Japanese Lesson Otsukimi() Moon Viewing

I introduce an interesting Japan in English and Japanese. First, I talk in Japanese and then switch to English with the same content. Today’s topic is “ #otsukimi ( #MoonViewing) “. ■English In Japan, there is a day called “ #Jugoya ” in September. This is the day when you can see the most beautiful full moon of the year. “Jugoya“ refers to the night of August 15th of the lunar calendar, and the moon seen on that day is called the “Chushu no meigetsu“. In the modern calendar, “Jugoya“ is around mid-September, and this year’s “Jugoya” is September 21st, This Chinese character kanji “mei” generally means “name”, but it also means “good reputation“. In other words, “Chushu no meigetsu“ means “a wonderful moon seen in mid-autumn.“ And, viewing the moon on “Jugoya” is called “Otsukimi“. “Tsuki” means moon, and “Mi” means viewing. Today, I would like to introduce the history and meaning of “Otsukimi” and how to enjoy “Otsukimi” in Japan. The history of “Otsukimi” is said to be a culture that was introduced from China during the Heian period about 1000 years ago. Originally, aristocrats enjoyed viewing the moon, but later it spread to the common people. Since “Otsukimi” is done during the potato harvest season, we offered taro or sweet potatoes to see the moon as an event to thank for the autumn harvest. Therefore, “Chushu no meigetsu“ is also called “Imo(potato) Meigetsu“. Next, I will introduce how to enjoy “Otsukimi” in Japan. There are various customs depending on the time and region, but it is common to decorate Otsukimi Dango and Japanese pampas grass(Miscanthus). Otsukimi Dango is Japanese rice dumplings made from rice flour. It is said that the round dumplings have the image of a full moon, and 15 of them are often arranged and displayed after “Jugoya”. Japanese pampas grass is said to be an amulet plant and Yorishiro in which God comes down. Actually, it is best to decorate the rice ears, but since “Jugoya” is before the time of harvesting the rice, so we decorate the pampas grass instead of the ear of rice. We can buy it at a flower shop in September in Japan, so we can enjoy it easily. In addition, taro and sweet potatoes may also be decorated together. It is good to decorate them on a Japanese-style alcove “Tokonoma”, but in recent houses, there is often no Tokonoma, so it is displayed by the window or on the table. There is a legend in Japan for a long time that rabbits live on the moon. The shadow on the surface of the moon makes it look like the rabbit is making mochi. It is forecast that it will rain in Tokyo on this year’s “Jugoya”, but if it’s sunny in your city and you can see the full moon beautifully, please look for “Moon Rabbit“. ■Japanese 日本では9月に #十五夜 と呼ばれる日があります。これは、一年で最も美しい満月が見れる日です。 十五夜とは旧暦の8月15日の夜を指し、その日に見える月のことを「 #中秋の名月 」と言います。現代の暦では十五夜は9月の中旬ごろになり、今年の十五夜は9月21日です。 名月の名は、名前という意味の漢字ですが、「良い評判」という意味でもあります。つまり、「秋に見られる素晴らしい月」という意味です。 そして、十五夜に月を見ることを「 #お月見 」と言います。 今日はお月見の歴史や意味、そして日本のお月見の楽しみ方を紹介します。 お月見の歴史は、約1000年前の平安時代に中国から伝わってきたと言われています。 元々は貴族たちが月を見て楽しんでいましたが、その後庶民にも広がりました。 お月見は芋の収穫時期に行われるので、秋の収穫を感謝する行事として里芋やさつま芋をお供えして、月を見るようになりました。そのため、「中秋の名月」は「 #芋名月 」とも呼ばれています。 次に日本でのお月見の楽しみ方を紹介します。 時代や地域によって様々な風習がありますが、お月見団子をススキと一緒に飾って楽しむのが一般的です。 #お月見団子 は、米粉から作ったお団子です。 丸いお団子は満月をイメージしていると言われていて、十五夜にちなんで15個盛り付けて飾ることが多いです。 ススキは、神様が降りてくる依代で魔除になる植物とも言われています。 本当は稲穂を飾りたいのですが、（十五夜は）稲の収穫の時期よりも前なので、代わりに稲穂に似たススキを飾っているとも言われています。 お月見の時期になると花&