Onomatopoeia 擬態語

     Here is a fun fact about onomatopoeia.

     In English, onomatopoeia are the words that we make up to name sounds that we hear. (bang, pow, bark)

     In Japan onomatopoeia ( ぎたいご pronounced gee-tai-go) can represent a sound of an action, for example: pera pera is the sound of  being fluent in a language.

     More often, however, this group of words include descriptions for sensations rather than for sounds. Some of my favorite examples of these are:

     Anime or manga  audiences may be aware of these (often they are the random words in the hiragana alphabet on the side of the picture panel that look like chicken scratch).

     This is roughly equivalent to an English speaker deciding to give the name Kevin to the experience of being unconscious and kidnapped. Personally, I really like this idea. It would definitely create more vocabulary to memorize, but how much simpler would it be to say Kevin than "an experience of being unconscious and kidnapped?"

       Anyways, here is a list of some Onomatopoeias (that other people compiled). It can be rather enjoyable just to read through the list and think, "they have a sound for that?"?!?!?!?!?!
       -   http://onomatoproject.com/list.html

       -   http://www.japansociety.org/webcast/waku-waku-japanese-lesson-44-fun-onomatopoeia
       -   http://jpninfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Onomatopoeia-2.jpg

     Here is a video with one of my favorite Japanese vloggers (Rachel from Rachel and Jun) talking with Sharla about Onomatopoeia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEw81JgdN_A

Church バプテスト教会

I have had the privileged these last few weeks to attend a church in Mito. 

It has been so wonderful to be with other believers around the world. Unfortunately my Japanese is still not very good, so it is difficult to communicate all of the time, but those who know English have wonderfully been helping me and even those who do not speak English have been very warm and welcoming.

The first time I walked to church I thought that I would have a difficult time finding it because it seemed to be tucked away, but the signs were very clear and the church steeple was noticeable, even from the main street. Like the beacon of hope that Christ is, the cross on the steeple guided me to the right place.  

One of my favorite parts of the service is when we get to sing together out of the hymn book. 

I may not understand all that we are singing, but I understand the gist of it, and I like raising our voices together in psalms.

My absolute favorite part is the meal that the church shares afterwards. Communication often includes plenty of hand gestures, but I get to know them more, which is lovely. This meal is one of the biggest times in my week when I get to practice Japanese a lot, and I am beginning to see how people can live for months and even years in a foreign country without ever really learning the language. 

One of the hardest parts of the service is keeping track of which Bible verse we are reading. I'll understand the verse numbers, but find it difficult to hear and understand the book names!

But, once again, they have been so kind to me and the man in the  pew next to me helps whenever I am lost.

Mushrooms....榎

I always said growing up that I did not like mushrooms...

only to find out later that I love fresh mushrooms (it's just the canned fungi that I dislike).

It's very good that I do like mushrooms here, because there is an array to make your mouth water.  One of the most popular kinds is the Enoki mushrooms (the long white ones below and the short yellow ones....). They are mostly flavorless and fit into most dishes well (and are accordingly added to a lot of dishes - both in my home and by native Japanese people). 

Not only are mushrooms a sight to behold and a delight to eat, they also are surprisingly nutritious. 

A low calorie food with fiber, protein, antioxidants as well as several vitamins an minerals. And, in Japan, they are cheap and easy to find.

http://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/health-benefits-of-enoki-mushroom/

The golden ones are my favorite to look at, but my least favorite to cook with. Their caps are extremely sticky and when they are cooked seemed a little (not much, but a little) slimy to me. My favorite so far to eat are the long, white enoki in the first picture. 

I know that you can get some of these mushrooms in Asian stores in the States, but I never bought there. I did not try cooking with them until coming here (because I saw them in almost every home-cooked dish that I was served). 

Yum!

Happy Eating, Everyone!

Gardens Galore 庭園

 My city, from a hilltop.

 The beauty of this city and its gardens are too wonderful for me. 

 I only found most of these locations after getting very lost and wandering quite a bit on a Sunday afternoon. 

Sometimes it is okay to get lost.

Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
    be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear,
    and rejoice with trembling...

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

~~Psalm 2:10-12

Plum Blossoms 観梅

         I was watching the above family from a bench in the park. The father is just off screen. There was something special about the way the parents shared the flowers with their daughter.

As you can see, there are two main colors for the plum blossoms: pink and white. The combination of these two colors brings fortune or luck, and is thought to be especially beautiful. The combination of these two -- either a bi-colored flower or a tree with grafted branches -- has its own name: o-mai-no-mama, "red and white thinking tree."

This is a view of part of the gardens from the second floor of the manor house. Within the gardens there are over 3,000 trees and 100 different species. 

Each species of flower has its own name, as well. The white trees below are called "pure water reflects the spirit" and "balding old man". What is amazing to me about the plum blossoms is that they lack luster. Each individual flower has a crisp beauty, but as a whole the trees are non-assertive. You have to be still to admire them. Perhaps that is one reason that they are not popular in America (that and the fact that raw plums from these trees are toxic).

Since you have to be still to admire the blossoms, you notice much more than the blooms.I believe the most beautiful part of my blossom viewing were the trees themselves, not their temporary adornment. Each branch is so unique, and seems to grow without any plan. Sometimes the angles they grow at seem impossible, or at least impractical.

 

I particularly admired the old trees. 

Look closer at this old tree.

Where is the tree?

The plum trees are highly susceptible to mold and fungus, which eats away at the inner parts of the tree. It is said that a tree without damage to the wood must be young, because an old tree would necessarily have damage. This tree is one of the worst damaged, but every tree in the garden was missing some degree of wood.

This tree seems to be nothing but an empty shell of twisted bark, and yet it blooms.

 苦の娑婆や桜が咲けば咲いたとて 

which is read ku no shaba ya sakura ga sakeba saita tote.

"A world of grief and pain, flowers bloom, even then" 

or

"Even though the heart is slowly dying, the flowers still bloom"

 Below is one of the six trees in the garden which were chosen (by whom, I don't know) 

to be the most beautiful.  These special six trees were separated from the rest of the trees with this kind of bamboo fence. 

This tree is named "Tiger's Tail." 

Everything came in different colors: the bark, the buds, the flowers. 

There number and size of the petals varied. 

And each tree - trunk, flower, and bud - had something to be admired.

 

Samurai House

       In my city there is a hill covered in plum blossoms. Amidst the plums, the fiery azaleas, and bush clovers there is a manor house where the lord studied art and poetry and greeted samurai who came to pay homage.

The bottom is comprised of rooms decorated by theme and painted beautifully.

       Then there is the upstairs. The stairs are steep like the closet stairs in "My Neighbor Totoro," and halfway up there is a waiting room for a samurai guest. The top floor is the seat of the lord, and it is a throne worthy of him. His chamber looks out over the hill and the valley. Even on a cloudy day you can see for miles. On a clear day you can see Mt. Fuji.

What a scene for a lord or king to view: 

To look out over all he owns 

and realize that he is nothing in comparison.