NIPPON Kichi - 日本吉

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2007/2/19


十五夜 jyuugo-ya Jugoya, The 15th Night

Jp En

Jugoya, or the 15th Night, refers to the 15th night of the 8th month in the lunar calendar when the moon is supposed to be especially beautiful. People enjoy looking at the moon and eating dango dumplings and taro, as well as making decorations with autumn plants such as susuki (Japanese pampas grass).

This custom comes from the mid-autumn festival in China. In Japan, in the Heian period, it became an Imperial event and was called 'Moon Feast'. Courtiers looked at the moon, wrote poems and played music.
  
Commoners called this event 'Taro Beautiful Moon' and it was a harvest thanksgiving festival, in which dumplings, taro, chestnuts and persimmons were eaten.
  
One month later, the 13th Night takes place on the 13th of the 11th month in the lunar calendar. Beans and soybeans are dedicated, and the festival was known as 'Bean Beautiful Moon'. You were supposed to enjoy the moon on both 15th and 13th Nights because if you did not, it was believed to cause bad things.
  
In some local versions of these festivals, local people are allowed to steal offerings or crops as a form of good luck, and these have formed parts of much-loved autumn or harvest festivals.
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2007/2/2


雄松崎の白汀 Omatsuzaki-no-hakutei Omatsuzaki White Beach

Jp En

Omatsuzaki is a beach that lies in North Komatsu, Shiga town, Shiga prefecture. It is a crescent shaped sand bar situated on the northern side of the Hira river mouth. It also bulges along the eastern side of Lake Biwa.

Omatsuzaki is chosen as one of the 8 scenic spots of Lake Biwa, and is known as 'Cool Breeze - Omatsuzaki White Beach'. The depth of the water suddenly changes, and the water – so clear it's as if one could catch a fish by hand – stretches far out. The view of white sand and green pines, spreading for 3km with the Hira mountain range as its backdrop, is just magnificent.

Omatsuzaki has been known as a scenic spot since olden times. In summer, it becomes the number-one leisure venue for Lake Biwa. At that time, it is crowded with people enjoying sports such as windsurfing and swimming. Omatsuzaki-no-hakutei is a scenic area that catches the heart of visitors.
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2007/1/11


三日月 Mikazuki Mikazuki (The Crescent Moon)

Jp En

Mikazuki, the crescent moon, is written in Japanese as the 'moon of the third day'. The dictionary describes mikazuki as 'the narrow arch-shaped moon that appears on the third day of the lunar calendar'.
   The Chinese pictogram for the word month uses the shape of the moon, and the traditional calendar for Japan followed the cycle of the moon. The progress of each month and each day could be tracked according to the moon's shape. Because the calendar followed the moon, mikazuki appears on the calendar.
   Mikazuki-shaped motifs can be seen frequently: on fonts and movie posters, company logos and trademarks of dramas. Why is mikazuki so popular? It might be for this reason: the full moon is a neat circle, while the half moon lacks a sense of design, therefore the mikazuki might be the best.
   Sometimes we wonder if we could just go to our closest object in space, the moon, once in our lifetime.
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NIPPON Kichi - 日本吉 - 日本語に切り替える NIPPON Kichi - 日本吉 - to english

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