Catching up!

I can't believe it's been over 3 months since my last post. I know time flies, but ... wow!

So, in true Japanese fashion, I have to say "gomen nasai" (sorry) a few times, bow in front of my computer (while typing...) and express deep sincere regret for neglecting the "live from Tokyo adventures of Tokyo Miki" threads.

Thing is, it's a bit of a vicious circle. I don't post for a few weeks, and then there are so many events to post and talk about, that I feel I need more time to write... and balancing the joys of LIVING in Tokyo and experiencing this wonderful country, and WRITING about it is a little tricky and I've clearly neglected the former.

So, not to overwhelm you with details of the last 3+ months... I'll try to post short & sweet notes and impressions and do some catching up... :-)

Since my last post, there have been some important events such as Christmas and New Year's, Valentine's Day, and, Miki's milestone birthday. I'll just start with Valentine's Day...

In Japan, Valentine's day is probably as commercial (if not more) than in Europe or the US. Teddy bears, balloons, flowers, chocolates, red hearts everywhere... you name it. The twist: GIRLS are the one giving the gifts to the boys on V-day! Wait, it gets better: not just to your loved one (or the secret crush), but also to colleagues and supervisors!! Yikes! The chocolates given to colleagues and superiors is called "Giri choco" ("obligation chocolate"), while the ones you give to someone you care about is called "honmei choco". I just went with the flow and participated in a little pool of chocolate gifts for the male colleagues in the team. (Luckily, I was out of the office on Feb. 14, spending time at a store... ). After Valentine's day comes White Day, on March 15. That's when the role reversal takes place, where men give their loved ones (and colleagues, etc...) the soaps, flowers, chocolates, teddies, etc. So theoretically (particularly in high school), girls have to wait a whole month to see whether the boy they like actually likes her back! a cruel test of patience.... Call me a cynic, but retailers and restaurants must be the big winners here, with TWO opportunities to boost sales!

Ok, so while I'm writing about traditions of Japan, there is another one that's worth mentioning.

On March 3, there is what they call "Girls' Day", also known as "Hina Matsuri", the "Doll Festival". Typically, the grandparents (mother's side) give a set of Hina Dolls to the little girl(s) in the family. The dolls are believed to chase evil spirits, and wish the girls luck and happy marriages. There is a great variety of hina dolls sets (click on the photos to make them larger!), but the smallest version will always have two characters: the emperor and the empress. The fancier, more expensive versions will add court ladies, musicians, attendants (the whole "entourage" as we would say today...). Hina dolls sets were traditionally displayed in a step-tiered version, often going up to 7 layers. Newer, modern versions display the dolls in a glass box (safer if there are young children around, and easier to store in traditional Japanese houses). What amazes me in these dolls is the elaborate details of the clothing - the little dolls' clothing is made of several layers of beautiful silk fabric, the craftsmanship is beautiful! We (at the stores, of course) had about 10 different versions for sale, and in some stores, the vendor even sent a dedicated person to best advise the families which sets to buy! Also, based on the lunar calendar, there are one (two, this year) "Taien" ("auspicious") days to purchase the hina dolls sets. It was very interesting to hear from my friends & colleagues about this tradition, and which sets they display at home. I was about to purchase my own little set of hina dolls: the Hello Kitty version (I'm serious!). Hello Kitty (or "Kitty-chan" in Japan) dressed up in emperor's clothing. Very cute.

As for the boys, they get "Boys' Day", or "Tango-no-Sekku" on May 5, part of Golden Week. Instead of displaying dolls, the boys display sets of samurai helmets and armors (picture left is an cutout of one of our ads).

Kids will also fly "Koinobori" (carps) outside their homes (right). The carps symbolize strength and perseverance: in Chinese mythology, a carp that succeeds in swimming upstream will transform into a dragon (er... I think that's a good thing). The black carp symbolizes the head of the household, the father, and the red one symbolizes the first son. Younger brothers are represented by smaller carps.

(As a side-note: I met a few people in Japan whose first names were Ichiro, Jiro etc, which mean "1st son", "2nd son"... I thought it was very interesting to understand the meaning of these names)

Just like the Hina dolls, there are a few different versions of helmet/armour displays, and carps. And just like the Hina dolls, there is the "traditional version with a twist": the Mickey Mouse, Anpanman (a Japanese character, round-faced man with a sort of a superman suit), and even a Darth Vader armour! (super expensive)

Oh, and to answer the question a few people have asked recently: NO, I do not speak fluent Japanese (yet), but I'm working on it!! Let's just say I can read hiraganas and katakanas much better, and that I am beginning to read some basic kanjis, which I find difficult but very gratifying when I am able to decipher.

Enough "catching up" for today... I'll be more diligent about frequent, short & sweet posts in the future, now that I'm settled in and all. Next posts will cover a variety of topics, including the hanko-registration, buying a jishio, Okinawa (I did end up going there!!) and more. Stay tuned!! :-)