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ABOUT
JAPAN
A Culture Book
by
Jo Ebisujima
Hi,
My name is Ebi-kun (well that is my nickname) and I am 6
years old. I live in Japan about one hour by train from Tokyo. I
am going to tell you all about where I live.
I go to yochien which is like kindergarten, I catch the bus in the
morning at 7.45am and then I get home at about 2.30pm. I
love going to yochien, it is a Japanese yochien and I get to
play with my friends, we play tag and football (soccer), dancing
and singing, painting and working in the clay room we also
have lots of animals like peacocks, chickens, ducks, turtles,
rabbits, carp and a parrot.
My yochien is part of a Shinto shrine so when I arrive I go to
the shrine and say good morning to the god and to the garden
god and the animals god, before we catch the bus home we all
say goodbye to the different gods.
Japanese school
I will start elementary school next April, the school year always starts April here. I wont wear a
uniform but I have to wear a yellow hat and use a yellow umbrella if it is raining.
All elementary school kids walk to school, the school organises meeting points so one of the older
kids is in charge of the walking group and we have to walk the route that the school decides on.
There are some parents on patrol at the busy crossing.
It will take me about 20 minutes to walk to my school, we have to be at the school by 7.30am. I dont
need to take lunch because it is cooked at the school.
Schools in Japan dont have cleaners, the children are in charge of keeping the school clean and
twice a year the parents come in to help clean the more difficult parts.
I will get homework every day and in the summer I will have projects to do.
When I am about 12 I will go to Junior High school, JH is very hard, you have to join a school club
usually a sport or music club, you practice every day after school and sometimes before school too.
Many kids also go to juku after school, juku is cram school, the entrance exams to get into high
school are very difficult so you have to study hard. You dont have to go to high school, you can quit
when you graduate JH but most people do go to High school or a college.
My parents hope I can get into our local high school, it has a very good reputation and it is close by,
some children travel up to an hour or more to get to their school.
Weather
The weather varies a lot depending on the part of Japan, Hokkaido gets very cold and
Okinawa gets very hot and humid. Where I live, December to February is cold but not very
rainy, I always hope for snow but we only get a little bit. March to May is warm and we have
picnics under the cherry blossom trees. June is the rainy season, it starts to get hot and
humid. July to September is very hot and humid, I dont like it because I cant play outside
much. October to December the weather cools down, usually warm during the day and
cooler at nice, it is a nice time of year.
Geography
Japanese macaque
Raccoon Dog
Sika deer
wild boar
red fox
Map Of Japan
Hokkaido
Tokyo
Honshu
Shikoku
Kyushu
Homes
In the countryside there
are still quite a lot of
traditional style
farmhouses but as the
houses get older they get
replaced by better built
modern
homes.
Traditionally there was a
big open cooking pit in
the middle of the home.
Most people live in rented houses or apartments until they can afford to build their own. There isnt
much of a market for second hand houses, most people buy the land and new house, my mommy
and daddy worked with the building company to have our house built the way they wanted. All the
houses on our street look different because they are built by different companies.
Most modern houses are still built with wood as the main structure but our houses uses steel and it
has special stabilizers built into the walls in case there is an earthquake.
We have solar panels too and an eco system which heats the water at night which is cheaper.
It is normal to have a toilet with facilities the seat is warmed and there are various buttons to press
which squirts water up your bum to clean it. Some public places still have the old style squat toilet, I
dont like using them. Many toilets also have a tap at the top, when you flush clean water comes out
of the tap so you can wash your hands the spare water goes into the tank ready for the next time
you flush the toilet, clever isnt it?
Now I can get undressed, I take a small towel into the bath
room with me. First I fill the bowl with water and then I clean
myself with soap all over and wash my hair. Then I use the
shower to wash off all the soap. Once I am clean I get in the
bath to play (or mommy and daddy just like to relax).
Because we are clean when we get in the bath we can all
use the same water. When I have finished mommy puts the
lids on the bath, this helps keep the water hot for the next
person. The gadget also checks the water temperature and
adds more hot water if it starts to get cold. We take a bath
every night before bed.
Religion
Most Japanese are not very religious but religion plays a big part in the culture. Buddhism and
Shinto are the two main religions, other religions are practiced but are very much in the minority.
Shinto
Shinto which means the way of the
gods has been practiced since
prehistoric times as a religion with a
respect for nature. Small shrines can
be found dotted all over the country
each one associated with different
gods such as the god of rocks or the
god of trees.
Shinto shrines usually have a tori
gate often painted red and a place
with water and ladle so that you can
cleanse yourself before praying.
Buddhism
Buddhism first arrived in Japan in the
6th century and now there a many
different sects of Buddhism (like
there are different sects of
Christians).
Buddhist temples have two gods
standing guard at the temple gates,
there is also a water place to cleanse
yourself and often incense will be
burning so that you can cleanse
Food
Traditional breakfast
A traditional breakfast is usually rice with natto,
grilled fish, miso soup, pickles, some boiled or
steamed vegetables and green tea to drink. We
dont have this, we usually have fresh bread
(mommy makes it) or toast or cereal and fruit. I like
to drink milk and mommy and daddy have coffee.
Flavours
In Japan matcha (green tea) is a
popular flavour and so is (anko sweet
bean paste).
Most areas are famous for a certain
type of food, where we live it is sweet
potatoes and nashi (asian pear). If you
go on a trip it is custom to take back
some omiage which are usually cakes
or snacks. Where my grandparents
live it is famous for mikan oranges and
umeboshi pickled plums so we usually
bring back something flavoured with
oranges or a pack of pickled plums for
our friends.
In Tokyo there is an ice-cream shop
that sells weird flavours like raw tuna,
whale, horse radish and soy sauce!
Recipes
These are some easy Japanese recipes for you to try. The problem with Japanese food is the
ingredients are usually specialised, I know that my hometown back in the UK I can by nori
(seaweed sheets) but not mirin (sweet rice wine, you can use sweet sherry instead). If you are
in the same situation just be a bit creative with the ingredients :o)
Ingredients
cooked rice, if you can't get Japanese rice try medium grain rice and add a bit of extra water
when cooking. Still warm works best.
Nori - dried seaweed sheets
Bowl of salted water
Directions
Wet hands in the bowl of water.
Take a small handful of rice and form into a ball, the water helps to stop it sticking to your
hands.
Soak the nori in the water until soft then wrap around the rice ball.
Eat!
Alternatives....
You can try making other shapes such as a capsule and wrapping nori just round the middle or
a triangle.
Add a filling, when you have formed the ball poke a hole in the middle and add a bit of filling
then 'plug' the hole with a little more rice. Popular fillings are konbu seaweed, tuna and mayo,
salmon, teriyaki chicken or think of you own!
If you can't get nori you can roll the ball in toasted sesame seeds instead.
Daigaku-imo
These are really good but a bit difficult for little ones to make, I am sure they will enjoy eating
them though!
Ingredients:
400g sweet potatoes
80g sugar
2 tbsp water
2 tsp soy sauce
1tsp black sesame seeds
Oil for deep frying
Directions:
1. Peel the sweet potatoes, cut roughly into bite sized pieces, soak in water.
2. Pat dry and deep fry at 170c until crispy and golden brown.
3. Place sugar, water and soy sauce in a pan and bring to the boil. When glossy and sticky add
the sweet potatoes and sesame seeds and mix to coat.
4. Serve with the main meal as a side dish, they are also really good with sour cream and beer!
Simmered Kabocha
Ingredients:
1/2 kabocha (500g) (Acorn squash)
sauce...
800ml dashi
100ml mirin
2tbsp sugar
4tbsp sake
6 tbsp soy sauce
Directions
1. Cut the inside of the kabocha and remove any stringy parts where the seeds were.
2. Cut the kabocha into bite size pieces.
3. Then cut the four edges of the skin. This will soften the edges which makes it easier to eat.
4. Finally, score the skin to rid of any rough spots.
5. Place the kabocha, skin down in a pan add the sauce, cover with a lid and simmer for 30
minutes until tender.
6. Serve in small bowls as a side dish, often served at room temperature.
Items
packs are never
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4 is an f 4 in Japa sold in
n
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FUN
FACTS
pass
You should NEVER
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k your
chopsticks or stic
ur ric e
ch op st ic ks in to yo
done at
because this is what is
king rice
funerals and when ma
offerings at an alter
never lie
You should
t after eating
down straigh
!
rn into a cow
or you will tu
Som
trains e t i m e s
t
r a i l w are so cro h e
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a
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emp
loyed t a f f a r
e
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nd most
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like
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For m
a
c o u p l e ny Japanes
e
s Chr
istmas
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brat
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Valentin
i
k
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e
wester 's Day in t
n world
he
.
Many Japanese
c o m p a n i e s
conduct a morning
ex er cis e se ss ion
for the workers to
prepare them for
the day's work.
e
se th
u
u
yo
o n e 's
When
some
n
i
m
to put
r e s t r o o u may need
oom
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bathr
home,
l
a
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ot to
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r
o
s l i p p e ate the rest
in
contam
home.
s
achine r,
m
g
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ee
Vendi
sell b d
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p
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d cann s ,
l
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,
s,
c o f f e e esh flower
,
r
f
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rice,
e
c
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,
s
noodle er items.
h
t
and o
Noodles
,
( b u c k w h especially soba
eat), a
r e s lu r p
loudly
ed
when e
a
te
often
s a i d s n. It is
symbol
lurpin
ize
g
delicious s t h e f o o d
is
, but th
e slurpin
also ser
ves to co
g
ol down
hot nood
the
les for e
ating.
Language
Japanese uses 3 types of text, hiragana, katakana and kanji. A whole sentence can be written
with a mix of all three. Hiragana and katakana are both phonic, hiragana is learnt first at school.
Katakana is used for non Japanese words such as coffee (and melon ().
Kanji is derived from the Chinese way of writing, the strokes of the kanji have to written in a
specific order and one kanji can have different meanings and different pronunciation which is
why Japanese is one of the most difficult languages to learn. Here are some easy kanji, they
are derived from pictures so can you guess their meaning.
forest
mouth
mountain
tree
river
rice paddy
forest
mouth
mountain
tree
river
rice paddy
Festivals
There are a lot of festivals in Japan and many regional ones, especially in rural areas. Here are
a few of my favourites....
Oshogatsu Dec 31st - Jan 3rd
Before the end of the year the house is cleaned from top
to bottom. On new years eve we watch a famous TV
show, some people go to the shrine to pray and at
midnight we eat noodles to wish for a long life and eat
mochi which is very chewy. A really fancy bento is
prepared (or bought) this will last for a couple of days, it
doesnt look like it will be somehow it does!
Activity ideas
This
is a koi nobori that I
made when I was four. It
is fun to do, why dont you
try? Mommy write all the
instructions on her blog,
just click HERE.
Make a
Tanabata decoration.
This is the one I bought home
from yochien. Use coloured paper to
make the decorations, you can do them
however you like. Then cut strips of
coloured paper and ask your friends and
family to write down their wishes and
then tie the wishes and
decorations to a tree.
Make
a kabuto samurai
helmet. There are full
instructions and lots of
other origami ideas
HERE
Sports
Kendo
Aikido
Judo
Sumo
Kyudo
Naginatajutsu
Food
Sushi
Okonomiyaki
Onigiri
Dango
Sakura Mochi
Traditional Japan
Mount Fuji
Kinkaku-ji
Itsukushima-jinja
Cherry Blossom
Geisha
Matsuri
Modern Japan
Anime
Shibuya, Tokyo
Shinkansen
Cosplay
Asimo Robot
! '
Hi
I m Jo Ebisujima
I am a
BIG believer that learning should be fun and that if kids fall in
love with learning they will carry that with them and as you
know
themselves
there is
then that is
I love the Montessori method and feel that the most important
thing that parents can do it to
"
"
I run courses and write books to help parents make learning fun
For pre-Schoolers
preschoolers, which is available on Amazon and all good
For
book stores
In just
27
the best way to help your child and all your Montessori related
questions answered
'
HERE
HERE
HERE
'
MOMS
That Rock
THAT
ROCK, a support group for moms from all corners of the earth, you can also
.
.
WWW.JOJOEBI.COM
find me more about what I do over at www jojoebi com and my personal blog
WWW.JOJOEBI-DESIGNS.COM
.
.