焼きそば（やきそば）
Stir-fried Soba Noodles

Soba (buckwheat noodles) symbolizes long life because of its long shape.

焼きそば（やきそば）
Stir-fried Soba Noodles

Soba (buckwheat noodles) symbolizes long life because of its long shape.

焼きそば（やきそば）
Stir-fried Soba Noodles

Soba (buckwheat noodles) symbolizes long life because of its long shape.

月見（つきみ）
Moon-viewing

In the Orient, there is a custom of appreciating the moon. In Japan, on the night of September 15th, dumplings, Japanese pampas grass and seasonal fruits are placed by the windows and offered to the moon. The full moon in the clear autumn sky appears especially beautiful, but the prototype of moon-viewing for the Japanese, who are a farming people, is to liken the moon to a divinity to whom they pray for abundant harvests of rice. That is currently how moon-viewing is generally observed.

花火大会（はなびたいかい）
Fireworks display

Hanabi-taikai (fireworks display) constitutes a typical summer scene. It originated in the Edo Period (1603-1867) with the firework exhibition held competitively between two firework factories, namely Tamaya and Kagiya. In summer, firework displays are held throughout Japan. As Japanese summers are hot and humid, the displays are suitable for lively gatherings on nights when one is unable to sleep. The spectacle of fireworks blooming beautifully then disappearing with a pop can be taken as a symbol of graceful resignation or transience like cherry blossoms.

風鈴（ふうりん）
Wind-chimes

Furin are small bells made of glass, metal or ceramic which are hung from the eaves of houses mainly in summer. A rectangular strip of paper called tanzaku is hung from a clapper and ancient Japanese poems or verses are written on it. When the tanzaku catches the breeze, the bell chimes. In the hot, humid Japanese summer, the sound of the furin vibrating in the breeze is, for the Japanese, a puff of coolness.

結婚式（けっこんしき）
Wedding Ceremonies

Contemporary Japanese weddings consist of a mix of traditional and contemporary aspects and are carried out in a variety of ways.

There are formal meetings, during which a go-between introduces the man and woman, and the exchanging of betrothal presents, which are gifts of money and goods that the two families exchange as evidence that an engagement exists. There is also the ritual of exchanging nuptial cups during the marriage ceremony in which the bride and groom, using a set of three sake cups, alternately drink sacred sake. The aforementioned are traditional aspects. Holding the ceremony at a specialized wedding hall in accordance with Shinto, Buddhist or Christian rites and going on honeymoon are comparatively recent practices.



In wedding ceremonies, there are two essential elements: the ritual ceremony and the wedding reception. Large numbers of friends are invited to the wedding reception, which usually takes place in grand style at hotels.

パチンコ
Pachinko

Pachinko is said to be an improvement on the "Corinth Game" which was brought to Japan from the United States around 1920. It has become a diversion for many people but those under eighteen are prohibited from playing it as it is considered a form of gambling. The game involves launching steel balls with a spring flipper and, if they go into the several holes on the game board, 10 or more balls come out. In the past, the balls were flipped manually using the flipper, but now the flipping is done electronically. Accumulated balls can be exchanged for various prizes such as cigarettes or sweets.

正座とあぐら（せいざとあぐら）
Sitting straight and sitting cross-legged

Seiza (sitting straight) is the proper way to sit on tatami mats and is always practised on formal occasions such as tea ceremonies. Since legs are folded under so that the body rests on the heels, people who are not accustomed to it would probably feel that doing seiza for a long time is painful. However, when doing seiza, the central line of the body from the head down to the spine is perpendicular to the floor, so one can maintain a well-balanced posture. When sitting on tatami mats, it is good for one to sit that way.

In contrast to sitting straight, the relaxed way of sitting is agura (sitting cross-legged). Starting with legs out straight and folding them in like triangles is called agura. Men often sit this way, but it is ill-mannered for women to do so. A relaxed sitting posture for women is generally to maintain seiza with knees together but with the feet just off to the side.

厄年（やくどし）
Unlucky Age

With yakudoshi (unlucky age), there is a great risk of encountering misfortune or spoiling one’s health, so it is the age when one must be careful. The yakudoshi age is determined by adding one year to the actual age, which occurs for men at 25, 42 and 60, and for women at 19 and 33. The ages of 42 for men and 33 for women are considered to be particularly bad years, and are called "great calamity". This may be just a superstition, but because there have been many occasions when these ages have actually corresponded with turning points in people’s health or jobs, many people of those ages go to Shinto shrines for exorcism.