Posts Tagged ‘spring’

sakura1

Sakura Saku: A Poetic Tradition in Japan

In Japan, the new school year begins in April, and March is a crucial time for students awaiting college entrance exam results. Before the internet and widespread telephones, a special telegram service was used to notify students who lived far from exam centers. What made this service unique was its poetic wording. Successful students received […]

sakura1

Cherry Blossoms

In Japan, the new school year starts in April. In March, students would know the result of their college entrance exam. In olden days, when there was no internet nor telephones, there was a service of telegramming the entrance exam result to applicants who lived farther away. The accepted ones would receive a telegram that […]

sakura

Sakura Sencha

Cherry blossom is sakura in Japanese. In kanji, it is written as 桜. This is the simplified version of the kanji, and the traditional kanji was櫻. In this original version, the left side 木, is a tree, and the upper right is two 貝, which is sea shell. The right bottom 女 is a woman. […]

sakura sencha

Perfect Season to Enjoy Sakura Sencha

Japanese love sakura, or cherry blossoms. In early spring, a cherry blossom front (going from south to north as the temperature goes up) makes big news on TV, just like a weather forecast. People look forward to their blooming, cherish them in their peak, and grieve when they are gone. In the early Heian period, […]

Hinamatsuri dolls, organic tea

Hinamatsuri

Hinamatsuri is a traditional celebratory day on Saturday, March 3rd in Japan. It is a day to celebrate the girls of a Japanese family. Hinamatsuri is celebrated with two small dolls, usually in a sitting position adorning traditional Japanese garments. Hinamatsuri dolls are to be set out a few days before March 3rd, but should […]