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Sunday, October 4 (archive)

Today in Japan

Watercolor of a ceramic rice bowl, grilled sardines, secondhand books and fragrant olive

What day is it?

  1. 1984年制定Pottery Day陶器の日

    A national group of pottery wholesalers chose October 4th as Pottery Day in 1984. The pun is a little tricky. Over a thousand years ago, glazed pottery was called toshi. The sound to can stand for 10, and shi for 4. Seto in Aichi, a town so famous for pottery that setomono can mean dishes in general, is said to have proposed it.

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  2. 1985年制定Sardine Dayいわしの日

    October 4th is also Sardine Day. Read the numbers 1, 0, 4 as i, wa, shi, and you get iwashi, the Japanese word for sardine. A group in Osaka set up the day in 1985 to promote the fish, which is cheap, tasty, and good for you. Grilled with salt or simmered with ginger, it's everyday home cooking.

  3. 2003年制定Used Book Day古書の日

    The national association of secondhand booksellers made October 4th Used Book Day in 2003. Japan has a long tradition of used bookstores, and Jinbocho in Tokyo is famous for having many of them on a few streets. Autumn is often called the season for reading, so it's a good time to dig through old books.

If someone asks you

Q

Why does everyone in a Japanese family have their own rice bowl?

A

In many Japanese homes, each person has their own rice bowl and chopsticks, and nobody else uses them. Plates for side dishes are shared, but your bowl and chopsticks are yours, a bit like your own toothbrush. Kids often get a small bowl with a cartoon character, and adults pick one they like. Of course, it depends on the family, and some homes don't bother.

In season Fragrant olive 金木犀 From late September into early October, a sweet smell suddenly fills the streets in many parts of Japan. It comes from kinmokusei, or fragrant olive, a tree with tiny orange flowers. The flowers last only a week or so, so for many people the smell is a sign that autumn has really arrived.
Micro-season 48 of 72 水始涸みずはじめてかるる Fields Are Drained Water is drained from the rice paddies so the ground dries enough for the harvest. It is not nature drying up but farmers preparing.

Phrase of the day

This is my rice bowl. Could you use that one instead?

Sentence of the day

October 4th in Japan is Pottery Day, Sardine Day, and Used Book Day, all thanks to puns on the date. It's also the time of year when the sweet smell of fragrant olive fills the streets.

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Sources

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