|
Moderator
9985 cr points
Send Message:   39 / M / charlotte, north...
 Offline
|
august ~ hachigatsu
bon festival An important Japanese tradition to honor ancestors. Most Japanese people take summer vacation during this time.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Obon (お盆) or just Bon (盆) is one of the most important traditions for Japanese people. It is a Buddhist event and is the period of praying for the repose of the souls of one's ancestors. People believe that their ancestors' spirits come back to their homes to be reunited with their family during obon. Obon is an important family gathering time and many people return to their hometowns and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. Also called the Feast of Lanterns, it has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.
Obon was originally celebrated around the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. Obon periods are nowadays different in various regions of Japan. In most regions, obon is celebrated around August 15th on the solar calendar. It starts from August 13th and ends on 16th. In some areas in Tokyo, obon is celebrated around July 15th on the solar calendar, and it is still celebrated on the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar in many areas in Okinawa. These three days are not listed as public holidays but it is customary that people are given leave.
People clean their houses and offer a variety of food such as vegetables and fruits to the spirits of ancestors in front of butsudan (Buddhist families altar). Butsudan is decorated with flower and chouchin (paper lanterns). On the 13th, chouchin are lit inside houses, and people go to their family's graves to call their ancestors' spirits back home. It's called mukaebon. In some regions, fires called mukaebi are lit at the entrances to homes to guide the ancestor's spirits. On the 16th, people bring the ancestor's spirits back to graves, hanging chouchin painted with the family crest to guide the ancestors' spirits. It's called okuribon. In some regions, fires called okuribi are lit at entrances of homes to send the ancestors' spirits. During obon, the air in houses and cemeteries in Japan are filled with the smell of incense called senko.
Bon Odori originates from the story of Mokuren, a disciple of the Buddha, who used his supernatural powers to look upon his deceased mother. He discovered she had fallen into the Realm of Hungry Ghosts and was suffering. Greatly disturbed, he went to the Buddha and asked how he could release his mother from this realm. Buddha instructed him to make offerings to the many Buddhist monks who had just completed their summer retreat, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. The disciple did this and, thus, saw his mother's release. He also began to see the true nature of her past unselfishness and the many sacrifices that she had made for him. The disciple, happy because of his mother's release and grateful for his mother's kindness, danced with joy. From this dance of joy comes Bon Odori or "Bon Dance", a time in which ancestors and their sacrifices are remembered and appreciated.
As Obon occurs in the heat of the summer, participants traditionally wear yukata, or light cotton kimonos. Many Obon celebrations include a huge carnival with rides, games, and summer festival food like watermelon.
The festival ends with Toro Nagashi , or the floating of lanterns. Paper lanterns are illuminated and then floated down rivers symbolically signaling the ancestral spirits' return to the world of the dead. This ceremony usually culminates in a fireworks display.  
bon odori Bon Odori (盆踊り, meaning simply Bon dance) is an event held during Obon. It is celebrated as a reminder of the gratefulness one should feel toward one's ancestors.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Bon odori (folk dance) is the most common custum in obon. The kind of dance varies from area to area. People wearing yukata (summer kimono) go to the neighborhood bon odori and dance around a yagura stage (high wooden scaffold made especially for the festival). The yagura is usually also the bandstand for the musicians and singers of the Obon music. Anyone can participate in bon odori. Join the circle and imitate what others are doing. Usually, taiko drums keep the rhythms in bon odori.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** is the art of aesthetic miniaturization of trees, or of developing woody or semi-woody plants shaped as trees, by growing them in containers. Cultivation includes techniques for shaping, watering, and repotting in various styles of containers.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** The formal upright style, or Chokkan, is characterized by a straight, upright, tapering trunk. Branches progress regularly from the thickest and broadest at the bottom to the finest and shortest at the top.
The trunk and branches of the informal upright style, or Moyogi incorporate visible curves, but the apex of the informal upright is always located directly above the trunk's entry into the soil line. Similar to the formal upright style, branches generally progress regularly from largest at the bottom to smallest at the top, although this progression may be broken where the irregular shape of the trunk would make a branch abnormally prominent or obscure.
Slant-style, or Shakan, bonsai possess straight trunks like those of bonsai grown in the formal upright style. However, the slant style trunk emerges from the soil at an angle, and the apex of the bonsai will be located to the left or right of the root base.
Cascade-style, or Kengai, bonsai are modeled after trees which grow over water or on the sides of mountains. The apex, or tip of the tree in the Semi-cascade-style, or Han Kengai, bonsai extend just at or beneath the lip of the bonsai pot; the apex of a (full) cascade style falls below the base of the pot.
Raft-style, or Netsuranari, bonsai mimic a natural phenomenon that occurs when a tree topples onto its side (typically due to erosion or another natural force). Branches along the top side of the trunk continue to grow as a group of new trunks. Sometimes, roots will develop from buried portions of the trunk. Raft-style bonsai can have sinuous, straight-line, or slanting trunks, all giving the illusion that they are a group of separate trees—while actually being the branches of a tree planted on its side.
The literati style, or Bunjin-gi, bonsai is characterized by a generally bare trunk line, with branches reduced to a minimum, and typically placed higher up on a long, often contorted trunk. This style derives its name from the Chinese literati, who were often artists. Some painted Chinese brush paintings, like those found in the ancient text, The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting, depicting pine trees that grew in harsh climates, struggling to reach sunlight. In Japan, the literati style is known as bunjin-gi (文人木). (Bunjin is a translation of the Chinese phrase wenren meaning "scholars practiced in the arts" and gi is a derivative of the Japanese word, ki, for "tree").
The group or forest style, or Yose Ue, comprises a planting of more than one tree (typically an odd number if there are three or more trees, and essentially never 4 because of its significance in China) in a bonsai pot. The trees are usually the same species, with a variety of heights employed to add visual interest and to reflect the age differences encountered in mature forests.
The root-over-rock style, or Sekijoju, is a style in which the roots of a tree (typically a fig tree) are wrapped around a rock. The rock is at the base of the trunk, with the roots exposed to varying degrees.
The broom style, or Hokidachi is employed for trees with extensive, fine branching, often with species like elms. The trunk is straight and upright. It branches out in all directions about 1/3 of the way up the entire height of the tree. The branches and leaves form a ball-shaped crown which can also be very beautiful during the winter months.
The multi-trunk style, or Ikadabuki has all the trunks growing out of one root system, and it actually is one single tree. All the trunks form one crown of leaves, in which the thickest and most developed trunk forms the top.
The growing-in-a-rock, or Ishizuke style means the roots of the tree are growing in the cracks and holes of the rock. There is not much room for the roots to develop and take up nutrients. These trees are designed to visually represent that the tree has to struggle to survive.
The most common styles include: formal upright, slant, informal upright, cascade, semi-cascade, raft, literati, and group/forest.
 
butsudan (this is my obachans)
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** A butsudan (佛壇 or 仏壇) is a shrine found in religious temples and homes of Japanese and other Buddhist cultures. A butsudan is a wooden cabinet with doors that enclose and protect a religious icon, typically a statue or a mandala scroll. The doors are opened to display the icon during religious observances. A butsudan usually contains subsidiary religious items called "butsugu," such as candlesticks, incense burners, bells, and platforms for placing offerings. Some buddhist sects place "ihai", memorial tablets for deceased relatives, within or near the butsudan.
Butsudan is a Buddhist shrine ranging from many sizes usually found in temples and homes. "Butsudan" is a Japanese word that means "Buddha's (butsu) House (dan)." The shrine is placed in the temple or home as a place of worship to the Buddha, the Law of the Universe, etc. Scrolls (honzon) or statues are placed in the butsudan and prayed to morning and evening. Zen Buddhists also meditate before it. Butsudans were carried down the family line.
The arrangement and types of items on and around the Butsudan can vary depending on the sect. Frequently in the Butsudan is a statue of the Buddha or a Buddhist deity. Sometimes that is replaced with a scroll with text or an illustration of the Buddha. Other, auxiliary items associated with the Butsudan can include water and food (usually fruits or rice), an incense burner, candles and flowers or evergreens. Frequently a gong or bell is rung during recitation of prayers.
Some Buddhist sects have tablets with the names of deceased carved within or next to the Butsudan. Other Buddhist sects, such as Jodo Shinshu, usually do not have these. Other things can be found such as samurai swords, pictures of deceased, etc. Garden design has been an important Japanese art for many centuries. Traditional Japanese landscape gardens can be broadly categorized into three types, Tsukiyama Gardens (hill gardens), Karesansui Gardens (dry gardens) and Chaniwa Gardens (tea gardens).
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Tsukiyama Gardens
Ponds, streams, hills, stones, trees, flowers, bridges and paths are used to create a miniature reproduction of a natural scenery which is often a famous landscape in China or Japan. The name Tsukiyama refers to the creation of artificial hills.
Tsukiyama gardens vary in size and in the way they are viewed. Smaller gardens are usually enjoyed from a single viewpoint, such as the veranda of a temple, while many larger gardens are best experienced by following a circular scrolling path.
Karesansui Gardens
Karesansui gardens reproduce natural landscapes in a more abstract way by using stones, gravel, sand and sometimes a few patches of moss for representing mountains, islands, boats, seas and rivers. Karesansui gardens are strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism and used for meditation.
Chaniwa Gardens
Chaniwa gardens are built for the tea ceremony. They contain a tea house where the actual ceremony is held and are designed in aesthetic simplicity according to the concepts of sado (tea ceremony).
Chaniwa gardens typically feature stepping stones that lead towards the tea house, stone lanterns and a stone basin (tsukubai), where guests purify themselves before participating in the ceremony.
 is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as kadō (華道, the "way of flowers").
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** More than simply putting flowers in a container, ikebana is a disciplined art form in which nature and humanity are brought together. Contrary to the idea of floral arrangement as a collection of particolored or multicolored arrangement of blooms, ikebana often emphasizes other areas of the plant, such as its stems and leaves, and draws emphasis towards shape, line, form. Though ikebana is a creative expression, it has certain rules governing its form. The main rule is that all the elements used in construction MUST be organic, be they branches, leaves, grasses, or flowers. The artist's intention behind each arrangement is shown through a piece's color combinations, natural shapes, graceful lines, and the usually implied meaning of the arrangement.
Another aspect present in ikebana is its employment of minimalism. That is, an arrangement may consist of only a minimal number of blooms interspersed among stalks and leaves. The structure of a Japanese flower arrangement is based on a scalene triangle delineated by three main points, usually twigs, considered in some schools to symbolize heaven, earth, and man and in others sun, moon, love & earth. The container is also a key element of the composition, and various styles of pottery may be used in their construction.
kakejiku A kakemono (掛物, "hanging"), more commonly referred to as a kakejiku (掛軸, "hung scroll"), is a Japanese scroll painting or calligraphy mounted usually with silk fabric edges on a flexible backing, so that it can be rolled for storage.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** A kakemono is hung against a wall as part of the interior decoration of a room. It is traditionally displayed in the tokonoma alcove of a room especially designed for the display of prized objects. When displayed in a chashitsu, or teahouse for the traditional tea ceremony, the choice of the kakemono and its complementary flower arrangement help set the spiritual mood of the ceremony. Often the kakemono used for this will bear calligraphy of a Zen phrase in the hand of a distinguished Zen master.
Kakemono can be easily and quickly changed to match the season or occasion.
The kakemono was introduced to Japan during the Heian period, primarily for displaying Buddhist images for religious veneration, or as a vehicle to display calligraphy or poetry. From the Muromachi period, landscapes, flower and bird paintings, portraiture, and poetry became the favorite themes.
 
shamisen The shamisen or samisen (Japanese: 三味線, literally "three flavor strings"), also called sangen (literally "three strings") is a three-stringed musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi.
 
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** 
The sanshin (三線, literally meaning "three strings") is an Okinawan musical instrument, and precursor of the Japanese shamisen. Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings.
Its close resemblance in both appearance and name to the Chinese sanxian indicates its Chinese origins, the old Ryūkyū Kingdom (pre-Japanese Okinawa) having very close ties with China. In the 16th century, the sanshin reached the Japanese trading port at Sakai in Osaka, Japan. In mainland Japan, it evolved into the larger shamisen.
The Okinawan names for the strings are (from thick to thin) uujiru ("man-string"), nakajiru ("middle string"), and miijiru ("female string"). The strings are white, except in Amami, where they are yellow.
Traditionally, players wore a plectrum, made of a material such as the horn of the water buffalo, on the index finger. Many still do, whereas others use a guitar pick or the nail of the index finger. In Amami, long, narrow plectra of bamboo are also in use.
In mainland Japan, many people refer to the sanshin as jabisen (蛇皮線, literally "snake-skin strings") because the body of the instrument has a snakeskin covering. A bamboo bridge raises the strings off the skin.
In the years following World War II, many Okinawans made sanshin from empty tin cans. These "kankara sanshin" were a sign of both the poverty of the postwar years, and the Okinawans' tenacious love of music.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** In traditional Japanese architecture, a shōji (障子) is a door, window or room divider consisting of translucent paper over a frame of wood which holds together a sort of grid of wood or bamboo. While washi is the traditional paper, shōji may be made of paper made by modern manufacturing processes; plastic is also in use.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Shōji doors are often designed to slide open, and thus conserve space that would be required by a swinging door. They are used in traditional houses as well as Westrn-style housing, especially in the washitsu (Japanese-style room). In modern construction, the shōji does not form the exterior surface of the building; it sits inside a sliding glass door or window.
 means "drum" in Japanese (etymologically "great" or "wide drum"). Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums (和太鼓, 'wa-daiko', "Japanese drum", in Japanese) and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming (sometimes called more specifically, "kumi-daiko" (組太鼓)).
Try to imagine the power of 20 giant hardwood drums being struck at the exact same time... you can feel it deep down in your gut! You could easily march into battle to the sound of these things.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** (originally meaning "folded and piled") mats are a traditional type of Japanese flooring. Traditionally made of rice straw to form the core (though nowadays sometimes the core is composed of compressed wood chip boards or styrofoam), with a covering of woven soft rush straw, tatami are made in uniform sizes. Standard tatami are rectangular, and are exactly twice as long as they are wide. Usually, on the long sides, they have edging (heri) of brocade or plain cloth, although some tatami have no edging.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Tatami mats also have health benefits. The tatami's straw inner-core is pressed tight and has lots of air pockets. This makes it very effective at absorbing heat. According to studies by Japanese scholars, a Tatami mat can also absorb approximately 500cc of water from the air. When the atmosphere is dry, the water will naturally evaporate. Tatami is made of soft reed which according to traditional Chinese medicine calms the spirit. The natural smell relaxes the body and soothes the mind.
Caring for Tatami properly is important. Tatami can mold or become damaged if not handled properly. As a general rule, Tatami mats should be taken out every three to six months so that they can be beaten, aired, rotated, and replaced if necessary. Tatami mats are not affixed to the undersurface in order to remove them easily.
 is a Japanese term generally referring to the traditional style of Japanese bedding consisting of padded mattresses and quilts pliable enough to be folded and stored away during the day, allowing the room to serve for purposes other than as a bedroom. The bedding set referred to as futon in Japan fundamentally consists of a shikibuton (bottom mattress) and a kakebuton (thick quilted bedcover).
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Futon is a flat, about 5 centimetres (2.0 in) thick mattress with a fabric exterior stuffed with cotton or synthetic batting that makes up a Japanese bed. They are sold in Japan at speciality stores called futon-ya as well as at department stores. They are often sold in sets which include the futon mattress (shikibuton), a comforter (kakebuton) or blanket (mōfu), a summer blanket resembling a large towel, and pillow (makura), generally filled with beans, buckwheat chaff or plastic beads. Futons are designed to be placed on tatami flooring, and are traditionally folded away and stored in a closet during the day to allow the tatami to breathe and to allow for flexibility in the use of the room. Futons must be aired in sunlight regularly, especially if not put away during the day. In addition, many Japanese people beat their futons regularly using a special tool, traditionally made from bamboo, resembling a Western carpet beater.
Futon are available in single, semi-double, and double sizes.
 What is commonly known in English as the Japanese tea ceremony is called sadō or chadō (茶道, "the way of tea"), or chanoyu (茶の湯, literally "hot water for tea") in Japanese. It is simply a choreographic ritual of preparing and serving green tea, called Macha, together with some traditional Japanese sweets to balance with the bitter taste of the tea. Preparing tea means pouring all one's attention into the predefined movements. The whole process is not about drinking tea, but is about aesthetics, preparing a bowl of tea from one's heart.
Tea gatherings are known as chakai (literally "tea meeting") or chaji (literally "tea function"). Usually the term chakai is used to refer to a relatively simple course of hospitality that includes the service of confections, usucha (thin tea), and perhaps tenshin (a light snack), while chaji refers to a more formal gathering usually including a full-course meal called kaiseki (懐石) or more specifically cha-kaiseki (茶懐石), followed by confections, koicha (thick tea), and usucha (thin tea). A chaji may last for more than four hours.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Cha-ire Container to hold tea. Cha-ire are usually ceramic, and are stored in decorative bags called Shifuku.
Chasen Whisk, used to whisk the matcha tea, which is served rather foamy.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Bamboo scoop for tea.
Chawan Bowl for actually making the tea. Chawans are available in a wide range of sizes and styles, and different styles are used for thick and thin tea. Shallow bowls, which allow the tea to cool rapidly, are used in summer; deep bowls are used in winter to keep the green-tea hot for longer time.
Futa-oki Bamboo rest for kettle lid.
Higashi Dry sweets, served at the end of the ceremony.
Hishaku Bamboo water ladle. It is used to transfer hot water from the iron pot (kama) to the Chawan when making tea.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Iron pot or kettle for heating the water.
Kensui Waste water bowl, for any water leftover when making tea.
Koicha Thick tea, made with matcha and served first.
Matcha Powdered green tea.
Mizusashi Jar for holding fresh water for tea.
Shifuku Silk pouch to hold the chaire.
Tana Stand for utensils.
Usucha Thin tea, also made with matcha, but with more water. Served second.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Chakaiseki - the meal, or food portion of the ceremony
Hashiarai - first course:
Nimono - foods simmered in broth
Kosuimono- clear broth
Hassun - second course:
Uminomono - seafood
Yamanomono - mountain food (land)
Konomono - third course:
Omogashi - main sweet 
tea philosophy
Wa, Kei, Sei, Jaku - “harmony, respect, purity, tranquility.”
“ Wa” stands for harmony. As there is harmony in nature, the Teishu will try to bring this quality into the tea room and the garden around the tea house. The utensils used during the tea ceremony are in harmony with each other, so the theme is the same as well as the colors. The tea garden should be an extension of the natural flora surrounding it.
“ Kei” stands for respect. The guests must respect all things, all matters without involving their status or position in life. They must crawl trough a small entrance called Nijiriguchi to get into the room. In the room they will all kneel down and bow to the hanging scroll, they will sit next to each other in Seiza position on the Tatami. Respect is also shown by carefully handling and observing the tea bowl and other objects during Haiken.
“ Sei” stands for purity. Crawling into the tea room, one is to leave behind all thoughts and worries of daily life. The tea room or Chashitsu is a different world where one can re-vitalize, slow down, and enjoy the presence of friends. The gesture of purity is enhanced by the ritual cleaning of the Chawan, Natsume, Chashaku, and Kensui lit by the host. The real grand master of tea does not perform the Japanese tea ceremony from memory but from a pure heart.
“ Jaku” stands for tranquility. Only after the first three concepts (harmony, respect, and purity) are discovered, experienced and embraced, can people finally embody tranquility.
Wabi - “Appreciating the beauty of things that are simple and natural,” the old meaning is “the loneliness of living in nature, remote from society.”
The tea room’s interior will seem imperfect and rustic. The wall might be unpainted and visible wooden pillars and beams are untreated, just as it would look like in nature.
Contrary to western houses, the tea house is not a small museum with lots of collectables, there is only the essential needed for a unique meeting with the Teishu or host. There is only one hanging scroll in the alcove of the Chashitsu, there is no furniture or maybe a simple Tana to display tea equipment. The only sound is that of boiling water in the Kama, only the smell of incense from the fire, one flower or branch in the Hana-ire. Conversation is kept to that of the utensils in the tea room, and other equipment used.
Kokoroire – “Pouring one’s heart totally into (devotion of) the tea ceremony.” The Teishu or host, is someone who devotes his life to the ritual preparation of a bowl of tea. They live “the way of tea.”
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show**
|
|
Moderator
9985 cr points
Send Message: 39 / M / charlotte, north...
Offline
|
JAPANESE (STREET) FASHION
Japanese fashion is in a category all by itself. It doesn’t compare or resemble to European fashion or Western trends. Instead, it combines all the fashion fads out there into one fabulous, unique outfit.
Basically, the trend in Japan is: be yourself. That means you can get away with anything you like. If you wake up today and you feel like a princess, why not wear a princess dress? That’s exactly how Japanese fashion embodies the concept. You wear whatever you feel like wearing.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** ** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show**
Japanese fashions are created by the customer, the wearer, and not some pop icon on t.v. They make their own styles and fashions, according to what they like, and they wear it proudly.
Anything that expresses personal taste as well as personality is part of this amazing Japanese fashion.
The term 'Street Fashion' is used to describe fashion where the wearer personally customizes the outfits by adopting a mixture of current and traditional trends. Such clothes are generally home-made with the use of material bought from the stores.
Japanese fashion trends, mixing different styles and colors, are an expression of one's individuality. Clothes super sized, emphasizes accessories, belts, earrings, clips, purses, and ornaments. Accessories can be colored, heavy, and not necessarily blend with the clothing.
At present there are many styles of dress in Japan, created from a mix of both local and foreign labels. Some of these styles are extreme and avant-garde, similar to the haute couture seen on European catwalks.
More recently, Japanese hip-hop, which has always been present among underground Tokyo's club scene, has sky-rocketed in the mainstream fashion industry. The popularity of the music is so influential that Tokyo's youth are imitating their favorite hip hop stars from the way they dress with over-sized clothes to darkening their skin with ultraviolet rays, usually done by tanning.
Many Japanese youth believe that tanning or being darker is a freedom of expression they are unable to experience in their circumscribed social role as 'Japanese'. The idea of darkening one's skin to more closely resemble an American hip-hop star or ethnic group may seem like a fad but this subculture, the black facers, do not particularly set themselves apart from many other sub cultures that have emerged as a result of hip hop.
Though the styles have changed over the years, street fashion is still prominent in Japan today. Young adults can often be found wearing subculture attire in large urban fashion districts such as Harajuku, Ginza, Odaiba, Shinjuku and Shibuya. Besides youth fashion, there are many other styles of dress that are unique to Japan, including the famous Japanese school uniforms, office lady (OL) fashion, salary man style, traditional outfits like the kimono and yukata, and others.
Lolita
Lolita Fashion (ロリータ・ファッション, Rorīta fasshon) is a fashion subculture in Japan that is primarily influenced by Victorian children's clothing as well as costumes from the Rococo period. Lolita has made this into a unique fashion by adding gothic and original design elements to the look. From this, Lolita fashion has evolved into several different sub styles and has created a devoted subculture in Japan. The Lolita look consists primarily of a knee length skirt or dress, headdress, blouse, petticoat, knee high socks or stockings and rocking horse or high heel/platform shoes.
Lolita is a Japanese fashion style and Japanese subculture popular in the Harajuku area of Tokyo. Popular Gothic lolita clothing brands include Baby, The Stars Shine Bright, H.NAOTO, and Metamorphose Temps de Fille. The most popular magazine related to Gothic lolita is the Gothic & Lolita Bible. The most popular shopping street for Gothic lolita fans is probably Takeshita Dori and many of them hang out on weekends on the Harajuku Bridge.
Containing many different styles and themes within its boundaries, Lolita has become one of the bigger, more recognizable styles in Japanese street fashion. Lolita is seen as one of the many different styles that brings the "cute" in Japan. Lolita fashion has grown so much in popularity that it can be found even in department stores in Japan. Today many young people wear the fashion all around the world. The more well-known styles within Lolita fashion are as follows:
* Gothic Lolita - Gothic Lolita (known in Japan as gosurori, "goth-loli") is a mixture of the Gothic and Lolita fashion.
 
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** This is a category of lolita that mainly consisting of black,white and other dark colors.To make gothic lolita "gothic", things like crosses, coffins and such are added. Gothic lolita is lolita with a heavy influence from the Eastern and Victorian Goth style. Often characterized by dark colors, crosses, bats and spiders, as well as other popular gothic 'icons'. Victorian iron gates and architectural designs are also often seen in dress prints. Skirts that are worn are usually worn at knee length with petticoats underneath for volume, blouses or shirts are lace-trimmed or ruffled like the Victorian-style, knee length socks with boots, bonnets, brooches, and an umbrella finish out this style of Lolita.
 
This Gothic fashion has been adopted into the Lolita fashion through the use of darker make up, clothing, and themes in the design. Unlike other Lolita Styles, in Gothic Lolita darker colors are used for makeup. Red lipstick and smoky or neatly defined eyes, created using black eyeliner, are typical styles. Newer makeup styles emphasize lighter colors but still retain the heavy eye makeup.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show**
The outfits themselves usually use dark color schemes like black, dark blues and purples; often with accents of white. Cross jewelry and other religious symbols are also used to accessorize the gothic Lolita look. Other accessories, like bags and purses, are often in uncommon shapes like bats, coffins, and crucifixes.
* Sweet Lolita - Sweet Lolita are best known for their EXTREME girly-ness.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** 
Sweet Lolita (sometimes known as "ama loli") is heavily influenced by Rococo styles as well as Victorian and Edwardian children's clothing. Focusing on the child and fantasy aspects of Lolita, the Sweet Lolita style adopts the basic Lolita format and uses lighter colors and child fantasy themes in its design. Brands that go along with this category are: Baby, The Stars Shine Bright and Angelic Pretty. Sweet lolita is the most childlike style, mostly characterized by baby animals, fairy tale themes and innocent, childlike dress. It is very much inspired by baby dolls and Hello Kitty is popular among the SweetLolis. The most common colors used in a Sweet Lolita outfit are pink, white, and powder blue, but an outfit can be made with nearly any pastel or plaid (or nearly any color at all as long as it is not neon). Large headbows, cute purses, elegant parasols and stuffed animals are popular accessories for Sweet Lolita.
 
Makeup used in sweet Lolita is common throughout most Lolita styles. A natural look is emphasized, to help maintain the childlike feel of Lolita. Light pastels and natural colors make up the Lolita makeup color scheme. Teased out pigtails and bouncy curls are commonly worn by Sweet Lolitas.
 
Outfits consist of pastels, gingham or other colorful prints, lace, bows, and ribbons to emphasize the cuteness in the design. Common motifs in Sweet Lolita are toys, strawberries, cherries, cakes and candies, hearts, polka dots and flowers. Prints inspired by fairy tales are also quite common. Jewelry often reflects this fantasy theme. Headdresses and bows are also a popular hair accessory to the sweet Lolita look. Bags and purses are often very cute with princess-like designs, and often in the form strawberries, crowns, hearts, and stuffed animals.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** 
* Shiro Lolita & Kuro Lolita Shiro Lolita, or 'White Lolita,' is a Lolita outfit made entirely of white/cream/off-white co-ordinates. Kuro Lolita, or 'Black Lolita,' like Shiro Lolita, is an outfit made-up of co-ordinates of one colour, in this case; black.
 
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Shiro Lolitas often pair themselves with Kuro Lolitas in twin outfits to create an interesting contrast. Shiro Lolita can be taken from any style of lolita, whether it be Gothic, Sweet or Classic, if the co-ordination is completely white then it is accepted as Shiro Lolita.
PLEASE NOTE: Wearing black shoes with a Shiro Lolita outfit looks terrible and is best to be avoided.
Kuro also follows the same guidelines of most of the other Lolita styles, so is still fairly easy to pull-off for beginners.
* Classic Lolita - Classic Lolita is a more mature style of Lolita that focuses on Baroque and Rocaille styles. Colors and patterns used in classic Lolita can be seen as somewhere between the Gothic and sweet styles; it is not as dark as Gothic Lolita, but not as cutsie as sweet Lolita.
An Aristocrat and a Classic Lolita.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Darker colors, less frills and lace,and the occasional pencil skirt. Brands like Mary Magdalene, and Victorian Maiden come to mind when in classic. Classic lolita is very traditional. It is very mature, and business-like and focuses on light colors, such as, blue, green, and red.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show**
This look can be seen as the more sophisticated, mature Lolita style because of its use of small, intricate patterns, as well more muted colors on the fabric and in the overall design. Designs containing a-lines, as well as Empire waists are also used to add to the more mature look of the classic style, most classic Lolita outfits, however, still stick to the basic Lolita silhouette of a 'cupcake' shaped skirt. Shoes and accessories are less whimsical and more functional. Jewelry with intricate designs is also common. The makeup used in classic Lolita is often a more muted version of the sweet Lolita makeup, with an emphasis placed on natural coloring. An example of the classical Lolita brands are Juliette et Justine, Innocent World, Victorian Maiden and Mary Magdalene.
* Sailor Lolita Sailor Lolita is a very nautical-themed style of Lolita that is very much inspired by Japanese Sailor-styled uniforms.
 
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show**
* Wa Lolita Wa Lolita (or Waloli) Wa Lolita is a style that is often recognised by the Kimono-esque look of the outfits.
 
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show**
* Punk Lolita - A very experimental style, mixing the influences of Punk into Lolita. It can sometimes look deconstructed or crazy, while keeping most of the 'Lolita silhouette'.
 
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Punk Lolita (or Lolita Punk) adds punk fashion elements to Lolita fashion. Motifs that are usually found in punk clothing, such as tattered fabric, ties, safety pins and chains, screen-printed fabrics, plaids, and short, androgynous hairstyles are incorporated into the Lolita look. The most popular garments are blouses or cutsews and skirts, although dresses and jumper skirts are also worn. Common footwear includes boots, Mary Janes or oxfords with platforms. Common Punk Lolita brands are A+Lidel, Putumayo, h. NAOTO and Na+H.
  
* Kodona is a Japanese fashion that is considered the male version of Lolita fashion. These styles is often called "boystyle" as it involves more masculine clothing. In Japan they usually use Ouji (meaning prince) and not Kodona, that is a western term.
 
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** This style can be either laid back or very extravagant. Usually the people in this style are actually women and not men, but either can dress it. The men sometimes refer to themselves in this style as 'Dandy'. Sometimes this style has feminine touches, such as more feminine shoes and accessories.
Kodona is inspired by what was worn by Victorian boys, and includes masculine blouses and shirts, knickerbockers and other styles of short trousers, knee high socks, top hats, and newsboy caps. The colors usually used are black, white, blue and burgundy, though there are feminine versions of the fashion with a broader palette. Make-up, when worn with the fashion, is usually light and minimal.
Very common are 'prince pants' which are short capri-style pants that cut off at the knee and usually have some details on them (such as lace-edged cuffs). Other common additions are suspenders, ties (regular ties and bowties), bowler caps and long socks (to cover the legs). Some of the more extravagant styles can include things like spats, canes, top hats, capes, etc. But they keep the boyish part in tact so that they are not mistaken for Aristocrat.
Hair is often in a boyish style, often shorter. Those with longer hair tend to put their hair in a less-girly way, such as hiding a bun under a cap. Makeup is often kept to a minimum, but sometimes darker makeup is applied around the eyes.
* Aristocrat This style is a lot more mature than lolita in general. It has a lot in common with the western 'Romantic Gothic'.
 
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** In general, there are no cutesy motifs (prints, lace, over-abundance of frills, bows, etc). Skirts are often worn long, although sometimes they can be shorter, especially in the hotter months. High corseted waists on skirts is common, so are actual corsets (all types). Fitted jackets with tail coats are popular, so are frilly shirts (and cravats), top hats, veils, etc.
 
An Aristocrat's hair is usually done in a mature style. Buns and other lifted styles are common, however it is okay to wear your hair down, short and/or curly (try to avoid lolita-like barrel curls though). Extreme hairstyles are usually done in conjunction with extreme make-up, usually for things like fashion shows. Often times it's much too troublesome to go to such lengths for daily wear.
Make-up is also usually mature and sometimes on the darker side. Extreme makeup is usually not done (except for special circumstances such as fashion shows and club events). Somewhat darkened eyes and dark red lipstick is common. Lighter colors can be used, but generally only on the lips.
This style can be worn by men and women easily, often this is a very good style for men to take up if they want to dress up too.
 The Ganguro (ガングロ; "Black Face Girls") street fashion became popular among Japanese girls in the early 2000s. A typical look for a "Ganguro Gal" is to wear brightly colored outfits, mini-skirts, and tie-dyed sarongs. The Ganguro style consists of bleached hair,a dark tan, fake eyelashes, black and white eyeliner, bracelets, earrings, rings, necklaces, and platform shoes.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Ganguro is prevalent mostly among young women and women in their early 20s. In ganguro fashion, a deep tan is combined with hair dyed in shades of orange to blonde, or a silver grey known as "high bleached". Black ink is used as eye-liner and white concealer is used as lipstick and eyeshadow. False eyelashes, plastic facial gems, and pearl powder are often added to this. Platform shoes and brightly-coloured outfits complete the ganguro look. Also typical of ganguro fashion are tie-dyed sarongs, miniskirts, stickers on the face, and lots of bracelets, rings, and necklaces.
Ganguro falls into the larger subculture of gyaru (from English "gal"), a slang term used for various groups of young women, usually referring to overly childish or rebellious girls. Researchers in the field of Japanese studies believe that ganguro is a form of revenge against traditional Japanese society due to resentment of neglect, isolation, and constraint of Japanese society. This is their attempt at individuality, self-expression, and freedom, in open defiance of school standards and regulations.
The Shibuya and Ikebukuro districts of Tokyo are the center of ganguro fashion.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** * Yamanba and manba Yamanba (ヤマンバ) and manba (マンバ) are terms often used to describe extreme practitioners of ganguro fashion. Old school Yamanba and Manba; (particularly known as 2004 Manba); featured dark tans and white lipstick, pastel eye make-up, tiny metallic or glittery adhesives below the eyes, brightly-coloured contact lenses, plastic dayglo-coloured clothing, and incongruous accessories, such as Hawaiian Leis (often the Alba Rosa brand).
Stickers on the face died out shortly after 2004, and for a while, Manba died. Yamanba is now more extreme, and hair is often multicoloured, and usually synthetic. 2008's Manba has seen a darker tan, and no facial decoration (stickers). Hair is usually neon/bright colours, with pink being a favourite. Wool("dreadlocks"), extensions and clips are worn to make hair appear longer. Clothing remains the same, although Leis are worn less frequently now. Manba and Yamanba are not to be confused. Yamanba has white make-up only above the eye, while Manba has makeup below the eye also. Stuffed animals, bracelets, bells and hibiscuses are worn. The male equivalent is called a "center guy" (センター街, Sentāgai, Center Street), a pun on the name of a pedestrian shopping street near Shibuya Station in Tokyo where yamanba and center guys are often seen.
 
Kogal
The Kogal subculture is not to be confused with the Ganguro subculture, because they are very similar. Often you would compare the "look" of the Kogal to be that of a "Californian valley-girl". Greatly influenced by American fashion, the followers of this style bring out their sex appeal as well as changing their hair and skin tone through cosmetics in order to separate themselves from the image and expectations of normal Japanese society. The Kogal subculture is characterized by young women who display their disposable incomes through tastes in fashion, music and other forms of social activity.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Kogal コギャル (kogyaru) is a fashion among Japanese girls that involves wearing an outfit based on a high school uniform, but with a shortened skirt, loose socks, and often other modifications as well. The phenomenon was prominent in the 1990s, but has since declined. The word "kogal" is anglicized from kogyaru, which may be a shortened form of kôkôsei gyaru (high school gal). The girls refer to themselves as gyaru, a Japanese pronunciation of "gal."
Aside from the pinned-up skirt and the socks, kogals may also wear platform boots, heavy makeup, hair coloring (usually blonde or brown), artificial suntans, and designer accessories. Like Valley Girls, they have a distinctive slang. Their speech, called kogyaru-go (コギャル語), is peppered with English words. They are often, but not necessarily, enrolled students.
A kogal's busy social life and her desire for new material goods leads her to be among the first consumers of Japanese mobile phone technology. Her taste in clothes tends toward Burberry scarves and Louis Vuitton handbags. Kogals spend much of their free time (and their parents' income) shopping, and their culture centers on the Shibuya district of Tokyo, in particular the 109 Building (a shopping mall). During the summer, kogals may be seen at the beach.
 
Bōsōzoku
While bōsōzoku fashion has not been popular since the 1990s, the stereotypical bōsōzoku look is often portrayed, and even caricatured, in many forms of Japanese media such as anime, manga and films. The typical bōsōzoku member is often depicted in a uniform consisting of a jumpsuit like those worn by manual laborers or a tokko-fuku (特攻服), a type of military issued over-coat with kanji slogans usually worn open with no shirt underneath showing off their bandaged torsos and matching baggy pants tucked inside tall boots.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Leather jackets, often embroidered with club/gang logos, and even full leather suits are also seen as common elements of the bōsōzoku look. Among other items in the bōsōzoku attire are usually round or wrap-around sunglasses, long hachimaki headbands also with battle slogans and a pompadour hairstyle most likely akin to the greaser/rocker look or perhaps because of the hairstyle's association with yakuza thugs. The punch perm is considered a common bōsōzoku hairstyle as well. Surgical masks are also stereotypically worn by bōsōzokus perhaps to conceal their identities although these type of masks are also worn by allergy sufferers in Japan, especially during autumn. Females are also shown dressed in a similar style but dress in a more feminine manner with long and often dyed hair, high-heeled boots and excessive make-up.
  
(left) Nasty look, long dyed hair, military dress with kanji motifs, too much make-up - this girl's bosozoku through and through!
(middle) Kyoku manga - check the bosozoku girl on the left. Is nice.
(right) Surgical masks? Dungarees? Heavy boots? Customised bike? Oh god. These girls are amazing.
Bōsōzoku (暴走族, "violent running gang") is a Japanese subculture associated with motorcycle clubs and gangs.
They were first seen in the 1950s as the Japanese automobile industry expanded rapidly. The first bōsōzoku were known as kaminari-zoku (雷族 "Lightning Tribes"). It is common to see bōsōzoku groups socializing in city centers and playing loud music characterized by their lifestyle, such as The Roosters, and the Street Sliders.
The word bōsōzoku is also applied to motorcycle gangs, who share an interest in modifications (often illegal) for motorcycles, such as removing the mufflers so that more noise is produced. These bōsōzoku groups also engage in dangerous or reckless driving, such as weaving in traffic, not wearing motorcycle helmets, and running red lights. Another activity is shinai bōsō (市内暴走) speeding in city streets, not usually for street racing but more for thrills. With many bikes involved, the leading one is driven by the sentōsha (先頭車), the leader, who is responsible for the event and is not allowed to be overtaken. Japanese police call them Maru-Sō (police code マル走), and dispatch a police vehicle to trail any groups of bikes to prevent any possible incidents, which can include riding through suburbs at speeds of 5–10 miles an hour, creating a loud disturbance and waving imperial Japanese flags, to starting fights which can include weapons such as wooden swords, metal pipes, baseball bats and Molotov cocktails. These bōsōzoku gangs are generally composed of people under the legal adult age, which in Japan is 20 years old, and are subject to increasing state and police pressure.
Bōsōzoku are known to modify their bikes in peculiar and often showy ways. A typical customized bosozoku bike usually consists of an average Japanese road bike that appears to combine elements of an American chopper style bike and a British café racer, for example: oversized visored fenders like those found on café racers, "sissy" bars and raised handle bars like those on a chopper. Loud paint jobs on the fenders or the gas tanks with motifs such as flames or kamikaze style "rising sun" designs are also quite common. The bikes will often be adorned with stickers and/or flags depicting the gang's symbol or logo.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show**
Sunglasses, pomade, gravity-defying quiffs, leather jackets, black gloves, check. 50’s music, party atmosphere, gyrating hips and waggling bent knees, chicks in preppy floral dresses, crowding camera-toting tourists- BAM!- welcome to the Tokyo Rockabilly club- Yoyogi chapter.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** 
Cosplay
Cosplay (コスプレ) , short for "costume roleplay", is a type of performance art whose participants outfit themselves with often elaborate costumes and accessories as a specific character or idea.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Often, the fashionistas of this street fashion will dress up as characters from manga, anime, comic books, graphic novels, and video games. Less commonly, they will dress up as characters from live action television shows, fantasy movies, and Japanese pop music bands. Cosplay is enjoyed by millions around the world and is usually practiced at conventions and exhibitions designed specifically for such fans.
 
In Japan, cosplay can be seen at public events such as video game shows, as well as at dedicated cosplay parties at nightclubs or amusement parks. It is not unusual for Japanese teenagers to gather with like-minded friends in places like Tokyo's Harajuku district to engage in cosplay. Since 1998, Tokyo's Akihabara district has contained a large number of cosplay cafés, catering to devoted anime and cosplay fans. The waitresses at such cafés dress as game or anime characters; maid costumes are particularly popular. In areas outside of Japan, cosplay is primarily done at anime conventions.
 
Possibly the single largest and most famous event attended by cosplayers is the semiannual doujinshi market, Comiket. This event, held in summer and winter, attracts hundreds of thousands of manga otaku and many thousands of cosplayers who congregate on the roof of the exhibition center, often in unbearably hot or cold conditions.
 
Cosplayers in Japan refer to themselves as reiyâ (レイヤー); pronounced "layer". Those who photograph players are called cameko, short for "Camera Kozo" or "Camera Boy". The cameko give prints of their photos to the players as gifts.
 
One should not be confused with the idea that cosplay is considered typical behavior in Japan. While some do attend cosplay functions that are held in districts such as Akihabara, most Japanese people find cosplay to be rather silly.
  
Cosplay Restaurant
Cosplay Restaurants (コスプレ系飲食店, Kosupure-kei inshokuten), are theme restaurants and pubs that originated in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan around the year 2000. They include maid cafés (メイドカフェ, Meido kafe) and butler cafés (執事喫茶, shitsuji kissa), where the service staff dress as elegant maids, or as butlers. Such restaurants and cafés have quickly become a staple of Japanese otaku culture. Compared with service at normal cafés, the service at cosplay cafés involves the creation of a rather different atmosphere. The staff treat the customers as masters and mistresses in a private home rather than merely as café customers.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Maid Cafe
In a standard maid cafe the female employees dress up as french maids and refer to the customers as either Master (ご主人様, goshujinsama) or Mistress (お嬢様, ojōsama). Upon entering one of such stores, the customer is greeted with the customary "Welcome home, Master" (お帰りなさいませ、ご主人様！, Okaerinasaimase, goshujinsama), offered a wipe towel and shown a food/drink menu. Most maid cafés offer menus similar to those of more typical cafés. Customers can order coffee, other beverages, and a wide variety of entrées and desserts. However, in maid cafés, waitresses will often decorate a customer’s order with cute designs at his or her table. Syrup can be used to decorate desserts, and omelette rice (オムライス Omu-raisu), a popular entrée, is typically decorated using ketchup. This service adds to the image of the waitress as an innocent but pampering maid. Popular dishes include cakes (sometimes baked by the maids themselves), ice-cream, omurice , spaghetti, as well as drinks such as coca-cola, tea, milk or alcoholic beverages such as beer or, in some cases, even champagne. Maids will also kneel by the table to stir cream and sugar into a customer’s coffee, and some cafés even offer spoon-feeding services to customers. Increasingly, maid cafés offer grooming services, such as ear cleanings (耳かき, Mimikaki), a foot or hand massage, and leg, arm, and back massages (provided the customer remains fully clothed), for an additional fee. Other options include taking polaroids (either of the maid alone, together with another maid or with the customer and which are then decorated using coloured markers or stickers), playing card or video games or even slightly more unusual ones, such as being slapped by one or more of the girls or even "dates" with maids. There exists a plethora of establishments catering to specific tastes and offering different services to customers.
In other stores, the outfits and even the setting itself change. In school-themed cafes, for example, customers are referred to as senpai instead of Master or Mistress. Inside, regular tables are replaced by school desks and even the menu is served in trays reminiscent of the ones used in Japanese schools.
Other themes include, little sister (妹, imōto), shrine girl (巫女, miko) or railway (鉄道居) cafes/izakaya.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** The maid costume varies from café to café, but most are based upon the costume of French maids, often comprised of a dress, a petticoat, a pinafore, a matching hair accessory (such as a frill or a bow), and stockings. Sometimes, employees often wear rabbit or cat ears with their outfits to add more appeal.
Waitresses in maid cafés are often chosen on the basis of their appearance; most are young, attractive and innocent-looking women.
Maid cafés were originally designed primarily to cater to the fantasies of male otaku, obsessive fans of anime, manga and video games. The image of the maid is one that has been popularized and fetishized in many manga and anime series, as well as in gal games. Important to the otaku attraction to maid cafés is the Japanese concept of moe, which generally describes a fetish or love for anime, manga or video game characters. More specifically, moe refers to adoration for young or innocent-looking female characters. People who have moe (especially a specific subcategory known as maid moe) are therefore attracted to an establishment in which they can interact with real-life manifestations (both physically and in demeanor) of the fictional maid characters that they have fetishized.
Today, the maid café phenomenon attracts more than just male otaku, but also couples, tourists, and women. Though the waitresses at maid cafés are sometimes interpreted as objects of romantic or sexual desire, they can also be viewed as simply aesthetically appealing figures. One female patron of maid cafés explains, “Sitting here and admiring how pretty the girls are is like admiring a flower”.
While most cosplay restaurants and maid cafes cater mostly to men, there is also a type for women called the butler café (執事喫茶, shitsuji kissa). The butlers in these cafes are well-dressed male employees and may wear either a typical waiter's uniform or even a tuxedo or tails. One butler cafe has its waiters cosplay as teenage schoolboys, in an effort to appeal to the fujoshi who enjoy Boy's Love.
There are also cross-dressing (male disguise style (男装系, dansō-kei)) butler cafes, where female staff dress up as butlers, instead of actual men.  
japanese fashion
http://fashion.3yen.com/
hairstyles ~ japanese hairstyle and latest cut for women
http://hairstyle.sighvogue.com/
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** overview on japanese hairstyles
Japanese hairstyles are known to be defined and unique. Most Japanese hairstyles will slightly cover a small portion of the face to add a mysterious look. Therefore the hair is either straight down, slickened or layered. A Japanese hairstyle should normally compliment the face by bringing out your face and eyes. Japanese games and animes provide a wide range of hairdos that look great not only on cartoon characters but also on real people. Of course there are also the crazy anime hairstyles that are are not very easy to create but you can choose from the realistic ones just like the ones of game characters Yuna and Rinoa who wear hairstyles that can be easily accomplished on real hair.
In Japan, medium and short cuts appear to win out over long hairstyles at the moment. However, no matter the length you choose, it is straightness for which Japanese hairstyles are well noted. A genuine Japanese hairstyle is usually cut straight across and may feature layers or bangs. A very popular short Japanese hairstyle is the bob cut with feathery layers. This hairstyle is ideal for women with square, oval, oblong or diamond faces and for women with thin or medium hair. Japanese hairstyles are often achieved through the use of a hair straightener. It's recommended that you have a professional hairstylist handle your hair to make sure your hair is fit for these straightening methods. 
|
|
Moderator
9985 cr points
Send Message: 39 / M / charlotte, north...
Offline
|
JAPANESE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
After World War II, the Japanese school system was changed to resemble the American school system. Students are in six years of elementary school ( shougakkou" 小学校), three years of junior high school ( chugakkou" 中学校), three years of senior high school ( koukou" 高校), and either 2 years of junior college ( tankadaigaku" 単科大学 or "karejji" カレッジ) or 4 years of university ( daigaku" 大学). However, in Japan's case, only elementary and junior high school are mandatory. High school and college, both requiring rigorous entrance exams, are optional (however, approximately 95% of junior high students choose to go to high school). The proportion of male students is higher at universities, while the opposite is true of junior colleges.
The most prestigious universities are the national University of Tokyo and University of Kyoto, followed by the best private universities.
Japan also has a "shadow education" which consist of home-tutors, "juku", prep schools, correspondence courses, etc. The most famous are the "juku" or cram schools. These are divided in "enrichment juku", attended by over 75% of elementary school and 25% of junior high school students, and "academic juku" teaching the same curriculum as ordinary schools. These "academic juku" are further divided in "review juku" ("hoshuu juku" 補習塾) and "advancement juku" ("shingaku juku" 進学塾), the latter preparing for the entrance exams (see below).
Students have to take entrance examination for junior high school, high school and university, if they change institution. It is always the case in public schools and universities.
University entrance exams ("juken" 受験) are particularly hard and is often referred to as "exam hell" ("shiken jigoku" 試験地獄). Students who fail the "juken" become "rounin" (浪人), (a term formerly used for masterless samurai), until the examinations are successfully passed the following year. Preparatory schools called "yobikou" (予備校) have for sole task to drill these students for the entrance exams. Yobiko are private schools that help students prepare for college entrance exams. They mainly work with ronin for full-time, year-long preparation classes. The cost of these courses is high, sometimes equal to what a student pays for first-year university expenses and can even be higher than that.They will also give practice exams throughout the year (for a fee, of course).
Some private schools do everything from kindergarten to university. In that case, students will only have to take an entrance examination or interview when they join the school, and are generally exempt afterwards. This is called the "elevator system", meaning that once someone has entered the institution, they automatically go to the next step until graduating from university.
The school year in Japan begins in April, and ends in March of the following year, it is more convenient in many aspects. April is the height of spring when cherry blossom (the most loved flower of the Japanese!) bloom and a most suitable time for a new start in Japan. This difference in the school-year system causes some inconvenience to students who wish to study abroad in the U.S. A half year is wasted waiting to get in and often another year is wasted when coming back to the Japanese university because of having to repeat a year. Classes are held from Monday to either Friday or Saturday, depending on the school. School usually starts at 8:30am and finishes at 3:50pm (Saturday mornings till 12:30 twice a month). Japanese daily education does not end at 3:30. Most of the students will be involved in an activity after school such as tennis, gym, baseball or any of the many clubs each school has. At the end of the school day o shoji, or the cleaning of the school is done. Students will clean the classroom, clean the restrooms and pick up trash. This helps to give the students more of a personal stake in taking care of their schools.
There are no janitors/custodians in public Japanese schools. The cubbies are for outdoor shoes. Each student has a pair of shoes dedicated for indoor use.
Cleaning the slippers.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** There will also be various clubs after school. Theoretically run by teachers, many are actually run by the students themselves. Students are usually allowed to join only one club and will stay in that club through the rest of their time in secondary school.
The clubs are of two types: one is sports and the other culture. Sports clubs can include clubs for baseball, soccer, judo, track, tennis and a wide variety of other sports. Culture clubs include clubs in broadcasting, calligraphy, English, science and math.
A major factor in these clubs in the development of a social/cultural status association with other students. Students who are older are referred to as senpai, while the younger students are referred to as kohai. Each type has its own responsibilities. Senpai help kohai to adjust to the clubs and teach them what they need to know to do well in the clubs; the kohai defer to the senpai. In tennis, for example, kohai will be the ones chasing the balls on the courts while the senpai play tennis.
The kohai also are expected to model the behavior of the senpai. This type of kohai/senpai relationship can continue well after the school years are finished and similar things will be seen in politics and business.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Senpai (先輩) and kōhai (後輩) are an essential element of Japanese seniority-based status relationships, similar to the way that family and other relationships are decided based on age, with even twins being divided into older and younger sibling. Senpai is roughly equivalent to the western concept of "mentor", while kōhai is roughly equivalent to "protege". Or simply an "elder" vs. someone younger in the family/company/organization -- the terms are used more widely than a true mentor/protege in the West. There is usually no average separation in age between senpai and his/her kōhai.
A lowerclass student will often refer to upperclass students as "senpai", and alumni/ae will often refer to alumni/ae from earlier classes as "senpai". Particularly if fate brings them together later on, such as joining the same company, serving on a board together, or simply being in a club or parent's organization at the same time.
On rare occasions, a younger person may also be considered the senpai of an older person if circumstances dictate -- such as if the older person entered an organization or company at a later time than the younger person did. This is not all that common, however.
Note that senpai is often seen romanized as "sempai" because it is pronounced that way (the Japanese "n" (ん) is pronounced as "m" when it comes before bilabials, such as "p").
In a Japanese school sports club, such as a baseball team, the kōhai are usually expected to perform various menial tasks for the senpai including washing clothes and cleaning. The kōhai may not be allowed to play the sport at all or have only limited opportunities to do so until they become senpai.
More than simple seniority, senpai implies a relationship with reciprocal obligations, somewhat similar to a mentoring relationship. A kōhai is expected to respect and obey their senpai, and the senpai in turn must guide, protect, and teach their kōhai as best they can. Senpai/kōhai relationships generally last for as long as the two people concerned stay in contact, even if the original context in which the senpai was senior is no longer relevant.
These terms appear frequently in anime and manga. Romantic crushes on one's senior are a popular theme in shōjo and romantic stories. In translated anime and manga, senpai/kōhai are more commonly retained in fansubs and scanlations, as official translations tend to use familiar English terms such as "upperclassman".
In Japanese martial arts, the term senpai generally refers to the highest ranked student in a club who is not yet a black belt. They are expected to assist the sensei with younger or less experienced students.
In elementary school lessons last 45min with a 10min break between them. From junior high school, lessons last 50min. The school year consists of three terms, which are separated by short holidays in spring and winter, and a one month long summer break. They have lessons in the morning and afternoon with a lunch break; typically, high schools do not provide meals so the students often bring box lunches (bento) from home. Elementary and junior high students clean the rooms, halls, and yards of their own school every day.
Vacations are 6 weeks in the summer and about 2 weeks each for winter and spring breaks. There is often homework over these vacations.
Students must wear specific school uniforms (seifuku) and adhere to strict dress code rules, including the length and color of hair. Conformity and obedience are heavily emphasized with little discussion or interaction during lessons. However, students do get the chance to choose their own clubs and extracurricular activities, ranging from sports to science or art clubs. Students also have the opportunity to take class field trips, usually during the last year of junior and senior high school.
Another highlight of the school year is the annual cultural festival (bunkasai) in which each class creates food stands, plays, games and so on to celebrate their culture and show off what they have worked on. For students, this is often a chance to have some fun at school, free from the pressures of exams and uniforms. Often a two-day festival, the public is invited to see what the students have created and partake in the festivities.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** japanese education system~the japanese classroom
The students have set uniforms and a set place for their bike. Each kumi or class has one or two students who are responsible for checking to see if the teacher needs help carrying something and to formally ask them to teach the class. Students sit quietly and take notes while a teacher lectures on a subject, pausing only to take up homework and to mark attendance. Questions are few and discussion is usually passed over in favour of extra lecture time. Lectures are based almost entirely on the textbook and there is little deviation from it.
Knowledge is primarily obtained through memorization and method-based problem solving. One would perhaps be surprised that students are able to stay awake in class at all much less stay motivated enough to learn at a pace that consistently ranks the Japanese in the top ten countries of the world for science and math.
On closer examination one can see that there are other forces at play in the classroom, forces which push students to the almost unbelieveable levels of tolerance and endurance needed to pass the University entrance exams. These forces stem, in part from societal pressures but also from strong reinforcement of traditional Japanese thinking in the educational system itself. Unlike most western approaches, the Japanese system spends a great deal of emphasis and importance in activities outside of the classroom.
Teacher-student interaction, group-structured student groups and classes and school events all serve to build the student with not only a sense of ethics and morality, but also a commitment and responsibility to learn and to excel at school that transcends the needs of the individual themself; a student's performance becomes more than a personal statement as the approval of their teachers, peers and family come to weigh more their own difficulties. It is perhaps this drive, carefully nurtured by the educational system that allows students to accept the 8-hour/day study sessions and continue to face the mounds of homework in face of exhaustion, lack of sleep and sheer stress.
The year structure is summarized in the table below:
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** ** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Japanese School Rules
Japanese schools have numerous rules. The rules are referred to as kosoku. Rules concern a variety of different things including student's hair (tohatsu rules). Students are not supposed to dye their hair and are supposed to leave it the normal Japanese black hair color.
There are also rules affecting clothing (fukuso). Virtually all Japanese schools used to require students to wear uniforms but apparently now only about half of the schools require uniforms.
Getting to school on time is covered by toko-jikan rules. In various anime series, Ranma 1/2 comes to mind here, we see students rushing to get to the school on time and, if late, they may get physically blocked by a gate closing the entrance to the school.
Mochimono rules govern personal belongings while katei seikatsu govern certain rules covering the home life of the students. Still more rules govern behavior over vacations (yasumi-chu no sugoshikata), behavior off campus (kogai de no sugoshikata), motorbikes (otobai), and part-time work (arubaito).
Students are not supposed to have part-time jobs. An example of this is shown in Kimagure Orange Road where Madoka, still attending high school, ends up getting a part-time job at a cafe and has to keep the job secret.
In U.S. schools, at least, there seems to be a close relationship to students obtaining a part-time job and a decline in the quality of their work. Such students tend to sleep in class and take less interest in their studies so the idea of schools banning such jobs as they do in Japan does make some sense.
Early childhood education begins at home, and there are numerous books and television shows aimed at helping mothers & fathers of preschool children to educate their children and to "parent" more effectively. Much of the home training is devoted to teaching manners, proper social behavior, and structured play, although verbal and number skills are also popular themes. Parents are strongly committed to early education and frequently enroll their children in preschools.
Kindergartens (yochien 幼稚園), predominantly staffed by young female junior college graduates, are supervised by the Ministry of Education, but are not part of the official education system. In addition to kindergartens there exists a well-developed system of government-supervised day-care centers (hoikuen 保育園), supervised by the Ministry of Labor. Whereas kindergartens follow educational aims, preschools are predominately concerned with providing care for infants and toddlers. Same as kindergartens there are public or privately run preschools. Together, these two kinds of institutions enroll well over 90 percent of all preschool-age children prior to their entrance into the formal system at first grade. The Japanese government aims to increase the availability of kindergartens, in part to allow mothers to work if they need or want to. The trend to earlier and earlier education is increasing with special subjects for kindergarten students including English.
Elementary School ~ Shogakko
Shōgakkō (小学校) are elementary schools in Japan.
All children enter first grade at age six, and starting school is considered a very important event in a child's life. For six years from age six to twelve, this is the first stage of compulsory education for Japanese children. Almost all Japanese children enter at this stage, although an increasing number have already experienced kindergarten.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Virtually all elementary education takes place in public schools; less than 1% of the schools are private. Private schools tend to be costly, although the rate of cost increases in tuition for these schools had slowed in the 1980s. Some private elementary schools are prestigious, and they serve as a first step to higher-level private schools with which they are affiliated, and thence to a university. Competition to enter some of these "ladder schools" is quite intense.
Although public elementary education is free, some school expenses are borne by parents, for example, school lunches and supplies. For many families, there are also nonschool educational expenses, for extra books, or private lessons, or juku. Costs for private elementary schools are substantially higher.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show**
Elementary school classes are large, about thirty-one students per class on average, but higher numbers are permitted. Students are usually organized into small work groups, which have both academic and disciplinary functions. Discipline also is maintained, and a sense of responsibility encouraged, by the use of student monitors and by having the students assume responsibility for the physical appearance of their classroom and school.
The standard academic curriculum include Japanese language, social studies, arithmetic, and science. Nonacademic subjects taught include art and handicrafts, music, homemaking, physical education, and moral education. Japanese language is an emphasized subject. The complexity of the written language and the diversity of its spoken forms in educated speech (keigo)（敬語） require this early attention.
A new course of study was established in 1989, partly as a result of the education reform movement of the 1980s and partly because of ongoing curriculum review. Important changes scheduled were an increased number of hours devoted to Japanese language, the replacement of the social sciences course with a daily life course- -instruction for children on proper interaction with the society and environment around them--and an increased emphasis on moral education. The English Language is taught at some schools especially in the higher grades; it is not yet mandatory at this level, but it is being suggested for 5th & 6th grade.
Elementary teachers are generally responsible for all subjects, and classes remain in one room for most activities. In most schools, English is taught by a sole Assistant Language Teacher, who may be permanently attached to the school, or visit on a weekly or monthly basis.
Virtually all elementary schoolchildren receive a full lunch at school. Although subsidized by the government, the program is not altogether free. Full meals usually consist of bread (or increasingly, of rice), a main dish, and milk. Because there are relatively few cafeterias in elementary schools, meals are taken in the classroom with the teacher, providing another informal opportunity for teaching nutrition and health and good eating habits and social behavior. Frequently, students also are responsible for serving the lunch and cleaning up.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** 
The level of responsibility that the students have for the school and each other. They serve lunch, clean up, and clean the school daily.
The kids are in charge of getting and serving the lunches at school. They do this with no fuss or adult input.
The menu that day. Rice ball covered in seaweed, vegetable, miso soup, a tangerine, and a bottle of milk.
Japanese elementary schooling is seen as effective, but not without some problems, notably increasing absenteeism and school refusal and troublesome number of cases of bullying (ijime) （いじめ).
Elementary school education is seen in Japan as fundamental in shaping a positive attitude toward lifelong education. Regardless of academic achievement, almost all children in elementary school are advanced to junior high schools (lower secondary schools), the second of the two compulsory levels of education.
 
In the schools here in Japan, the students are taught to do things themselves. Not only do they clean their own school, they also make and serve their own lunches - and beacuse they are very concerned with germs here, all the kids serving the food use face masks. Each class is sent to go pick up their own food! It is super cute!
Secondary Education in Japan is split into middle schools (中学校 chūgakkō) which cover the seventh through ninth years, and high schools (高等学校 kōtōgakkō, abbreviated to 高校 kōkō) which mostly cover years ten through twelve. Attendance in upper secondary school is not compulsory, but most students do attend.
Most Japanese upper secondary schools have complicated admissions procedures, similar to university admissions in other countries. Some of the top high schools, however, graduate their students directly into the top universities, such as the University of Tokyo. Students who do not plan to attend university are generally tracked into vocational high schools: very few lower secondary school graduates forgo upper secondary school entirely, although they are free to do so if they wish.
Junior High School ~ Chūgakkō
Lower-secondary school covers grades seven, eight, and nine—children between the ages of roughly twelve and fifteen—with increased focus on academic studies. This is a hugely important phase in the upbringing of the Japanese child. Results at Junior High School can determine entry to a good Senior High School and hence to a good university and career. At this point children usually stay late at school, busy with various clubs and activities as well as studies at a Juku (see below).
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Classes are large, with thirty-eight students per class on average, and each class is assigned a homeroom teacher who doubles as counselor. Unlike Elementary students, middle school students have different teachers for different subjects. The teacher, however, rather than the students, moves to a new room for each fifty-minute period.
Instruction tends to rely on the lecture method. Teachers also use other media, such as television and radio, and there is some laboratory work. Classroom organization is still based on small work groups, although no longer for reasons of discipline. Students are expected to have mastered daily routines and acceptable behavior.
All course contents are specified in the Course of Study for Lower-Secondary Schools. Some subjects, such as Japanese language and mathematics, are coordinated with the elementary curriculum. The curriculum covers Japanese language, social studies, mathematics, science, music, fine arts, health, and physical education. All students also are exposed to either industrial arts or homemaking. Moral education and special activities continue to receive attention.
Students also attend mandatory club meetings during school hours, and many also participate in after-school clubs.
The ministry recognizes a need to improve the teaching of all foreign languages, especially English. To improve instruction in spoken English, the government invites many young native speakers of English to Japan to serve as assistants to school boards and prefectures under its Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. By 2005 participants numbered over 6,000. In the last few years, several school boards in Japan have relied on ALTs (Assistant Language Teacher) from private dispatch companies.
 
High School ~ Kōtōgakkō
The peak of pressure for the student in the Japanese school system from 15 to 18 years old, entry to senior high school is by an entrance exam. Preparation for the exam itself, of course, is usually through attending a good Juku (see below). To get a place at the best university means that a student really needs to go to the right senior high school, so the entrance exam can have a major impact on the future career of Japanese students. As the number of private schools increases (at present over one-quarter of senior high schools are private) and pressure to perform well increases, education ends up costing parents more and more. This pressure is slowly diffusing down the chain as entry to the best senior high schools is increasingly affected by the junior high school attended. Although not compulsory in Japan, over 90% of all children attend Senior High School.
Part-Time Senior High School
In some cases, where students are already working full time, they may attend evening school instead of normal high school. These classes are run in the evening, and instead of the usual three years, it takes four years to complete a senior high school education. Classes usually run until after 9pm or later, so this makes for a busy lifestyle for the working student. Compared to the average senior high school student, students at part-time high school tend to be far more socially mature and attentive students - also perhaps as attending a night school is generally a voluntary action and commitment is needed to complete the program, whereas attending Senior High School is often a matter of parental pressure.
Juku Gakushū juku (Japanese: 学習塾; cram schools) are special private schools (primarily in Japan) that offer lessons conducted after regular school hours and on the weekends.
The pressure of the education system in Japan is great, and so much of a child's future depends on going to the right school and university that from a very young age (in some cases from before ten years old) a child's school day does not end with the school bell. After the piano or violin lessons, the basketball or football, kendo or judo, archery or English, Maths or Art or any of the dozens of other clubs that are organized at school most children also attend cram schools called "Juku". These have extra lessons, which may be used to push bright students further or to help others catch up to the crowd. The classes may run until late, and a 12-hour day is not unusual for the Japanese high school student (before homework).
Half of all compulsory school-age children attend academic juku, which offers instruction in mathematics, Japanese language, science, English and social studies. Many other children, particularly younger children, attend nonacademic juku for piano lessons, art instruction, swimming, and abacus (soroban) lessons. Juku also play a social role, and children in Japan say they like going to juku because they are able to make new friends; many children ask to be sent because their friends attend. Some children seem to like juku because of the closer personal contact they have with their teachers. The higher the grade level, the greater the percentage of students attending juku. They can also be expensive but tend to be within the reach of most households.
While this system has produced one of the most impressive levels of literacy and highest standards education in the world, there are those who now question the impact of such pressure on students from such a young age. There are stories of increasing numbers of young adults and children with stress-related disorders, and tales of children withdrawing from society and school are common in the press and as subject-matter for dramas.
Juku are a common feature of Japanese education, and if you are a parent living in Japan can be a useful supplement to ensure that your child catches up to the rest of their class in Japanese language abilities.
Other Schools
There are plenty of other options available, including Senmon Gakkou (special technical or vocational training schools), Junior Colleges, and so on. Senmon Gakkou offer students the chance to combine Senior High School studies with a vocational subject - common ones include motor mechanics, hairdressing, architecture and the like. These are generally four-year courses, and start after Junior High School. Some Senmon Gakkou are highly competitive. Junior colleges offer two year university-style degrees, but leading to the title of "Associate" as opposed to a bachelor's degree. Nearly 90% of students at Junior colleges are female, while only about 40% of university students are female, one of several imbalances in the Japanese education system.
Japanese School Uniform
Japan introduced school uniforms in the late 19th century. Today, school uniforms are almost universal in the public and private school systems. They are also used in some women's colleges. The Japanese word for uniform is seifuku (制服).
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** In the majority of elementary-schools, students are not required to wear a uniform to school. Where uniforms are required, many boys wear white shirts, short pants, and caps. Young boys often dress more formally in their class pictures than they do other days of the school year. Girls' uniforms might include a gray pleated skirt and white blouse. Occasionally the sailor outfit is used for girls. The uniform codes may vary by season to work with the environment and occasion. It's common for both boys and girls to wear brightly colored caps to prevent traffic accidents. Also, it is normal for uniforms to be worn outside of school areas.
The Japanese junior- and senior-high-school uniform traditionally consists of a military style uniform for boys and a sailor outfit for girls. These uniforms consist of a white shirt, tie, blazer with school crest, and tailored trousers (often not of the same color as the blazer) for boys and a white blouse, tie, blazer with school crest, and tartan skirt for girls.
Regardless of what type of uniform any particular school assigns its students, all schools have a summer version of the uniform (usually consisting of just a white dress shirt and the uniform slacks for boys and a reduced-weight traditional uniform or blouse and tartan skirt with tie for girls) and a sports-activity uniform (a polyester track suit for year-round use and a t-shirt and short pants for summer activities). Depending on the discipline level of any particular school, students may often wear different seasonal and activity uniforms within the same classroom during the day. Individual students may attempt to subvert the system of uniforms by wearing their uniforms incorrectly or by adding prohibited elements such as large loose socks or badges. Girls may shorten their skirts; boys may wear trousers about the hips, omit ties, or keep their shirts unbuttoned.
Since some schools do not have sex-segregated changing- or locker-rooms, students may change for sporting activities in their classrooms. As a result, such students may wear their sports uniforms under their classroom uniforms. Certain schools also regulate student hairstyles, footwear, and book bags; but these particular rules are usually adhered to only on special occasions, such as trimester opening and closing ceremonies and school photo days.
The gakuran (学ラン) or the tsume-eri (詰め襟) are the uniforms for many middle school and high school boys in Japan. The color is normally black, but some schools use navy and dark blue as well.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** The top has a standing collar buttoning down from top-to-bottom. Buttons are usually decorated with the school emblem to show respect to the school. Pants are straight leg and a black or dark-colored belt is worn with them. Boys usually wear penny loafers or sneakers with this uniform. Some schools may require the students to wear collar-pins representing the school and/or class rank.
The second button of the top of a male's uniform is often given away to a female he is in love with, and is considered a way of confession. The second button is the one closest to the heart and is said to contain the emotions from all three years attendance at the school.
Traditionally, the gakuran is also worn along with a matching (usually black) student cap, although this custom is less common in modern times.
The sailor outfit (セーラー服, sērā-fuku) is a common style of uniform worn by female middle school and high school students, and occasionally, elementary school students.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Much like the male uniform, the gakuran, the sailor outfit bears a similarity to various military styled naval uniforms. The uniform generally consists of a blouse attached with a sailor-style collar and a pleated skirt. There are seasonal variations for summer and winter: sleeve length and fabric are adjusted accordingly. A ribbon is tied in the front and laced through a loop attached to the blouse. Several variations on the ribbon include neckties, bolo ties, neckerchiefs, and bows. Common colors are navy blue, white, grey, light green and black.
Shoes, socks, and other accessories are sometimes included as part of the uniform. These socks are typically navy or white. The shoes are typically brown or black penny loafers. Although not part of the prescribed uniform, alternate forms of legwear (such as loose socks, knee-length stockings, or similar) are also commonly matched by more fashionable girls with their sailor outfits.
 ** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** 
Bunkasai ~ Undoukai ~ Japanese School Festival
Probably the best time in a Japanese school year - School Festival!
The Japanese Cultural Festival (文化祭, bunkasai) (pronounced boon-ka-sai) is an annual event held by most schools in Japan, from junior high schools to universities at which their students display their everyday achievements. People who want to enter the school themselves or who are interested in the school may come to see what the schoolwork and atmosphere are like. Parents may also want to see what kind of work their children have been doing.
However, many people who visit the cultural festivals come just for fun. Food is served, and often classrooms or gymnasiums are transformed into temporary restaurants or cafés. Dances, concerts and plays may be performed by individual volunteers or by various school "clubs" such as the dance club, the orchestra club, the band club and the drama club.
The Cultural Festival is intended to be a fun event, but it is also the only opportunity each year for students to see what life is like in other schools. It is also intended to enrich people's lives by increasing social interaction.
The festival takes place over three days. The first day is the school only culture performance day, where any student with musical talent (but also comedic or martial arts talent) displays it before the school. On the second day every club and team do something - selling food, performances, games - it is like a true festival. The students run the school, decorate it any way they wish, and plan everything. Students from other schools, parents, old staff members, local people alumni, all come to enjoy the day. The third day is the sports festival.
Bunkasai has to be the best day of high school for students. So much time and effort goes into the bunkasai, and the results are phenomenal. Each homeroom is responsible for something. All the third year homerooms make food booths and each booth has a different theme. The students all wear matching t-shirts as well. The second and first years do a class project- it can be some type of artwork, something to show, or a game that other students can play throughout the day. All the school clubs perform or have an activity as well (including English club!). As well as having the whole school involved, people from the neighborhood come, and old students that graduated the previous years.
Health and Sports Day or Sports Day (undoukai) is a national holiday in Japan held annually on the second Monday of October. It was established to commemorate the opening of the 1964 Summer Olympics Games being held in Tokyo (October 10-24). It’s a day to promote physical and mental health of the people through the enjoyment of sports and one of the best opportunities in Japan to see children and their families up close. Usually the parents, grandparents and many people from the neighbourhoods go along to watch and enjoy a community experience.
Many sports events and fun games are held on this day. The first thing after the official opening speeches is a warm up. This is usually rajio-taisou. Radio taisō (also known as rajio taisō, radio physical exercises; Japanese: ラジオ体操) refers to the warm-up exercises popular in Japan, along with the music broadcast on public NHKradio early in the morning. Everyone in the school will stretch and bounce in time to a count of 1, 2, 3, 4 a bit to work out the kinks. There is generally some kind of dance performance by the children. They may perform local dances, folk dances, or ones they've made up especially for the day. The students will practice for all of their events for weeks beforehand. A good deal of class time is put into putting on a good performance. Smaller children may do events like tama-ire (trying to get as many beanbags into a basket as possible within a given time), tug-of-war, human pyramids, team jump-rope, and even small scale battles where the children ride on each other and attempt to push their opponents to the ground. The most looked forward to events are the relay races, the biggest one of which is often left as the last event. For older students, sports day typically consist of a range of physical events ranging from more traditional track-and-field events such as the 100 metres , 200m running, 4 x 100 metres relay match, rope pulling (tsunahiki), and a lot of recreation games competing two or three groups. as the tug of war and the mock cavalry battle (kibasen,) and a lot of recreation games competing two or three groups,the reversible red and white caps which allow pupils to play for either side. As the autumn weather is particularly conducive to sport, a number of other national and regional contests are held at this time. The winning team is decided based on the efforts of the team as a whole. Individuals are not specifically identified.
The students compete in classes or teams and the winning group is announced at the end of all the events. The principal will then present the winners with a trophy and/or certificate.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** 
"windsurfing" - A boy runs across the backs of his teammates, who in turn keep running to the front of the line to continue the "wave" for as long as possible. Needless to say, these games are just not played back home!
Lunch is a traditional handmade bento (lunchbox) and the children eat with their relatives on a picnic blanket.
ijime いじめ ~ bullying Although translated as "bullying," ijime is really collective bullying and may include everything from name-calling to extortion or physical violence. What constitutes bullying is interesting in that it covers a wide range of behaviors. These include verbal threats, ridicule and/or name calling, hiding property, shunning by the group, "silent treatment" by the group, meddling, physical violence and coercion to obtain money. Usually an individual student is targeted relating to his or her appearance, behavior or some other aspect of their personality. For girls, the targets are generally dress and hairstyle-related.
An ijimekko is a child who bullies other children. An ijimerarekko, on the other hand, is a child who is the victim of bullies.
the following 3 spoilers are tragic cases of ijime. 
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Japan News: Ijime (bullying) problem
The bullying(Ijime) in Japan is a serious social problem.
Victims of the bullying commit suicide, unfortunately this tragedy often happens in Japan.
*******************************************************************************
Parents want school to further investigate suicide of bullied daughter
2009/1/19
SAITAMA, Japan:
The parents of a junior high school student who killed herself here in October are demanding her school conduct a further investigation to determine if online bullying led to the suicide.
The school has acknowledged that bullying did take place, but officials said they believe the matter had been resolved months before the 14-year-old's death.
However, the Saitama city board of education said in a statement Monday, "We cannot say that the suicide has no relation with the bullying."
The parents had initially blamed themselves and wanted to keep the suicide a secret. But they later found a suicide note in their daughter's room that said, "I will certainly take revenge on those who wrote such things on the prof."
Two of her third-year classmates used her prof, a short-form for "profile" on social networking sites on mobile phones, to write insulting messages after she entered the junior high school in late June last year.
In early July, the girl sobbed to her parents about messages, including, "If we succeed, she will stop coming to the school," "She is horrible," and "I don't want to enter the same swimming pool with her."
The next day, the parents reported the messages to the school.
A few days later, the two female classmates who admitted to writing the messages, as well as the homeroom teacher, visited the girl's house to apologize.
After the summer vacation, the girl returned to the school, but she often complained, "I don't like that class," and "Recently, I cannot sleep (well)," according to her parents.
On the morning of Oct. 10, the parents found the girl's body hanging in her room. The previous night, her father had scolded her about her poor performance at a cram school.
The parents blamed themselves, but asked the school not to tell her classmates that she committed suicide.
About two weeks later, the undated suicide note was found in a drawer, saying: "I'm sorry. I am tired of living."
She also wrote that she hated junior high school and mentioned the name of one of the online bullies when she vowed revenge.
"When we read her suicide note, we realized that she had been in such serious agony," the parents said in a statement. "Unless we reveal every fact, a similar case will take place again."
The school interviewed students but did not tell them about the suicide.
The school's principal told the parents that it was unable to confirm that bullying by the two classmates or others had continued after the apology in July.
The school also said it kept the suicide secret because of the parents' initial request.
"If we told the students that her death was the result of a suicide, we could cause uneasiness among them," the principal said.
An education ministry survey in fiscal 2007 found about 5,900 cases of online bullying by students, up by about 21 percent from the previous year. But the figures are only for cases confirmed by adults.(IHT/Asahi: January 19,2009)
from Asahi Shinbun ** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Sunday, June 07, 2009
Stop ijime
It happens so many times in Japan; an elementary school kid, a middle school boy, or a high school girl — is driven to suicide by ijime. At some point, every kid has been teased by a classmate or a friend. Teasing is usually harmless when done in a friendly and mutual way. But when it becomes hurtful and incessant, the teasing crosses the line into bullying.
Taro, a teenage boy who attended my anti-bullying seminar with his mother the other day, described his middle school years in harrowing terms. Going to baseball club practices meant sure torment from a group of senior students and the coach — being hit on the head, slapped in the face, and called "faggot."
The other club members, several teachers and even the principal witnessed the bullying, but they all turned a blind eye. Their demeanor just permeated the whole school. "There was the idea that somehow toughness is equated with cruelty," said Taro. "That's the way it was, not only at the baseball club, but elsewhere." The bullying extended beyond the schoolyard. On their way home from school, the same students kicked Taro, spat in his face, and even extorted money from him. They also cyberbullied him.
Unbeknownst to his mother, Taro had suffered a long period of crushing harassment. The cumulative effect of the harassment eroded his self-esteem and even prompted suicidal thoughts. "On several occasions, I thought about attacking my tormentors with a baseball bat and killing myself," Taro tearfully said. Like many ijime victims, he fell into a deep depression and finally dropped out of school. Even today, he still harbors resentment against his perpetrators and the bystanders.
In fall 2006, the suicide of middle school students who were victims of ijime was one of the top news stories in Japan. The media were flooded with images of principals and board of education officials kowtowing to apologize for their insufficient response to bullying.
I thought those high-profile incidents would have pushed educators to found firm anti-bullying programs in schools around the nation. But things haven't significantly changed since. Many helpless victims of ijime continue to commit suicide. Even when the victims mention bullying in their suicide notes, teachers and principals usually try to deny it.
Bullying creates a climate of fear and insecurity, affecting whole schools and communities. Those who fail to recognize and stop bullying behavior as it occurs actually promote violence. It is a complex problem that cannot be solved once and for all. Therefore, I believe schools must make a constant effort to defy any tendencies toward bullying. This can be achieved by having an effective anti-bullying program as a standard component of the school philosophy.
When educators teach children respect for others by insisting on civility in their schools or institutions, they are not only preventing bullying, but also laying a foundation for human kindness in the world of adulthood to come.
By Joel Assogba Shukan ST: June 5, 2009 (Published in Japan Times ST)
# posted by Joel @ 11:09 PM ** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Bullying in Japanese Schools
April 22nd, 2006 by James
Yesterday, a ’shocking’ news story was reported by Mainichi. A 13-year-old junior high school student in Miyagi Prefecture committed suicide because he was being bullied at school:
Bullied junior high school student hangs self after becoming ‘tired of living’
MIYAZAKI — A 13-year-old junior high school student hanged himself in a cowshed next to his home after telling his relatives that he had been bullied at school, it has emerged.
The second-year student committed suicide after taking part in the new term ceremony at Higashikata Junior High School in Kobayashi, Miyazaki Prefecture, on April 5.
He came home from school after 12 noon, and his grandmother found him hanged shortly after 5 p.m. His suicide note said “I’m tired of living. I’m sorry.”
The student was a member of the school’s kendo club. On the night of April 4, he told his relatives that he wanted to quit the club because practice was too tough, and that relationships with other club members were troubled.
Officials of the junior high school questioned the teacher who was in charge of the first-year class to which the boy belonged. The school principal said the student probably hadn’t told anyone at school about being bullied. (Mainichi)
April 22, 2006
The student probably hadn’t told any teachers about being bullied. But even if he had, the teachers probably wouldn’t have given serious punishments to the students involved. Based on what I have seen on Japanese news programs and my own personal experiences as a junior high/elementary teacher in Japan, it would seem that bullying is a serious problem in Japanese schools. It would also seem that most bullying is passively encouraged by teachers intentionally ignore bullying and fail to discipline bullies.
As a foreign privately-contracted English teacher at Japanese public schools, I am not allowed to discipline the Japanese students. Most of my classes are taught alongside a Japanese English Teacher, who is allowed to discipline students. Almost every case of bullying I have witnessed in class, from verbal abuse (”shut up”, “ugly”, “drop dead”, etc.) to outright physical violence, was clearly visible to the Japanese teachers present, who did nothing.
Maybe my horrible western cultural relavitism makes me wrongly believe that students should be punished for bullying other students. Maybe the fact that I was born in America, where there are harsh punishments(suspension, expulsion, detention, etc) for physical violence and harsh verbal bullying, makes me unjustly judge the Japanese education system. Or maybe I have at the unique experience of teaching at 3 Japanese schools that have irregularly high levels of bullying and apathetic teachers. I really hope so.
forum&blog with further discussion on issue:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/bbs/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=448517
http://www.gaijinsmash.net/archives/bullying.phtml
Sensei ~ Teacher Japanese teachers are respected members of the community and are respected within the schools; they are seen as also as mentor, counselor and sports coach.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Teachers are held with a high degree of respect, being addressed with the honorific "sensei", a title which of all other professions only doctors and politicians also share. They are expected to be "better people" than the average person, adhering to higher codes of conduct and excelling beyond the standard in their respective fields. As education is considered the cornerstone of success in Japanese society, a teacher's role is considered to be one of the main deciding factors in the future of a student; and they are treated accordingly. Teachers often receive gifts from their students' parents as gratitude and as tacit requests to take special care in their child's education. As elevated members of society, they command immediate respect even outside of a classroom and are always addressed with the polite "keigo" language that is reserved only for superiors and elders although a teacher may be much younger than the parents to whom she/he is talking to. There is almost complete trust in a teacher's words and directives by students and parents alike; if a teacher recommends a specific university or vocation, students will usually choose it in difference to their own wishes; if a teacher recommends extra study or practice after school or on weekends, then the parents will arrange to have the child at school during those times, complete with extra lunches and supplies.
Conversely, the responsibilities of a teacher are also great: not only are they required to prepare the students academically, but they are also charged with developing a students' sense of ethics, watching their physical health, counselling, nurturing character growth and their ability to work with others, and making sure they stay out of trouble, both during and out of school times. To this aim, teachers often give out their home numbers and are on call throughout the day and night. Often in case of emergencies, after family members, they are the next in line to be contacted. If a students is sick, the teacher will bring the child's homework to their door. If a student is suspended, the home room teacher will visit the student's house every day of the suspension to talk and counsel the student and speak with the parents. During entrance exam times, teachers will phone their students to make sure that no questions are unanswered and that they know the way to the examination hall. Some teachers, for clubs or practice examinations will come in on weekends and holidays for months on end to research universities or coach their students. Teachers are encouraged to become very close to their students and to know everything that is going on in their lives by conversing and developing friendships with them. It is believed that this communication and bonding are integral to providing the proper learning environment and to head off potential problems in a students life. This commitment by teachers and the trust that society gives them are extremely important to classroom dynamics.
With the acknowledgement that the teacher is the class leader, students give the teacher the mandate to carry out lessons and to direct group-building activities like class projects and cooperative events with little disruption and rebelliousness. Moreover, the tight bond that exists between students and teachers aids to the teacher's credibility both in and out of the classroom, providing receptive listeners who trust the teacher's advice when dealing with problems.
With method-based problem solving and memory based subjects such as math and science, the lecture style teaching method is very efficient. The teacher focuses his/her efforts on covering as much material as they can while not having to worry about classroom disruptions. With every student aware and more importantly, sympathetic to the detrimental consequences of interruptions and poor performance, discipline becomes quite natural in the classroom.
Lessons are set up in standard formats with little variation (presentation, example, practice & homework) between subjects. The burden is on the students to assimilate the information and become used to the rhythm of note-taking and memorization. In the course of a few years, Japanese students are able in this way to cover much material and are equipped to solve much more complex problems by the time they graduate than many of their counterparts in other countries.
Teachers are well paid and get various types of perks, including a bonus paid in three installments which is worth about five month's salary. They also receive health and retirement benefits. Teaching is a popular career choice; there are five or six applicants for every single position.
 
|
|
Member
3856 cr points
Send Message: 16 / F / anime world, Dram...
Offline
|
thanks for the great info!
|
|
Moderator
33979 cr points
Send Message: 19 / F / Phantoma, Cyberia...
Offline
|
I love the sera-fuku pics ^^ heeheehee ~~! And I had no idea the teachers went threw so much work to make sure all of their students go on to the right schools and all that !! sugoi ! visits on weekends on holidays and phone calls to make sure there are no questions~
And 12 hour days with class, club activities and cram school not including homework !!! >.< everyones really doing their best !!!
thats sad about the ijjime tho >.<
Im gona read the 40 fun faqs nx =P
|
|
Member
977 cr points
Send Message: 20 / F / Romania
Offline
|
Here's what I promised
Bunraku
Bunraku (文楽), also known as Ningyō jōruri (人形浄瑠璃), is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka in 1684.
HISTORY
Originally, the term "Bunraku" referred only to the particular theater established in 1872 in Osaka, which was named the Bunrakuza after the puppeteering ensemble of Uemura Bunrakuken(植村文楽軒), an early 19th century puppeteer on Awaji, whose efforts revived the flagging fortunes of the traditional puppet theater in the 19th century.
The later prominence of the National Bunraku Theater of Japan, which is a descendant of the theater founded by Bunrakken, popularized the name "Bunraku" in the 20th century to the point that many Japanese now use the term to refer generically to any traditional puppet theater in Japan.
However, almost all of the traditional puppet troupes currently in existence outside Osaka were founded and named long before the appearance of Uemura Bunrakukken and his theater, so they generally do not use the word to describe themselves. Exceptions are the few troupes that were organized by puppeteers from the Bunraku-za or its successors who left Osaka to found theaters in the provinces
ELEMENTS OF FORM
Bunraku puppets
Bunraku puppets range in size from two-and-a-half to four feet tall or more, depending on the age and gender of the character and the conventions of the specific puppet troupe. The puppets of the Osaka tradition tend to be somewhat smaller overall, while the puppets in the Awaji tradition are some of the largest as productions in that region tend to be held outdoors.
The heads and hands of traditional puppets are carved by specialists, while the bodies and costumes are often constructed by puppeteers. The heads can be quite sophisticated mechanically. In plays with supernatural themes, a puppet may be constructed so that its face can quickly transform into that of a demon. Less complex heads may have eyes that move up and down, side to side or close, and noses, mouths, and eyebrows that move.
Controls for all movements of parts of the head are located on a handle that extends down from the neck of the puppet and are reached by the main puppeteer inserting his or her left hand into the chest of the puppet through a hole in the back of the torso.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caBfryYWaM0&feature=related translated in English
TYPES OF HEADS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1119A2RZXA
Male heads
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** 
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** 
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** 
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** The main puppeteer, the omozukai, uses his or her right hand to control the right hand of the puppet.
The left puppeteer, known as the hidarizukai or sashizukai, depending of the tradition of the troupe, manipulates the left hand of the puppet with his or her own right hand by means of a control rod that extends back from the elbow of the puppet.
A third puppeteer, the ashizukai, operates the feet and legs.
Puppeteers begin their training by operating the feet, then move onto the left hand, before being able to train as the main puppeteer. This process can take 30 years to progress.
All but the most minor characters require three puppeteers, who perform in full view of the audience, generally wearing black robes. In some traditions, all puppeteers also wear blacks hoods over their heads, while others, including the National Bunraku Theater, leave the main puppeteer unhooded, a style of performance known as dezukai. The shape of the puppeteers’ hoods also varies, depending on the school to which the puppeteer belongs. 
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Usually a single chanter recites all the characters' parts, altering his pitch in order to switch between various characters. However, sometimes multiple chanters are used. The chanters sit next to the shamisen player on a revolving platform, and from time to time, the platform turns, bringing replacement musicians for the next scene. Early in his career, a chanter forms a partnership with a single shamisen player. After that point, these performers will always perform, practice, and even live together. Such a partnership is for life: the death or retirement of one performers forces the retirement of his partner  
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** The shamisen used in bunraku has a sound which is different from other shamisen. It is lower in pitch, and has a fuller tone.
Bunraku shares many themes with kabuki. In fact, many plays were adapted for performance both by actors in kabuki and by puppet troupes in bunraku. Bunraku is particularly noted for lovers' suicide plays. The story of the forty-seven ronin is also famous in both bunraku and kabuki. Bunraku is an author's theater, as opposed to kabuki, which is a performer's theater. In bunraku, prior to the performance, the chanter holds up the text and bows before it, promising to follow it faithfully. In kabuki, actors insert puns on their names, ad-libs, references to contemporary happenings and other things which deviate from the script.
The most famous bunraku playwright was Chikamatsu Monzaemon. With more than 100 plays to his credit, he is sometimes called the Shakespeare of Japan.
Bunraku companies, performers, and puppet makers have been designated "Living National Treasures" under Japan's program for preserving its culture. 
Given that this year my country celebrates the “50 years of Friendship” Anniversary between Romania and Japan (more precisely the retake of diplomatic relations), a lot of events took place in Bucharest. So I decided to go to the last one – bunraku or puppet theatre. And I also took one of my friends whom I have already “poisoned” with my niponnmania
I love Japanese, being second only to English, so imagine my astonishment hearing and seeing a Japanese speaking Japanese. I know that isn’t much and not that important, but hearing the language being spoken by a native… I couldn’t stop smiling.
As soon as we entered the theatre, the staff (both Romanian and Japanese) was waiting for us, kindly welcoming us. I had tickets at the balcony for 2 reasons – money and because it was supertitled. I have to mention one important thing – although it’s rising, the interest in Japan’s culture is still rather small in my country. So, another shock was that all seats were occupied. I mean, this is odd, given that it wasn’t advertised much – actually I put some posters in my faculty and only after that I saw the official one at the Japanese Department. But well, it didn’t hurt – I actually saw some familiar faces at the theatre.
Here’s what happened at the theatre:
SHINNAI JORURI & HACHIOJI KURUMA NINGYO
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Shinnai is a style of narrative singing, or joruri that traces its origin to the early 1700s.
The first Tsuruga Wakasanojo began composing and performing narrative songs in the 1770s, and his style of music became widely popular through the exceptionally passionate performances of his apprentice Tsuruga Shinnai, whose name later became synonymous with the genre. The intensely emotional and often tragic stories of Shinnai repertoire captured the popular urban lifestyle of the capital city of Edo and the culture of the vibrant pleasure quarters.
Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo is a form of puppet theatre created by the first Koryu Nishikawa around the end of the Edo period. It is called Kuruma Ningyo because the puppeteer sits on a small seat with roller wheels (rokuro-kuruma) and operates the puppet (ningyo). This small seat, and the fact that only one person is needed to operate one puppet, distinguishes Kuruma Ningyo from Bunraku, in which three people are needed to operate each puppet. This one-to-one relationship allows great flexibility and realism as the puppet and the puppeteer move in unison. With such advantages of Kuruma Ningyo, the troupe of Nishikawa Koryu has been active in collaboration with other performance artists.
We had a speech from a Japanese official, something like “We welcome you and so on…”.
Then the SANBASO started. (15 minutes)
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Kotobuki Shiki Sanbaso 寿式三番叟. A celebratory dance piece of divinely-inspired puppetry that originated in masked Noh drama, the Sanbaso is meant to who purify the theater and scatter good fortune on the audience with lively gestures that mimic the planting of rice and also suggest felicitous creatures like turtles and cranes. But the piece also includes comedy because even a puppet charged with the solemn task of blessing a venue sometimes gets tired and needs to cool off after a taxing turn on the stage. The Sanbaso opens every Bunraku performance. 
After this Nishikawa Koryu V- sensei came and held a speech about the structure of a ningyo (puppet), and about the puppeteers as writen above in History and Elements of Form.
He even made a small joke when he was presenting the onna ningyo, a puppet that can transform into a witch-like character (I can't put it well in words, something like when pulled a string its hair will stay up like a witch's.). So, he said never cross a woman, 'cause look what happens, that he fears women . He was nice - not about the comment, but trying to connect with the audience.
The second play was RAN'CHO or WAKAGI NO ADANAGUSA.
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** This is one of the 3 first masterpieces of the Shinnai. It's a typical Shinnai ballad. Ran'cho is the first play of Tsuruga Wakasanojo-san.
It's about a love triangle, with two main characters (you will understand this after reading the synopsis): Ran'cho, his wife - Omiya, and Ran'cho's lover - Konoito - a courtesan from the Yoshiwara district in Edo (Tokyo).
One day Omiya decides to go to Konoito to speak to her. She begs her to stop seeing her husband. Omiya starts a sad song about her marriage life, thus portraiting her feelings of love. She tells about how she wanted to marry for love and instead winded up in this love triangle.
Madly in love with Konoito, Ran'cho spends nights and days with her in Yoshiwara district, giving up both his wife and job. konoito being a courtesan, Ran'cho spends fortunes to attend to her. Once Ran'cho wastes all his fortune, Omiya finds herself obliged to work in a brothel so that she can pay daily expenses. To her dismay, Ran'cho keeps on spending the money on Konoito
Konoito is torn between her love and the duty to let him return to his family. Omiya feels that she must save her marriage, but at the same time watchs the two lovers with compassion.
In the last part of the play, Ran'cho surprinsigly finds out his wife's beliefs and feelings and starts to feel remorse. But he loves Konoito too much to give her up. In the end the two lovers commit suicide. 
The third play was YAJI KITA (although I think it has to be YAJI TO KITA)
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** Two of the most beloved characters of the Edo period, Yajirobei and Kitahachi, are two good-for-nothing men who leave from the capital city Edo to Kyoto in an unforseen journey. Their amusing wandering are a series of books written by Jippensha Ikku between 1802-1809. The play starts with them on the road. And the naughty Yajirobei makes fun of scaredy-cat Kitahachi who is afraid of the haunted forest: he dresses up as the spirit of the sly fox and then he scares his friend. there was a dancing lion with some butterflies (which I like how they're called in Japanese - cho )
** Spoiler Alert!!! click to hide or show** The Lion Dance, a piece performed throughout East Asia in a variety of forms. The lively and engaging Lion Dance brings good fortune to the audience--a lion bite on the head will confer intelligence on children and good health for the coming year. But the lion himself is not always so fortunate. His slumber is often disturbed by delicate but pesky visitors.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0uJT2PFMJk
And because it was an anniversary, they had to relate it to Romania.
They inserted Romanian lines in their plays. It was funny and nice to hear them speak Romanian.
And after the plays were over, they added a Romanian-like bunraku dance.
It is called The "Ciuleandra" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W395ryBuqg) It felt very good to see a bunraku ningyo dressed up in a traditional Romanian attire, and dancing to a traditional song. The whole room burst in applause and they had to come back on the stage for like 5 times.... I mean we coldn't stop apllauding, that's how much we liked it.
|
|
Moderator
9985 cr points
Send Message: 39 / M / charlotte, north...
Offline
|
wow!! brising-chan!! that's great u had the opportunity 2 catch this!!
i would have loved 2 c this!!
thanx 4 takin the time 2 educate us on Bunraku!!
did u get 2 c one of those dolls up close??
sounds like it takes alot of skill 2 make 1!! da face turning into a demon!?! waa!!
that's funny bout da 'onna ningyo'!!
& that's wild it takes 3 puppeteers 2 work 1 doll!!
i can imagine lot of skill & harmony goin on there!! 30 years 2 work your way up!! man!!
that's cool it was a packed house!!
arigatou brising-chan!!
ENCORE! ENCORE!! ENCORE!!! ENCORE!!! ENCORE!!!!!
|
Post Reply
Favorite
Japanese Holidays & Culture II 
