Mei-Shun has prepared Oseibo, an year-end gift, for Master Mei-Shu. As to Japanese traditional lessons including 茶道, 華道, 書道 and 舞 of course, students are supposed to bring Ochugen (=a summer gift) and oseibo to their masters, aside from monthly lesson fees. Some people let cash play the role of such gifts, yet Mei-Shun prefers sweets-sake combination, loved so much by Mr. and Mrs. Master.
Nabe-mono, a Japanese cuisine quite similar to stew, is much preferred from late autumn to early spring. We serve ourselves boiled vegetables, meat and fish from a wide-open pot set on a cooking burner in the center of a table.
Botan Nabe by Hata-Kaku, Kyoto must be one of the best experience. Wild boar meat is served like a peony flower, simmered in white miso soup.
Kikunoe Ryu has been established by Mei-Shu I in 1992. She belonged to Otowa Ryu in Osaka for a long time. After her Master Kikuzo had passed away, kabuki actor Onoe Baiko VII advised her to become the leader of a new party of Japanese dance.
We enjoy much kind of “imported” celebrations today; Halloween and Christmas Day seem to join top three of them. On October 1st, all items celebrated the Autumnal Equinox Day are replaced by Halloween ones. Roppongi, Tokyo must have started this illumination from November 1st, representing the same for Christmas.
Tsuchiura Fireworks Competition is held on the first Saturday of October. Yesterday was clear with a bit of clouds, nice weather for the 83th event. “Competition” means that craftsmen of all over Japan bring their best works toward Tsuchiura, aiming to win the best prize of the year. 2014 theme seems a color combination — an amazing technique which gives three colors at once in different directions. One mammoth ball of fire looked like a colorful balloon!
Mei-Shun saw her mother, the best cook of ohagi, yesterday to enjoy it together. For us, ohagi is a dessert. However, some people have it as our normal staple food: they put cooked rice into a bowl, placing anko on it and – add tempura on the red bean jam!! Can you believe it?
We have 16 National Holidays per year. Respect-for-the-Elderly Day and Autumnal Equinox Day are set in September. The former is on the 3rd Monday, while the latter changes every year to balance current solar calender and older lunar one. On the two Equinox days, many people enjoy Japanese sweets called ohagi or botamochi, smooth rice balls coated with anko (=red bean jam) — both hagi and botan are names of flowers which respectively bloom in autumn and spring. Please find below hagi blossom in Mei-Shun’s garden.
Autumn is the best season to enjoy otsuki-mi, a moon-watching party. Tonight has the most beautiful full-moon, while the last super-moon of this year can be seen tomorrow. According to the weather forecast, a typhoon might affect Kanto area. Humm. May we see you, Ms. Moon?
Yukata is an indispensable item for Japanese dancers: practices are sometimes too hard to do in silk kimono. On the other hand, most people put it on as a fashionable summer clothes. It looks therefore a bit bizarre to see a yukata driver from this month. Mei-Shun has to bring it in furoshiki (=a square wrapping cloth), change clothes at Master Mei-Shu’s home.
Today is “Disaster Preparedness Day”. In 1923, a massive earthquake attacked Tokyo area, claiming lives of thousands. It is also 二百十日 (=210th date from the beginning of spring), which means that typhoon-vulnerable season has started. Any disaster could occur anytime. We must always be ready to save ourselves.
meishunkikunoe 