Peter Ong’s Post

Hey LinkedIn Today is the first day of July! Did you know that in Japan, each month has beautiful and poetic alternative names? These names often reflect cultural traditions and the natural world. Here are some Beautiful Aliases for the July in lunar calendar with roughly corresponding to August on the modern calendar: ●文月 (ふみづき, Fumizuki) Meaning: Month of Literature ●親月 (おやづき, Oyazuki) Meaning: Month of Parents ●七夕月 (たなばたづき, Tanabatazuki) Meaning: Month of the Star Festival (Tanabata) Example Sentence: 日本では、7月は「文月」とも呼ばれます。 Translation: In Japan, July is also called "Fumizuki." Discover the beauty and history behind these alternative names. These names offer a glimpse into Japan's rich cultural heritage and its appreciation for the changing seasons. Did you enjoy this glimpse into Japanese culture? Follow for more fascinating Japanese words and concepts! Share this post with your network to spread cultural insights and celebrate the start of July together! #JapaneseLanguage #LearnJapanese #JapaneseCulture #JapaneseSpeaker

Japanese communication is sometimes too indirect or softspoken that even Japanese people don’t get it. For example, you’ll sometimes see this sign in a museum: 館内での飲食はご遠慮ください。 Kannai deno inshoku wa goenryo kudasai. Please refrain from eating or drinking in the museum. But literally translated, this word 遠慮 means “think far.” So you think far into the future. If I bring in a takeout burito and I accidentally slip and fall, I might smear my burito all over this Japanese sculpture and make it a Mexican work of art and we might not want that. So maybe I shouldn’t bring in a burito, but gumi bears might be ok. It won’t smear anything even if I spill some. So maybe it’s okay if I mar it quick… one might think. But no, ご遠慮ください means “Do not do it!!! Not even gumi bears!!” Just said very softly. So museums, after they see several offenders, they upgrade the sign 😂 to say: 館内での飲食は固くお断りします。 Kannai deno inshoku wa kataku okotowari shimasu. Food and drinks are strictly prohibited inside the museum. Hi, I’m Kyota, the author of Amazon Best Sellers [Folk Tales of Japan], [Underdogs of Japanese History], and [Horror Tales of Japan]. Please check out my books at ☺️: https://lnkd.in/gmv5jqmj https://lnkd.in/gnBeuXdn #japanese #japaneselanguage #japanesestudy #japan #japantravel #japaneseculture #museum

⭐ Japanese Culture 101 - Ojigi/Bowing ⭐ Bowing, or ojigi (お辞儀), is a deeply ingrained aspect of Japanese culture, symbolizing respect, gratitude, apology, and greeting. It’s a physical manifestation of the cultural values of harmony, etiquette, and humility that are central to interpersonal relationships in Japan. The practice likely originated from the influence of Buddhism between the 5th and 8th centuries, which emphasized gestures of piety and respect. Over time, it evolved into a complex system of social etiquette, with different bows used for various social situations, from casual greetings to formal apologies. In modern Japan, bowing is ubiquitous and starts from a young age. The angle and duration of the bow are determined by the social status of the people involved and the context of the interaction. For instance, a slight nod may be used for casual greetings, while a deep bow at a 45-degree angle might be reserved for serious apologies or showing respect to someone of high status. Bowing is more than just a custom; it’s a critical component of communication and is taught and practiced with great care to ensure it conveys the intended message accurately and respectfully. This attention to detail in bowing reflects the broader Japanese dedication to social harmony and respect for others. #JapaneseCulture #OjigiRespect #BowingInJapan #EtiquetteAndHarmony #GratitudeGesture #ApologyTradition #RespectfulGreeting #CulturalHumility

Last night, Igor Prusa, Ph.D. et Ph.D. at  Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan gave brilliant presentation based on his book/PhD research on Japan and Scandal. He has been posting about that topic time to time here at LinkedIn, so many may know already. "Scandal in Japan: Transgression, Performance and Ritual" Since I live with Japanese "rituals" without really thinking and analysing about meaning of certain actions/behaviours I understand/follow without really putting into words in such actions. Through his eyes, I understand the rituals and the behaviour more easier than what I usually felt, and the reason behind their action as gave me an opportunities to think further than I usually did. Anyone who is interested in his analysis and understanding the reason behinds of certain Japanese actions and reactions in related to scandals, worth reading his book. (I don't want to spoil his contents so would not summarise his talk here) #fccj #Japan #Japaneseritual #Japaneseculture #culture

December Rush (師走) and Holiday Blues (極月) 🎄 Between now and around mid-January one or both of these words will be heard frequently around Japan and particularly in December. The first, Shiwasu (師走), is a common expression in Japan for December. The two characters used are monk and running. So the idea is: It’s the time of year when even the tranquil monks are running about to get things in order before the year comes to a close. Much like a lot of things in Japanese, these kinds of seasonal words often come in pairs - official or otherwise - that reflect each other's inverse. In this case, we see the generally positive meaning inverted. In English we say 'December Blues' or 'Christmas Blues'. In Japanese ‘Goku-getsu (極月)’ functions as the equivalent. Even though it forms a kind of poetic partner to Shiwasu it's used less frequently. The two characters here are extreme (極) and month (月). The mad dash to the year end can sometimes feel like you are being pushed into a place of no escape. This place in your mind/soul can produce the blues. No matter how your end for this year is shaping up, Japanese has you covered. Wishing all of my readers a happy holiday season, For your language needs in Japan, Andrew MEEHAN 🧑🎄 CEO, Meehan Group meehan.jp meehanjapan.com #MEEHANGROUP #AIIC #TRANSLATION #INTERPRETING #ミーハングループ #翻訳 #通訳 #japanese #learning #localization #japanology [Ph B Rojas]

Some books are thought-provoking; others take you to timeless places with beautiful things. But only the rarest of books have the ability to change you! Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa is one of those rare books. I'm still baffled at the fact that how the brave choices made by a person who lived in feudal Japan made slight differences in my life; Inspiring me to be a better version of myself. To detach from pleasure and embrace the simple-grounded-peace that the earth and solitude have to offer. A swordsman is the last person who you want to admire as a spiritual guiding figure. But Miyamoto Musashi is by far one of the most extremely spiritual people I've encountered. Maybe a little more grounded than the numerous saints anointed by the Catholic Church. I'm grateful that I had an opportunity to read about the life of this saint (Kensei) who followed the "Way of the Sword", and his legendary bout with the great Sasaki Kojiro Ganryu. Hands clasping, I bow before one of the greatest swordsmen, artist and philosopher who ever lived. The blade of Hotengahara, The Kamikaze of Japan, the Ronin from Mimasaka, the one and only Miyamoto Musashi. 🙏🏼 #musashi #miyamotomusashi #samurai #philosophy #eijiyoshikawa #sasakikojiro #Japan #Japanese #literature

Japanese proverb: 七転び八起き Nanakorobi yaoki It’s a motivational proverb that translates to: Fall down seven times, get up eight times. Now, if you want to use this somewhere like in a speech, you need to be ready because there will always be the kinds of you who need to scrutinize everything. “Wait, if you fell seven times… wouldn’t you get up seven times, too?” And then you’ll be like, “STOP BEING CORRECT. I didn’t come up with the proverb. People apparently didn’t learn math in ancient times!” You don’t want to be defending yourself like that. So here are the theories as to why it’s eight not seven: 1. Because someone helped you stand for the first time when you became a toddler. 2.Because in ancient times, seven and eight were used to express large numbers, similar to how we use “like a dozen times!” 3. Because the Kanji character for eight signifies good fortune Of course people in the long past must have noticed that it didn’t make sense logically, but what makes proverbs memorable is sometimes not logic but more the ease of saying it, the rhythmic feel it carries, and the emotional effect it brings ☺️. Hi, I’m Kyota, the author of Amazon Best Sellers [Folk Tales of Japan], [Underdogs of Japanese History], and [Horror Tales of Japan]. Please check out my books at ☺️: https://lnkd.in/gmv5jqmj #proverb #japaneseproverb #japanese #japan #japaneseculture #motivational https://lnkd.in/gjgUuAuE

When I look back 15 years, I feel like I had so much to do every day. Emotions such as love, laughter, life, play, crying, and anger.... Fast forward to now, and many of us have to "Find a reason to smile every day," so what went missing? In that quest, I began learning about cultural diversity and came across this piece, which I thought quite interesting ~ "Kintsugi" a traditional Japanese technique for repairing broken pottery. Kintsugi (Japanese: 金継ぎ), also known as Kintsukuroi (金繕い, "golden repair"), is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with urushi lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. - Wikipidea. "Kintsugi" fosters the idea that a broken object can be repaired and be made useful once again. It tells us we can always begin a NEW despite the past failures. It also teaches us that in life we can turn adversity into something that is BEAUTIFUL and RESILIENT. & all of this is not just textbook research; it has been proved through time and practice. Remember the recent pandemic? Mankind has progressed! So here's to LIFE on a FRIDAY ✨ ... I say we cheer - - Start SELF LOVE - being more COMPASSIONATE - practice PATIENCE Keep you heads high, stay happy 🤩 #life #japan #kintsugi #love #strength #compassion #iwau #growth

🇯🇵Japanese four principles for life🍵 和 harmony 敬 respect 清 purify 寂 stillness Very simple principles but profound teaching of 16th century Tea master & philosopher, SenNoRikyu. I have been practicing these principles through Tea ceremony training and my mother taught me at home how to apply them practically in everyday life. As I got older, I start applying them to monitor my inner world and regulate my mind activity. It helps to be in peace. Everyday, I remind myself….. Watch further explanation from this link -> https://lnkd.in/enWunE7f This artwork is commissioned by a client, carrying all the essence of this philosophy. #japaneseart #japaneseculture

7 Japanese concepts to transform your life