Season of the examination for school entrance: The prayer that I pass

On the examination season from January to March, Shinto shrine of any place becomes all go by the worship of the examinee praying for a pass.

All the precincts are buried in particular with "the votive tablet called Ema" which request for pass was written not to mention the congestion of the worshiper exhaustively when it becomes the famous Shinto shrine as "God of the study".

"God of the study" refers to Michizane Sugawara who played an active part in the Heian era, and all the Shinto shrines named "○○ Tenjin ""○○ Tenjin Corporation ""○○ Tenman-gu Shrine that there is much in the whole country seem to do Michizane Sugawara with an enshrined deity.

Of course, the reason why Michizane Sugawara is said as “God of the study” is not only his political skills and the achievement, but also the talent as the poet in literary person.

In Kanto area, three famous Shinto shrines dedicated to Michizane Sugawara often include "Yushima Tenjin", "Kameido Tenjin" and "Yaho Tenman-gu Shrine".

By the way, "Kitano-Tenman-gu Shrine" of Kyoto, "Hofu Tenman-gu Shrine" of Yamaguchi "Dazaifu Tenman-gu Shrine" of Fukuoka are called as “Three Tenjin in Japan”.

Many visitors from overseas visit these Shinto shrines, and seems to lack in a wish to a votive tablet (Ema) recently.

Let’s try to make Miso!

Miso of which is used for miso soup and other Japanese food is prepared for making in cold winter in Japan.

The miso has been left as it is for ten months or more, and then it becomes the delicious miso and can be eaten.

Miso soup, the miso pickles or other miso food to make with the handmade miso are delicious and the best.

The materials made with miso are soybeans, malted rice, and salt. 

On the day before made with miso, soybeans are washed well and touched in the water for all night (more than 18 hours). 

On the next day, the soybeans are boiled and the boiled soybeans are squeezed and mixed with malted rice and salt.

The mixed materials are put into the barrel and the barrel is stocked in the cold stock place or room into for ten months or more.

The delicious miso is the completion later.

Furthermore, our hands become smooth by kneading materials when making the miso.

We also recommend you for your beauty.

Do you know Sumo that is a game of the national sport of Japan?

Sumo is an act of God and a festival in the Japanese ancient times when a sumo wrestler takes the form that an association fights on a sumo ring and it is also military/martial arts.

The Grand Sumo Tournament has been carried out as performance for a long time.

In late years it is performed as the military/martial arts or sports derived from Japan globally.

Sumo is Shinto ritual based on the Shinto which is religion peculiar to Japan, and manners are made much of because it is done with respect and the act indicating thanks by gods, and the sumo wrestler does not wear it other than a mawashi as the part.

The regular sumo tournament is held six times a year in an odd month, and the three times of those are held at the Kokugikan of Tokyo, and other three times are held each at Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya for 15 days.

If you have a chance to visit to Japan on the season of the Sumo tournament, we recommend you to watch sumo as a game of the national sport of Japan.

You will be able to enjoy the tournament all day at the place.

Do you know a person in charge of cooking and serving hotpot dish?

In cold winter, we eat food served in a pot (called Nabe) well in Japan.

The food served in a pot has various types such as Mizutaki, a Sumo wrestler's stew, Ishikari-nabe or others by are and the materials. 

The Nabe is offered on a dining table in a state classifying into the pan which the food served in a pot and it is not moved to the side dish to tableware and used for cooking. 

After completion of cooking (boiling), it is served into a small bowl with sauce based on the binger, soy sauce and others.

If you visit to Japan in the winter season, we recommend you to try Nabe. 

And if you try the Nabe in Japan and know any Japanese person, please ask if he/she is Nabebugyou. 　

Nabebugyou is a magisterial commenter serving out food who directs quantity of soup stock, the order to put ingredient materials in of soup stock, heat condition and others.

They can serve you a good Nabe!

A Kite-flier of the Japanese traditional play and Large Kite Festival

A kite is a toy that is pulled by a thread and raised lift, and flied in the air and is known as play for New Year holidays in Japan.

It is made on a paper, cloth, or vinyl on the frameworks such as a tree or the bamboo by fixing a curve and the form with a string.

By the way, a festival to fry a large kite is held in each place of Japan. In one of them, at Kasukabe-shi of Saitama prefecture, a festival to fry a large kite is held on May every year. 

It is said that a priest in the Edo era conveyed that a kite-flier could be told the good harvest of the cocoon, when he visited near Kasukabe area. And then, kite flying festival had been held before the crop of the cocoon there.

Currently, a kite size has become larger and the large kite is fried by several hundred as a celebration of neighboring boy birth now in the Boy's Festival in May in the old calendar.