Hasami Shogi

Hasami shogi is one of the variant of Japanese chess, Shogi.


It is much easier to play Hasami shogi than to play normal Shogi.


My son sometimes play it with my husband since when he was 5 or 6 years old.


Yesterday, my sons were playing Hasami shogi and I felt like playing with my older son.


I was going to make allowance to let him win, but soon I found it difficult.


He took my pieces one by one, and I couldn't.
When I moved my piece, he took it away.


It didin't take him long to beat me.


In one hand, I was a little bit shocked、and the other hand, I was very happy to notice that
my son got clever enough to beat me by a game.



It is good to play board games like chess and Othello with children.



Please take a look at this website if you are interested in Hasami Shogi.


http://www.chessvariants.com/shogivariants.dir/hasami.html

The Doll's Festival called "Hina matsuri"

It is the third of March today and we celebrate the Doll's Festical in Japan.


Family with young girls displays a set of beautiful dolls, lanterns and other decorations.
They have family parties to pray for girl's
happiness.


When I was a small girl, I decorated the doll set with my sisiter at the beginning of February,
and sometimes played with those dolls and celebrated the festical day with special cake and sushi.
I loved those dolls.
We still have the set at my parents' house, although we don't put it out any more.







I have two sons and no daughter, so we don't have Hina doll set at my house.
I miss it, but I have no reason to buy the set and even celebrate the Doll's Festival.
But I am going to make party suchi and buy Hina arare, colorful rice crackers for the festival
just for fun.



Our Hina doll set is similar to the picture above.
Nowadays, many people live in a condominium
and don't have space to display a big set of dolls.
A smaller set is popular.
I loved to decolate dolls by my self,
and if there were only two dolls,
I would not be quite happy.



One of my friends got a daughter and
she selected the small size one , but it
has all the dolls.
It is the work of One-knife carving,
which is Nara's traditional art.
It is lovely, I like it a lot.

２２．２２．２２

We have Japanese era calendar.

For example, 2010 is also called Heisei 22.
My birth year, 1975 is also called Showa 50.
My grandmothre was born in Taisyo 11.
My grandfathre was born in Meiji 44.


When the Emperor dies and the new Emperor succeeeds to the throne,
the name of era is changed.


The day before yesterday was special.
It was the 22nd of February, Heisi 22.
22.22.22


Not a few people made lines to get some tickets printed 22.22.22.
Some people had been waiting even the time that clock showed 22:22 of 22/22/22.
Unfortunately, I totally had been forgetting about this special moment and
I was watching a DVD then.






















I remeber that I had been waiting 11:11 of 11/11/11.
I was in a train and tried to get a transit ticket printed the time and the date.
Then I got it !
I still have that ticked at my parents's house.


My friend in USA had her birthday on the 22nd of February and I told her that this year is very
special because of Japanese era calendar system.
She asked me a question.

"Is Heisei the Emperor's name?"

I said
"NO."

" What is the Emperor's name?"

It's a shame I didn't know the Emperor's name of my own country.
Then I serched to find that his name was Akihito.
The Imperial Family does not have a last name.

The era's name is selected by cabinet members and authorities on literature and history.
I remember the day when the new era's name was presented on TV.


Hei of Heisei is Hei of heiwa meaning peace.
Sei of Heisei is also read as naru meaning become.
Heisei is intended to mean "peace everywhere".


It's good to know.


I wonder how many babies were born on 22/22/22, and how many at 22:22.


We use this era year calendar system mainly, both officially and for everyday use.
It is an easier way for us to recognize years.
My son was born in Heisei 13 and he uses the word "Showa" to mean "old".
It sound interesting for me.

Valentines Day

The 14th of February is known as Valentines Day.
Lovers all over the world have special romantic time on this day.


In Japan, people send chocolate to someone they love.
I found the article about Valentines Day in Japan.
1936, Morozoff, very famous Japanese sweets store, introduced Valentines Day on their ad and in 1958 Mary Chocolate had campaign for Valentines Day and it spread


When I was small, every year I sent chocolate to my father.
He also got several boxes of chocolate from his colleages and brought them to home.
I was looking forward to having them.


When I was a school girl, I didn't have a boyfriend and I'de never experienced the
nervous feeling for Valentines Day.
Some of my friends sent chocolate to someone they cared about.
I watched them excited.


My husband doesn't eat chocolate a lot and only chocolate he love is ”Crunky”
of Lotte.
Every year I send some bars of this chocolate in stead of a box of chocolate
which is beautiflly wrapped and usually expensive, like 200 yen per one small piece.
He is pleased with that , I think.
I like it very much, too.






This year, I sent "Crunky" to my husband and boys, and also
I prepared chocolate fondue party for them.
I melt 4 bars of chocolate in a pan and dip various fruits and snacks and ate .
Strawberries, bananas, dried orange peel,
cookies, buscuits, cake, potato chips, rice crackers,
pop corns, sweet potatoes.
I also prepared special material for them.
Cheese, cherry tomatoes, sausages, cucumber and Kimuci.
We had a lot of fun having those strange food with chocolate.



I watched a news program about Valentines Day yesterday.
They said that recently less Japanese girls are ecxited about Valentines Day.
They enjoy exchanging chocolate with their friends and having a party,
and it is not the special day any more for them to confess their love to a boy.
Becauese they don't need to be given an opportunity for confession.
They can "make" an oppotunity by themselves whenever they fall in love.
I envy their courage！

The Olympic Games

The 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games started.


Everyday, I see many programs about the Olymic Games on TV.


On the second day, a Japanese girl missed the medal in Ski Moguls.
She is very popular and she is on 6 TVcommercial programs.
Many Japanese were looking forward to watching her getting the medal.
I watched her skiing on TV at that time with my family.
Especially my husband was dissapointed.


Yesterday, although I wasn't interested in Speed Skating, two Japanese men got medals.
Silver and Blonds.


Last night, I was watching Figure Skating on TV.
I don't skate, and I can't, but I like watching Figure Skating.
Three Japanese men skated and they skated very very well.
I was fascinated in their skating.
One of the men is now the third.
The first one is Plushenko　from Russia.
The second one is Lysacek from USA.
Their scores have only 0.6 points difference.
I hope Japanese will get the gold medal after the Free Style Final.
His name is Daisuke Takahashi.
He is really cool.



My kids are 8 years old and 4 years old.
Last Christmas, they got Nintendo Wii Disc named Mario & Sonic at the Vancouver Olympics.
They love it.
There are Speed skating, Figure skating, Halfpipe, Curling, Bobsleigh, Sky jumping, Snowboarding, Moguls, Ice Hokey, and so on.
So they are also very interested in Olympic Games and watch TV together.

Japanese Children's Book

I found a lovely children's book and I want to recommend it to all the Japanese who are going to abroad.

"Sushi's World Travel" if I would translate the title into English name.


My kids love this book. The little one especially likes this and he used to ask me to read again and again and again.


Sushis in a sushi bar, they get outside and travel into a town, overseas and into a space.


What I like the most is Sushis, which are typical of Japanese food, go, meet and enjoy the world and they are always proud of being Japanese.


I want my children go to foreign countries in the future. Then, I want them to have enough knowledge and experience as the Japanese. I want them to introduce Japan as a lovely country with beautiful nature, culture to be learned, industry with high technology and nice people.


When I read this book at my son's class, the children were engrossed in this book. I found their eyes sparkling as if they were travelling with Sushis.




The story starts like this,


One day Sushis in a sushi bar says altogether.

"We got bored on a belt conveyor.

We will be sick on this crazy rounding belt."

Tuna, Squid, Shrimp, Octopus, Sea urchin, Salmon roe、　　　

　　 Conger, Flatfish and Cucumber Sushi.

"I should sometimes go straight away.

Now let's go on a journey."
















I

Flower Arrangement

Many Japanese women learn Kado, the traditional art of flower arrangement, to acquire culture. In fact, my mother, my sister, my mother-in-law and some of my friends learn Kado. When I was young, I was not very interested in Kado and, to be honest, I am not good at flower arranging. I had sometimes wonderd how nice if I can decorate my house with flowers beautifully.


A friend of mine found a flower arrngement class and the other day I have just joined that class. A women teacher was from the Sagami school.


First she taught us how to set flowers in a vase roughlly and asked us to start arranging by ourselves. I couldn't even start. I had no idea how to put one single flower. I felt sad how poor my creativity was. Every time I tried to set a flower, I asked her how and where.


First you put one or some flwowers along a diagonal line, which is called Tai. Then you put some flowers or leaves around that Tai, which is called Tome. One flower arrangement is supposed to consist with Tai and Tome. It is also important to keep the half part of the vase vacant.


It took about one hour to finish my work. Look at the picture!
Now I know how to arrange less flowers.
Of course I know Kado is much more profound.
Anyway, it was good to try Kado.
I may buy several flowers in a supermarket and decorate my house with them.



My husband was pleased to see my flower arrangement work.
He said, " I had thought you lived a live too simply, you know, without flowers or dresses or jewelry thing. I'm happy that you are interested in Kado."