Japan Culture Navi 日本語

Monday, November 2 (archive)

Today in Japan

Watercolor of a red sea-bream Karatsu Kunchi float and people pulling it, blank calligraphy paper with a brush and inkstone, daikon radish, and autumn leaves

What day is it?

  1. 1980年に国の重要無形民俗文化財Karatsu Kunchi Festival唐津くんち（11月2日〜4日）

    Karatsu Kunchi is the autumn festival of Karatsu Shrine in Saga Prefecture. It starts on the evening of November 2nd, when 14 huge floats, including a red lion head and a sea bream, are pulled through the old castle town. The oldest float is said to have been made by someone inspired by Kyoto's Gion Festival. In 2016, UNESCO listed it as Intangible Cultural Heritage along with other float festivals.

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  2. Calligraphy Day書道の日・習字の日

    November 2nd is Calligraphy Day, set by a foundation that runs calligraphy classes. The date is a pun: 11-02 can be read as ii moji, which means "good letters." The idea is to get people to enjoy writing by hand again. Most Japanese people practiced with a brush at elementary school, so many people remember getting ink on their clothes.

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  3. Maples and Ivy Turn Yellow七十二候「楓蔦黄（もみじつたきばむ）」

    In the old calendar, the year is split into 72 short seasons of about five days each. The one that starts around today is called momiji tsuta kibamu, which means "maples and ivy turn yellow." It's the last of the autumn ones. Right after it comes Ritto, the start of winter on the traditional calendar.

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If someone asks you

Q

Do kids in Japan still learn calligraphy at school?

A

Yes, they do. It's part of Japanese class, and kids usually start using a brush and ink in the third grade of elementary school. In January, many of them write a word or a short phrase with a brush as a New Year's activity. Some kids also go to private calligraphy classes after school, but plenty of adults admit they haven't touched a brush since they were kids.

In season Daikon radish 大根 Daikon, a big white radish, gets sweeter and juicier as the weather turns cold, so late fall into winter is its best season. It soaks up broth beautifully, which is why it's a favorite in oden, a winter stew. People also grate it raw to eat with grilled fish, or dry and pickle it. Micro-season 54 of 72 楓蔦黄もみじつたきばむ Maples and Ivy Turn Yellow Maples and ivy turn color. Japanese has a word just for going to look at autumn leaves, momijigari, literally "maple hunting."

Phrase of the day

The festival floats are pulled through town by hand.

Sentence of the day

In early November, many towns in Japan hold autumn festivals, and the leaves are just starting to turn. It's also a good time to try writing a word with a brush.

Related topics

Sources

Earlier days