cherrypistoru's

Thank you

Thank you all whos been reading this blog here! But I will have to say that I moved this blog to tokyodaydreamer @ blogspot and I do hope that you all want to keep track on my postes there.

Thank you once again~

Yama-uba

Yama-uba (山姥, mountain crone) is a yōkai ("spirit" or "monster") found in Japanese folklore. The name may also be spelled Yamamba or Yamanba. She is sometimes confused with the Yuki-onna ("snow woman"), but the two figures are not the same.
     Yama-uba looks like an old woman, usually a hideous one. Her unkempt hair is long and golden white, and her kimono (usually red) is filthy and tattered. Her mouth is sometimes said to stretch the entire width of her face, and some depictions give her a second mouth at the top of her head. She is able to change her appearance, though, and she uses this tactic to great success in capturing her victims.

Yama-uba inhabits the deep forests of the mountains of Japan. Various regions claim her as a native, including Sabana (where she is supposed to have once lived in a cave at the base of Mt. Nabekura), the Tōhoku Region (northern Honshū), and the Ashigara Mountains. Most stories say that she lives in a hut.
     Yama-uba preys on travelers who have become lost in her wooded lair. Her exact tactics vary from story to story. Sometimes, she changes her appearance to that of a beautiful woman or possibly one of her victim's loved ones. Other times, she retains her hag-like form and plays the part of a helpless old woman. Once she has gained her quarry's trust, she often closes and eats them then and there. She is able to animate her hair (or turn it to snakes in some legends) and use it to pull the prey into the maw atop her head. She may also offer to "help" the lost soul and then lead him to a dangerous area of the mountain where he falls to his death and allows her to feed. Alternately, she may offer to lodge the victim in her hut. Once the luckless traveler is sufficiently fattened up, she pounces. In addition to killing adults, Yama-uba is often blamed for missing children, and parents use her as a sort of bogeyman.
     Because her behavior is similar to that of female oni, some scholars suggest that Yama-uba is simply a named member of that class of creature. Others suggest that several Yama-uba live all throughout Japan. Unlike the invincible oni, however, Yama-uba is fallible. A few tales make her a nocturnal creature unable to move about in sunlight. At least one tradition holds that her only weakness is a flower that holds her spirit, so that if the flower is destroyed, the mountain crone is as well. She is often depicted as quite gullible, and tales of her would-be prey fooling her to make their escape are common.
     Yama-uba is skilled in the arts of sorcery, potions and poisons. She sometimes trades this knowledge to human beings if they bring her a substitute victim to eat or satisfy some similarly wicked bargain.
     Despite her predatory nature, Yama-uba has a benevolent side. For example, she raised the orphan hero Kintaro, who became the famous warrior Sakata no Kintoki, a relationship that forms the basis for the noh drama Yama-uba. In this story, Yama-uba is portrayed as a loving mother, which has influenced some more modern tales to depict her as a matronly figure. Some even make her a representation of love. Other storytellers hold that she is simply a solitary wanderer who represents harmony with nature. In the folklore of Atsumi peninsula in Aichi region of Japan, it is told that Yuma-uba has a brother, Shuba-uba, (also Kojya-uba) whose depiction often resembles to those of Oni. It is therefore suggested that Oni and Yama-uba are of similar origins. The same suggestion is also made in the tale of Ken-san, in which the leading character, Ozawa-Matsumoto (Koji), finds both Shuba-uba and Yama-uba living in the same household upon his visit to the Mount Sumi.

Some scholars place Yama-uba's origin in stories about times when great famine caused Japanese villagers to cast their elderly out into the woods for lack of food. Yama-uba would thus be born out of the psychological undercurrent from such actions.
     Legends of Yama-uba have existed since at least the Heian period. At this time, a village named Sabane built the Nenbutsu Toge bypass around a cave that was thought to house the witch.
     She is the subject of several Noh plays, including one entitled simply Yamanba. Yama-uba's legend is still very much alive in Japan. A late 1990s fashion trend called "Yamanba" took its name from Yama-uba, since those who followed it were said to look like a staple Noh mask, based on the mountain crone.

source: wikipedia.org

Yama Girl (Mountain Girl)

I checked out 8tokyo today and she wrote about a new fashion called "Yama Girl". This is what she wrote:

Now Japanese fashion trend focus on “Yama Girl”(Mountain Girl). They named eco like and fashionable outdoor girls as Yama Girl.
     One of Yama Girl magazines “randonee” features camping, trekking, rave parties and rock festivals. Such Styles are coordinated by outdoor gear brands, AIGLE, Columbia, Mellel, and so on.
     Mori girl would change to Yama Girl.

Okiku doll

A mysterious doll possessed by the spirit of a child has captured the curiosity of people across Japan for decades. The legendary Okiku doll, named after the girl who long ago used to play with it, is a 40-centimeter (16-in) tall kimono-clad figure with beady black eyes — and hair that grows.

The Okiku doll has resided at the Mannenji temple in the town of Iwamizawa (Hokkaido prefecture) since 1938. According to the temple, the traditional doll initially had short cropped hair, but over time it has grown to about 25 centimeters (10 in) long, down to the doll’s knees. Although the hair is periodically trimmed, it reportedly keeps growing back.

It is said that the doll was originally purchased in 1918 by a 17-year-old boy named Eikichi Suzuki while visiting Sapporo for a marine exhibition. He bought the doll on Tanuki-koji — Sapporo’s famous shopping street — as a souvenir for his 2-year-old sister, Okiku. The young girl loved the doll and played with it every day, but the following year, she died suddenly of a cold. The family placed the doll in the household altar and prayed to it every day in memory of Okiku.

Some time later, they noticed the hair had started to grow. This was seen as a sign that the girl’s restless spirit had taken refuge in the doll.

In 1938, the Suzuki family moved to Sakhalin, and they placed the doll in the care of Mannenji temple, where it has remained ever since.

Nobody has ever been able to fully explain why the doll’s hair continues to grow. However, one scientific examination of the doll supposedly concluded that the hair is indeed that of a young child.

source: pinktentacle

Hanako-san, terror of the toilet

Hanako-san — a spooky young girl that haunts school restrooms across Japan — has in recent decades become one of the nation’s most famous ghosts.

It is not uncommon for schools to have a toilet permanently occupied by the mysterious girl, who is known in Japanese as Toire no Hanako-san (lit. “Hanako of the toilet”). She is often found in the third stall in the restroom on the third floor — usually the girls’ room — but this can vary from school to school. Details about her physical appearance also vary, but she is usually described as having bobbed hair and wearing a red skirt.

Hanako-san’s behavior also varies according to location, but in most cases, she remains holed up in the bathroom until an adventurous student dares to provoke her. Hanako-san can be conjured up by knocking on the door to her stall (usually three times), calling her name, and asking a particular question. The most common question is simply “Are you there, Hanako-san?” If Hanako-san is indeed present, she says in a faint voice, “Yes, I’m here.” Some stories claim that anyone courageous enough to open the door at this point is greeted by a little girl in a red skirt and then pulled into the toilet.

Details about Hanako-san’s origins are murky. Although she became a national phenomenon in the 1980s, there is speculation that she has existed since the 1950s. Some stories claim she is the ghost of a WWII-era girl who died in a bombing raid on the school while she was playing hide-and-seek. Other stories claim she is the restless spirit of a young girl who met her end at the hands of an abusive or deranged parent (or a perverted stranger, according to some stories) who found her hiding in the bathroom. In some cases, she is the ghost of a former student who died in an unfortunate accident at the school (one story from Fukushima prefecture, for example, claims she is the ghost of a girl who fell out of the library window).

Hanako-san photo by Sammi Sparke

Countless versions of the Hanako-san legend have emerged over time. Here are a few of the more colorful variations:

- According to one Yamagata prefecture legend, something terrible will happen to you if Hanako-san speaks to you in a nasty voice. Another legend from Yamagata prefecture claims that Hanako-san is actually a 3-meter-long, 3-headed lizard that uses a little girl’s voice to attract prey.

- At a school in the town of Kurosawajiri (Iwate prefecture), it is said that a large, white hand emerges from a hole in the floor of the third bathroom stall if you say “third Hanako-san” (sanbanme no Hanako-san).

- In the boys’ room at a school in Yokohama (Kanagawa prefecture), it is said that a bloody hand emerges from the toilet (presumably an old-fashioned squatter) if you walk around it three times while calling Hanako-san’s name.

- Stories have also circulated about a so-called “Hanako fungus” that can infect anyone who scrapes their knee on the playground. The infection reportedly causes tiny mushrooms to sprout from the scab.

For the most part, Hanako-san is harmless and can be avoided simply by staying away from her designated hiding spot. But if you ever need to get rid of her, try showing her a graded exam with a perfect score. Some legends claim that the sight of good grades makes her vanish into thin air.

source: pinktenacle

Hanami

f; jpellgen

Cherry blossoms can be viewed from January to June in different regions in Japan, but most of cherry blossom festivals fall between March to May.

This forecast indicates expected opening dates of the first cherry blossoms (someiyoshino) in Japanese cities. It's predicted that cherry blossoms open earlier than average dates in most cities. Once cherry blossoms open up, they usually become in full bloom within 10 days. The blooming period of cherry blossoms is short. It's about 5-12 days, depending on the kind of cherry trees and the weather.

forecast

Gorgeous flowers are main attraction of the festivals, but various traditional Japanese performing arts presented in many festivals can't be missed. Joining tea ceremonies held under cherry trees can be a memorable experience as well. As hanami (cherry blossom viewing party) is an important Japanese custom, people enjoy eating home-cooked meals or take-out food under cherry trees. Take a look at the festival vendors which sell lots of food and souvenirs, including regional crafts and speciality food in the region. It's notable that many cherry blossom festivals hold light-up events in the evening. Below is a list of pupular cherry blossom festivals in Japan.

Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) has been a Japanese custom since the 7th century when the aristocrats enjoyed looking at beautiful sakura and wrote poems. Sakura is a symbol of Japan, and it's said that there are over four hundred varieties of cherry trees in Japan. The most popular kind of sakura which can be viewed everywhere in Japan is somei-yoshino (Yedoensis). Japanese cherry trees do not yield fruits like other cherry trees.

Hanami and cherry blossom festivals are held all over Japan in spring. In hanami parties, people have fun, drinking, eating, and singing during the day or night. It is like a picnic under sakura trees. Usually, people bring food, do BBQ, or buy food from vendors for hanami parties. Among various food people eat in hanami, dango is the most common. Also Yakitori, Oden, Sushi rolls, Inari-zushi and Teppan-yaki BBQ is common. 

gojapan,somei-yoshino photo, dango photo, yakitori photo, oden photo, inari-zushi photo, teppan-yaki photo

Japanese tattoos - Irezumi

f; Leo Uehara

Japanese tattoo is called irezumi or horimono in Japanese. In Japan, tattoo is usually considered to be a symbol of a yakuza (Japanese mafia) and tends to be perceived negatively by people. For example, many public bath facilities in Japan inhibit customers who have tattoos from entering.

Traditional Japanese tattoo covers arms, shoulders, and the back. In recent years, it's becoming popular for Japanese young people to get contemporary tattoos. Tattoo events are often held in big cities, and there are many Japanese tattoo shops in Japan.

gojapan

Hina Matsuri

f; newage

March 3rd is Japanese Girl's Festival known as hina matsuri (hina doll festival) or momo no sekku (peach flower festival). It's said that hina matsuri's origin date back to ancient Chinese purification rituals for getting rid of bad lucks. During the Heian period (794 - 1185) in Japan, people let straw or paper dolls float down the river or the ocean as their substitutes which take bad lucks away from them. This tradition remains today in some regions in Japan as nagashi-bina (floating hina dolls). The purification ritual was unified with aristocratic girls' playing with dolls, and hina matsuri was established as Japanese Girl's Festival during Edo Period (1603-1867).

It's common for families of girls in Japan to have a set of hina dolls wearing ancient kimono which is displayed at homes beginning sometime after Risshun (the first day of spring according to the lunar calendar) through March 3rd. The Empress doll (ohina-sama) and the Emperor doll (odairi-sama) are set on the top shelf. Then, sannin-kanjo dolls (three court women), gonin bayashi dolls (five court musicians), and more dolls. Hina-arare (rice crackers) and hishi-mochi (diamond shaped rice cakes) are placed by the hina doll display. Different types of hina dolls have been created around Japan. In some regions, hina dolls are hung from the ceiling called tsurushi-bina.

Many families of girls in Japan celebrate hina matsuri with special food, such as chirashi-zushi (colorful sushi), clam soup, sakura mochi (sweet rice cakes), and more. Although Japanese Girl's Festival isn't a national holiday, it's an important tradition for wishing girls happiness and good health.

f; JuliaB720

gojapan, Hina-arare photo, Hishi-mochi photo, chirashi-zushi photo, clam soup photo, sakura-mochi photo

International Manga Library

The construction of the “Tokyo International Manga Library” has just started in downtown Tokyo. This project of the Meiji University will be completed by 2014, becoming the biggest library in the world exclusively dedicated to host comics (manga). The 5-floor building will host more than two million mangas, anime, games and all kinds of articles related to the Japanese manganime industry. It is still not confirmed, but in addition to the library there will probably be a complementary museum. This is how the library will look like:

kirainet, Via

The Wallflower Manga Gets January TV Drama Green-Lit

This year's 18th issue of Kodansha' Bessatsu Friend magazine has announced on Friday that a television drama series based on Tomoko Hayakawa's The Wallflower (Yamato Nadeshiko Shichihenge) manga has been green-lit for a January premiere. The story follows four teenaged "pretty boys" who are invited to stay at a posh mansion, free of charge—provided they can transform the owner's standoffish, weird niece into a proper young lady. More details about the drama version will be published in future issues of Bessatsu Friend.

The manga has been running in Bessatsu Friend since 2000, and 24 compiled book volumes have been published so far. Del Rey will publish the 22nd volume in North America next January. The story has already been adapted into a 2006-2007 25-episode television anime series, which ADV Films released on DVD.

animenetwork