing for ayu.
The method used today to catch ayu is a very interesting one found only in Japan. It takes advantage of the fish's own territorial instinct. A ring is attached to the nose of a live ayu, and another hook to its belly. The ring is then attached to the fishing line, and the fish is sent out into the stream. When the bait fish comes near to another fish, the second ayu will attack the bait fish to defend its territory. And when it bumps into the other fish and hooks itself, the person fishing reels the ayu in.
Other methods are used to catch ayu as well. On the Nagara River in Gifu Prefecture, bonfires are lit to attract ayu to fishing boats, and trained cormorants are sent to catch the fish and bring them back to the boat. This famous way of fishing has a history a thousand years long.
Father's Day
Father's Day in Japan falls on the third Sunday of June. The holiday gives people a chance to express their thanks for their fathers' love and hard work. Like Mother's Day, Father's Day came from the United States, and came to be celebrated in the years following the end of World War II.
Compared with Mother's Day, however, Father's Day is not celebrated with quite as much enthusiasm.
According to one department store, the most popular gifts given on Father's Day are polo and other casual shirts, followed by belts, wallets, and other leather accessories, with neckties coming in third. Not all presents are store-bought, of course. Many children say thanks to their dad in more personal ways - by writing him a letter, drawing him a picture, or cooking him a meal.
Some elementary and middle schools mark Father's Day by holding special classes on a Sunday in June. For dads who spend all their weekdays working, this is a rare chance to see firsthand how their kids are doing in class.
Rice planting
Rice planting is the act of transplanting rice seedlings from the seedbed to a rice paddy. In Japan, it usually takes place from around the end of April to late June, depending on the region.
For centuries, each seedling was transplanted into neat rows by hand, making the process extremely time consuming. It also had to be done in a hurry, and so during the rice-planting season, people worked from dawn to dusk, regardless of the weather. The task was very labor intensive, and so often neighbors would help out with planting one another's fields.
In ancient times, rice growing was considered a religious act, and there were many taboos that had to be observed. Men and women had different roles, with women being largely responsible for planting the seedlings and men for drawing water into the paddies. This division of labor is thought to derive from the fact that women called saotome played a central role in rice-planting rituals.
In planting rice, the inadama, or the spirit of the rice plant, was invoked, and many folk rituals and dances that were performed as offerings to the spirit survive to this day.
Rainy season
From around early June to mid-July, as spring gives way to summer, most of Japan is subject to a period of rainy weather called tsuyu. Day in and day out, the sky remains gloomy, and temperatures and humidity rise. It is probably the least pleasant time of the year.
Food spoils easily, and sunshine is so scarce that a small patch of blue peeping from between the clouds can brighten up one's spirits.
Many innovations have been developed in Japan to cope with the wet, muggy weather. Traditional wooden Japanese homes are raised above the ground to keep the heat and humidity away and have few walls to facilitate ventilation.
Many people live in Western-style homes and concrete apartment buildings these days. Consequently, people are relying more heavily on heating, cooling, and dehumidifying equipment.
Kids are often prevented from going outside to play during the rainy season and get bored easily. While in school, they pass the time by playing indoor games during recess, and physical education classes are held in the gymnasium. After the pool season starts, swimming classes are held even in the rain, as long as it's not too cold.
The early summer rain has many positive aspects, of course. It helps plants grow and flourish, and it's a valuable source of drinking water. Insufficient rainfall during tsuyu usually means water shortages in mid-summer. The fact that mold grows easily in humid weather is a big plus in making certain foods, such as miso, soy sauce, and sake, which are important parts of the Japanese diet.
Sanno Festival
The Sanno Festival is organized by Hie Jinja in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. The shrine has a long history, dating back to 1478, when it was built to ensure good fortune during the construction of the castle in Edo (now Tokyo).
The highlight of the festival is the procession of portable shrines, which meandered through Edo Castle during the Edo period (1603-1868) and was viewed by the shogun. For this reason, it was also called the Tenka, or "crowning," festival along with the Kanda Festival, another major festival in Tokyo.
Kids in costume also participate in the festival.
Today, the festival features a parade of some 500 people clad in the costume of the imperial court. The procession starts from one of Tokyo's business districts and proceeds for 30 kilometers to the Imperial Palace, with Shinto priests offering prayers for peace along the way. Imperial carriages and portable shrines shaped like those used during the days of the ancient court are carried along by priests and worshippers in costume. It is a page right of history. While the Kanda Festival is a celebration of the common townsfolk, the Sanno Festival is an elegant affair noted for its pageantry, rather than rowdiness.
Home visits by teachers
Many middle school teachers visit the homes of their students about a month or two into the new school year to meet with the students' parents. To be able to guide each student in the right direction, it is important to know as much as possible about him or her. There are limits to what teachers can perceive about each student in the classroom; by visiting the student's homes the teacher is able to gain an idea of the kind of home and community they grew up in and acquire new insights into the student's personality.
These visits also benefit the parents since they will gain a better idea of the kind of educational policy the school has. Through these meetings, closer cooperation between home and school can be achieved.
The visits are ordinarily made between April and June. In cases where the visits are made in June, one of the frequently discussed topics is the results of the midterm exams that had just been held.
It takes three to four days to visit the homes of all students. Students are let out after lunch on visiting days, allowing teachers to call on parents in the afternoon. When the day of the visit approaches, students get a little nervous, wondering what their teacher will say about them. They worry that they'll be scolded by their parents later, but in most cases, the visits do not produce admonishments.
At some schools, the calls are made only to the homes of first-year middle school students. At others, the homes of first- and second-year students are visited. Schools scheduling home visits for third-year students as well are now quite rare.
At some schools, teachers will meet with the parents of all their students, while at others they will call on only those parents who desire such a meeting. There are also some schools that have abolished the system of home visits by teachers altogether.
Outings to view traditional theater
Kids today do not have many opportunities to see traditional theatrical performances. Many middle and high schools, therefore, schedule outings to see live performances of traditional stage arts in the hopes of piquing students' interest in traditional culture.
Like field trips and school excursions, these outings are made by the entire grade or school. In and around Tokyo, most students go to see performances of kabuki or noh. But in rural areas, outings may be made to view traditional arts unique to that locality.
Kids rarely get a chance to see live performances of traditional stage arts like noh these days.
These performances are usually preceded by an explanation to help the students understand what is going on and to make the performance more enjoyable. For most students, this is their first exposure to live traditional theater, and they become wrapped up in the performance.