White Day

It is often said that White Day was developed to balance out the one-sided practice of Valentine’s Day. Call me jaded but I say NO it was JUST business back in the day before the bubble burst! Playing on the Japanese tradition of ‘okaeshi’ (to return) and showing unique business acumen, the tradition of White Day was started by sweet makers to allow Japanese men the chance to ‘payback’ the woman they received Valentine’s Day chocolates from. According to the Official White Day site after two years of research and preparation with the slogan ‘An answer to love, White Day’, the day was launched.


Why White?
Prior to the official White Day another company tried to promote marshmallows to give out to your Valentine…called, you guessed it Marshmallow Day. It didn’t go over but the image lingered (white, soft & fluffy). White is the color of purity (and sugar!) so it was used later to evoke the image of ‘pure love’.

Since the first ‘White Days’ the gift giving has changed quite a bit. Sweets are still the majority but recently other ‘non-sweet’ gifts are also prevalent. Here are top five lists I came across for both categories. (I have no idea how the lists were decided.)


Sweets
1) Cheesecake
2) Strawberry Shortcake
3) Millie-feuille
4) Chiffon cake
5) Chocolate cake
(All of which except millie-feuille are available at my shop!!!)

Non-Sweets
1) Necklace
2) Ring
3) Handkerchief
4) Bouquet
5) Stuffed animal


The gifts given are supposed to be more expensive than the ones received…three times more to be precise. But I’m sure there wouldn’t be too much complaining if it was more. I am sure the LV and white roses would be #1 on most girls list!

This will be my last post for the Kyoto Travel Guide. I would like to thank them for asking me to write about Kyoto on topics I’m sure I would not have chosen myself…I learned a lot! I would also like to say ‘otuskaresama’ to my fellow bloggers Ondrej and Aliona, I learned a lot from them too!!! To anyone reading my posts I apologize for my somewhat limited information and sometimes tongue & cheek style of writing. If anyone enjoyed my posts I am happy!!! Anyone getting the opportunity to visit Kyoto please be sure to drop by my shop for sweets and tea…either traditional or otherwise!

Hatanaka Kyoto Cuisine & Maiko Evening

I was lucky enough the other evening to be invited to attend a dinner show at Gion Hatanaka, ‘an inn nestled in a quiet, secluded corner which is adjacent to Yasaka Shrine and Kodaiji Temple’. Having only limited experience in the flower & willow world it was an excellent opportunity for me to have another encounter.

Gion Hatanaka is a very lovely ryokan with the concept of ‘comfortable silence in the city’. Indeed walking through the gate and up the stone steps it is hard to imagine that you are just a couple of minutes away from the hustle and bustle of modern Gion. Here you can experience ‘omotenashi no kokoro’ (the heart of Japanese hospitality) in the refined atmosphere that Kyoto is famous for.


In the introduction the attendant explains what we will experience and gives a brief history of the ‘karyukai’ and explains some of the differences between the maiko (literally dancing child) and the geiko (literally art child). A maiko is an apprentice geiko learning the trade from the more experienced (and older!) woman. For a more detailed explanation see Ondrej’s blog .

As we were served a very nice traditional Japanese dinner the geiko and maiko would perform songs and dance for us. Between shows the performers wandered about the tables pouring drinks and chatting with the guests. An interpreter went around to assist but couldn’t be everywhere at once so it was fun for geiko and maiko and the non-Japanese speaking guests to try to communicate. Lots of smiles, hand gestures with broken English and Japanese. The evening’s guests were a mixture of non-Japanese and Japanese. Not only tourists from around Japan but also local people from Kyoto as well… the non-Japanese were from several different countries from Europe and North America. That night the non-Japanese outnumbered the Japanese.

We were then introduced to some of the parlor games that are played at the ‘ochaya’ (a Japanese teahouse). NOT like a teahouse where I do tea! These were quite funny to watch as both Japanese and non-Japanese tried to make sense of the rules. The loser had to drink a glass of beer. (Most of my friends would lose on purpose!) I don’t drink, so I had to win, I did and got a small gift from the geiko that invited me up.

There is a saying in Japanese, ‘a flower in both hands’…I bet it is easy to guess which are flowers!

For more information please checkout their HP.
(As my pictures are limited and cannot do justice to the event please visit their very nice flickr photostream that shows the evening from start to finish.)

My memories in Kyoto

I have lived in Kyoto for almost 1 year. I have had the time of my life here and have experienced a lot of things I will never forget. I felt very sorry to leave this marvellous city. In this article I would like to summarize my impressions about Kyoto.

First of all, I think Kyoto is one of the most convenient places to live in Japan (if not in the world). You are always surrounded by nature and can feel the full flavour of the change of the seasons. It is very easy to get around by bicycle, which saves a lot of money and helps to keep fit. Perhaps it is not necessary to mention that Kyoto is a cultural capital of Japan that has countless temples, shrines, museums and other cultural sites. Therefore those of you interested in culture would never get bored or stay idle in this city. Even though life in Kyoto is quiet like in countryside, there are some lively areas like Shijo, Teramachi or Kyoto station area, where you can go shopping or people watching. Or, if that is not enough, you can go to Osaka (which takes about 1 hour by train), which has busy nightlife and entertainment, anytime you like.

When I came to Kyoto, I tried to see all the famous sights as soon as possible. Although well-known temples and museums were a priority, I tried not to ignore small and infamous either. In fact, not popular historical places like shrines and temples let you enjoy the real atmosphere of Kyoto, unspoiled by numerous tourists.

I would advise that anyone who wants to see the real Kyoto, takes old narrow streets instead of large crowded ones and does not neglect small temples and shrines, which preserve the flavour of old times.


Even though I lived less than 1 year in Kyoto, I am often told that I managed to experience more than many of the Japanese do during their lifetime. I was studying calligraphy, kimono wearing and ikebana, visited kimono and incense factories several times, took part in Japanese traditional tea guessing and incense guessing games, took Japanese cooking and drawing lessons, got dressed as a maiko, stayed at a real Buddhist temple, took part in kimono parties several times, climbed Kyoto station stairs in the annual race, climbed Daimonji at night to enjoy the breathtaking night view of Kyoto, made my own Kyo-temari (a ball of cotton wound tightly around with threads of many colours for bouncing or decoration), I participated in tea ceremonies for about 10 times and could make a bowl of matcha myself several times.


It is really hard to write everything here, but I highly recommend that you stay active in Kyoto and try to visit every single event you can. In fact, Kyoto prefecture International House has helped me a lot in getting a chance to experience many unusual things. Along with providing information to tourists, they organize various events throughout the year, which would help you to make the most of your stay in Kyoto. With their help I could experience rice planting and tealeaves picking in Kyoto Prefecture. That was an unforgettable experience!


In conclusion, I would like to express my gratitude to those Japanese, who help foreigners learn the Japanese culture and let us experience things like that. I hope in the future there will be even more Kyoto events for foreigners to experience Japanese culture. And of course, I hope that one day I will have a chance to come back to Kyoto, because I fell in love with it from the very first day I came to this fascinating city.

Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is for lovers…at least that’s how I see it, so when I first came to Japan I was shocked at learning how the tradition was observed. The girls & women give gifts (almost 100% chocolate!) to the boys and men!!! No roses, kisses, jewelry, lingerie, romantic dinners…wouldn’t go over at all at home! Many of the chocolates passed out are called giri-choco…these are chocolates that are usually handed out to bosses and co-workers out of a sense of obligation (giri). March 14th is White Day when men ‘payback’!

In Canada lovers exchange gifts with the men trying to outdo themselves each year. No-holds barred for many as they go for broke (or go broke!) trying to please their special one. Often they will get all of the items on the list above… roses, kisses, jewelry, lingerie, romantic dinners. In the jewelry department diamonds rule supreme, they are after all ‘a girl’s best friend’! And somehow I guess the lingerie is more for the men…at least in my case!!!


I have no idea about young school children here but when I was young I remember giving and getting lots of cards with ‘Be My Valentine’ and other little cute poems on them. So when I was attending the Urasenke college for tea every Valentine’s Day I would give kisses to ALL the women staff at Urasenke!!! Many were quite surprised that a man would be doing this but by the 3rd year they would be waiting for me with open arms!


The common story is that it wasn’t until 1960 that Morinaga (large confectionary company) pushed the day into Japan on a major scale. But I read somewhere that the first Valentine's sale in Japan was held in Tokyo in 1958 and that only 3 chocolate bars were sold at the three-day event!!! In the last few years the tradition of giving has changed a bit with lovers exchanging gifts on the day but still it is a time for chocolates! Every major department store has a Valentine’s event and the sales are in the billions…what a difference from 1958!!! And the chocolatiers are treated like royalty or rock stars with women of all ages flocking around them to see them work or take pictures with them.


Maybe I should have mentioned above that the ‘kisses’ I gave out at Urasenke were Hershey’s chocolate kisses !!!

FUROSHIKI

Nowadays everyone normally uses plastic bags for shopping in Japan, like in the West, but do you know how people carried their shopping before plastic bags were introduced? Furoshiki – a piece of cloth used for wrapping and carrying various goods – has been used in Japan since long time ago and is becoming a trend nowadays.


Furoshiki is a square piece of cloth that can come in various sizes, colours and patterns. The textile is usually rather thick, so that furoshiki could be used for carrying various things in it. Since old times furoshiki has been used for many purposes and since it is a piece of textile, the ways it can be used can only be limited by your imagination. Traditional functions of furoshiki are using it for gift-wrapping and for carrying as a bag. Those that are used for gift-wrapping commonly have more elaborate design, whereas those that are used as a bag should be thick to last longer.


If you want to use furoshiki, it is not enough just to buy it – you will have to learn several ways of tying it in order to use it in various ways. When I was first introduced to the art of tying furoshiki, I was amazed at the variety of ways you can use a single piece of textile.


You can beautifully tie two bottles of wine together and present them to your friend, you can wrap a book or a box, you can also wrap a tissue box so that it will become a decoration of the table, you can turn it into a fashionable bag and use it for environmentally-friendly everyday shopping. What is more, it can also be used as a stylish belt, as an inner blouse or as a headband to save your head from the sun during hot summer.


I believe that nowadays, in the 21st century of environmental problems, furoshiki should be spread all over the world as an eco-bag. When I started using it, I realized that it is much more convenient than carrying plastic bags with me all the time in order to reuse them. Furoshiki does not take much space, so it can fit in a lady’s purse. Moreover, it does not make any annoying rustling sound like plastic bags do. The last but not the least, it is cute and fashionable! There are several basic ways to tie a knot. If you learn them, it should not be difficult to memorize some tricks you can do with furoshiki to surprise your friends. A strawberry-shaped bag, a doughnut-shaped bag, a flower vase wrapping, a bonsai pot wrapping, or shopping-style bag – the variations have no limits. Do not hesitate to discover the amazing world of Furoshiki!

Setsubun

It’s all about keeping bad away and good close by!

Setsubun literally means seasonal divider but more commonly these days it refers to the event in February (usually the 3rd or 4th). Though this year it hardly feels like there has been a ‘Daikan’ (Big Cold) at all, February’s Setsubun signals the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The tradition is centuries old but the origins of the bean-throwing event are vague. One story about it is depicted in a kyogen play…I guess Ondřej (fellow blogger on Kyoto Travel and quite an accomplished kyogen player!) would be the one to ask about that!


Though not a national holiday the occasion is one that many people enjoy in different ways with the most popular being ‘mame maki’ (throwing beans). At temples and shrines throughout Japan there are events and ceremonies with priests, maiko and other celebrities (oft times sumo wrestlers are seen) driving the ogres out by pelting them with beans and shouting ‘oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi’ (ogre out, good fortune in). For a seasonal variation you could also shout ‘fuyu was soto, haru wa uchi’ (out with winter, in with spring).


Otafuku…goodess of ‘many fortunes’ is often seen as well to ensure that evil is driven away, that the season changes and that good fortune ensues.



Rozanji, just across the street from where I teach tea, has a large event on the day with 100s of people dropping by to watch the ‘oni’ get his butt kicked! This year it was raining heavily but there was still a large crowd on hand.

In Kansai they have the tradition of eating a long (like 20 cm or longer long!) ‘makizushi’ facing a prescribed direction without talking. This year the direction was east-northeast…I have no idea how that is decided but it changes every year. I was able to complete the task without talking so hopefully this will be a lucky year. This does not have a long history and I imagine it was developed to sell makizushi!!! Somewhat similar to the tradition of White Day which I will talk about in another blog. Another tradition is to eat the same number of beans as your age to assure good fortune in the coming year.

For other places in Kyoto that have a Setsubun event check out these links…of course you will have to wait a year!!!

http://www.kyoto.travel/events/setsubun.html

Geiko, Maiko – Treasures in Kyoto streets of Gion, Pontocho, Kiyamachi…

Geiko, Maiko, Samurai sword, Kimono and Geta are symbols, which everyone can link to Kyoto and its traditional culture. So today, let us focus on “Geiko” and “Maiko”, which terms are better known as Geisha. Geiko, a word from the Kyoto dialect, means Full-fledged geisha and this term is also commonly used in the region to distinguish Geisha practiced in traditional arts from prostitutes who have co-opted the name and attire of Geisha. But this second type is not going to be a topic for today. True Geiko usually had the luxury of a professional aide to help them in the difficult process of dressing; their clothing is made up of several layers of kimono and undergarments, and a belt obi is more than a simple band of cloth. Dressing could take over an hour, even with professional help.

Training for becoming Geiko has three parts. First, called Shikomi, when girl used just to work in house and serve to her older or more experienced “sisters”. Second – the Minarai (Literally see and learn, when adept is learning by her appearance at parties or going to work with older sisters. Final and most famous stage of studying process is the period of time, when girl is called Maiko. Maiko are apprentice Geiko, and this stage can last for years. (In Kyoto, In Tokyo is usually much shorter) Maiko learn from their senior Geiko supervisor and follow them around to all their engagements. It is the Maiko, with her white make-up and elaborate kimono and hairstyle, that has become the common picture of a "Geisha" in westerners eyes, rather than the true Geiko. Maiko is not studying only the techniques of proper ways of serving tea, playing shamisen or another instruments, and dancing, casual conversation or games with clients and more. She has to master also the ways, how to treat her clients or live together with another “sisters” on the same field. After approximately five years (in Kyoto), the Maiko is promoted to a full-fledged Geiko, and starts to charge full price for her time with clients. Geiko remain as such until they retire or marry.

Kyoto is considered by many to be where the Geiko tradition is the strongest today, and I think, it really is. But there are also Hanamachi (flower districts) in Tokyo as well. In the 1920s, it is said that there used to be over 80,000 geikos in Japan, but today there are far fewer. The exact number could be hardly estimated, but there could be probably about from 1,000 to 2,000 geikos. Foreigners are pretty often mistaken by Japanese tourists, who pay a fee (around 9000 JPY) to be dressed up as a maiko and then walk streets of Kyoto. So, If you came to Kyoto and you would like to take some snapshots of real Maiko and Geiko – be careful! If she has in her hair sakura flowers or plum flowers in the August, you can be pretty sure, she as the same tourist as you!

Geisha are often hired to attend parties and gatherings, traditionally at tea houses, or at traditional Japanese restaurants, but it became common, that Geiko and maiko attends even parties in Luxury Hotels. You can even invite Geiko to private party. The customer makes arrangements through the geisha union office, which keeps each geisha's schedule and makes her appointments both for entertaining and for training.

It is trully quite expensive – and If you are in Kyoto just for a very short time or you do not feel your Japanese is on level, when you can enjoy jokes with girls in kyoto Dialect, I would recommend you visiting performance in Gion Corner: http://kyoto-gion-corner.info/gion_corner/top/ where you can for just a few dollars enjoy even Geiko and Maiko performance as well as Kyogen, Tea ceremony, flower arrangement and demonstration of another Japanese traditional disciplines.