Kanzashi

She's wearing a Hana Kanzashi and on the
 left side can be seen a Bira bira Kanzashi.

Kanzashi are hair ornaments use in traditional Japanese hair styles. Kanzashi have been used in Japan since the Jomon era, which lasted from 13000 BC to 300 BC, but originally they weren't as beautifully elaborate as they are today, in the Jomon era they were thin sticks or rods believed to have supernatural powers that warded off evil spirits. Wearing these sticks as a charm against curses became the origin of Kanzashi.

During the Nara Period, in the 710 to 784, the influence of Chinese culture was reflected in the design of fashion items, ornaments and Kanzashi.  At the time it was common for men and women to pay much attention to their hairstyles, which made the Kanzashi important for decoration. This changes later on as the fashion went back to long, straight hair and Kanzashi began to be used less.  However during the Edo Period, 1603 to 1867, hairdressing became an interest once again and the current styles of Kanzashi began to form.  The Kanzashi which was originally a stick began to be ornamented by various materials and also began to take many different shapes and sizes, but the most beautiful Kanzashi were left to those with samurai class or higher, since the ordinary people could not afford them.

During the later part the Edo period, there were five styles which were most known.

Hana Kanzashi is the most gorgeous style. They are most famously worn by geiko and maiko, and feature strings of dangling flowers made of silk. These are seasonal and change for each month of the year.
Mimikaki Kanzashi was named after the ear pick. It was useful to scratch the itchy scalp after styling the hair. It was most popular with the common people.
Matsuba Kanzashi was named after the falling pine needle since the leg of the Kanzashi resembles it.
Tama Kanzashi was basically the Mimikaki Kanzashi with a ball, with either one or two legs. The Tama was made of coral or jade. They are the most popular types even today.
Hirauchi Kanzashi usually have a thin, silver or gold body and are produced with a flat, circular design. Additionally, they formed fretworks or curves of quite thin lines of a family crest or flower crest.
Bira bira Kanzashi are mainly made of metal with a fan-shaped top part. They have numerous interesting ornamental features, like long weeping chains that tinkle when moved, with tiny figures of birds or butterflies at the bottom.

Nowadays since the use of kimono has decreased so has the use of Kanzashi. The art of making Kanzashi has also decreased and there are only five recognized Kanzashi artisans in Japan.  Because of books and instructional videos over the Internet the art of making a beautiful Kanzashi can be shared around the world but at the same times those interested in going down the path as Kanzashi artisans are low.  As part of the Japanese culture this is something that should be preserved and shared. 


Matane!
またね！

 　

Drama Time! Tokyo DOGS

What happens when a serious diligent detective and a skirt chasing detective become partners? Well, something funny I hope. Tokyo DOGS combines a serious cop story line with some eccentric characters to make it an interesting drama to watch. 

The main character in this drama is Takakura So, a smart detective from New York who is trying to catch his fathers killer who, coincidentally is Japan's drug dealing king.   Because of some events Takakura So is sent to Japan for a joint investigation on the case and is paired up with Kudo Maruo, a lady loving detective who uses his instincts rather than logic, not happy with their union and their detective ways being incompatible they argue from the very beginning.  They are assigned to take care of Matsunada Yuki, who is a prime witness in the drug dealing case but lost her memory after some traumatic events happened to her.  This unlikely partnership ends up being a very good one as together they crack each case they are given wonderfully. 

There is a lot that goes on in this drama dealing with some moments emotionally attached to the characters past.  Tokyo DOGS is the first true police drama to air on Fuji TV which makes me glad because it was a good police drama as it didn't fall flat at any moment.  I really liked this drama mostly for the characters as they made serious moments somehow comical with recurring gags and silly arguments that happened in awkward moments, where you wonder why the bad guys aren't alerted by their stupidness.  They even managed to make Takakura So a stern and serious character funny even if it wasn't him but his reaction to his family making you laugh.  I know you will love the characters as much as I did with that being said...


Matane!
またね！

Drama Time! Bloody Monday

When the information that a terrorist group who killed off the population of a Russian town in a day has shown movement in Japan the Special Safety unit known as Third-I believes that the next target could be Tokyo. Without knowing how the terrorist did it and in need for information as quickly as possible they ask for the help of Takagi Fujimaru an expert hacker who could quite possibly help stop the terrorist plot. The terrorist group is very much aware of Fujimarus hacking skills making him a target. Also his father, a member of Third-I becomes a target for the terrorist group and is forced to disappear leaving Fujimaru alone to assist Third-I and protect his sister. To make matters worst a spy within Third-I mean that Fujimaru can trust no one but himself to obtain information on the terrorist and keep them from destroying Tokyo and becoming god.

This drama was so good it had many twist and turns that could have you at the edge of your seat. Many things happened within it that have you questioning the characters motives but whether you find out what they're thinking or not it totally up to which character you put in question. If you put the second terrorist leader into question, J, you will forever be in a loop of questions because his reasons for doing things are beyond the average thinker, this eccentric character quickly became my favorite with his love for melon soda and his unfailing math formulas. The fact that everyone in Fujimaru's life is connected in someway to the terrorist plot makes you become doubtful of the other characters only to trust them again and then be betrayed for trusting them, its frustrating but it makes the remaining characters all the more meaningful. Orihara Maya is my second favorite character in the drama with her self caring personality, like J, you can't really tell what she's thinking but what becomes clear is that she only looks out for herself. Although everything is resolved at the end of this drama you are left with more questions than answers as the last episode shows you that Orihara was in fact hired to stop the terrorist from accomplishing their goals. Matched with J getting away with the Bloody Monday plot still in his head this leaves you in the dark about what might happen but luckily there's a second season to look forward to watching that might just clear up all the questions from last season.

Matane!
またね！

Personal Post - Monday Special

Because of missing my post streak on Saturday last week I've decided that I will make a Monday Special for two weeks!  Excuse the corniness of calling this the Monday Special as it seems I'm going to feed you some sort of mystery meat, but considering that the reason I'm doing this has Monday in the name and it is special since I don't do it usually I decided the best name would be the Monday Special.  So what will I be doing for this Monday Special? Well, the usual but..... on Mondays..... *cough* Please pretend I'm doing something extravagant and protect my small ego. Yea, so I watched a drama called Bloody Monday. (MONDAY see it has a reason!)  And I have a lot of pent up emotions concerning it because I have nobody to talk about it with and I've tried but its gotten so bad that as soon as I start talking everyone want me to stop talking. (See my problem?)  So because of this I need to let it all out and I think making a Bloody Monday post might just help me out.  I'm so sorry that I ended up dumping it here but...oh well so it will stay. 


It was this one! The magic dies a little when
you read it was made in china haha

On another totally unrelated note a friend for my birthday gave me a Totoro figurine isn't that just amazingly thoughtful of them?  Well I guess you wouldn't know but in my life I've never met a friend who's given me a birthday present especially one that was thoughtful, its definitely something that I want to remember and treasure.

Kimochiii!
きもちいい!

Let's eat!! Takoyaki

Let me eat you!!

Takoyaki.  You've probably seen it in manga or anime in scenes where there are festivals or where they are bought to eat from street vendors, this doesn't delude much from reality as takoyaki is a popular street food in Japan.  Originally from Osaka takoyaki spread through Japan becoming a favorite street food, so many people like it that you can even find takoyaki stands in New York.

But what is takoyaki?  Essentially they're dumplings filled with rich goodness but that's the way I describe them in reality its like this.  Well, tako means octopus in Japanese and yaki means fried so if you put that together it's fried octopus. With only that description I make it seem unappetizing to those that don't live near the sea but never fear my land loving friends there's more to it that throwing an octopus into hot oil and then eating.  Actually takoyaki are fried octopus balls, they're made in a special takoyaki pan that help give them their round shape. With some batter, chopped octopus, green onions and red ginger you'll have delicious takoyaki.

The only thing that might deter some people from trying this delicious concoction is the octopus but you will not regret eating takoyaki in fact you might regret it more not eating it.  Japan is an island so some, if not most of the dishes served there include sea creature you would probably only see in a SpongeBob episodes.  Do not stop from eating something simply because you've never eaten it before takoyaki is delicious and is a must try if your ever in Japan.  If you cannot make it to japan though there are many recipes online on how to make takoyaki even some that don't include octopus just incase your allergic. 

Itadakimasu!
いただきます！

Happy Father's Day!

A father is not the man who helped in bringing life to you but the man who stayed to raise you, love you and care for you.   To all the dad's out there, today is your day.  Happy father's day.

That pretty much sums it up nicely though I'm late since half of the world already experienced fathers day and the rest is finishing it up.   Feeling bummed that I didn't get to continue my post streak on Saturdays, but C'est la vie, right?  I'll work on a new streak as of next week!  Between father's day, my birthday and my brother's birthday this week I've been and will be pretty busy, plus I have to pick classes for next semester so even busier.  I couldn't give that much attention to fathers day in japan as I would have liked to but a fun tidbit that I do know about fathers day in japan is that the most preferred present by Japanese dads is appreciation the second is none other than alcohol, seems to me that those two are pretty popular thing wanted by good old dad all around the world.  Isn't that something? Well then...


Matane!
またね！

Drama Time! Mr. Brain

Mr. Brain is an interesting drama to watch as you learn a little more about your brain than you knew before. The drama revolves around Tsukumo Ryusuke, a brilliant neuroscientist who started working in IPS (Institute of Police Science) and  is extremely smart and becoming a neuroscientist in only 5 years but personality wise is an eccentric who fails to read the atmosphere of serious situations. Because of being in the wrong place at the right time he becomes involved in a police case and after this helps out in cases that are difficult to solve or have a peculiar aspect to them. Using his advance knowledge on the way the human brain works he goes against the criminal in an unique way while at the same time aggravating his companions.

The drama itself I personally can't categorize I'd say its more mystery than anything but for a second I would say it was a cop drama, except they're not cops I am sure that it is a comedy because there are moment that make you laugh for sure. In the beginning of the drama you know that Tsukumo wasn't always a brilliant neuroscientist but instead a host but because of some cosmic comical happenings his brain gets a boost of great proportions making him who he is in the drama. There are some personal reasons as to why he became a neuroscientist but these are left to the viewers to speculate and aren't really dealt with in the drama, which is sad because it should have been something they explained in a bit more detail but I forgive the writers seeing as the drama is only eight episodes long and its shorter than the usual jdrama. I enjoyed watching the drama as it taught me some things about my brain that I didn't know and some tricks that I used on my family and friends that once tested ended up being true. I recommend the drama as it is interesting, though I believe I need to rewatch it as I was distracted by my newly discovered interest in neuroscience and might have missed some interesting things (oh my, how sad)


Matane!
またね！

Another thing that distracted me was the main characters beautiful hair! Was I the only one though?! Seriously his hair was amazing! hahaha

Mount Fuji

When you think of visiting japan you might think of dipping into a hot spring, visiting shrines, going to summer festivals to watch fireworks, going to different restaurants to eat till you drop, or to admire the ancient architectures you don't see at home.  The place we're going to talk about today has all of the above and a few extra thing as bonus.

One of the most popular tourist sites in Japan, for both Japanese and foreign tourist has been standing in tall in Japan for a very long time.  Mount Fuji is an active symbol of Japan but not just geographically or culturally but also spiritually.  Mount Fuji is a sacred site for practitioners of Shinto and it has been since at least the 7th century.
Most can recognize Mount Fuji from afar because it is so tall, standing at 12,380 feet, that it can be seen clearly from Tokyo.  Mount Fuji is located on Hoshou Island and it is an active volcano that last erupted in the 1707's.  Mount Fuji is a beautiful sight to see and  over 200,000 people climb it every year.  It may take a few days to complete the climb but I imagine its well worth it as the view from so high up must be breath taking and the accomplishment itself of climbing the mountain is something not many people can brag about.  During that climb there are huts that can be found selling basic needs and rooms to rest but even so its good to be prepared once you start climbing, take water and food and things to keep yourself warm the higher the altitude that colder it gets, for this reason is that most people climb during summer months.
Mount Fuji is part of Japanese history so to get a sense of where you are if you're ever in Japan it should be visited, if climbing isn't for you that's alright you can still visit Mount Fuji's surrounding lakes, caves, forest and amusement parks and have fun near the mountain.

またね！Matane! See you!

 

The Aokigahara Forest - The Forest of Death!

The Aokigahara Forest known also as a Sea of Trees and The Forest of Death is an extremely scary place to think about.  This forest is so dense with trees, that it is easy to find a place where absolutely no light gets in at high noon when the light of the sun is highest, besides this the forest has a clear absence of wildlife and is known for being exceptionally quite but why does this make it scary?

Well, in a forest where you can run into a cornucopia of dead bodies at every turn let's just say the Aokigahara forest takes the cake when it comes to scary.  Located in the base of Mount Fuji The Aokigahara forest is known as the second most popular place for suicides on earth, home to more that 500 confirmed suicides since the 1950's and the forest is so dense that it is difficult to say that these are all the suicides that have happened within it.  The suicides happen so often that the police left signs that say things like 'value your life' or 'think about your family' in hopes that this would stop some of the suicides.  Sad to say that this doesn't seem to slow down the suicide rate within the forest.


But wait these aren't the only reasons why the Aokigahara forest is scary.  Legend says that in ancient times during famines where food was scarce villages would leave people deep inside the forest to die a slow horrible death as a sacrifice to the forest, because of this the forest is also said to be haunted by the souls of those left behind to die.   And Japanese spiritualist believe that the deaths that have happened within this forest have permeated into the soil and trees, preventing those who enter from escaping the depths of the forest.

怖い!! Kowai!! Scary!!
 

Japanese Currency- ¥en

As many people have noticed each mayor nation has its own type of currency.  With Japan being the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the Euro and the US Dollar its no wonder that they also have their own currency.  The Japaneses Currency is known as the Yen and its symbols is ¥.  Their coins ranges from a 1 yen coin to a 500 yen coin which is in US Dollars roughly from a 1 cent coin to a 5 dollar bill. And their bank notes go from 500 yen to 10,000 yen which again in US Dollars would be roughly from 5 dollars to 100 dollars.  As the economy changes constantly the Japanese yen and this information is different for every country.