One of the stranger assertions that you’ll hear is that one of Japan’s best features is its four, distinct seasons. That may sound benign at first, but for some, the implication is that these four seasons—winter, spring, summer, and fall—are unique characteristic of Japan, that it’s the only country in the world that enjoys this natural phenomenon.

As a foreigner, my first reaction to hearing that was one of incredulity. That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard! Places all over the world have four seasons, how could somebody actually believe that they only happen in Japan?!

Obviously, some this isn’t something that every single Japanese person believes and will vehemently defend, but it’s still something that’s present in the popular consciousness. In the years since I’ve heard about this belief, I’ve wondered a lot about where it comes from.

Here are some of the theories—from the absurd to the more credible—about how this belief about the four seasons came about:

Poetry

One theory I’ve heard behind the Japanese four seasons belief is that it’s derived from Chinese poetry. Japan, through its cultural ties with China, has a long, rich tradition of poetry celebrating the four seasons.

Chinese poetry and, subsequently Japanese poetry, have historically been celebrated and influential artforms in their respective cultures and around the world. You only have to look at the haiku style of poetry and its prevalence outside of Japan to see poetry’s cultural impact.

One of the most common themes of East Asian poetry is nature, and more specifically the unique feelings of the seasons. There’s even a special word for a word or phrase in poetry about the seasons: kigo (季語).

Take these poems by master poet Matsuo Basho:

Рiping autumn wind
blows with wild piercing voice
through the sliding door…

Soon they have to die,
but there is no sign of it
in cicadas’ cries.

Tis the first snow—
Just enough to bend
The gladiolus leaves!

Each of these paints a very vivid picture of a particular season, envoking different, natural phenomena—like cicada, autumn wind, and snow—to set the tone. This Japanese Life has a great post about Japanese poets celebrating the turning of the seasons with more examples.

Evidently, Korean people also sometimes make the claim that their country is unique in enjoying four seasons. This would support the Chinese poetry theory, since both Korea and Japan have a shared cultural heritage from China.

I’m not sure how Japan and Korea will settle which country truly has four seasons. This could be an issue bigger than the disputed islands! Will this be the next big diplomatic struggle between the two nations? Time will tell.

Festivals

The Japanese calendar is littered with all kinds of cultural celebrations, both national and local. Many of them are based on the turning of the season, or at the very least coincide very closely with the changing of one season to the next.

In Japan, going out to picnic and watch the cherry blossoms during hanami is an obvious, visible marker that spring has arrived. Obon often marks the end of the summer, with the ever-present cicadas providing background music to the festivities.

These nationally-celbrated holidays give a cadence to the passing of the year, marking the beginnings and ends to the seasons. Japan’s seasonal festivals are far from unique in their timing and significance—I can think of many holidays celebrated here in the US that have seasonal significant.

In the United States, Memorial Day and Labor Day bookend the summer, and harvest celebrations Halloween and Thanksgiving provide landmarks in the fall. That’s not to mention commononly religious holidays like Easter, which fits in with the whole theme of spring as a time of renewal.

It may be that the holidays and festivals in Japan are so distinctly Japanese that it can be hard to see the equivalents in other cultures. Labor Day? Is that like Obon?

Japanese Exceptionalism

One theory that Koichi mentioned in a Tofugu post years ago blames a set of fringe beliefs known as “Nihonjinron.” Nihonjinron comprises a wide set of ridiculous claims about how Japanese people are unique and, in some cases, superior to other peoples. These beliefs are ultra-nationalist and borderline (if not blatantly) racist.

Some Nihonjinron beliefs cover Japan’s supposedly unique geography, and how it’s affected Japanese biology and psychology. It’s easy to imagine how this train of thought might lead to the notion of a uniquely Japanese four seasons.

The literature blog No-Sword quotes one Nihonjinron author who, while admitting that Europe also has four seasons, notes that Japan’s climate is unique among Asia:

Japan is rich in seasonal change without widely separated extremes in temperature, and this climate must surely be the most important foundation stone on which the Japanese way of life and artistic expression rest

I should stress that these kind of Nihonjinron beliefs are, of course, absurd and far from mainstream Japanese thought; not to mention that this kind of environmental determinism is largely frowned upon in academic fields. It is, however, very easy to draw a line between these Nihonjinron beliefs and belief in Japan’s unique four seasons.

What’s In a Season?

I have to come clean and at least mention that not every place in the world has the same kind of distinct four seasons that Japan does. Many parts of the globe have climates that don’t lend themselves to seasons with neat beginnings and ends. When I think of a place like Los Angeles, it’s hard to see much difference between the seasons—it all just seems to run together.

But as long as we’re being honest, the idea of all of Japan having these discernible four seasons is questionable at best. Geographically, Japan’s not a huge place, but it’s large enough to have big variations in climate between different areas of the country. The tropical southern islands of Japan are unlikely to see the kind of snow that great poets write about, and the very northern tip of Japan is probably shivering from the cold as people in Tokyo get drunk at hanami.

Throw in the rainy seasons to the equation and it gums up the works. Do typhoons constitute their own season? Are there actually five, or even six seasons in Japan?

So clearly, the notion that Japan is the only place in the world with four, distinct seasons is a ludicrous idea that’s clearly and demonstrably not true; but the belief, and the theories behind them are endlessly fascinating, and might even lend some insight into other cultural phenomena.

Wallpapers and GIFs!

Want to watch the uniquely Japanese seasons turn? Our amazing artist Aya has provided us with some desktop backgrounds and animated GIFs of the header image. Enjoy!

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Wallpaper (2560×1440)

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Though there are a few festivals that are celebrated across Japan, there are a few that are very regional, and very specific. But sometimes they’re so strange that they attract people from across the country or even across the world.

Metallic Genatalia

Where: Kanayama shrine, Kawasaki
When: First Sunday in April

Probably the most well-known of these festivals is the かなまら祭り, or “Festival of the Metal Penis” (talk about a mouthful!). I won’t go too far into detail about this festival, because it’s a topic that’s been beaten to death, and I don’t want to end up with a mess on my hands.

I thought it’s at least worth mentioning since it’s so widely covered in western media, though God forbid I play with this topic too much and end up stroking my own ego. Long story short, the festival is a mixed bag of symbolism, ranging from protection against STDs to various other protections and blessings.

Crying Sumo

Where: Various locations
When: Throughout the year

The premise of 泣き相撲, or Crying Sumo festivals held across Japan is somewhat baffling. Two sumo wrestlers are given a baby each and hold them in front of each other. People see which baby cries first and, following that, which baby cries louder. Shinto priests egg on the babies by making faces, noises, and putting on masks to provoke more tears.

Why is there a festival dedicated to upsetting children? Supposedly, there is a Japanese saying that goes “Crying babies grow fast.” Nothing to kick start your child’s growth like terrifying and upsetting them.

Why is Pomp and Circumstance playing in the background? Nobody knows.

At first, I was a bit skeptical about this festival. After all, it kinda seems mean to make all of these babies cry. But I suppose if the US can hold toddler beauty pageants, then a crying baby festival seems kind of tame in comparison.

Naked Festival

Where: Various locations
When: Throughout the year

Excuse the pun, but we covered naked festivals a few years back, but it doesn’t seem right to have a list of strange festivals without at least mentioning it.

Like Crying Sumo festivals, Japan’s naked festivals happen all around Japan at different times of the year. Men strip down to just a loincloth (although sometimes even less) and participate in purifying rituals. It involves touching a sacred object or person, with a lot of freezing, purifying water being thrown on participants and crowds alike.

Belly Button Festival

Where: Furano, Hokkaido
When: Late July

Smack in the middle of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, the town of Furano decided years ago to create a festival to bring its people together. Festival organizers chose to celebrate something that was also positioned right in the middle: the belly button.

Thus was born 臍祭り, or the Belly Button Festival. Revelers paint faces on their stomachs and hide their heads under giant hats, making bizarre stomach people.

The highlight of the festival is, of course, the famous Belly Button Dance, but don’t miss other festival highlights like the baby crawling race and watermelon splitting competition.

This is, of course, just the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty more offbeat and niche Japanese festivals out there, and I’m sure that I’m missing a ton of them. If you’ve got one you think I should have covered, drop me a line and maybe in the future, I’ll be covering the next strange Japanese festival.

Winning Kanji Of Years Past

Although perhaps it would be interesting to try and come up with the next kanji of the year before it happens, I think it’s more interesting to take a look at years past. It’s a look at Japan’s history through kanji, sure, but it’s also a way to see what was on everyone’s mind that year. If you had to pick one word to describe the whole years past, what would you end up choosing? By looking at that, you’ll be able to see what was important and what wasn’t.

Some years were definitely pretty obvious. Some years were kind of surprising. Here are all the years in order, starting at 1995 (when this ceremony first began) all the way to 2011. We can only speculate what 2012′s kanji will be (let’s do that, too!).

1995 – 震 (Quake)

Talk about a year to start this thing. In 1995, the Great Hanshin Earthquake rocked Japan, taking the lives of over 6,000 people and clocking in at a 7.2 magnitude. At the time it was the second worst earthquake in Japan during the 20th century, causing $100 billion in damage.

On top of this, 震 was chosen because of the uneasiness felt during this year due to the Subway Sarin Incident where members of Aum Shinrikyo released Sarin gas into the subway trains during rush hour. Certainly a shaky year, to be sure.

1996 – 食 (Food, Eat)

Despite how nice this kanji must seem (Japanese food is so good, right?), the kanji for “food” or “eat” was chosen in 1996 due to the outbreaks of food poisoning from E. coli 0157. 6,000 infections occured and three people died. Many children were hospitalized from E. coli infected school lunches. The cause of the oubreak was said to be from white radish sprouts shipped from one particular farm.

1997 – 倒 (Collapse, Defeat)

倒 has two meanings, and we’ll see both of them come to play with this year’s kanji.

First, this is was the end of the Japanese economy. Corporations went bankrupt. Banks went under. Everything collapsed.

Second, the Japanese soccer team beats others in its region to get into the 1998 FIFA world cup. This is the other 倒 meaning (defeat), so at least not both of the big stories were bad this year!

1998 – 毒 (Poison)

Sixty-seven people get sick from eating poisoned curry. Out of those people, four die. It turns out that Masumi Hayashi put poison into a pot of curry at the 1998 Summer Festival in Sonobe, Wakayama. She used 1000 grams of arsenic, apparently enough to kill up to 100 people (luckily that didn’t happen). She’s currently petitioning for a retrial and the court’s decision is pending.

1999 – 末 (End)

It’s the end of the century! Happy 2000 everyone! Y2K for everyone!

2000 – 金 (Gold)

I love… gooooolllld. And 2000 was the year for it! No, this wasn’t the year that Japan got into Cash For Gold schemes – out of all the years up to this point, this is definitely by far the most clever.

Ryoko Tamura (Judo) and Naoko Takahashi (marathon) won gold medals in the Sydney Olympics.

Kim Dae Jung and Kim Jong-Il have a North-South Korean presidential summit. Not only was this a big step forward at the time, but both of their names start with Kim. What’s the kanji for Kim? It’s 金, gold!

Last, the centenarian twin sisters Kin and Gin pass away. Their names sound like “Gold and Silver.” I guess Gin-san gets the short end of that stick.

Overall a pretty nice year, I’d say. Don’t worry, we’ll revert back to the negative in 2001.

2001 – 戦 (War)

The 9/11 attacks occur and America goes to war in Afghanistan, then later Iraq. A lot of people get involved and the war effects a lot of the world. I had tickets to the Mariners game being held at the Tokyo Dome in 2001. Because of all this they canceled and I never got to see them play in Japan. First world problems, you know?

2002 – 帰 (Return)

North Korea had been kidnapping Japanese citizens. This year, five of them returned home. The whole situation was quite a big deal for Japan. It still comes up again and again even today.

2003 – 虎 (Tiger)

The Hanshin Tigers win the Central League pennant after an 18 year drought. This is like when the Red Sox finally won the world series, except the Hanshin Tigers didn’t actually win the Japan Series, they just were the best in their league. Apparently it was a big enough deal for this year’s kanji to be just for them, though, so who am I to judge? Maybe they’ll do better now that the curse of Colonel Sanders has been lifted.

2004 – 災 (Disaster)

When you choose the kanji for “disaster” to sum up your year, things can’t be doing too well.

There’s the Mihama nuclear power plant accident where hot water and steam leaked from a broken pipe, killing four workers and injuring 7 others. Before Fukushima this was considered Japan’s worst nuclear power accident.

There was also the Chuetsu Earthquake, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake that killed 39 people and caused 3,000 injuries. For the first time in history the Shinkansen train derailed, though luckily there were no injuries here.

Lastly, Mitsubishi Motors tried to cover up some known defects in their cars. When they were found out, they had to recall 163,707 cars with problems that included failing brakes, fuel leaks and malfunctioning clutches.

Not a great year for things going right.

2005 – 愛 (Love)

Ah, love! Much better! The 2005 World’s fair was being held in Aichi Prefecture (愛知県 … includes the kanji “love” in it).

As if that weren’t enough, Princess Nori marries Yoshiki Kuroda (Nori and Kuroda, sitting in a tree…♫).

Then, to take the cake, Ai Fukuhara (once again, has love in the name) plays table tennis in China… I suppose she was one of the highest ranking table-tennis player in the world at the time, but table tennis? Really? I guess it just helps to round out a year filled with love.

2006 – 命 (Life)

This year is both good and bad. You can create life… but it can also be taken away. We’ll see examples of both before 2006 is over.

On September 6, 2006, Prince Hisahito is born. He’s the third child of Prince and Princess Akishino, and their only son. This was kind of a big deal because he was the first male child born in the Imperial House since his father.

But, as I mentioned, it’s not all about new life. This was the year where the Japanese started thinking more about suicide. A member of the Imperial Guard killed himself. Children killing themselves due to bullying begins to reach the media. Lastly, hit and run accidents from people driving while intoxicated is on the rise. Life comes and goes, and this year represented both the coming and the going.

2007 – 偽 (Deception)

The movie Inception came out 2010. The year of deception was three years earlier.

Scandals arise over political funds and faulty pension records. The Shijingshan Amusement Park in China gets some scrutiny for using both American and Japanese cartoon characters, including Shrek, Hello Kitty, Doraemon, and Bugs Bunny. It pretty much looks like Disneyland when you look at it. Last, and probably the most deceptive, food products are given new labels with new expiration dates so that they’re no longer expired and can be resold. Yuck.

2008 – 変 (Change)

Obama (Change we can believe in)! New Japanese prime minister! Economical and ecological change (this is when things started getting “green”). So much is changing in 2008.

2009 – 新 (New)

There’s a new government in Japan. After half a century of the LDP in control, the Democratic Party of Japan grabs the reigns.

I’d say this is enough, but apparently the Swine Flu (perhaps a new type of flu that everyone’s worried about?) and Ichiro’s MLB record of nine consecutive seasons with 200 hits get thrown into the “new” category as well.

2010 – 暑 (Hot)

It’s a very warm year this year. Many Japanese said their home cooling bills shot up (all that AC!).

Also, the Chilean Miners that were trapped underground for a long time. I imagine it was pretty warm down in their pit home as well.

2011 – 絆 (Bonds)

After the Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami, Japanese people rediscovers the bonds it has with friends and families. Although the disaster was terrible, it also brought people closer together.

Also, in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the female Japanese team, Nadeshiko Japan, wins it all. This is said to be due to the teamwork and bonds between team members.

2012 – ??

But what about this year? We’re only part way through, but there are definitely a few patterns that can be found from the previous years.

• Sports come up a lot (soccer and baseball the most).
• Disasters come up a lot.
• Japan’s dislike for Korea and China seem to sneak their way in, sometimes (and even when they aren’t in the #1 spot, they often make it in the top ten kanji for the year).
• Really anything that’s negative seems to win out over things that are good and happy, it seems.

With that in mind, surely we’re working our way towards some kind of disaster where baseball and soccer players clash on the same field killing each other with scissor kicks and curve-balls. Then, right when you think it’s over North Korea will come in, abduct the remaining players, and then probably take them to a disputed island somewhere between Japan and China. That’s my prediction for 2012, and there’s still plenty of time to go. I can’t even imagine what kanji could represent that.

I suppose we’ll just have to see which kanji gets chosen. It won’t be for another 6 months or so, though, so you’ll have to hold on to your horses in the meantime. For now, enjoy the kanji of years past – it really gives you insight into what people were thinking about. I wish it went back farther, though I’m sure there will be plenty more to get excited about in the future.

P.S. Do you love kanji? Sign up to get notified about our closed beta to WaniKani, our upcoming kanji learning application.

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Source: Wikipedia

So What’s Up With The Log Riding?

Are those… legs sticking out?? D:

I first heard about this festival in high school (that’s a long time ago), and couldn’t believe my ears. “This sounds radical,” I probably said (we probably said “radical” a lot back then, I’m guessing). The more I read about it the more I wanted to go. I hope you get the same feeling when I tell you about Onbashira as well. This really is the greatest festival in Japan, I think.

There are actually two parts to this festival, and each part takes quite a bit of time (meaning you can party-hardy for a while if you get out here). Luckily for you and your primal side, both parts are pretty dangerous, I’d say. Let’s find out what they are.

Yamadashi

The yamadashi is the first part. This means “exiting the mountains” or “coming out the of the mountains.” This is where you cut down 16 previously chosen trees by hand using tools from the iron age, then drag them out of the mountains for ten kilometers until you get to the Suwa Grand Shrine. This involves a lot of people, ropes, dragging, and, of course, riding. When a slope gets steep enough (and muddy/slippery enough), a few lucky team members get chosen to sit on top of the log to have the ride of their lives. You know that ride at Disneyland with the log that goes down the waterfall? This is like that, but deadly.

That’s pretty insane, let’s watch another one. Skip to about 8:00 for this one, unless you like a lot of foreplay with your Onbashira.

I don’t think my mother would let me do this…

Each team spends approximately three days moving their 20,000 pound logs down the mountain. The goal is the Suwa Grand Shrine, where they will take these logs and replace the pillars at the four corners of the four main buildings. That brings us to the next part of the festival:

Satobiki

The satobiki is when they parade the logs through the village and to the Suwa Grand Shrine. There’s people on horses, people riding the logs, and people people people. Wow, there are a lot of people. That’s one of the main things this festival is known for, actually.

The idea is that by putting up new pillars every six years, the area around the shrine gets renewed spiritually (renewing and rebuilding things are both very Shinto).

Even the parading and erecting of pillars can be dangerous, too. Last time (2010), a rope snapped killing one person and injuring several others. Just when you think the terrifying part is done, too…

When all is said and done, though, you have yourself 16 new pillars and a bunch of happy people. This festival brings a ton of people to the Nagano area, which is awesome for people who enjoy traveling and cities that enjoy being traveled to. In fact, it’s one of the most famous festivals in Japan. No wonder half a million people made their way here in 2010.

The next onbashira festival won’t be until 2016 though, but I’m hoping to pop in for a look-see. Unfortunately, as someone who isn’t a Japanese citizen, I’m not allowed to participate in any log riding (booo). But, joining the festivities and checking out the finished product is something I can do, so maybe I’ll see you there.

Speaking of finished products…

Not all that amazing for all the fanfare, danger, and so on… but, I guess it’s the journey, not the destination, am I right?

[Header Image Source]

My Japan-related YouTube buddy Gimmeabreakman posted this video up about a week ago – it does an amazing job summing up naked men, festivals, and Japan, all in one (very nice HD) video, which you can view above.

The Hadaka Matsuri happens all over Japan at different times, though there tends to be a lot more of them in the winter, when it’s especially cold (another popular time is summer, for the weak girly-men). Mostly men strip down, drink saké, and put on shorts or loincloths (fundoshi) to keep themselves somewhat decent (though some people do end up going 100% naked, and it usually isn’t considered vulgar). It’s a Shinto purifying ritual, and a pretty damn cold looking one at that. Sometimes there’s a “sacred object” that people try to find / touch for good luck. It looks like this particular Hadaka Matsuri’s “sacred object” was that poor dude getting mobbed by a bunch of naked, wet, probably very drunk, men.

This particular version looks like disaster waiting to happen…

Should you want to go to a Hadaka Matsuri and experience the excitement for yourself, I found some vague info on when / where these are held throughout the year, though I’m sure there are plenty more (you’ll have to ask your local contacts, I’m afraid). You can view the article with Naked Festival scheduling information here.

Anyways, Nice Job, Victor. We’re all very pleased that you didn’t strip down for everyone on camera. Give him a subscribe if you want to see his clothes stay on (or off) and see more Japan related stuff, like the video above!