Summer in Japan- Obon

This post is about one of the most important Buddhist festivals in Japan. Obon (or Bon) is the time of year when your ancestors spirits come to this world in order to visit relatives. Obon is not an official public holiday but most people can absent from work at this time. Most people usually go home to their parents' house to celebrate Obon.

Who celebrates when?

Obon is celebrated for three days between 1st July and 15 August. Why is it organized on different dates? Well, in the Meiji era, the Gregorian calendar replaced the Lunar calendar but not all regions in Japan accepted it at the same time. My grandfather and father celebrate in July.

• Shichigatsu Bon is celebrated around the 15th July. People who live in the Tokyo, Yokohama and Tohoku region celebrate then.
• Kyu Bon is celebrated on the 15th of the seventh lunar month. People who live in the north of the Kanto region, Chugoku, Shikoku and the south western islands celebrate according to the moon.
• Hachigatsu Bon is celebrated around the 15th August. The rest of Japan celebrate then.

What happens during Obon

NB: There are many variations on how Obon is celebrated. This is a rough overview of the festival

• Japanese people get together with their family and spend time together.

• The house and their graves must be tidy for the spirits.

• Before the spirits arrive, most Japanese families set up an decorative altar.  My father and grandfather decorated my grandmother's altar with fllowers, fruit and lanterns.

• How Japanese families celebrate Obon depends on the region that they live in. Some Japanese families help their ancestors arrive by making vehicles for them. As they do not have cars to get here, they make a horse for them. The horse symbolises how they can arrive at the house as quickly as possible. It is made out of a cucumber and some chopsticks.  A cow or bull is also made which symbolises how the spirit can ride home at a leisurely pace. This is made out of an aubergine and chopsticks. Both animals are placed on a shelf on the altar. Recently, some families have gone to great lengths to make vehicles.  Click here to see some creative しょうりょうま (shouryouma) 

Shouryouma
I, Katorisi [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

• On the 13th of August, light the chochin lantern

• In the evening,  go to their grave and welcome the spirits home. Lighting a pile of hemp or straw in front of the house helps the spirits find their way to your house. This is called 迎火 (mukaebi). If you light some inscense, the spirits can travel on the smoke on the horse to arrive at the house.

MukaebiI, Katorisi [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

• Once they enter your house, offer them food and drink.

• On the last day of Obon, there will be a dance called the Bon Odori dance. The purpose of this dance is to welcome and send back all relatives as well as some angry spirits that have found their way here. Each region has its own Obon dance and music.

Bon OdoriBy Yasu (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

• For their final send off, you use fire just like you did to welcome them here. some regions float lanterns down a river to guide them back to their world.

Tourou nagashi
By 藤谷良秀 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

This festival is very similar to the Mexican festival, Dia de los Muertos. They remember and celebrate the dead on the 31 October.

This is probably going to be my last post on Japanese summers. I may continue this series if you would like me to. Please comment if you liked this post or if you want me to continue this series next year. Please subscribe and come back to this blog again. ＼(^o^)／

Summer in Japan- Survival guide

This is my survival guide to staying in Japan in the summer.

1. Escape the heat

Just going to a department store or any building can really help keep you cool. You can also do some shopping while you are there. It can also help you save money on your energy bills too.

     2. Bring a ton of suncream and a hat

As the sun is very strong in the summer, it is very important to put on plenty of suncream so you do not burn or get sunstroke. Hats keep harmful UV rays away from your face, head and neck.

    3. Keep hydrated

On every street, station and building, there is usually a vending machine or a convinience store where you can buy cold beverages. I reccommend unsweetened iced tea because it is tasty and refreshing. I also reccomend a range of juices called 野菜生活 (yasai seikatsu). Yasai seikatsu is a brand of juice that contain a large amount of vegetables and some fruit. They all taste great but my favourite is the 'Fruity salad' juice.

Japanese vending machine with
hot and cold drinks

kyu3 [CC BY-SA 2.1 jp
kyu3 [CC BY-SA 2.1
jp (http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en)],
via Wikimedia Commons

Yasai seikatsu Fruity salad juice

4. Have a fan on you

A way that people in Japan advertise is by handing out packs of tissues with adverts and offers on. In summer, some companies advertise with practical objects like plastic uchiwa fans. If see anyone giving out fans, take it!

    5. Eat cold food

During the summer months, eating cold food helps you keep you cool. Somen noodles are Japanese noodles that are very very thin and are made from wheat flour.  It is similar to Angel hair pasta. They are usually eaten cold and dipped in a special dipping sauce made out of soy sauce and dashi. Eating hiyayakko in the summer can also keep you cool. It is chilled tofu and is usually eaten with a little sprinkling of bonito flakes and some soy sauce. Watermelon is a great fruit to eat in the summer. However eating too much cold things can actually stop your body from cooling down. So to stop this from happening, have some warm or hot food once in a while.

Somen noodles with spring onion and dipping sauce
By shibainu (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)],
 via Wikimedia Commons

Hiyayakko
By Namiwoo (Own work)
[CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)],
 via Wikimedia Commons

 Somen noodles

6. Wear breathable clothes

It gets very muggy so wearing breathable clothes helps you feel more comfortable in the heat. But it is a good idea not to wear skimpy clothes. Sandals are also good to wear outside.


   7. Use an ice pillow

Japanese people do not really use ice pillows unless they have a fever, as they have air conditioning. If you have access to a freezer, there are special pillows that you can put in the freezer to cool. Before you use them, wrap a thin towel around the pillow so you protect the skin that is exposed to the ice pillow.

My ice pillow

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Summer in Japan- Whoops!

Today, was a really hot day so I was thirsty. I thought that drinking juice would help me cool down. But what I did made something better than cold juice. I accidently made kakigori

If you read my post on kakigori, then you will know what it is. However, if you have not read it, kakigori is basically shaved ice with a flavoured syrup. It was very easy to make so I thought that I could share the method with you.

How to accidently make kakigori

You will need: a carton of juice (I used Cawston's apple and mango juice)

                      a freezer

    1. Take your carton of juice and put it in the freezer.

    2. Remove from the freezer after a couple of hours

    3. Cut the top of the carton open, your juice should look similar to a slushy

4. Enjoy your frozen treat ♪───Ｏ（≧∇≦）Ｏ────♪

Summer in Japan-Fireworks

One of the most important parts of summer in Japan are the fireworks! Fireworks in japanese is 花火 (hanabi).

Fun fact: If you translate the japanese word for firework literally, it means fire flower.

During the summer, there will be a firework display on the weekend somewhere in Japan. As there are many firework displays in Japan, I thought that I would write about the most famous one in Tokyo

Sumida River fireworks festival-Tokyo

Sumida River fireworks festival next to the Tokyo Skytree
By てんどん (http://photozou.jp/photo/show/141110/145311514) [CC BY 2.1 jp (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.1/jp/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons

This is a firework festival that takes place every year on the last Saturday of July over the Sumida river near Asakusa. Nearly a million people come to watch this display. As there are so many spectators, the fireworks are set off from two locations so everyone can see. In this display, two rival pyrotechnic groups compete against each other and make better fireworks than their opponent. The Tamaya and the Kagiya makes fireworks of different shapes, colours and patterns to make an inpressive display for everyone watching. Two sightseeing spots are the Sensoji temple and the Tokyo Skytree. 

The Tokyo Skytree 

Sensoji temple
By Leonard V Carlson / Picturetokyo at English Wikipedia
 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Fun fact 2: Fireworks were originally used to scare off demons.

History

It started in 1732 as part of the festival for the dead when there was poverty, famine and disease. The fireworks were used to entertain the masses. At this time the festival was called 両国川開(Ryogoku Kawabiraki). This tradition continued until World War 2 started. Even when World War 2 was over, the festival did not recommence after 1978. This tradition still carries on to this day

if you enjoyed this post, please comment. If you want to know about another aspect of Japan, please leave it in the comments.

Summer in Japan- Ramune

Today, I thought that I could write about a popular carbonated soft drink from Japan. This drink is called ラムネ(Ramune)

Ramune comes in a glass bottle with a very distinctive shape. It is sold in many shops in the summer. You probably will not find it anywhere in the winter as it is a summer drink. But there is a specific way to open it. If you are drinking ramune for the first time, you may have problems openingn the bottle.Here is my guide on how to open ramune

How to open Ramune

You will need: a bottle of Ramune

                         a stable and firm surface like a table

                         a lot of force

Step 1: We need to first get the special bottle opener that only opens Ramune bottles. Remove the plastic covering from the top to reveal the piece that looks like a lid, which contains the special bottle opener. Push down on the center of the plastic lid to get the piece that opens the bottle.

Step 2: Put the narrow side of the special bottle opener on the marble

Step 3: Place the ramune on the stable surface and use one hand to hold the Ramune down

Step 4: Use as much force as possible and hit the top of the plastic with your other hand. This should dislodge the marble.

Step 5: When you see the marble drop, you have succeeded in opening the bottle. But this is the important bit. Keep you hand on the lid for 5 seconds before you let go otherwise it will fizz out of the bottle and you will end up with sticky hands. When all the pressure has been released, you can now drink from the bottle.

Step 6: Enjoy your fizzy drink!＼(^o^)／

A bottle of opened Ramune
By Fer1997 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

If these instructions seem unclear in any way, there are many videos on YouTube that demonstrate
how to open the bottle. I recommend the YouTuber Mimei's video on how to open the Ramune bottle.
Click here to go to her video. She speaks in Japanese but there are English subtitles so most people should be able to understand.

How to drink Ramune

Now you are probably wondering why the marble is important. There is a very good reason for the marble being there. The reason will become very clear when you try to drink it.

Ramune bottle indentations and marble
By Rikaris (Own work by uploader. Foto tirada por mim.) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

If you try and drink from the bottle, you may find that the marble will roll to the mouthpiece and stop you from drinking.

If you tilt the bottle, the marble will roll around the middle. If you look at the bottle, you can see two circular indentations. If you roll the marble so it sits below the two indentations and above the narrow middle section and drink, the circular indentations will stop the marble from rolling into the mouth piece and will not stop you from drinking the delicious fizzy drink.

The different flavours of Ramune

The normal flavour of Ramune is a subtle lemon flavour.  But in Japan, you can get many different flavours.

Different flavors of Ramune kept cool in ice and water
By Ruocaled (DSC02657) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Some flavours are:

• Banana 
• Blueberry
• Chocolate (yum :P)
• Grape
• Green apple
• Green tea
• Lychee
• Mango
• Octopus

There are at least 36 different flavors.

Why do Ramune bottles have a marble?

The bottle was invented by an English mechanical engineer called Hiram Codd in 1872. The bottles are actually called Codd neck bottles after him. The marble rises to the top of the bottle under the pressure from the carbon dioxide which seals the bottle without leaking the gas. They are only known as Ramune bottles because they are only used for Ramune.

If you enjoyed reading about Ramune, please comment below. If you want me to blog about something in particular, also leave it the comments. 

Summer in Japan- Kakigouri

This is my second post in the Summer in Japan series. Today, I will be writing about a dessert that you eat in Japan to cool yourself down.

Picture of kakigori
By nesnad (Own work) [CC BY 3.0
 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons

カキ氷(kakigori) is a Japanese dessert that is eaten in the summer. It is basically shaved ice with a sweet syrup and a sweetener (often condensed milk) It is similar to a snow cone but the main difference is that kakigori is similar to falling snow and you eat it with a spoon. You can use a machine to spin a block of ice over a ice shaving blade by hand. But you can also use an electric machine as well. It is sold everywhere in convinience stores in the summer as it cools you down. Kakigori from a convinience store is sold in a cup and is not sold in a cone in the picture.


Fun fact: Kakigori used to be a luxurious dessert. In the Heian period (11th century) nobles would shave the block of natural ice with a knife and eat it with a sweet tasting sap from a type of ivy, hydrangea or vine. In the Meiji period (19th century), kakigori became affordable to the public when a food entrepreneur succeeded in transporting ice from Hokkaido to Yokohama and made a kakigori shop in Bashamichi in Kanagawa in 1872.

The frozen dessert was popularized during the second half of the 19th century when it became accessible to the public.

Popular flavours

Popular flavours include

• Strawberry
• Lemon
• Green tea
• Melon
• Grape

Some shops sell it with ice cream or sweetened red beans or tapioca pearls

So if you are in Japan in the summer, be sure to try kakigori.

私は、カキ氷食べたことがありませんが、いつか食べてみたいと思います。

I have never tried kakigori but I would like to one day

Summer in Japan- Temperature

As I have more time in the summer holiday, I am able to make more blog posts. I thought that I could post on an aspect of summer in Japan nearly everyday (hopefully). So this is my first post for my Summer in Japan series. Today, I am going to write about the heat and the temperature in Japan.

• Average temperatures can vary from 21C to 30C
• The heat starts to rise from June to August
• As well as the high temperatures, it is also very humid
• The temperature can exceed 30C
• The highest temperature ever recorded in Japan was 41C in Shimanto, Kochi prefecture on August 12 2013
• In the summer, it seems very hot but there is usually air conditioning in buildings so you only feel the heat when you go outside.
• But in Japan, it might not cool down in urban areas. This is because, ( here is the sciency bit) all light is absorbed by black surfaces and no light is absorbed by white surfaces. Most buildings in the urban areas of Japan are dark so a large amount of light is absorbed. When light is absorbed, it is converted into heat energy. This heat energy is released and warms up the whole city. At night, the heat cannot escape quickly because it is trapped in the city.
• There are also other ways of keeping cool but I will mention them in other Summer in Japan posts

私は、イギリスに引っ越してから、夏の間に日本に行ったことありません。できれば、2020年の東京オリンピックに行きたいですが、多分熱射病で倒れるのではないかと思います。私は、暑い日がとても苦手です。

Ever since I moved to England, I have not been to Japan in the summer. I really want to go to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but I think that I will get sunstroke and hyperthermia. I hate the heat.