Japanese summer tradition: Uchimizu and Yukata

Mon, 9 Sep 2024 22:01:00 +0200

Uchimizu refers to the Japanese practice of sprinkling water in dry gardens, but everyone also sprinkles the street in front of their house to cool the air on hot summer days.

Uchimizu came into being during the Azuchi-Momoyama period, when the tea ceremony first appeared. In the tea ceremony, uchimizu is practiced as a form of etiquette.

During the Edo period, uchimizu was described in haikus and depicted in ukiyo-e prints, demonstrating the importance of this practice in Japanese culture.

In addition to providing relief from the summer heat, uchimizu is said to have prevented dust from invading the streets, welcomed guests by sprinkling water over the entrance or street, and purified the air.

For Hanabi...

Summer festival: Tanabata

Sun, 18 Aug 2024 22:01:00 +0200

Tanabata - Summer festival in Japan

Summer is a season of festivals in Japan. People go out for Matsuri, food festivals, fireworks displays and other celebrations.

Tanabata is a festival that takes place on 7 July. It came to Japan from China during the Nara era (710-794).

On the eve of Tanabata, at the end of summer, the stars of the Hikoboshi (Altair) and the Orihime (Vega) are very high in the starry sky, and an ancient legend tells a love story with many variations.

Japanese summer tradition: Fireworks Festival

Fri, 1 Sep 2023 14:47:00 +0200

In summer, the most eagerly awaited events are the fireworks festivals. These festivals date back to the Edo period. Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune organised a Festival of Water Deities near the Ryogoku Bridge to ward off the crop failures and epidemics of the time. It is said that the first fireworks were set off on this occasion as an offering.

Today, fireworks displays are organised all over Japan during the month of August, many of them producing more than 10,000 explosions in the night sky.

Traditional Japanese meal - Ichi juu san sai

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 17:05:00 +0200

Japanese cuisine isbased on the principle of "one soup, three courses", which theJapanese consider to be the most balanced meal. It is for this reason that wefind this presentation in kaiseki and Buddhist cuisine.

Onesoup, three courses" originally comes from "one soup, onecourse". Historically, this style of simple meal was used in the Zentemples of the Kamakura period. Over time, the menu was enriched for guestswith three courses and a soup. This then evolved into a traditional Japanesestyle of eating.

Itis a combination of a main course and two side dishes, with a bowl of miso soupin addition to a bowl of white rice, which does not count as a main course. Themain course is usually made up of protein-rich foods such as fish, meat andtofu, while the side dishes are vegetables.