Category: Japan History & Culture

Our Little Sister (海街 diary)

Japan History & Culture, Japanese Film

Based on the manga “Umimachi Diary” by Akimi Yoshida.
Three sisters Sachi, Yoshino and Chika live together in a large house in the city of Kamakura. When their father absent from the family home for the last 15 years dies, they travel to the countryside for his funeral and meet their shy teenage half-sister. Bonding quickly with the orphaned Suzu, they invite her to live with them. Suzu eagerly agrees, and a new life of joyful discovery begins for the four siblings.
  • Rating: PG
  • Genre: Drama
  • Original Title: Umimachi Diary (Literally “Seaside Town Diary”)
  • Directed By: Hirokazu Koreeda.
  • Written By: Hirokazu Koreeda.
  • Country: Japan
  • Language: Japanese (Subtitled in English)
  • Release Date: June 13, 2015 (Japan)
  • Filming Locations: Kamakura, Kanagawa (Japan)
  • Worldwide Gross: $15,918,101
  • Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
  • Runtime: 127 min

Main Characters:

  • Sachi Kōda (香田 幸, Kōda Sachi)

The eldest sister of the Kōda family. She is 29-years-old. She works as a nurse in a hospital. Very serious and reliable.

  • Yoshino Kōda (香田 佳乃, Kōda Yoshino)

Second sister of the Kōda family. She is 22-years-old. She works as an office lady in a bank. She loves drinking alcohol and is pretty embarrassing when she gets drunk. She often dates young, handsome boys. Once, she dated Tomoaki Fujii, one of the protagonists of “Lover’s Kiss” an older manga series by Akimi Yoshida, also set in Kamakura).

  • Chika Kōda (香田 千佳, Kōda Chika)

The younger sister of Kōda family. She is 19-years-old. She works in a sports equipment shop.

  • Suzu Asano (浅野 すず, Asano Suzu)

She shares the same father as the Kōda sisters. She is 13-years-old and still in junior high school. She is very reliable and serious, which caught Sachi’s attention. She lived in Sendai with her father and mother, but after her mother’s death, her father married a woman named Yōko in Yamagata. She met her sisters at her father’s funeral, and moved to Kamakura to live with them. She is very good at soccer.

Seven Samurai (七人の侍)

Japan History & Culture, Japanese Film

Perhaps the greatest movie ever made (certainly the best action movie) showing director Akira Kurosawa at his highest level. A classic.

“Akira Kurosawa’s epic tale concerns honor and duty during a time when the old traditional order is breaking down. The film opens with master samurai Kambei (Takashi Shimura) posing as a monk to save a kidnapped farmer’s child. Impressed by his selflessness and bravery, a group of farmers begs him to defend their terrorized village from bandits. Kambei agrees, although there is no material gain or honor to be had in the endeavor. Soon he attracts a pair of followers: a young samurai named Katsushiro (Isao Kimura), who quickly becomes Kambei’s disciple, and boisterous Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune), who poses as a samurai but is later revealed to be the son of a farmer. Kambei assembles four other samurais, including Kyuzo (Seiji Miyaguchi), a master swordsman, to round out the group. Together they consolidate the village’s defenses and shape the villagers into a militia, while the bandits loom menacingly nearby. Soon raids and counter-raids build to a final bloody heart-wrenching battle.”

~ Jonathan Crow

Alternate Versions:

The film’s original Japanese release version runs 207 minutes, plus intermission, which includes 4 minutes of entr’acte music against a blank screen. This is the version that has been generally shown worldwide since the 1980s, though sometimes it is shown without the intermission and entr’acte, resulting in a listed running time of 203 minutes. The initial U.S.A. release was re-titled ‘The Magnificent Seven’ and released November, 1956, with English subtitles, and ran 158 minutes. Some European releases were even further shortened to 141 minutes. Landmark Films re-released the film in the U.S. in December 1982, the first time outside Japan the film saw a major release with its running time intact (although the intermission and entr’acte were removed). Later U.S.A. releases by Avco-Embassy Pictures, Janus Films, and Films Incorporated, and by BFI in the UK, are also the full original version of the film.

Filming:

Through the creative freedom provided by the studio, Kurosawa made use of telephoto lenses, which were rare in 1954, as well as multiple cameras which allowed the action to fill the screen and place the audience right in the middle of it. “If I had filmed it in the traditional shot-by-shot method, there was no guarantee that any action could be repeated in exactly the same way twice.” He found it to be very effective and he later used it in movies that were less action-oriented. His method was to put one camera in the most orthodox shooting position, another camera for quick shots and a third camera “as a kind of guerrilla unit”. This method made for very complicated shoots, for which Kurosawa choreographed the movement of all three cameras by using diagrams.

Japanese Title: 七人の侍, Shichinin no Samurai

Other Titles: The Magnificent Seven

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Foreign Language

Directed By: Akira Kurosawa

Written By: Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese (Subtitled in English)

Release Date: April 26th, 1954 (Japan), November 19th, 1956 (USA)

Runtime: 207 minutes

Main Characters:

The seven samurai:

•Toshiro Mifune as Kikuchiyo (菊千代), a humorous, mercurial and temperamental rogue who lies about being a samurai, but eventually proves his worth and resourcefulness.

•Takashi Shimura as Kambei Shimada (島田勘兵衛, Shimada Kanbei), a war-weary but honourable and strategic rōnin, and the leader of the seven.

•Daisuke Katō as Shichirōji (七郎次), Kambei’s old friend and former lieutenant.

•Isao Kimura as Katsushirō Okamoto (岡本勝四郎, Okamoto Katsushirō), the untested son of a wealthy landowner samurai, whom Kambei reluctantly takes in as a disciple.

•Minoru Chiaki as Heihachi Hayashida (林田平八, Hayashida Heihachi), an amiable though less-skilled fighter, whose charm and wit maintain his comrades’ morale in the face of adversity.

• Seiji Miyaguchi as Kyūzō (久蔵), a serious, stone-faced and supremely skilled swordsman.

•Yoshio Inaba as Gorōbei Katayama (片山五郎兵衛, Katayama Gorōbei), a skilled archer, who acts as Kambei’s second-in-command and helps create the master plan for the village’s defense.

Villagers:

•Yoshi Tsuchiya as Rikichi (利吉), a hotheaded villager

•Bokuzen Hidari as Yohei (与平), a timid old man

•Yukiko Shimazaki as Rikichi’s wife

•Kamatari Fujiwara as Manzō (万造), a farmer who disguises his daughter as a man to try to protect her from the samurai

• Keiko Tsushima as Shino (志乃), Manzō’s daughter

•Kokuten Kōdō as Gisaku (儀作), the village patriarch, referred to as “Grandad”

•Yoshio Kosugi as Mosuke, one of the farmers sent to town to hire the samurai

Others:

•Shinpei Takagi as the bandit chief

•Shin Otomo as the bandit second-in-command

•Haruo Nakajima as a bandit scout killed by Kyuzo

•Eijirō Tōno as a thief

•Atsushi Watanabe as a bun seller

•Jun Tatara as a coolie (a labourer)

•Sachio Sakai as a coolie

•Takeshi Seki as a coolie

Mono-No-Aware (物の哀れ)

Japan History & Culture

Mono-no-aware says that beauty is subjective, and it’s our sensitivity to the world around us that makes it beautiful. In particular, the transience of the physical world and our awareness that beauty is impermanent makes us appreciate it more. The epitome of mono-no-aware is the sight of cherry blossom petals falling in the springtime

Literally “the pathos of things”, and also translated as “an empathy toward things”, or “a sensitivity to ephemera”, is a Japanese term for the awareness of impermanence (無常, mujō), or transience of things, and both a transient gentle sadness (or wistfulness) at their passing as well as a longer, deeper gentle sadness about this state being the reality of life. “Mono-no aware: the ephemeral nature of beauty – the quietly elated, bittersweet feeling of having been witness to the dazzling circus of life – knowing it can last. It’s basically about being both saddened by and appreciative of transience and also about the relationship of the four very distinct seasons, and you really become aware of life and mortality and transience. You become aware of how significant those moments are.

The term comes from Heian period literature, but was picked up and used by 18th century Edo period Japanese cultural scholar Motoori Norinaga in his literary criticism of The Tale of Genji, and later to other seminal Japanese works including the Man’yōshū. It became central to his philosophy of literature and eventually to Japanese cultural tradition.

The phrase is derived from the Japanese word mono (物), which means “thing”, and aware (哀れ), which was a Heian period expression of measured surprise, translating roughly as “pathos”, “poignancy”, “deep feeling”, “sensitivity”, or “awareness”. Awareness of the transience of all things heightens appreciation of their beauty, and evokes a gentle sadness at their passing. In his criticism of The Tale of Genji Motoori noted that mono no aware is the crucial emotion that moves readers. Its scope was not limited to Japanese literature, and became associated with Japanese cultural tradition. 

Tobi-ishi (飛石)

Japan History & Culture

Stepping stones in a traditional Japanese garden ~ Tokyo.

They are called Tobi-ishi (飛石) in Japanese. The literal translation is “Flying stones” or “Skipping stones”. They are irregularly arranged according to the principle of asymmetry. Tea master Sen no Rikyu (千利休, 1522-1591) is said to have introduced the tobi-ishi path. He didn’t like that sandals became dirty when walking on the bare soil. He also recommended that the stepping stones are 6cm higher than the ground. Sen no Rikyu perfected the art of tea ceremony and fostered the development of tea gardens (露地, roji / “dewy path”).

Shōkadō bentō (松花堂弁当)

Japan History & Culture

Shōkadō bentō (松花堂弁当) —>The traditional lunch box covered with a lid, that originates from the Early Edo Period. It is named after Shōkadō Shōjō (松花堂昭乗, 1584-1639), a monk, calligrapher, tea ceremony master and poet. He used divided boxes to carry and organize materials needed for calligraphy, and eventually also used them to carry his lunch. This style of a black or red lacquered wooden or plastic box is now commonly used to present bento meals in restaurants. These lunchboxes were originally made for storing tobacco and paints.

Ikigai (生き甲斐)

Japan History & Culture

Japanese Concept of the day –> Ikigai (生き甲斐)

Ikigai (生き甲斐) is a Japanese concept meaning “a reason for being.” Everyone, according to the Japanese, has an ikigai. Finding it requires a deep and often lengthy search of self-discovery and reflection.

The word “ikigai” is usually used to indicate the source of value in one’s life or the things that make one’s life worthwhile. The word is also used to refer to mental and spiritual circumstances under which individuals feel that their lives are valuable.

Gift Giving Etiquette in Japan

Japan History & Culture

Gift-giving is a major Japanese tradition. It’s not reserved for birthdays and other celebrations. Omiyage and temiyage are two prevalent types of gift-giving. Omiyage is the giving of souvenirs. I’m sure you’re thinking ‘but that’s just as common in the US and UK?’ Japanese tourists regularly buy souvenirs for friends, family and colleagues so there are souvenir shops everywhere in Japan. Unlike many souvenir stalls in the US and UK, they’re not just filled with junk, but thoughtful and eloquent gifts which are specific to the local area’s specialities and culture.

Temiyage are ‘thank-you’ gifts you take when you are visiting someone, such as a host family. While it’s not compulsory to bring such gifts, it’s always well appreciated, and it’s simply part of the culture. However, make sure you spend no more or less than ¥1000 and ¥5000 – it would be insulting to give a particularly cheap item, or to boast your wealth with something flashy! Keep it simple, the souvenir shops make it very easy!

5 quick tips on giving and accepting gifts in Japan:

  • When either giving or receiving a gift, you must give/take the item with both hands – it’s a sign of respect!
  • Modesty is a major part of Japanese culture and etiquette: you should humbly refuse the gift up to three times before accepting
  • It is rude to open a gift in front of a large group of people
  • It is also rude to give a gift to only one person in a large group
  • Exchanging gifts in a meeting should be left until the end. Otherwise, you appear to be rushing the meeting!

Traditional Japanese Home: Tatami Mats

House & Gardens, Japan History & Culture

The distinctive and pleasant smell of a Japanese room comes from the tatami. These rectangular padded straw-and-rush mats are used for flooring, providing a soft surface on which to sit on cushions and sleep on Japanese futons. Tatami come in an aspect ratio of 2 to 1 and have varying sizes depending on the region in which they are made: Tokyo tatami mats are smaller than those in Kyoto for example. They continue to be popular in modern Japanese homes, where one room or more may be covered in tatami, and room sizes are often still quoted in terms of the number of tatami mats that would cover the floor.

As mentioned Tatami mats are made from rush and cloth. The rush is woven in, and cloth is used to cover the woven ends. A traditional Japanese room, or washitsu (和室), always uses tatami as flooring. New tatami mats are green, but as they grow older, they yellow. Tatami mats are made to fit the room, not the other way round. So while there is a standard size, this is not the only option. There are 4 standard sizes; Kyouma (京間), Chuukyouma (中京間), Edoma (江戸間), and Danchima (団地間).

Kumamoto, Hiroshima, Okayama, Fukuoka, and Kouchi are famous for growing the rush, or igusa (イグサ) the mats are woven from. To make one tatami mat, 4000 to 7000 pieces of rush are used. Today, machines can complete the weaving process in about a hour and half.

There are two ways of placing tatami mats (see illustration above). Shyugi Shiki (祝儀敷き) is the most popular way done in normal households. The Tatami mats are placed in a way that the 4 corners of the Tatami don’t gather in one spot.

Fushyugi Shiki (不祝儀敷き) is used for unlucky events such as funerals. It is a custom in order to avoid the bad luck.

It is customary to remove your shoes in Japan when entering a room with hardwood flooring or tatami mats. Shoes are a big no-no for tatami mats, since they damage the woven rush.

In a tatami sitting room, there are certain ways to sit that are considered good manners, for example when guests are visiting. Cross-legged is considered more casual. Seiza (正座) is the most formal way to sit on tatami mats. You bend your legs and sit on them, with your feet crossed under your bottom.