Disaster Prevention Day

1st Sept is the 'Disaster Prevention Day' in japan. This day is established to mark the Great Kanto Earthquake that happened in 1923. This day is to remind everyone to take precautions to natural disasters like earthquake and typhoons. Since Hong Kong don't have earthquakes, sensing the little shakes from time to time actually frightens me sometimes. That's why I do have a bag packed under my bed with water and emergency food. A lot of supermarkets will have a corner selling preserved can biscuits and packs of water so as to remind you to check on the due date of the things you have prepared before. Unfortunately, not a lot of people takes precautions... they always have a way of thinking that it won't happen to them. But luckily, at least the radios kept talking about natural disasters for the whole day, encouraging people to be more concern. Here are some tips I learned today, hope if will be useful to you too! (but better that you won't need to use it...)

- When an earthquake occurs and you are having the kettle on. Don't go and try to switch off the fire or leave the house, first of all find a safe place that objects won't fall over on you until the quakes stops. Trying to turn off the fire might cause burns from the fire or hot water instead. And leaving the house might cause big objects to fall on you.

- If you are stuck in a car in a sudden flood, stay calm and don't try opening the door. The pressure outside is bigger then inside the car where you won't be able to open it and in the other hand you will use up all your strength and you may panic more. Wait until the water is about your height, the pressure will change and you shall be able to open the door of the car.

- When earthquakes occurs, pay phones are easier to connect than mobile phones.

- If you have a pet with you, and you running away from objects falling over you. Be careful that you don't crush your pet while grabbing hold on her. A lot of pets died because of that, while you are panicking, you may not be good at controlling your strength. The best is to have a carry bag ready with your emergency goods.

Hope these tips can be useful to someone when it is in need. Of course, the best is to bless everyone to be safe and sound.

Summer Festivals - Japan

Summer is a season for festivals in japan. Fireworks, Mikoshi parade (portable shrine), harvest celebrations, etc etc. In the province that I lived also have this incredible big festival every year. While the station I lived in is the main station for this province, we were always able to just walk there!!

As all years, each shrine or district will bring out their Mikoshi for a parade. Mikoshi are small little buildings like a shrine. It is known to be use when you need to bring the god out of the shrine. In another words, you can say its the god's car!! Seems like it started in the past so as to pray for good harvest. (For more details you can go over here for a look 'Mikoshi'.) You can also see a lot of traditional performance from the Mikoshi, where people wears the traditional character mask and dance. A lot of these dancers are children too!!

Some province Mikoshi are just used to walk around the districts, some other places will have lots of them from different shrines (like where I lived), where they will act like showing their fierce when they come into each other on the way. So as to stimulate more power to bless the peasants.

Anyway, most of the people that come to join the crowd - like me, will be dressed in yukata (summer casual traditional japanese wear like kimono) and are here to enjoy the energy and power and have a nice time with the hawkers food!! If you have the chance to come to Japan in the summers, I do recommend late July & Aug, where it is the peak season for festivals!!

Nadekifuda

This is an event done every year at the district where I live. The district chairman will go knocking at everyone's door to ask if you will like to have a 'Nadekifuda'. This little piece of wood called 'Nadeki' (short form) cost around 200yen, where you will write down your age and name on it, and then wipe around your body with it. The district chairman will then come back to collect them and have them burnt in the shrines. So as to bless you for safe driving. Some shrines have them for good health to take away your illness or to fulfill your wishes.

I love this word called 'Tsunagu' (繋ぐ), which means to pass it on. It's always so nice to know that some traditional customs are still going on so as to bring the history to the next generation. I know its a shame that I might not be that fascinated in chinese culture (not that I don't like it), but I love japanese culture very much. And sometimes it is very sad to see so many traditional techniques extinguish away. How I hope this high quality techniques from the pass will pass on to the next generation - Tsunagu

(I will try to introduce some techniques later!)