When do Japanese say BANZAI?
The very first use of banzai appears in records of Emperor Kanmu's transfer of the capital to Heiankyo (now Kyoto). Of Chinese origin, this word meaning "long life" was at first used to express respect for the Emperor. Originally the word was not banzai, but banzei. It is written with the characters for "ten thousand" and "years-old."
Raising both hands and cheering banzai first became customary in 1889 upon the promulgation of the Meiji Constitution. The idea was promoted as a way of celebrating the new laws of the land. At present, the custom of raising one's arms in the air and shouting banzai three times has come to be a way of giving three cheers for a person or achievement.
When did BASEBALL first come to Japan? When was the first team established?
The first baseball game played in Japan was in 1873 at the forerunner of the modern-day University of Tokyo. The sport gradually grew popular and was played in middle schools from the turn of the century. The first professional team was established in 1934, and the present professional league made its debut in 1950.
Why do American BASEBALL players come to Japan to play?
With several major exceptions, players with American major league experience sign on with Japanese teams either very early or very late in their careers. Japanese professional teams have a mutual agreement to play no more than two non-Japanese players during regular season games, but those two players may have just the right talents to spur the team on to victory. A player at the end of a major league career may have the experience and sufficient strength to play at least on a par with most Japanese players, and the financial rewards for a big hitter are significant.
Why do high school BASEBALL players take home dirt from Koshien Stadium?
If a broadcast continues long enough, you will see players gathering dirt from the field of this arena in Osaka at the end of every game of the twice-annual high school baseball tournament. Soil has special meaning to many Japanese, who feel that earth from sacred areas has protective power. For high school baseball players, Koshien is a sacred place, and the soil symbolizes their sweat and tears. The teams·collect soil to scatter on their home fields as an inspiration to work hard and return to the next tournament. It also makes a nice bit of memorabilia.
Why do the Japanese throw BEANS at demons in February?
A custom that originated in China, the expulsion of "demons" such as epidemics and calamities was originally carried out in the imperial court on the last day of the year to prepare for a new year of good fortune. Before long, the custom spread to the general populace and came to be practiced at the most important of the four divisions of the year, the one at the beginning of spring when the agricultural year began. For the farmers who made up the core of Japan's agrarian society, the act of expelling demons expressed hopes for good weather and good harvests. Today the custom is continued by families who open all the doors and windows of their homes and throw beans outside while saying O ni wa soto, fuku wa ucfii, or "Demons out, good fortune in." Walk through any Japanese neighborhood the morning after mame-maki, or "bean throwing," and the beans along the street will show just how many people observe this tradition.
Why are beans the anti-demon missile of choice? Because mame, or "bean," can also mean "evil eye" or "evil diminishing," when written with different characters.
Who uses BEEPERS?
One expects business people to carry poke-beru (from "pocket bell"), as they are called in Japanese, but the popularity of these status goods goes way beyond the world of work. As of February 1995, it was estimated that there were over 9.3 million beepers in use in Japan, and that a significant portion of these were used by female high school students.
For what could they possibly use these poke-beru, which until recently have only been capable of displaying numbers? To aid in this form of communication, a Tokyo publisher put out a list of special beeper codes, selling two hundred thousand copies in two months in 1994. The book uses alternate readings of lapanese numbers to include over three hundred fifty messages that vary from a simple "good morning" (0840 = O-ha-yo-o) or "good night" (0833731 = O-ya-su-mi-na-sa-i), to "I'll wait for you at the west exit of Shinjuku Station." (02-40109-240 = Ma-tsu shi-n-ju-ku ni-shi-guchi)
The popularity of these beepers appears to be due to the perennial desire to belong to the group. What else would account for learning three hundred fifty codes for anything?
Why are Japanese BEER Bottles the same size and shape?
Beer brewers Asahi and Sapporo were once part of the same company, and for many years they shared bottles as an economic convenience. In 1963, Suntory joined them in an agreement to purchase bottles that all three brewers could recycle with their own labels. A close look at the 633-milliliter bottles will tell you that, despite the great variety of labels, caps, and contents, only the word "beer" is actually engraved on these companies' bottles. Competitor Kirin, which has traditionally maintained the largest market share within lapan, uses softer-shouldered bottles with its name on them.
Why do some Japanese wear BELLY BANDS?
Japanese people have long felt it important to keep the stomach warm in order to keep healthy, because they regard the stomach as the body's center. Several decades ago, one often saw men in the heat of summer with only T-shirts for tops but wearing stomach warmers made of stretchable wool material over them.
Why do Japanese put BIBS on some Buddhist statues?
One of the most popular of the bodhisattvas of Buddhism in Japan is known as Jizo. Usually he is represented with a jewel in one hand and a staff in the other. Because of his vow to aid all suffering beings, he became regarded especially as the savior of children, and statues of Jizo along roadsides are often decorated with bibs provided by worshippers.
What is the most common form of BIRTH CONTROL in Japan?
Condoms account for 80% of birth control in Japan and have a long and venerable history as an important part of Japan's sex life. As far back as the Pacific War, even the Japanese troops who abused comfort women were required to use condoms by commanders terrified that their troops' combat effectiveness would be impaired by venereal disease. In contemporary Japan's prostitution industry, as well, condom use is prevalent, especially in this age of AIDS.
Why did the BIRTHRATE drop in 1966?
Due to a superstition that women born in the forty-third year, or hinoe uma, of the traditional sixty-year cycle had an unmanageable disposition, there was usually a drop in the birth rate during that year of each cycle. The last year this occurred was 1966, and, sure enough, the number of births dropped that year.
Why do Japanese men wear BLACK both to weddings and funerals?
Black is the color for formal events, and men may wear the same suit both to weddings and funerals, but the color of the necktie will differ. At weddings men wear white ties, while at funerals they wear black ones. Traditionally, women wedding guests who are married wear kimono with black backgrounds overlaid with gold, silver, or multicolored patterning. Plain, black, silk kimono with no design are appropriate for funerals. The dark, sober clothing prevents guests from upstaging the elaborately dressed bride and groom.
Why is the BON festival celebrated at two different times?
Japanese Buddhist tradition holds that the spirits of the ancestors return to visit their families between the thirteenth and fifteenth days of the seventh month of the year. On the Gregorian calendar, of course, the seventh month is July, but if one goes in accordance with the old lunar calendar observed by Japanese farmers, the seventh month corresponds with our August. As a result, some localities observe the event in mid-July, while others observe it in mid-August. Recently, some companies have been giving their employees mid-August vacations to coincide