Arts & Culture

Summer in Japan: Watermelon Splitting
日本の夏:スイカ割

Have you ever heard of Watermelon Splitting? Suika-wari (スイカ割り, literally “Watermelon Splitting”) is a traditional Japanese game that involves splitting a watermelon with a stick while blindfolded. It is often played by kids in the summertime, usually at beaches but also at picnics, festivals, and other summer events. I first heard about this game from a Japanese friend, and recently tried playing it myself on the beach at Odaiba! Read on for my experience of this game, some fun facts and a short quiz!

暑い日が続いていますね。

夏の食べ物といえばやっぱりスイカですね!日本人にとって、スイカといえばスイカ割りが定番ですよね。私は、外国人ですので、今年は初めてスイカ割について知りました。一般的に海水浴場などの砂浜で行われる日本の夏の風物詩ですね。

スイカ割りって、日本だと夏って印象ですが、海外ではないと思います。 似たような文化はメキシコで行われる「ピニャータ」ということかもしれません。とても面白そうですので、絶対やってみたいなぁと思いました。最近やっとお台場海浜公園に自分自身でやってみました!

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Uenohara
上野原

Have any of you heard of Uenohara (上野原市 Uenohara-shi)? It is a rural city located in eastern Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan with an estimated population of fewer than 30,000 people. Read more about my experience trout fishing, gold panning, and woodworking in Uenohara!

皆様、上野原市について、聞いたことがありますか?上野原市、山梨県の中部最東端に位置する市です。

地方自治体は、観光客誘致に関する情報を収集するために、外国人のモニタツアーを開催し、自治体から招待されたので、このモニター・ツアーに、最近参加しました。今回は私の経験について、話したいと思います。

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Clam Digging
潮干狩り

May and June are the most popular months of the year to go clam digging (潮干狩り, shiohigari ) in Japan. You may think that clam digging itself is not so special, but “clam digging” is seriously an important keyword in Japanese society and history! I was very surprised by the extent to which the Japanese people love clam digging as a family activity! It also appears to get significant news coverage every year.

日本では、5月と6月が潮干狩りの季節ですね。日本人が家族と一緒に潮干狩りに行くはとても人気のある娯楽ですね。

初めて聞いた時、貝を掘ることはそれほど特別な活動ではないと思うかもしれませんが、日本の社会や歴史の中で「潮干狩り」は重要なキーワードらしいですね!また、今まで、毎年ニューズになっているそうです。私は、日本人が「潮干狩り」を楽しむことに驚きした!

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Sumo Practice at Musashigawa-beya
武蔵川部屋の朝稽古

To the Japanese, sumo is not merely a popular wrestling sport, it has long been performed ritually at festivals since ancient times. Many ancient traditions have been preserved in sumo, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt purification, from Shinto. Life as a wrestler is highly regimented, with rules regulated by the Japan Sumo Association, and tickets to sumo tournaments are pricey and often sold out. This is one of the reasons why, besides watching sumo matches on TV, we usually have few occasions to enter the world of sumo.

日本人にとって、相撲はとても大事なスポーツですね。皆様、自分自身で、直接お相撲さんに会ったことがありますか?先日、私は武蔵川部屋に行く機会がありました!朝稽古を見学に行きました。素晴らしい経験でした!

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Disaster Preparedness Drill
防災訓練

The island nation lies along the western edge of the Ring of Fire, making it one of the most tectonically active places on Earth, with as much as 10% of the world’s volcanic activity! 

Most local Japanese have practiced various disaster drills (for earthquakes, tsunamis, etc.) since their childhood years. Foreigners like myself who have never grown up with the frequent risk of earthquakes, however, have to take extra measures to get familiar with what to do in the case of a disaster in Tokyo. Recently I took part in my office building’s earthquake drill and also a Disaster Preparedness Drill for Foreign Residents government sponsored by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

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ArtBar
アートバー

Went to the ArtBar studio in Daikanyama recently for a painting session on “Greek Islands: Santorini”! Painting themes change every session~ The philosophy of “Paint & Sip” is brought to Tokyo from New York and emphasizes having fun painting while sipping wine. Free flow wine, soft drinks, and snacks are included in the lesson fee! (Although you are allowed to bring your own wine as well, which is what I did~) I have not painted for a very long time since art class in school and was a little worried I wouldn’t be able to complete a full painting in 2 hours, but it turned out alright (or so I think – check out the photos)!

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