Hiya. I was so sleepy last night that I could not finish writing about what my aunt told me. Now I would love to write about Kabuki again.
Most Japanese know that Kabuki is one of the important Japanese traditional performing arts, although they do not go to see it often. The main reason of this is the price of the play. We have to pay a lot, if we would like to see it clearly. And since the play uses classical Japanese, it is a bit difficult to understand.
Although there are somethings that keep us from going to Kabuki theater, Kabuki is still worth seeing. The colorful clothes, tools, and unique music should not be missed! No wonder there are a lot of people who love it.
My aunt said to me that she went to see a movie on Friday. I asked her what kind of movie she saw. She replied, “Cinema Kabuki.” Cinema Kabuki is not the name of the movie.
Cinema Kabuki is one of new genres of Japanese movies (the producers say it is not a movie, though.). It is the record of Kabuki. (Not a documentary film.) I could not find the English explanation of this, but there’s a Japanese one. →シネマ歌舞伎とは
Also it is quite a bad movie, though, there’s the video of Cinema Kabuki on YouTube. If you would like to see it, click here.
Whenever I see a Kabuki video, I’m surprised at how feminine the actors are! They are my role models sometimes. Gosh, they have it going on and are hot numbers, although I hate to admit it…
-Mu
2008-06-29
2008-06-28
What my aunt told me is...
Hi. I went to Tokyo this weekend. It was quite meaningful, because I could talk with the staff from universities in the U.K.
Now (well, I knew it for a bit time ago, but I didn’t want to admit it), I have to practice writing an essay more and more. All of them advised me that I need a higher score on TOEFL in order to enroll in their schools. Fortunately, they also said to me that I could make it, if I study a bit more and do my best on the test. (But, doing my best is easier said than done!!!)
Well, I would like to write about one aspect of Japanese culture today, too.
While in Tokyo this weekend, I stayed at my uncle’s. (He had already gone to bed when I got there, though.) My aunt told me an interesting account (??) of Japanese traditional play, Kabuki.
First of all, I would like to write about the meaning of “Kabuki(歌舞伎).” The word Kabuki is said to originally come from the verb, “Kabuku(傾く).” Kabuku means to behave and wear eccentric clothes, in order to attract people’s attention. (And, one of other meanings is to play kabuki.) Since the first ruler of Kaga(加賀藩), Maeda Toshiie(前田利家), was good at fighting by a long arrow and scrapper, he was called “kabuki mono” in his youth. (He was also said, in the historical document, to have been Oda Nobunaga’s (織田信長, one of the most famous and popular military commanders in Japan) peg boy.)...double parentheses, maybe this is too many!
Second, what we should know is all the actors are male. Women were/are not allowed even to be on the stage, like other Japanese traditional performing arts or sports. It is quite interesting, but the creator of Kabuki was a WOMAN. (Izumo no Okuni 出雲阿国)
And, now I would like to tell you about the new kabuki thing I heard from my aunt, but I’m so sleepy tonight…
-Mu
・・・・・・・・・・
(2008.7.2)
(He was also said, in the historical document, to have been Oda Nobunaga’s (織田信長, one of the most famous and popular military commanders in Japan) peg boy.)
...double parentheses, maybe this is too many!
Ok, then, how about this?
↓ ↓ ↓
(He was also said, in the historical document, to have been a peg boy of Oda Nobunaga (織田信長), who is one of the most famous and popular military commanders in Japan.)
By the way, do you know the Japanese skate player, Oda Nobunari (織田信成)? He's the descendant of Oda Nobunaga. (It is said he doesn't like to be said like that, though. I don't care anyway!)
Now (well, I knew it for a bit time ago, but I didn’t want to admit it), I have to practice writing an essay more and more. All of them advised me that I need a higher score on TOEFL in order to enroll in their schools. Fortunately, they also said to me that I could make it, if I study a bit more and do my best on the test. (But, doing my best is easier said than done!!!)
Well, I would like to write about one aspect of Japanese culture today, too.
While in Tokyo this weekend, I stayed at my uncle’s. (He had already gone to bed when I got there, though.) My aunt told me an interesting account (??) of Japanese traditional play, Kabuki.
First of all, I would like to write about the meaning of “Kabuki(歌舞伎).” The word Kabuki is said to originally come from the verb, “Kabuku(傾く).” Kabuku means to behave and wear eccentric clothes, in order to attract people’s attention. (And, one of other meanings is to play kabuki.) Since the first ruler of Kaga(加賀藩), Maeda Toshiie(前田利家), was good at fighting by a long arrow and scrapper, he was called “kabuki mono” in his youth. (He was also said, in the historical document, to have been Oda Nobunaga’s (織田信長, one of the most famous and popular military commanders in Japan) peg boy.)...double parentheses, maybe this is too many!
Second, what we should know is all the actors are male. Women were/are not allowed even to be on the stage, like other Japanese traditional performing arts or sports. It is quite interesting, but the creator of Kabuki was a WOMAN. (Izumo no Okuni 出雲阿国)
And, now I would like to tell you about the new kabuki thing I heard from my aunt, but I’m so sleepy tonight…
-Mu
・・・・・・・・・・
(2008.7.2)
(He was also said, in the historical document, to have been Oda Nobunaga’s (織田信長, one of the most famous and popular military commanders in Japan) peg boy.)
...double parentheses, maybe this is too many!
Ok, then, how about this?
↓ ↓ ↓
(He was also said, in the historical document, to have been a peg boy of Oda Nobunaga (織田信長), who is one of the most famous and popular military commanders in Japan.)
By the way, do you know the Japanese skate player, Oda Nobunari (織田信成)? He's the descendant of Oda Nobunaga. (It is said he doesn't like to be said like that, though. I don't care anyway!)
2008-06-25
When I see a spider at night…
In rainy season, I often see spiders around my neighborhood in the morning and at night. What kind of feeling do people from other countries have about spiders? Oh, there’s a story (also a movie) called “Charlotte’s Web” by E. B. White!
In Japan, there is also a story called “The Spider’s Thread” by Akutagawa Ryunosuke. I love this story, because it appears to me that the story sheds light on a man’s true nature, kind of. (If you want to read a part of the story, click here.) This story is for children, but I don’t think they can understand the whole story thoroughly. This story was once said to have been influenced by a short story from “Brothers Karamazov” by Fyodor Dostoevski or by one of the stories in “Christ Legends”, by Selma Lagerlöf (Selma Ottilia Lagerloef, a novel prize winner). But, in fact, it is known that when Akutagawa wrote this story, he was influenced by the work Karma (by Paul Carus), translated by Suzuki Daisetsu, (a.k.a. D.T.Suzuki). Well, do you know Suzuki Daisetsu, a famous religion scholar, is from Kanazawa? If you want to know more about him, click here
By the way, in the story of “The Spider’s Thread”, Buddha gave the spider’s thread to Kandata since he helped a spider one day.
But!
Once I tried to do the same thing at night, but my grandma told me not to do that and said, “Kill it!”
According to her, it doesn’t bring good luck. On the other hand, a spider seen in the morning is not whammy at all, so she told me not to kill it.
Do you have any interesting stories or memories of spiders?
-Mu
In Japan, there is also a story called “The Spider’s Thread” by Akutagawa Ryunosuke. I love this story, because it appears to me that the story sheds light on a man’s true nature, kind of. (If you want to read a part of the story, click here.) This story is for children, but I don’t think they can understand the whole story thoroughly. This story was once said to have been influenced by a short story from “Brothers Karamazov” by Fyodor Dostoevski or by one of the stories in “Christ Legends”, by Selma Lagerlöf (Selma Ottilia Lagerloef, a novel prize winner). But, in fact, it is known that when Akutagawa wrote this story, he was influenced by the work Karma (by Paul Carus), translated by Suzuki Daisetsu, (a.k.a. D.T.Suzuki). Well, do you know Suzuki Daisetsu, a famous religion scholar, is from Kanazawa? If you want to know more about him, click here
By the way, in the story of “The Spider’s Thread”, Buddha gave the spider’s thread to Kandata since he helped a spider one day.
But!
Once I tried to do the same thing at night, but my grandma told me not to do that and said, “Kill it!”
According to her, it doesn’t bring good luck. On the other hand, a spider seen in the morning is not whammy at all, so she told me not to kill it.
Do you have any interesting stories or memories of spiders?
-Mu
2008-06-24
A restaurant in Shibuya.
Hi!
I wrote about an article about whaling I was reading last night. So, I’d like to write about it more today.
When it comes to whaling, I always remember the restaurant, Kujira-ya (元祖くじら屋) in Shibuya. There is a slogan of the restaurant, “protect our food culture” (or something like this) on the wall there. Since I went to a university in Shibuya, I always wanted to go there, but I had no chance to go there, unfortunately.
When I was in primary school and junior high school, sometimes I had chances to have whale at school lunch. I liked it.
Whale is an endangered animal, so I know our culture is a bit controversial… But I wanna go to Kujira-ya someday in the future!!!
-Mu
I wrote about an article about whaling I was reading last night. So, I’d like to write about it more today.
When it comes to whaling, I always remember the restaurant, Kujira-ya (元祖くじら屋) in Shibuya. There is a slogan of the restaurant, “protect our food culture” (or something like this) on the wall there. Since I went to a university in Shibuya, I always wanted to go there, but I had no chance to go there, unfortunately.
When I was in primary school and junior high school, sometimes I had chances to have whale at school lunch. I liked it.
Whale is an endangered animal, so I know our culture is a bit controversial… But I wanna go to Kujira-ya someday in the future!!!
-Mu
An irritating title
Hi. I know it’s real late at night, but I can’t sleep because the title of a BBC news article irritates me soo much.
The title is “Peace Pledges as Whale Meet Opens”
(If you want to read this article, click here!)
“Peace pledges” is a noun?
I looked it up in my dictionary and it says pledge is countable.
Is “meet” an adjective?
My dictionary also says that it means “right or suitable”, if it is an adjective.
Is “open” a verb?
Woo, this title irritates me a lot. Help!
-Mu
・・・・・・・・・・
(2008.6.24)
A Japanese man told me the answer…
Peace pledges (are made) as [=when] meet opens [=convene]
It is difficult to understand headlines!!!
・・・・・・・・・・
(2008.7.2)
look up
2: look (something) up
if you look up information in a book, on a computer etc, you try to find it there:
*Look the word up in your dictionary.
*I'll just look up the train times.
to look for information in a book, on a computer etc
search • surf • look up • go through • trawl/trawl through • scour • browse
-Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The title is “Peace Pledges as Whale Meet Opens”
(If you want to read this article, click here!)
“Peace pledges” is a noun?
I looked it up in my dictionary and it says pledge is countable.
Is “meet” an adjective?
My dictionary also says that it means “right or suitable”, if it is an adjective.
Is “open” a verb?
Woo, this title irritates me a lot. Help!
-Mu
・・・・・・・・・・
(2008.6.24)
A Japanese man told me the answer…
Peace pledges (are made) as [=when] meet opens [=convene]
It is difficult to understand headlines!!!
・・・・・・・・・・
(2008.7.2)
look up
2: look (something) up
if you look up information in a book, on a computer etc, you try to find it there:
*Look the word up in your dictionary.
*I'll just look up the train times.
to look for information in a book, on a computer etc
search • surf • look up • go through • trawl/trawl through • scour • browse
-Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
2008-06-23
The rainy season has started.
Heya!
It was absolutely pouring down this morning.
Some people say they don’t like rain because it depresses them, but I think it is better than the steaming hot situation just before it’s about to rain. (It may sound strange, but I do like the smell just before it rains. haha.)
Everything seems to be damp during rainy season. Books, clothes, curtain, floor, everything! But I can’t but think about how great the ancient Japanese were. Wooden houses suit this climate. They absorb humidity. (well, to some extent... But if it were not for the wood frames, the situation would be worse in a house without an air conditioner, I bet.)
As for graves, some ancient people (from the era known as 古墳時代 Kofun Period or Tumulus Period) used stone to build chambers like European or Chinese ones (actually, it was influenced by China and Korea), though.
Several years ago, it was reported that mold grew in one of those stone chambers (高松塚古墳 Takamatsuzuka Kofun, in 奈良 Nara), and that news made us worried because there are some pictures on the wall of the chamber, which are valuable from the historical and cultural point of views (some pictures of Takamatsuzuka Kofun are a national treasure). Most Japanese know the pictures because it is used for the cover of some history textbooks.
If you want to know more about it, please look at this site. →Takamatsuzuka Tomb
(You can also see those pictures I mentioned above.)
Well, I wrote a bit too much today… but I’m thinking about writing some topics related to Japanese culture as much as I can, because it seems useful because I will have to give speeches on Japanese culture. Don’t you think so?
-Mu
・・・・・・・・・・
I don't know why it says that I posted this article at that↓ early time???
・・・・・・・・・・
(2008.7.2)
as
7: as for somebody/something
used when you are starting to talk about someone or something new that is connected with what you were talking about before:
*Kitty's got so thin. And as for Carl, he always seems to be ill.
*You can ask the others, but as for myself, I'll be busy in the office.
point of view
plural: points of view
[countable]
1: a particular way of thinking about or judging a situation
scientific/technical/business etc point of view
*From an economic point of view, the new development will benefit the town greatly.
2: someone's own personal opinion or attitude about something:
*I respect your point of view, but I'm not sure I agree with you.
from somebody's point of view
*From my point of view, there is no way they can win.
an opinion that is influenced by the situation you are in
point of view • viewpoint • standpoint • angle • perspective
-Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
It was absolutely pouring down this morning.
Some people say they don’t like rain because it depresses them, but I think it is better than the steaming hot situation just before it’s about to rain. (It may sound strange, but I do like the smell just before it rains. haha.)
Everything seems to be damp during rainy season. Books, clothes, curtain, floor, everything! But I can’t but think about how great the ancient Japanese were. Wooden houses suit this climate. They absorb humidity. (well, to some extent... But if it were not for the wood frames, the situation would be worse in a house without an air conditioner, I bet.)
As for graves, some ancient people (from the era known as 古墳時代 Kofun Period or Tumulus Period) used stone to build chambers like European or Chinese ones (actually, it was influenced by China and Korea), though.
Several years ago, it was reported that mold grew in one of those stone chambers (高松塚古墳 Takamatsuzuka Kofun, in 奈良 Nara), and that news made us worried because there are some pictures on the wall of the chamber, which are valuable from the historical and cultural point of views (some pictures of Takamatsuzuka Kofun are a national treasure). Most Japanese know the pictures because it is used for the cover of some history textbooks.
If you want to know more about it, please look at this site. →Takamatsuzuka Tomb
(You can also see those pictures I mentioned above.)
Well, I wrote a bit too much today… but I’m thinking about writing some topics related to Japanese culture as much as I can, because it seems useful because I will have to give speeches on Japanese culture. Don’t you think so?
-Mu
・・・・・・・・・・
I don't know why it says that I posted this article at that↓ early time???
・・・・・・・・・・
(2008.7.2)
as
7: as for somebody/something
used when you are starting to talk about someone or something new that is connected with what you were talking about before:
*Kitty's got so thin. And as for Carl, he always seems to be ill.
*You can ask the others, but as for myself, I'll be busy in the office.
point of view
plural: points of view
[countable]
1: a particular way of thinking about or judging a situation
scientific/technical/business etc point of view
*From an economic point of view, the new development will benefit the town greatly.
2: someone's own personal opinion or attitude about something:
*I respect your point of view, but I'm not sure I agree with you.
from somebody's point of view
*From my point of view, there is no way they can win.
an opinion that is influenced by the situation you are in
point of view • viewpoint • standpoint • angle • perspective
-Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
2008-06-22
Experience makes even fools wise.
Hi! I went to an event which one of my friends arranged today. It was awesome!
We made some Chinese sweets, and had a lecture about Chinese culture. I couldn’t help but thinking that about how hard my friend prepared for that.
I also have to give some speeches in the future, but I have no idea about what kind of thing I should tell talk about and, what is worse, my English is far from fluent. So I decided to keep a diary to prepare for those speeches.
Although I’ll try to write correctly, there are/will be loads of mistakes in my diary. I’d be so happy if you'd tell me them. Thanks!
-Mu
・・・・・・・・・・
Thanks to my friends' help, I could correct my errors. I don’t like to delete my original writing, because I don’t see my progress. So it may be a bit difficult to read, though, I use different colors to indicate them. (2008.6.23)
Reminder:
speech
1 [countable]
a talk, especially a formal one about a particular subject, given to a group of people:
*a campaign speech
give/make/deliver a speech
*Each child had to give a short speech to the rest of the class.
speech on/about
*a major speech on relations with China
a conference including meals and after-dinner speeches
*Collins gave the keynote speech (=most important speech).
when someone makes a speech
speech • talk • speak • talk • address • public speaking • presentation
-“Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English”
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