Cherry Blossom Viewing Party (Hanami 花見)

If you can't see the video, go here: http://youtu.be/xZzSoYvbz38 

Sakura, or cherry blossom, is one of the most iconic images of Japan. It's such a big part of their culture that they have parties about it like we westerners celebrate New Years. Why is it such a big deal?

• Its beautiful: Just look at it. Petals of soft, creamy pink are just so lovely and rarely seen in nature. So why not celebrate it? It's beauty is emphasized even more by the fact that its appearance is fleeting. The Sakura blooms for a week or two in spring and then its gone....Just dust in the wind, dude. Dust. Wind. Dude.

• It's mysterious: Old folklore tells of how the Japanese version of Romeo and Juliet died and were buried under a white blossom tree, but the tree took up their blood and became a pink color. Is this strange vampire plant really the origin of the beloved blossom or is it just the romantic tale that pulls at people's hearts? Because a lot of people would have had to die with seeds to make all these cherry blossoms.

• It's Japanese: If there is one thing that is guaranteed to make a Japanese person like something, then its it being Japanese. Seriously. Japan is one of the few countries where imported food is cheaper because Japanese will pay more for their own products. The Japanese have certainly made the Sakura their national symbol. No where else will you find so many cherry blossoms and they will tell you that at any given opportunity.

The Party

When the Sakura comes out people flock to every park, river and locale to have their Hanami. 'Hana' means "flower" and 'mi' is "look" so it is a flower viewing party. Essentially it is a picnic. And a great excuse to get drunk. Friends and families, students and teachers, workmates and companies, they will all arrange a Hanami and enjoy eating and drinking under the pink blossom. A common sight there is the blue plastic mat. People reserve their spot hours, perhaps days in advance by putting down their blue sheet for their party. Often junior members of companies, or whatever group, are chosen to do this because no one likes waiting around for so long and they are at their bosses' mercy. When it finally comes though, its a lot of fun and not quiet at all. In fact, you have to wonder if people are looking at the flowers because so much attention is paid to the food preparation, so much drink is had and often there is live music or music playing through a tannoy. It's a full on party. I mean, party on, dudes.

Of course, such activity is dependent on the weather, and it is notoriously unpredictable this time of year, especially lately. So many people have eyes on the weather reports, which also offer a forecast of expected dates for the cherry blossoms to bloom in different regions of Japan. It begins in the west of Japan (Fukuoka, Hiroshima) around the end of March, early April, and then the wave of pink moves across the country, hitting the far north of Hokkaido in May. Here in Sendai we get the cherry blossoms in the middle of April and so the Sakura Panda Tea Time crew headed out to our local park to join in the festivities.

It's a great tradition, one that people fight to take part in around work or school commitments. It's also a great bonding experience for friends, as who doesn't love a party or a picnic or nature... Or pink?! Or bananas? I can't guarantee bananas, but sometimes..... 

Chinese New Year: How to Make Gyoza (dumplings)!

If you can't see the video, then please go here: http://youtu.be/-ev-gmaOKxk

I know normally we are focussed on Japan, but we can't miss talking about an important event to Chinese people. In today's blog we'll talk about the Chinese New Year ! The Chinese New Year is different from the western calendar ! The date of the Chinese new year may occur anywhere form January 21st to February 21st, as it falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. New year is important, but the happiest day is the new year 's eve ! Chinese make long preparations for the new year: shopping, cleaning house etc.

There's a lot of traditional things we must remember : 

• Must have a total bath before the new year 

Because the new year is new start everything must be new, fresh body, new clothes, new age! And as tradition goes, bathing in any form on the day of Chinese New Year is considered bad luck because one would be washing away the good luck that has been bestowed and whisked upon them for the new year.

• Can't cut your hair during the new year until next month (if you have maternal uncle )

Haircuts are received before the new year begins since it is thought cutting hair during the first lunar month of the year places a curse on maternal uncles. Therefore, people get a haircut before the New Year's Eve.

• All doors and windows must be open and all light must be turn on New Year's Eve 

Open the doors and windows is to allow the old year to escape. Turn on the lights just for allow the good luck of the new year to enter.

• Setting  off firecrackers on New Year's Eve 

Do that is scares away evil spirits while sending out the old year and welcoming the new one.

• Knives and scissors forbidden 

Knives and scissors may not be used because they may cut off fortune.

• Wear red (avoid clothes in black and white )

Celebrants wear red to scare away evil spirits and bad fortune and ensure a bright future.

There you go! I hope you had a happy Chinese New Year and that you can celebrate it properly from now on. Check out our video for full details on how to cook real Chinese dumplings; gyoza (in Japanese)! There is even a vegetarian option, since Matt is vegetarian too!

Have you ever had gyoza before? Do you prefer them fried or boiled? Please let us know too if you try to cook them and how they turn out!  

New Year Shopping Sales and Lucky Bags

If you cannot see the video, please go here: http://youtu.be/gh5ZuY3J484

Here we are, the new year! 13 may be unlucky for some, but only if you are religious, so why waste your time when you can pick up one of Japan's special Lucky bags! 

Yes, Japan is no stranger to shopping sales, and on 2nd January, they have a special deal, nation-wide, that should appeal to anyone with a nose for a bargain or a wallet full of cash. That is, if anyone has any money after all the spending done for Christmas.

Basically, what happens is this: for one day only just about every shop will have a selection of mystery bags for a fixed price. Many shops will have different ranges to suit the spender. You don't get to see what is inside the bag, but the general rule is that the value of the goods inside exceeds the price you pay. So, it's a good idea to head to your favorite shop early and grab a bag... or two! You'll probably get some things you don't want or like, but you're almost bound to get something interesting. It's a great way for shops to get rid of stock and it entices customers new and old. Who can resist the lure of the mystery box. There could be anything in there. It could be a boat. You know how we've always wanted one of those! 

Every store from the local cafe and fast food joint, to the electronics store offer one of these bags. The cafe may have special cups, boxes and snacks, but if you go to say, the Apple store, you could get an iPad and some accessories for about half price! 

Last year, we went late and we wandered around a few shops, but we picked a bag from our favorite variety shop, Village Vanguard, which sells a range of anime, movie, and alternative gadgets and cool house knick knacks. We got quite a good deal. We had a 50s noir cushion, a lamp that can clamp onto and surface and a host of other things for 3000円(24 GBP, 30 USD). This year we had a quick look around and picked up a bag from Natalie's favourite household store and Village Vanguard again. However, we also discovered a H&M had opened in Sendai and so we had a look around. It didn't have a lucky bag, but it did have incredible discounts. We bought a few things there too. It was as busy as previous years and I really don't like crowds! The bargains are worth it though.

When we got home we checked the bags and got a good hoard of gear. Some fun toys and useful items you can see in our video. As far as we know, this is unique to Japan. It's great idea though and I hope other countries adopt it. Some of the discounts are unbelievable. Just watch the video to see how impressed our cat is, even!

And then we'll see you next time. That's it for special holidays. We're going to move on to more everyday topics for our next blog entry and video. If you have any suggestions for topics or something you would like us to talk about please leave a comment below and if we can, we'll do it! But not live on camera because that's gross. And our parents would be upset.

New Year's Day in Japan

If you can't see the video, go here: http://youtu.be/v8XPQo4xESA

How are you doing there? I'm glad to see you survived Christmas. If it isn't the trials of present shopping or the overstuffed belly of turkey, turkey and more turkey, there's always some dangers around the holidays, but those who survive get to celebrate the coming of New Year's day. It's a hallowed time when cheers are cheered, beer is beered and boopily mcscooby doo. Yeah, that kinda got away from me there.

2013 then, the year that "no one" thought would happen!

New Year can be split into two parts. The night before and the morning hangover, I mean, morning after. It's a lot like that here but with a little more emphasis on the new year itself rather than the countdown.

The night before, people will go out drinking, if they are old enough. Everyone else likely stays at home and watches the TV. Every year they have a grand music show with all the country's top music acts and some foreign ones too (sometimes) and they play all their best songs. Kōhaku Uta Gassen it's called. Then at midnight, live from famous local and national temples and shrines, there is the ringing of the bells. The bells chime 108 times for the New Year to cancel out the 108 evils of the human soul, and then one more time to usher in the New Year on it's first second. Many people stay up to watch this and it's the equivalent of the ball dropping or the countdown in London. Though it is more traditional, as can be expected of such a country. The practice seems to be on the way out though. Many local residents near the temples have complained that they are trying to sleep at this time and so many places aren't allowed to ring the bells anymore! No respect!

While back out at the bars, people stagger into the streets and cheer in the New Year like any other country. Here in Sendai, they have the christmas illuminations we showed you in the previous video. As the clock counts down, they flash. Then turn off for a full second and then back on again precisely at midnight. This is accompanied by hundreds of car horns and people cheering "Akemashite Omedetou gozaimasu!" which basically means "Happy New Year!" So it's not that different.

The main difference is in the morning. On New Year's day everyone traditionally goes home, and they get together with family. The older members of the family give money to their grandchildren in a special envelope, but it's also traditional for the parents to take it and say "I'll look after that for you". And the parents look after it so well that the children never ever see it again.

Sometime during New Year's everyone eats soba (buckwheat) noodles as they are supposed to symbolise longevity. So it's a wish for good health. It tastes ok, but it's a bit boring for a meal and I'm hungry again right after.

The main activity, though, is that everyone goes to a temple to make a wish for a happy new year. This sounds simple, but when you consider that everyone is doing this you soon discover you have to wait in a very long queue to throw money in a bucket, ring the big bell and clap three times before you make your wish. People queue for hours. So long that there are festival and snacks stalls that open up along the line and they sell their goods and food to people waiting. So, people like to get up early to try and get to the front of the queue. They also pick up a fortune on the way out. You pay a small fee to the temple and they give you a fortune on a piece of paper. It's like the fortune in a Chinese fortune cookie but it is more detailed, covering different aspects of your life. I've had at least three of these but I don't think they have ever come true. Some places will do an English one for you, but these are usually only the popular tourist destinations. Whether the fortune is good or bad, they usually take them to a fence or a tree and they tie them into a knot. This is supposed to bind the future it predicts, and stop it affecting your life, but people seem to do it with not only bad ones, but good ones too. I like to keep mine. There are also different types of fortunes. You can shake a box with sticks in and then pull one out. A mark on the stick corresponds to a fortune the clerk has and they give it to you.

Finally, there is one more thing they might do. At the temple, they can leave a message on a special wooden board and hang it up at the temple so that it may come true. Some people go all out with this, and it is not out of the ordinary to see some awesome manga drawings on these boards. They can also buy lucky charms to help it come true and these are specially made for different needs. They have everything from 'good health' to 'good exam results'.

So that's it for the day itself, but soon come the New Year's sales, which are a little special in Japan. That's for the next blog entry. In the meantime, check out our video and if you have any questions or comments, or there is anything you want us to cover in a future blog, please let us know.

Sendai Starlight Pageant and Santa Parade

If you can't see the video, go here: http://youtu.be/YQXUKAzbmng

Christmas is here, and although we have started this project a little too late to blog about our preparations for the holiday season here in Japan that doesn't mean we can't show you the celebrations. Starting today with Sendai city's Starlight Pageant and Santa Parade!

Christmas in Japan is a strange thing. As soon as Halloween is over, the shops start filling up with christmas goodies and decorations appear on the streets. It's actually really funny because a lot of the decorations openly acknowledge that Santa is fake (sorry kids) by showing the real dark hair of the character poking out from under the beard or hat. Take a look at this Buddha dressed up as Santa for a start.

They have a lot of build up with adverts and shop promotions, present buying and well... practically everything we have in the west, bar the Christmas songs. They have them, but it's like everyone has the same CD and they only play those few songs everywhere.

However, where the differences appear is in their festivals and in the day itself. Christmas Eve is the big day here. It's seen as another Valentine's Day (but more on that tomorrow). So on Christmas day itself, nothing happens. Nothing at all. Well, maybe some people take down decorations.

Anyway, back to tonight. The illuminations are along Jozenji-dori, in Sendai, all through December, with the final flash calling in the new year. For this night, the show starts at 5.30 pm. The street is dark and people gather all along waiting for the moment when the lights flash on. It is actually incredible to behold. If you watch our video, you'll see that after the lights turn on the background looks like a green screen image, it's so unreal, but I swear it is true. Thousands of fairy lights wrap the trees and everyone cries out with a massive "oooh!" when they turn on. It's such an impressive moment that they stop the parade two times and repeat it.

For the rest of the night it feels like we are walking through a brightly lit cave. So I guess you could call it Santa's grotto. Y'know, if you were really lame or something... *ahem!* One the pavement (sidewalks), people rush to find a good position to watch the parade, but in the middle path, in the centre of the road, couples and families stroll holding hands, and occasionally pausing to take photos.

Then the road is blocked off to traffic. The performers line up. The parade begins. Christmas music blares out from the many Santa's playing instruments, while cheerleaders and dancing groups weave their way in entrancing patterns down the street. It's a lot of fun to watch. There's usually a fat old Santa giving out presents and even drivers of floats and cars have Santa, elf and yay sometimes even Rudolph hats and masks on. So we get a good laugh.

After an hour or so, after a couple of restarts, the parade stops for good. There is a break while the separate performing groups find a spot to set up. Then instead of them doing the walking (lazy smeggers), we have to walk around and look at them! But I jest. It is good fun. The groups dance and sing to separate songs. There's food stalls open selling drinks and snacks, everything from fried chicken and squid to noodles and rice. There's also a beer tent, which you can see in the video, and this year they had a mini ice rink in there too.

Lots of people come from other cities to see the event so the nearest park is filled up with buses and you can all laugh as the visitors get off and form their little tourist groups where they follow the flag. The leader always has a little flag. So one day I want to run around tourist attractions with a fake flag and see how many people I can confuse. Mwuahahaha! 

So, that's it really. After the performances have finished, people mill about a bit and enjoy the illuminations some more and then wander home. This year it was snowing heavily for the first time and so we didn't linger long. Natalie especially doesn't like the cold so we rushed home for warmth!