#and see see if you look close on the first kanji (aki - autumn) there is a lil “fire” written inside there

[cepheusgalaxy]

Guess who learned to write my oc's name? :D

秋田原 戸塚 (romaji: totsuka akitahara)

[ID: "秋田原 戸塚" written with pencil in a notebook sheet. /end ID.]

A. I decided on a nice sounding surname for her 🫡

B. I learned to write the kanji for it!

[nimbusnomade]

35+ Awesome Japanese Winter Words

Fuyu (冬)

 Fuyu is the Japanese word for winter. It’s one of the four seasons in Japan. The other Japanese seasons are haru (spring), natsu (summer) and aki (autumn).

Samui (寒い)

Samui means cold in Japanese – and it is one of the most useful Japanese words for winter! If you’re in Japan during the winter months, you will hear almost every conversation start with samui desu ne – cold, isn’t it!

Yuki (雪)

Yuki is the Japanese word for snow. Snow is a symbol of winter in Japan, the same as many other northern hemisphere countries.

Japan is a large country with several different climates, so it doesn’t snow everywhere in Japan. The northern regions (especially Hokkaido) can be covered in snow for several months each year. But other parts of Japan (especially south of Tokyo) rarely see snow. Still, snow is a popular theme for winter cards, art and decorations.

Here are a few other snow related words in Japanese for you:

大雪 (oo yuki) – heavy snow

初雪 (hatsu yuki) – the first snow of the season

雪遊び（yuki asobi） – playing in the snow

雪合戦 (yuki gassen) – snow ball fight

雪祭り (yuki matsuri) – snow festival. The most famous snow festival is held in Sapporo, Hokkaido each February.

Kazahana (風花)

Kazahana is the Japanese word for snow flurry. If you are studying kanji, you might recognise the two characters that make up this word – 風 (kaza, wind) and 花 (hana, flowers). So a flurry of snowflakes is like little white flowers drifting in the wind. What a romantic image!

Ski (スキー)

Skiing is a popular winter hobby in Japan. The Japanese word スキー (ski) has been borrowed from other languages, so it’s easy to remember! It is written in katakana – the Japanese script used for foreign loan words.

Yukimi (雪見)

If you already know something about Japanese culture, you probably know that in Japan, people love to honour the changing seasons with different rituals that celebrate nature. Maybe you’ve heard of hanami – the spring time tradition of going to view the cherry blossoms. Well, yukimi means viewing the snow! Japanese people will often take the time to drink tea while admiring the snow.

Yukidaruma (雪だるま)

Yukidaruma means snowman in Japanese. Just like any other country, children love to build cute snowmen when it snows.The first part of the word, yuki, means snow. The second part, daruma, is a kind of round Japanese doll. Yukidaruma do look more like a ‘daruma’ than a ‘man’!

Bonus word: yukiusagi (雪うさぎ)

As well as snowmen, Japanese children love to make yukiusagi – snow bunnies! Usagi means rabbit in Japanese. Yuki usagi are smaller and easier to make than snowmen. Usually they are decorated with red berries for eyes and green leaves for ears.

Shirokuma (白くま)

Shirokuma means polar bear. Literally, it means white (shiro) bear (kuma). There aren’t any polar bears living in Japan, but a lot of people love them because they look cute, so they are kind of a symbol of winter and snow.

Kurisumasu (クリスマス)

Kurisumasu is Christmas in Japanese. It’s written in katakana, and of course it comes from the English word Christmas. Merry Christmas in Japanese is メリークリスマス (merii kurisumasu).

Christmas is not a big event in Japan because the country does not have a big Christian population. In fact, December 25th is a normal working day.

And it’s not considered a family day like in other countries. Christmas (or more especially, Christmas Eve) are actually thought of as romantic days in Japan! Christmas Eve is the hottest date night of the year – similar to Valentine’s day.

However, lately celebrating a western-style Christmas is becoming more and more popular in Japan.

Learn about some unique Japanese Christmas traditions here!

Oshougatsu (お正月)

Oshougatsu is New Year in Japanese. As we mentioned, New Year is much bigger than Christmas in Japan. In fact, many people consider it to be the most important holiday in the year. A new year represents a fresh start, and new hopes for the year ahead.

Most companies in Japan are closed from January 1 to January 3, and sometimes longer, to allow employees to spend time with their families.

The New Year period is typically a family time in Japan, with lots of traditions and special food.

Here are some other words associated with the New Year in Japan:

大晦日 (oomisoka) – Oomisoka means New Year’s Eve in Japanese.

年越しそば (toshikoshi soba)  – Toshikoshi soba is one of many traditional dishes served at New Year in Japan. Soba are buckwheat noodles, and toshikoshi is another word for New Year. They are traditionally eaten on New Years Eve because the long shape symbolises long life.

おせち (osechi)  – This is traditional food served on New Year’s day. All the ingredients of the meal have some special meaning for good luck over the next year.

 初夢 (hatsuyume)  – the first dream of the New Year

年玉 (otoshidama)  – New Year’s gift, typically money given as a gift to children at New Year in red envelopes

年賀状 (nengajou)  – New Year’s greetings cards

There are actually different greetings, depending on whether you say it before or after the new year!

Hatsumode  (初詣)

Hatsumōde is an important New Year tradition in many Japanese families. It means the first visit to a shrine or temple in the New Year. Many people try to go on January 1st, but any time in the first three days is OK.

Due to this tradition, Shinto shrines in Japan are extremely busy in early January. Many of them have a kind of festival feel, with food stalls outside and lots of activity.

During hatsumode, people buy omikuji (pieces of paper with fortunes written on) and pray for their wishes for the next year.

Kotatsu (炬燵)

If you’ve ever spent a winter in Japan, the kotatsu will be your best friend! A kotatsu is a low table with a heater underneath. You can sit around it to keep your legs warm and toasty in the cold weather. They usually have a blanket attachment to keep the heat in, and for extra coziness.

Most Japanese homes don’t have central heating, so the kotatsu is an important way to stay warm in winter! Usually the family will all gather around the kotatsu and hang out on cold evenings.

Mikan (みかん)

Mikan are Japanese mandarin oranges. They are a common winter fruit in Japan. They are grown in the south of Japan, especially Ehime prefecture. It has lots of vitamins and keeps people healthy in winter.

Japanese people especially love to enjoy mikan while sitting around the kotatsu!

Here are some other winter foods in Japan:

ゆず (yuzu) – another Japanese citrus fruit with a kind of lime/lemon taste

かぼちゃ (kabocha) – Japanese pumpkin

おでん (oden) – kind of stew with boiled ingredients such as boiled eggs, fishpaste cakes, potatoes and daikon

鍋 (nabe) – a warming hotpot dish full of vegetables and meat or fish

焼き芋 (yakiimo) – roasted sweet potatoes which are often sold by street vendors or food trucks in winter

いちご (ichigo) – strawberries. Strawberries are considered summer fruits in many other countries, but in Japan they are most popular in winter.

もち (mochi) – rice cake sold and eaten especially at new year, and also used in new year decorations.

Fuyu gomori (冬ごもり)

Do you like to escape from the world and stay indoors all winter? If so, you’re taking part in fuyu gomori – winter confinement or hibernation! The kotatsu is the perfect place for fuyu gomori 🙂

Setsubun (節分)

Setsubun is considered the last day of winter and beginning of spring in Japan. It takes place on February 3rd.

On setsubun, many Japanese families take part in a tradition to scare away evil spirits before the new season starts. For this tradition, the father of the household dresses up in a demon mask and comes to the front door of the house. The other family members throw soy beans at him, shouting 鬼は外! 福は内! (Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!), which means ‘Demon out! Luck in!’, to chase him away. This is supposed to bring happiness for the new year.

Some people also attend a shrine on this day, or eat a special sushi roll called ehō-maki facing a lucky direction.

[missmyloko]

Kanzashi of The Month: November - Colored Leaves

An entire month that doesn’t focus on flowers!? You bet! But who needs flowers when you have almost every color of the rainbow? As always, all kanzashi are from Kazurasei.

Image courtesy of Kazurasei.

Momiji (紅葉) - Colored Maple Leaves

Ichō (銀杏) - Ginkgo Leaves

Matsuba (松葉) - Pine Needles

The second most popular month for tourism in Kyoto is November, and it’s edging closer to April’s haul each year. Before rebirth in the spring there must be death in the fall, and the millions of trees that encompass Kyoto give a show more colorful than fireworks in the process. Every temple becomes a treasure trove of colors in the form of changing leaves and become venerable a haven for photographers. The term for autumn, Aki (秋), is made up of the characters for “Tree” (禾) and “Fire” (火), which directly eludes to the colorful leaves!

The most popular autumn leaf to observe by far is the maple leaf. The Japanese variety of maple trees, Acer palmatum, which encompasses hundreds of different species, are popular around the world for their bold colors, so it’s only natural that they’re also popular in their native country. As discussed before, maple leaves can be known by two different names in Japanese depending on their color. Regular green maple leaves are known as Kaede (楓), whereas colored maple leaves, defined as any that have changed color, even slightly, are known as Momiji (紅葉), which literally means “Red Leaf.” Momiji can also be used as a blanket term to describe all autumn leaves, but it has since become synonymous with the maple leaf.

Image courtesy of Kazurasei.

The second most popular tree to observe in the autumn is the Ginkgo or Maidenhair Tree. Its leaves are prized in the karyukai due to its shape that closely resembles a folding fan. The graceful leaves also tend to flutter when they fall, which are said to resemble the fluttering of a fan in an alluring dance. Unlike the maple leaves, ginkgo leaves are made from rounded tsumami petals, which provide a beautiful contrast to the maple leaves’ pointed leafs. Unlike shidare from almost every other month, the “petals” for November are actually made like the leaves and feature pointed shapes. They’re meant to mimic individual leaf points instead of petals, so they look very sharp, literally!

Image courtesy of Kazurasei.

Keeping on the topic of leaves, it may seem a bit odd that pine needles are a common feature during the month, but their status is viewed as that of the leaf of an evergreen. The two kanji that make up “Pine Needle” in Japanese literally mean “Pine Leaf,” so the beautiful green needles are often added to maple and ginkgo leaves as a bit of an accent. They also serve a very important artistic function! The small, golden bases that are added to the needles help to attract the eye first. Then the pine needles, which are made from wrapping very thin, shiny threads around sticks, are often set at angles to provide movement for the eye to travel around the kanzashi. 

Image courtesy of Risha Soul. 

Leaves are extremely versatile as maiko can wear motifs that showcase the full spectrum of colors available for the month, which can range from green to yellow to orange or red and sometimes even brown! It’s rare to see a leaf that only has one or two colors, so kanzashi fans are well served during this time, many of which are the maiko themselves!

Like other full motif shidare, November’s leaves can be worn by junior and senior maiko alike. It’s often used as a bridge between the two seniorities, so it’s commonly seen being worn by junior maiko who are about to become senior, like Katsuhina (佳つ雛) of Odamoto (小田本) in Gion Kobu (above). The swaying leaves on this full motif shidare are as elegant as the wind blowing gently through the trees, so it’s the perfect way to show off autumn’s versatile colors!

Image courtesy of Onihide.

Even though they’re leaves and not blooms, November’s various leaves still follow the rules of juniors and seniors when it comes to sizes. Senior maiko, like Kanoka (叶果) of Kanoya (叶家) in Gion Higashi (above) wear one or three of a motif to make a bold statement and show off their impending transition into adulthood. As the tips of a ginkgo leaf are round they are often placed in a circular formation, both to make the entire motif look like a cute circle, but also because it resembles a pin wheel! This reminds us that even the most senior maiko are still children, but that this time is shortly coming to an end, just like the lives of the leaves. 

Image courtesy of Japanexperterna.

In the case of junior maiko, the various leaf kanzashi are the ultimate rainbow that draw attention to them immediately and keep that sight burned into the minds of those who behold them! The bells notify you that they’re close, the shidare brings your eye up, and the main cluster explodes into an array of hues you never thought were possible, like with Mamefuji (まめ藤) of Tama (多麻) in Gion Kobu (above). You may have noticed that a few of the kanzashi do have small flower added to them, and this isn’t too uncommon. The flowers are small Chrysanthemums, which were the main motif for October and are a prominent autumn flower. However, the chrysanthemums are not meant to compete with the leaves in November, but rather to offer a soft palette to the otherwise strong colors of the leaves ^^

[kaikeidou-backstage-blog]

Record of Kaikeidou Servants (excerpts 1 through 6)

Excerpt from the Sea God Bookstore's "Record of Kaikeidou Servants:" a text whose author and editor are both unknown.

Innocent of the Kaikeidou Minamo Kai (海 みなも)

Species: Mermaid Ability: Same capabilities as your average mermaid Human friendship level: Low Danger level: Medium

● A mermaid living at the Kaikeidou in the deep sea, who guards the front gate with her sister, Suzuri Kai. ...That being said, though, the Kaikeidou hardly gets any visitors in the first place, so most of the time she's just playing tag with Suzuri near the gate. A young mermaid, who's still full of innocence.

● She simply looks like our adorable baby sister for the majority of the time, but when outsiders appear at the front gate, she attempts to chase them off. Her expression at those times, though, hardly looks like that of a young girl. Not rage, but a frigid lack of emotion. Like she's only thinking about carrying out her duties. Reminiscent of how children taught only to fight show no hesitation when the time comes for them to kill.

● Out of all the little sisters, I think she's probably the most adorable? I mean, duh, she's the runt of the litter so of COURSE she's cute. But even that aside, she's... what's the word. Childlike? Oh, and she gets called to hang out with our Eldest Sister the most out of anyone here. Aside from m-- *cough* aside from SOMEbody, of course. She comes back wearing a new outfit every time. I think the most recent one was... like, a white dress and a blac (*The text is cut off here.)

● Our Eldest Sister certainly does dote upon her. Also, despite her youth, the dances she performs as a pair with Suzuri are quite the spectacle t' behold.

● The most pure of all my sisters, and the most innocent. For a gate guard, though, that works out just fine. On her own, she can't quite stand up to that clam youkai's ability, but together with Suzuri there's no trouble at all. Above all else, she has a mercilessness to her that Suzuri just can't match. She probably ranks second-highest out of all of us sisters, in that regard.

● I come by the front gate and talk to the two of them from time to time, but every time, I find myself wanting to sit them down on my lap. They quite like it; in fact, they want to sit on my lap so often that I can't help but spoil them. Oh, but now that I think about it, it's more often Minamo who asks. Suzuri's... a little more precocious, perhaps?

● She's my little sister and we're real good friends!

Downer of the Kaikeidou Suzuri Kai (海 すずり)

Species: Mermaid Ability: Same capabilities as your average mermaid Human friendship level: Low Danger level: Medium

● Ninth of the ten sisters of Kai. She guards the Kaikeidou's front gate with the youngest sister, Minamo. Her eyes are sullen-looking, so she gives off a somewhat listless impression, but when she and Minamo are playing tag out front, she looks like any other excitable young girl. Also, Minamo tends to end her sentences with "nano", and Suzuri ends hers with "desu". Whenever they're both talking, it's practically a little chorus of "nano desu"s, which comes off as really immature. Maybe they should drink more milk?

● She's my big sister, and we're like, twins almost!

● Oh, she used to come by with Minamo all the time... I feel somewhat sad about that.

● She's a little precocious, but she's a good kid. Always listens to what her big sisters tell her, y'know? She always looks kind of moody, but that's just the way her face is. Lemme tell you, when she's eating tasty food, or playing with something fun, you would not believe the smile on her f-- OW! Hey, Suzuri?! Being embarrassed doesn't mean hitting is okay, you know?!

● I don't usually interact with the littlest ones unless we're all gathered for a meeting, but during those meetings, she and Minamo are always sitting by our Eldest Sister's side. They scoot up next to her like little guardian dogs; they're usually a little nervous with all the formality, but it's still just so cute.

● She's usually guarding the front gate with Minamo. She may seem a bit precocious, but with how she still wants to sit close to me from time to time, or to go visit her big sisters, you can tell that she's still a young girl. Oh, and unlike her sister, she can create these small whirlpools! Right now, nobody really understands the principle behind how they work.

Coquette of the Kaikeidou Iroha Kai (海 いろは)

Species: Mermaid Ability: Same capabilities as your average mermaid Human friendship level: Medium Danger level: Medium

● One of the sisters of Kai, tasked with duties such as patrolling the Kaikeidou's interior, performing at feasts, serving food, and other out-in-the-open hospitality for guests. She's natural and innocent in a different way from Minamo, and serves as a symbol of good cheer amongst the sisters. You can often see Tsushima, who's on food-serving duty with her, being dragged along by Iroha's exuberance in various places throughout the Kaikeidou. Also, since Iroha and Tsushima's basic outfits are coloured orange, autumn red and so on, older sisters like Hananishiki often refer to them as "the oceanic Aki Sisters". Or not.

● From morning 'til night, that cheery attitude of hers just doesn't quit. Plus, if she were just making a big racket by herself, then I wouldn't mind, but what makes her hard to deal with is that nine times out of ten, I get dragged into it too. And then if some commotion ends up happening, I get scolded right alongside her...!

● ↑ Well, you always start snacking when you go in the kitchen, Sis, and you only take cleaning duty about once in every ten times, so coming from you...

● ↑ Shut uuuup

● Much like our two youngest sisters, they form an excellent defensive line. The greatest peace of mind that Kiyokawa and I can enjoy, after all, is when we have nothing to do. Additionally, Iroha, Tsushima and the two youngest are all irreplacable valuable to Kiyokawa. Indeed, to the point where she'd protect them no matter what the cost.

● A cheerful little sister, always refreshing to be around. Iroha always responds to my summons, albeit somewhat reluctantly. She often argues with her elder sister Tsushima, but in spite of appearances, the two are close friends. The one thing that's a pity, I suppose, is that whenever I call them to come spend time with me, Tsushima alone doesn't respond...

●When we're doing preparations here in the backstage area, Iroha and Tsushima are the sisters we can count on most. We often find ourselves entrusting them with many things, but Iroha always follows through with that natural optimism of hers. She's a lifesaver, really. Also, Eldest Sister, would y'mind telling me about that in a little more detail later?

The Deep Sea's Little Big Sister Tsushima Kai (海 つしま)

Species: Mermaid Ability: Same capabilities as your average mermaid Human friendship level: Medium Danger level: Medium

● She doesn't come to spend time with me very often...

● Tsushima and Iroha do so much. Always helping with the cleaning here and there, sometimes serving food for our guests, sometimes performing on stage as dancers... when it comes to sheer volume of work, they're probably at the top of the ranking amongst us sisters. Sometimes, though, Tsushima does quietly skip out on work, or plays pranks here and there, or gets up to mischief with her sister. Hananishiki-san does get mad and scold them for it most of the time, though.

● Tsushima, huh? She's pretty flippant, but you can't fault her for it. She plays tag and danmaku with me a lot when she comes over to my and Kuronami's area. Her danmaku with Iroha is really cheery and bright, though; it's fun to watch, but also makes me feel a little jealous? Oh, and unlike Iroha, she looks kind of embarrassed whenever she calls me "Big Sis." I can't even BEGIN to tell you how cute it is!

● ↑ Have mercy. Look, she's already huddled in the corner with her face beet-red.

● She's the oldest sister out of the lower four (at least, that's what I call them). Since she's more or less responsible for the younger kids, it seems like a pretty tough position to be in, but I think her work ethic more than lives up to that role. She cuts corners every so often, but... well, it's not a huge issue, and if I think of it as her way of taking a breather, I don't mind. Plus, Hananishiki usually picks up after her anyway.

● She can be sort of mischevious, much like Iroha, but you can easily see how much effort she puts in. Compared to Iroha, she's a little awkward and beats around the bush, but I'd say that's just another one of her charming qualities.

The Deep Sea's Athlete Kiyokawa (清川)

Species: Mermaid Ability: Same capabilities as your average mermaid Human friendship level: Unknown Danger level: High

● She's the youngest out of the sisters who have kanji names, and often gets treated like one of the little sisters when they're all gathered for a meeting. Perhaps as a reaction to that, she loves her younger sisters dearly, and can often be found interacting with them when she's not on backstage guard duty. Her role as a guard doesn't involve much physical activity, but her strength and stamina are beyond compare. She's tough enough to play with all four little sisters at once without breaking a sweat. Also, she's not as cautious or adversarial as Kuronami, but if someone hurts her little sisters, she'll show them no mercy. NO. MERCY.

● One of our little sisters, who guards the backstage door with Kuronami. The room in front of the backstage door is really spacious, because Kiyokawa always jumps and runs around so much that we had to ask a certain friend of ours to expand the space in there. Honestly, I'd appreciate it if she could follow Kuronami's example and settle down a bit... huh? You say her mischief reminds you of me...? Please don't joke like that, Eldest Sister.

● The four youngest sisters, despite their idiosyncracies, all have relatively pure natures. From Kiyokawa on upward, unfortunately, they all have a strong sense of individuality, so they can be quite a handful. She hasn't even been wearing her kimono lately, let alone letting me help her put it on. It can't hurt to open your heart to your big sister a little more, you know?

● She charges ahead recklessly and loses control quite often, but for an immovable guardian like myself, a fast-moving spear is quite the reliable partner. When our younger sisters are busy elsewhere and the two of us have free time, she spends the whole time talking fondly about them. In a worst-case scenario, she'll spend the entire day going on like that. Also, she probably has the strongest reaction out of all of us when someone upsets her, so perhaps that's also one of her standout qualities.

● I'd say she's the most free-spirited out of all us sisters. She's not quite one of the youngsters and not quite one of us grown-ups, so she always sort of has her head in the clouds. Like she doesn't know quite where she ought to be... so, I head out to visit her and see how she's doing from time t' time. Kuronami is rock-steady when it comes to her role, but Kiyokawa seems like she's searching around for what her role ought to be. I reckon that difference between them is exactly what makes them such a good team.

Gatekeeper of the Kaikeidou Kuronami (黒波)

Species: Mermaid Ability: Same capabilities as your average mermaid Human friendship level: None Danger level: Medium

● Guardian of the gate to the Kaikeidou servants' backstage area. Amongst us ten sisters, she's the fifth eldest. She has a very stern personality, and would likely sooner die than let anyone through without permission... in that sense, she's head and shoulders above even her fellow sisters. However, perhaps out of excessive loyalty to her duty, she doesn't move an inch from the backstage entrance except when I call for a group meeting. As such, she almost never interacts with the other sisters, and her sisters, too, feel an enigmatic impression from her. Now, the six eldest sisters each have their own room, and the youngest four share their rooms in pairs; as such, Kuronami has a room all to herself, but... well, just have a look. As you can see, she doesn't keep anything to sleep on at all. We take humanoid forms, so I hardly think it would hurt to live a more human-like lifestyle...

● She talks to little Kinryu in front of the backstage door sometimes, but aside from that, I've never seen her talking to any of the other sisters. Even during our occasional group meetings, she somehow looks like she feels out of place... I've been thinking lately about what I can do to be more of a sister to her.

● Ah yes, Kuronami. She probably 'fits in' the least out of all the Kai sisters, but from us non-sisters' perspective, even that makes for a somewhat adorable quality. Also, she's not so uptight as to cause any concern for those around her. She may not make use of her room, but she still keeps various things in her pockets to pass the time with. I caught a glimpse of it just this once. She was...

● ↑ Oh, oh, those! Yeah, a while ago she was weaving friend-- *suddenly muffled*

● I guess I don't really see what everyone else does in her? Maybe it's just because I check in with her a lot, since I'm the backstage coordinator and all, but I see her talking about silly stuff with Kiyokawa a lot, and sometimes she practices... kenpo forms, I think? Just passing the time in her own way, you know. Also, it's superrare, but I've seen her a few times just casually walking off to somewhere. Where could she be going?

● A stern and taciturn guardian. As Owa... *ahem* as that girl says, she can sometimes be stern to the point of being inflexible, but all the sisters who understand her seem to hold her in the highest of confidence. After all, it's for precisely that reason that she was chosen as the other bearer of the keys Lady Otohime prepared.

● ↑ About that. She may be in charge of the keys, but could you tell her to stop making storage rooms for her knitting projects all willy-nilly?