Cover your navel, there's a thunderstorm coming?
It's the little stories that are sometimes the most fun. I guess I missed a layer of kid's knowledge learning about Japan as an adult, and sometimes I trip over those missing bits of trivia. "Hide your bellybutton, there's a storm coming" is one of those. I mean, do you hide your navel when you see lightning?
That was a surprise. We had a massive thunderstorm roll in this afternoon, with plenty of lightning and roaring downpours. While I was enjoying the show outside our 3rd floor office, the secretary asked me if Americans cover their navels during thunderstorms. When I admitted that we don't, she explained that in Japan, people warn children to cover their navels during thunderstorms or the Kaminari (lightning) gods will steal them.
I'm not quite sure what the gods do with their collection of belly buttons.These gods are pretty impressive, with their tiger skin shorts and a ring of drums that they beat to make thunder. Maybe the belly buttons are markers for games in between storms?
A quick check with some other Japanese got the expected "0f course! You mean you didn't know that?" responses that indicate this is reasonably well-known. And a bit of googling has this story, too. Hum, they suggest that Kaminari eat belly buttons. Now that's scary.
I'm not quite sure what to make of this, aside from it being an interesting choice of stories to tease youngsters with. Beware the gods of lightning for they will steal your belly button?
Amusing, at least.
That was a surprise. We had a massive thunderstorm roll in this afternoon, with plenty of lightning and roaring downpours. While I was enjoying the show outside our 3rd floor office, the secretary asked me if Americans cover their navels during thunderstorms. When I admitted that we don't, she explained that in Japan, people warn children to cover their navels during thunderstorms or the Kaminari (lightning) gods will steal them.
I'm not quite sure what the gods do with their collection of belly buttons.These gods are pretty impressive, with their tiger skin shorts and a ring of drums that they beat to make thunder. Maybe the belly buttons are markers for games in between storms?
A quick check with some other Japanese got the expected "0f course! You mean you didn't know that?" responses that indicate this is reasonably well-known. And a bit of googling has this story, too. Hum, they suggest that Kaminari eat belly buttons. Now that's scary.
I'm not quite sure what to make of this, aside from it being an interesting choice of stories to tease youngsters with. Beware the gods of lightning for they will steal your belly button?
Amusing, at least.