Cutting hair short in Japan

I'm sure that to some of us while watching a drama, anime or reading a manga have found a moment when one of the characters cuts their hair dramatically to either move on happily after a sad event or because they were forced to after doing something unforgivable.  To me, at least this struck me as unusual as I had never heard or seen it happen before.  Turns out this tradition comes from the ancient times in Asia, not just Japan, where hair was once of the symbols of stature and having to cut your hair symbolized being banished or shunned from your home.  In the modern age hair is no longer a symbol of stature and having long or short hair is a choice rather than a requirement, but to cut your hair short after a bad event means to forget the past, leaving behind the bad things and start anew.  This, of course, is symbolism and does not necessarily mean that every Japanese woman that cuts her hair has had something awful happen to her.  So don't go and feel bad for her after a haircut.

Drama Time! Liar Game

Liar Game is by far the best drama I have ever watched.  The drama is a psychological thriller that keeps you on your toes on all occasions. There are many instances where you think you know what's going on but you are horribly mistaken and once it’s explained to you, you're surprised to find out what's really going on. The drama is a brain buster, while watching you will start trying to think up ways to beat the 'Liar Game' round by round but things are not as they appear when a game is based on lying.

The main character in the Liar Game drama is Kanzaki Nao, an unbelievably honest girl who believes anything anyone tells her as the truth, she gets caught up in the game when she opens a box with a hundred million yen that had appeared in front of her apartment, along with a card saying that she was chosen to take part in the 'Liar Game'.  The aim of the game is to trick the other player out of their hundred million yen.  The winner gets the hundred million the loser is a hundred million yen in debt for getting tricked out of his.   Kanzaki Nao wants no part in the game and is happy to find her opponent to be her former elementary school teacher, Fujisawa Kazuo. She goes to him, seeking help, but because she trust him ends up handing him the hundred million yen thinking that will save them both from being swindled out of their money.   Once she finds out she's been tricked she, after some events, get the help from the mastermind swindler, Akiyama Shinichi, with the condition that half her prize is his.  After Akiyama Shinichi's entrance into the game a psychological war with Fujisawa Kazuo begins, to much surprise Akiyama manages to trick all two hundred million yen from Fujisawa Kazuo only an hour before the game ends, which makes Kanzaki Nao the winner of the hundred million yen, but being honest she returns her half of the winnings to Fujisawa Kazuo.  Once returning home she is horrified to find a new letter that she had to participate in round two of the liar game or pay half the money she won the last game to get out.  Without the money she has no choice but to continue to play the game.  This is only the beginning as the drama progresses you see Kanzaki Nao along with Akiyama Shinichi as they try to win the 'Liar Game' round by round.

I enjoyed this drama immensely, literally did not want to leave my seat from fear I would miss something important and could not wait to watch the next episode from the need to know what was going to happen next.  The drama was beautifully made and gets full stars from this person.  Now I know that to some romance is an important part for a drama and although there is no true romance in the drama there is clear affection between the main characters, so watch it I implore you to I give my word that you will not be bored with it.  With that being said.....

Matane!
 またね！

Personal Post - No post post?

I've been hit with a type of post college blues where I took finals and still am waiting for my grade and this has me so distracted I've sat here for a while trying to figure out what this weeks post would be about.  Sadly I've been struck with absolutely nothing but I can't just post nothing because I've been on a role where every Saturday I'm able to give something new.  I'm a bit off balance but that's okay if I don't post something pertaining to japan or its culture today I'll do it during the week right?  So what have I've been doing this week none stop, believe it or not I watched Japanese drama all day every day since Monday, it all started with 'Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge' which I watched to cheer myself up because like, Sunako, I like dark things and the whole scenario in the drama makes me laugh a lot plus the character that was added that wasn't in the manga, Takeru, is just so adorable that just watching him makes me smile from the cuteness!  It's one of my favorite dramas and I like the manga even though I can barely remember it now since its been soooo awfully long since I've read it.  But for sure I like Sunako in the manga better she's always a chibi and that my friend is freaking great to me, plus she's much more hateful toward Kyohei which make more funny moments.  Without realizing it I kinda got a post idea for the week maybe I should make it about this drama? hmmmm or one of the many dramas I've watched so far.  Well the point is, if there ever was one, is that I really like the drama and the manga, and that although it won't be today I'll have a serious post soon.   So do you like the drama, manga or anime too? Or is there another one that you like more?

またね　Matane

P.S. Please someone anyone comment! It feels lonely to talk to yourself over the internet haha

Happy Mother's Day

A day where you honor your mother for bringing you into this world and caring for you endlessly and unconditionally. Although you should love your mother every day of the year, mothers day is the day where the world gathers in appreciation for their moms.   In Japan this is no different, like in America on the second Sunday of every May children gather to give Moms a thank you for all their hard work raising us.  Like many children they could help at home with chores maybe draw them a portrait to show love or give mom flowers to brighten up her day or a well thought out gift to show that they care.  Mother's day in Japan is called 'haha no hi' and is a national holiday.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's around the world! I hope mom smiles more than she cries and that she is very loved everyday of the year.  Nothing on earth beats the love a mother gives, she is with us from our very first breath and loves us when we cry, when we smiles and when nobody else loves us, she does.  She will be there to give a shoulder and to give us warmth, to guide us toward the right path and to pick us up when we fall.  She is the one true person that will always be there. Give your mother lots of love everyday but especially today, she deserves this and much more.  Again Happy Mother's Day.

　

Matane! またね！



I love you, mommy!

 

Personal Post- Kana written on the computer!?

Well, I don't actually know if anyone noticed but in my last post I used hiragana to explain the use of the characters.  Doing this on my computer is totally new to me because I thought that to use Kana character on a computer you would need a new keyboard but I was actually wrong your computer already come equipped with it! How awesome is that? So of course I've been testing it out all this time because its actually easier to study Kana when your typing it in using the Romanji you probably already know, you're able to recognize characters easier if you can yourself make them appear.  So if you're already studying Kana I urge you to become familiar with your computer.  Typing in Japanese can be as simple as changing a few configurations in your control panel and if your afraid of messing something up by using your control panel, google a step by step or get someone who is better with computers to do it for you.  Now I'm not exactly sure if this works on every type of computer since I can only vouch for Windows computers since its the kind I use, if you use Apple you might want to check that out.  As for me I can read hiragana and some katakana but Kanji has me completely lost at times!  So as I continue to study I will make new post about Kana to help those who are as I am lost in a world of language.

またね！ Matane!  See you again!
Hiragana-Romanji-English

Two post in one day?! I'm on a roll baby!

What is Kana?

If you are just beginning your journey into the learning of the Japanese language you probably know very little of its writing system as it seems very difficult to learn.  Some of you might know Romanji which is the pronunciation of words or characters but knowing Romanji alone will not prepare you for reading Kana.
What exactly is Kana?  Well, Kana is the way to write in Japanese.  In English you use the alphabet but in Japanese you use syllabics called Kana.  The Japanese language does not write with an alphabet instead they write with characters that represent the word syllable by syllable.  Kana is a combination between Hiragana, which is the way most words are written, Katakana, which is used to write words derived from other languages and Kanji, which is Chinese's characters used to represent words. 

For example let's write:   'Good morning'  In romanji that would be 'Ohayō' in Japanese it would be written in Hiragana as おはよう .  Notice that there are four separate character, one for each syllable in the word 'O-ha-yo-o'  

One of the easiest ways to learn Kana is by starting with Hiragana since it is used more often and can sometimes replace or be written above Kanji so all can read.  Kanji is the hardest to learn out of all the Japanese Kana because only one character represents a whole word and even the average Japaneses person sometime gets them confused so don't be too discouraged if you don't get it right away.

That's all for today!
またね！Matane!　See you soon!
Hiragana-Romanji-English

School Times in Japan

I can't read Kanji. I fail at life I'm sorry.
 But this seems right

So recently classes ended for me (YAY!) and I've always know that the Japanese school system ran differently then places on my side of the world so I wanted to know how different it was.  Luckily so far as I know everyone in the world gets summer and winter vacation!  Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?  Sadly, in Japan since summer comes mid school year, they get homework during that break, but I imagine like any student they leave it for the week it's due and enjoy the summer anyway, at least I hope.  So when does the school year start in Japan if summer is still part of the semester?
Well, Japan runs by trimester which means they divide the year into a total of 3 school terms. The first term start in April this term ends in late July in most places but varies sometimes by location because of the heat, so some places might have a shorter or longer summer vacation. In August the first semester continues until late September or early October in which autumn vacation, which is almost a week long, begins right before the second semester which last until December 22 which marks the beginning of winter break.  The third semester starts right at the end of winter break in January and last until March where Japanese students get a week for spring break.  The graduation ceremony is held at this time and then in April the school year begins again with the entrance ceremony. 
April is classified as a time of new beginnings in Japan because it occurs during cheery blossom season it is a time when life starts anew after a harsh winter.  So in the spirit of beginning fresh the school year begins at this time.  Now not all schools in Japan work with this system some schools work with semester to help transfers students from abroad feel comfortable in a new place, as well as to help Japanese students that will soon leave Japan to study abroad be able to adjust more comfortably in their new setting.  That’s very nice isn’t it? 

Well that is all for today!

またね！(Matane - See you again/ see you later)

Personal Post- Ai Yazawa COMEBACK?!

*country accent* Oh my lordy lord, I cannot express how exited this news makes me! *back to normal* Apparently my favorite mangaka on earth has gotten out of the hospital and has maybe, probably started drawing again! I was happy enough to find out that she had left the hospital a few years ago because this meant she made a recovery! Even if this woman were to never draw again I would still love her and her work! I would be slightly disappointed yes but that is totally and COMPLETELY beside the point! She's probably drawing again! Oh my gosh! Sorry if you have no idea what I'm talking about I don't have any friends that read manga and I needed to let all these emotions out of my system.

Now let me give you a lil' background so I don't lose you completely if you don't know who she is. The wonderful Ai Yazawa is the person that made NANA, Paradise Kiss, Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai "I'm not an angel", and Gokinjo Monogatari "Neighborhood Story". These four are her most famous but my favorite of them all is NANA which is why the URL for this blog is nanagadaisuki which mean I love nana and I know after learning numbers you probably thought it meant I love seven, I know I shoulda added some sort of honorific like san or chan after her name to make that clear buuuuuuut I didn't soooo yea....Anyway! I'm kinda super exited and happy and a few months late with the news (suuper laate!) but better late than never right! I really hope NANA picks up where it left off. Oh yea, another thing NANA is unfinished because Ai Yazawa was put in the hospital while drawing it and needed to make a recovery, ah but maybe it might not be picked up I don't mind, she recovered so maybe on day! So nice, so nice! So how did I find out this wonderful news?! I was rereading NANA and re watching the anime because I was gonna make a post and wanted to have it all fresh and wondrous in my memory, and suddenly, like great things do, it hit me that I should check and see if there was some new news on the mangaka or manga at all. And there it was from 3 months ago! There was an addition to NANA called Junko's tale, about one of the supporting characters so its a side story but although I haven't read it I will soon enough once I find it hehe. But yes, I'm super happy. =^w^=

 I feel like this post needed to be written in capital letter now that I reread it to show off the excitement I feel.....oh well, to happy to care! I will be making a full post on NANA the manga and the anime all at once in a few days :DD so till then!

MAAAATAAANE!