Vocab Learnings
Vocab Learnings Master Post
All vocabulary lists from fics will be posted here as to clean up the fic pages themselves
The Magnificent Green Beast
Oyabun 親分 - boss/chief/head
Kanchou 艦長 - captain (of a warship)
Caravel - highly maneuverable, 1-3 mast fixed-sail small-mid class sailing vessel developed in the 15C by Portuguese used for scouting and fast travel along shipping lanes [I.e. Christopher Columbus’ Nina and Pinta were smaller caravels, also the Merry Go from One Piece]
*****
Sepia and Ochre
Sepia is a dark brown-grey color, named after the rich brown pigment derived from the ink sac of the common cuttlefish Sepia.
Ochre or Ocher is term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as Red ochre. The more rarely used terms Purple ochre and Brown ochre also exist for variant hues. Because of these other hues, the color Ochre is sometimes referred to as Yellow ochre or Red ochre
White’s, Boodles, Brooke’s, Grahams, etc. - exclusive men’s clubs where monied patrons held membership, usually only one at a time, where men would gather to smoke, gamble, box, and socialise in general. Business might also have been conducted there.
Boxers - also footmen or guards
Cricket - it’s complicated… look it up. It’s sort of the precursor to baseball, utilizing bowlers [pitchers], batsmen [batters], wicketkeepers [sort of like catchers/umpires], fielders, and captains.
hackney or hackney carriage (also called a cab, hack or London taxi)
Nodens [Nodons, Nudens] - Celtic god of healing, the sea, hunting and dogs
Ell - a building’s wing or section. Can also be French for woman/girl or bolts of cloth.
Cravat - a neckband, the forerunner of the modern tailored necktie and bow tie, originating from 17thC Croatia. From the end of the 16th century, the term band applied to any long-strip neckcloth that was not a ruff.
Hessians - a style of boot from Germany that became popular in the 18th century
Quicksilver - old term for Mercury, more specifically, liquid Mercury
Domino - the normally black half-mask used for masquerades. Not actually intended to fully disguise a person's real identity.
Pyrite - fools gold, appearing as either gold or silver in colour
Gold ore - appears in rose quartz and can either be a silver colour or a dark gold, sometimes as the bright yellow or white of pure gold
Mantua - a long open fronted coat that looks like a dress and worn over petticoats [think of paintings of royalty]
Painting knife - also known as a painting blade or paint spatula. Looks like a small cake server and is flexible. Can be used to portion or spread paint. Some artists like Vincent Van Gogh would use this to produce highly textured paintings
Gouache - an opaque white paint used for priming of canvases. It needs to be spread with either a painting knife or a brush, or combination of both, then sanded down with either razours or sandpaper, or both, process repeated until the desired degree of smoothness is achieved
Drawers - underclothes made from lawn or muslin. Could refer to pettipants, petticoats, etc [anything worn on the bottom half of the body under the regular clothes] and tied with string, ribbon, or other fabric laces. Worn beginning of the Victorian Era in the 19th Century [1830s - 1900], first began appearing towards of the Edwardian Era at the end of the 18th Century [1780-1825/30].
Ribband - a strip of fabric similar to a ribbon, normally used to hold shirtsleeves in place or to wrap around hats [also a shipbuilding piece]
Jacquard - fabric woven on a Jacquard loom; a fabric of intricate variegated weave or pattern [can be used for upholstery or clothing]
Damask - is a reversible figured fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibers, with a pattern formed by weaving. Damasks are woven with one warp yarn and one weft yarn, usually with the pattern in warp-faced satin weave and the ground in weft-faced or sateen weave. Twill damasks include a twill-woven ground or pattern [can be used for upholstery or curtains; very heavy and originally imported from Arabic countries]
Jagging - 1. A hanging flap along the edge of a garment. 1a. A slash or slit in a garment exposing material of a different color 2. prick, stab 2a : to cut indentations into; also : to form teeth on (a saw) by cutting indentations
The classic Dun is a gray-gold or tan, characterized by a body color ranging from sandy yellow to reddish-brown.
*****
When We Were Young
The kana used for snail refer to the spiral shape of the shell. A spiral is also used to represent mystery or surprises.
Nene - Nana, Nono, and Nene are stereotypical names for girls like Fido and Rover for American dogs. Nene is also a play on the words for older sister, Ane-ue and Oneechan/san. It can also mean the sound of prayers or a rare hope.
Kanami - means to have a love of beauty or the ocean/perfect peace
Kodama [木魂] - a spirit from Japanese folklore, which is believed to live in certain trees (similar to the Dryad of Greek myth)
Ko-Iru-Mo [Child - Come In - Also or The Kids Came/Can Come Too, another play on words]
Kingyo - goldfish [in this case, King Kingyo, with tiny crowns! Another play off words]
Caltrops - jagged/spiked pieces thrown on the ground to damage feet or interfere with movement [I.e. tacks, sharks teeth, jacks, etc]
Ko - child
Dama - to strike in between
Mo - also, in addition to
Horagai 法螺貝 - conch/trumpet shell
Hora 法螺 - principle mollusk
Sunamaru - Sand+maru [a very polite add-on to a boy's name, usually conveys absolute respect, means perfection] Can also mean "Little Sand" in reference to a boy
Ganchin - the set face/stone face [gan is stone]
Den den [dendenmushi is snail]
Makigai [refers to the spiral shell of a snail]
Joyou - like the ocean
Fujisan - Mount Fuji
Kakure Ichinojou [隠市之丞] Kakure means cryptic or hidden. Ichinojou means Helper of the Market/Village
Ichi-ni-san [1,2,3 play off Ichi-nii-san/chan]
Juusan [13, play off Ichi-nii-san, 1-3]
Ichino-san [1 of 3, also a play off his name. This should appear later]
Anchan - means boy/older brother [short for aniki] because Anko is a little tomboy
-Nee - informal short for (o)neechan/san
Ne - used to get someone's attention like "hey" or at the end of a sentence like "yeah" [Nene-nee sounds like hey, hey, hey or yeah, yeah, yeah]
Oni - ogre or demon
妖怪 Youkai - dwellers of Makai [the lower spirit realm, I.e. something like demons or non-human spirits] This term encompasses the whole of the spiritual world, monsters and spirits, to the exclusion of peaceful ghosts
Urusai - literally means "noisy", "loud", or "disruptive. It can be used to tell someone to stop being disruptive or noisy [Like saying "shut up" since there's no Japanese phrase like that]
Kuso - a swear word that is similar to "shit"
Kaa-chan [Mommy]
Miki ミ喜 - to rejoice in
Gohei (御幣), onbe (御幣) or heisoku (幣束) are wooden wands, decorated with two shide (zigzag paper streamers) used in Shinto rituals. The streamers are usually white, although they can also be gold, silver, or a mixture of several colors. The zigzag paper streamers themselves (also referred to as "gohei") are often attached to straw ropes ( shimenawa ) used to mark sacred precincts.
*****
Phish Phood
Choume 丁目- district indicator [choume, ban, go 丁目/番/号- district, block, house number. Japan does not have actual addresses and street names, only a series of numbers]
Nafuda 名札- name plate [most houses have the family surname outside]
Konnichiwa - “good afternoon” but can be used as a greeting any time, morning or night
Sashiburi - “it’s been a while/long time” [can be used even if you’ve seen the person earlier in the day, but usually after a period of two weeks absence or more]
Makige 巻毛 - curly fur/hair
Nin 忍 - endure/sneak/spy [Ninja/Shino(bi)]
Kamon 佳門 - the beautiful/talented/pleasing gate [Gate of Highest Esteem]
Kaemon 嘉右衛門 - esteemed/righteous/protective gate [Gate of Justice]
kaenmen 火炎面 - flame fronts [sort of like fire walls]
Kanshumon 看取門 - seeing through/perception gate [Gate of Perception/Transparency]
Kagemochi 景持 - holding view [Still Frame/Frozen Moment]
Ketsumei 結盟 - making a pledge [Ketsumeimon :: Gate of Sacred/Blood Pledges]
Ryo 両 - a unit of currency, appearing as ingots and medallions made of gold. The highest standing currency, originally equivalent to Chinese taels which was eventually replaced by the yen 円. Originally one ryo was valued equally to its weight. Like modern coinage, the ratio dropped until the value of the ryo was more in faith than actual gold weight.
*****
Shinobi Dating Protocol
flak vest - an abbreviation for the German word for "anti-aircraft gun" (Fliegerabwehrkanone). Originally designed and coined by the Royal Air Force during World War II to protect ground forces from shrapnel and low impact flying debris. Modern day usage refers to "ballistic vests" which are essentially reinforced body armor/shells. A non-reinforced flak jacket or vest is essentially useless for protection against anything stronger than debris kicked up by one's own weapon or slow flying projections.
Mama-san - this title can refer to a brothel madame, to a female yakuza head, traditional skin/oyster divers, or to an older woman (usually in the service industry) that you may be somewhat familiar with but whom is too close for you to call "obaachan" or granny. It's a more familiar form of address than "obachan" or auntie as well. It implies someone that you know.
blue melanistic pheasant - the same as a normal pheasant only with a melanine mutation that doesn't restrict the production of the blue-green pigment and doesn't encourage the brown/black/white representation. They both taste the same.
花見 [hanami] - "flower viewing" normally restricted to either 桜 [sakura/zakura] or cherry blossoms or 梅 [ume] or plum blossoms. They bloom about the same time from the end of March to early May.
祭 [Matsuri] - "festival" Traditionally referring to temple sponsored events or Shinto ritual days, they can be held for almost anything: Snow Festival, Fire Festival, Sakura Viewing Festival, Obon Festival, etc.
金魚すくい | 金魚掬い [kingyo sukui] - "goldfish scooping" Better known as the children's fish catching game. Normally played by children and females, participants try to scoop goldfish from a tub or small pond using a paper net called a "poi" that looks almost like a bubble wand with a film of soap over it. Oftentimes girls will play against their friends and sometimes their boyfriends will catch fish for them if they fail. It can be a couple activity and many girls will try to get their boyfriends to pay at least one try. Fish must be placed safely in a bowl in order to be counted as a win. Prize fish may be taken home in special bags with draw strings that allow the fish to be safely ported for long periods of time without fear of suffocation. Goldfish are considered both symbols of luck and of wealth.
couple outfits - It's an Asian term referring to when both members of a couple wear the same top, bottoms, shoes, or more often, a whole outfit. It identifies them as an exclusive couple and can be very cute, even if the outfits are sometimes odd. It is unlike Western "couple" or "his/hers" outfits in that a "couple outfits" are the exact same outfit, disregarding gender.
Yukata - A yukata, which is unlined and made of cotton, is worn mostly in the summer. Putting your arms through the sleeves, gentlemen and ladies alike wear the yukata with the left side wrapped over the right side, and tied with the obi sash. Deep sleeves act as pockets. It can be worn in and outdoors.
Tanzen - in the cold seasons, a 'tanzen', which is a rather thick padded kimono is worn over your yukata, and in the same way as wearing the yukata. It looks like a yukata and can be worn both in and outdoors.
Haori - A 'haori' is worn over the yukata or tanzen. It is short in length, and has rather large sleeve-pockets to allow the sleeves of your yukata or tanzen to fit in easily and your arms to move smoothly. This haori also serves as a coat. Normally this will be worn outdoors or for a formal function. Oftentimes, this will have a design where a yukata or tanzen may be more plain. It may traditionally be crafted from recycled yukata.
Little Drummer Mochitsuki Boy[s]
Mochi made for mochitsuki is not the same as confectionary mochi and is very dense and chewy with a slight sweetness and needs to be eaten hot. Some people fill them and crack them open at New Years. It may also be eaten in ozoni, a type of mochi soup which is a little sweet and syrupy. It may also be eaten with sugar and shoyu.
Traditionally, mochi was made from whole rice, in a labor-intensive process. The traditional mochi-pounding ceremony in Japan is Mochitsuki:
>> Polished 餅米 mochigome [glutinous rice] is soaked overnight and cooked.
>> The cooked rice is pounded with wooden mallets (kine) in a traditional mortar (usu). Two people will alternate the work, one pounding and the other turning and wetting the mochi. They must keep a steady rhythm or they may accidentally injure one another with the heavy kine.
>> The sticky mass is then formed into various shapes (usually a sphere or cube).
>> 餅 mochi can also be prepared from a flour of sweet rice (mochiko). The flour is mixed with water to a sticky opaque white mass that is cooked on the stovetop in the microwave until it becomes elastic and slightly transparent.
>> Both mochigome and reconstituted mochiko can be cooked in a mochi machine which does all the cooking and pounding for you, but that's generally called cheating.
>> Traditional mochi making usually starts early in the morning and will probably take all day, with the mochi having to be moistened and heated during the pounding process to keep it from setting too quickly.
>> This is made before New Year's Day and eaten during the beginning of January.
>> Mochi is made into a New Year's decoration called kagami mochi (鏡餅), formed from two round cakes of mochi with a bitter orange (橙daidai) placed on top. The name daidai is supposed to be auspicious since it means "several generations." Because of mochi's extremely sticky texture, there is usually a small number of choking deaths around New Year in Japan, particularly amongst the elderly. The death toll is reported in newspapers in the days after New Year.
New Years celebration meal called osechi-ryōri (御節料理 or お節料理), typically shortened to osechi. This consists of boiled seaweed (昆布 kombu), fish cakes (蒲鉾 kamaboko), mashed sweet potato with chestnut (栗きんとん kurikinton), simmered burdock root(金平牛蒡 kinpira gobo), and sweetened black soybeans (黒豆 kuromame, which may also be formed into a sweet paste to fill mochi and buns)
Take (竹) - bamboo.
Takenoko (竹の子) is for a bamboo shoot.
>> Both may be used to make a kadomatsu.
Kagami mochi >> A decoration for the New Year for inside the home is made of two large, flattened balls of mochi rice cakes, with a mikan, [tangerine] on top. This decoration is displayed in a prominent place in the home, and after the new year, is eaten by the whole family.
Kadomatsu >> made of pine branches, bamboo, and straw, is placed beside the gates or doorways of homes. Pine branches symbolize long life and bamboo represents strength.Shimekazari is a decoration made of rice husks for the doors of homes and shops. Fern leaves, oranges, or lobsters represent good luck for the coming year.
tawara-gata - rice bale design used on clothes. Rice is a sign of wealth and the rice bale shape is the form the ryo [gold and silver monetary tablets] was designed after.
Many people wear short yukata with shorts during mochitsuki and the yukata may be plain dark colors in blue, black, grey, or white or may have prints relating to luck and health.
otoshidama-bukuro (お年玉袋) >> Pouch for giving otoshidama. On New Year's Day, Japanese people have a custom of giving money to children. This is known as otoshidama (お年玉). It is handed out in small decorated envelopes called 'pochibukuro,' similar to Goshugi bukuro or Chinese red envelopes [Li-si] and to the Scottish handsel. In the Edo period large stores and wealthy families gave out a small bag of mochi and a Mandarin orange to spread happiness all around. The amount of money given depends on the age of the child but is usually the same if there is more than one child so that no one feels slighted.
All vocabulary lists from fics will be posted here as to clean up the fic pages themselves
The Magnificent Green Beast
Oyabun 親分 - boss/chief/head
Kanchou 艦長 - captain (of a warship)
Caravel - highly maneuverable, 1-3 mast fixed-sail small-mid class sailing vessel developed in the 15C by Portuguese used for scouting and fast travel along shipping lanes [I.e. Christopher Columbus’ Nina and Pinta were smaller caravels, also the Merry Go from One Piece]
*****
Sepia and Ochre
Sepia is a dark brown-grey color, named after the rich brown pigment derived from the ink sac of the common cuttlefish Sepia.
Ochre or Ocher is term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as Red ochre. The more rarely used terms Purple ochre and Brown ochre also exist for variant hues. Because of these other hues, the color Ochre is sometimes referred to as Yellow ochre or Red ochre
White’s, Boodles, Brooke’s, Grahams, etc. - exclusive men’s clubs where monied patrons held membership, usually only one at a time, where men would gather to smoke, gamble, box, and socialise in general. Business might also have been conducted there.
Boxers - also footmen or guards
Cricket - it’s complicated… look it up. It’s sort of the precursor to baseball, utilizing bowlers [pitchers], batsmen [batters], wicketkeepers [sort of like catchers/umpires], fielders, and captains.
hackney or hackney carriage (also called a cab, hack or London taxi)
Nodens [Nodons, Nudens] - Celtic god of healing, the sea, hunting and dogs
Ell - a building’s wing or section. Can also be French for woman/girl or bolts of cloth.
Cravat - a neckband, the forerunner of the modern tailored necktie and bow tie, originating from 17thC Croatia. From the end of the 16th century, the term band applied to any long-strip neckcloth that was not a ruff.
Hessians - a style of boot from Germany that became popular in the 18th century
Quicksilver - old term for Mercury, more specifically, liquid Mercury
Domino - the normally black half-mask used for masquerades. Not actually intended to fully disguise a person's real identity.
Pyrite - fools gold, appearing as either gold or silver in colour
Gold ore - appears in rose quartz and can either be a silver colour or a dark gold, sometimes as the bright yellow or white of pure gold
Mantua - a long open fronted coat that looks like a dress and worn over petticoats [think of paintings of royalty]
Painting knife - also known as a painting blade or paint spatula. Looks like a small cake server and is flexible. Can be used to portion or spread paint. Some artists like Vincent Van Gogh would use this to produce highly textured paintings
Gouache - an opaque white paint used for priming of canvases. It needs to be spread with either a painting knife or a brush, or combination of both, then sanded down with either razours or sandpaper, or both, process repeated until the desired degree of smoothness is achieved
Drawers - underclothes made from lawn or muslin. Could refer to pettipants, petticoats, etc [anything worn on the bottom half of the body under the regular clothes] and tied with string, ribbon, or other fabric laces. Worn beginning of the Victorian Era in the 19th Century [1830s - 1900], first began appearing towards of the Edwardian Era at the end of the 18th Century [1780-1825/30].
Ribband - a strip of fabric similar to a ribbon, normally used to hold shirtsleeves in place or to wrap around hats [also a shipbuilding piece]
Jacquard - fabric woven on a Jacquard loom; a fabric of intricate variegated weave or pattern [can be used for upholstery or clothing]
Damask - is a reversible figured fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibers, with a pattern formed by weaving. Damasks are woven with one warp yarn and one weft yarn, usually with the pattern in warp-faced satin weave and the ground in weft-faced or sateen weave. Twill damasks include a twill-woven ground or pattern [can be used for upholstery or curtains; very heavy and originally imported from Arabic countries]
Jagging - 1. A hanging flap along the edge of a garment. 1a. A slash or slit in a garment exposing material of a different color 2. prick, stab 2a : to cut indentations into; also : to form teeth on (a saw) by cutting indentations
The classic Dun is a gray-gold or tan, characterized by a body color ranging from sandy yellow to reddish-brown.
*****
When We Were Young
The kana used for snail refer to the spiral shape of the shell. A spiral is also used to represent mystery or surprises.
Nene - Nana, Nono, and Nene are stereotypical names for girls like Fido and Rover for American dogs. Nene is also a play on the words for older sister, Ane-ue and Oneechan/san. It can also mean the sound of prayers or a rare hope.
Kanami - means to have a love of beauty or the ocean/perfect peace
Kodama [木魂] - a spirit from Japanese folklore, which is believed to live in certain trees (similar to the Dryad of Greek myth)
Ko-Iru-Mo [Child - Come In - Also or The Kids Came/Can Come Too, another play on words]
Kingyo - goldfish [in this case, King Kingyo, with tiny crowns! Another play off words]
Caltrops - jagged/spiked pieces thrown on the ground to damage feet or interfere with movement [I.e. tacks, sharks teeth, jacks, etc]
Ko - child
Dama - to strike in between
Mo - also, in addition to
Horagai 法螺貝 - conch/trumpet shell
Hora 法螺 - principle mollusk
Sunamaru - Sand+maru [a very polite add-on to a boy's name, usually conveys absolute respect, means perfection] Can also mean "Little Sand" in reference to a boy
Ganchin - the set face/stone face [gan is stone]
Den den [dendenmushi is snail]
Makigai [refers to the spiral shell of a snail]
Joyou - like the ocean
Fujisan - Mount Fuji
Kakure Ichinojou [隠市之丞] Kakure means cryptic or hidden. Ichinojou means Helper of the Market/Village
Ichi-ni-san [1,2,3 play off Ichi-nii-san/chan]
Juusan [13, play off Ichi-nii-san, 1-3]
Ichino-san [1 of 3, also a play off his name. This should appear later]
Anchan - means boy/older brother [short for aniki] because Anko is a little tomboy
-Nee - informal short for (o)neechan/san
Ne - used to get someone's attention like "hey" or at the end of a sentence like "yeah" [Nene-nee sounds like hey, hey, hey or yeah, yeah, yeah]
Oni - ogre or demon
妖怪 Youkai - dwellers of Makai [the lower spirit realm, I.e. something like demons or non-human spirits] This term encompasses the whole of the spiritual world, monsters and spirits, to the exclusion of peaceful ghosts
Urusai - literally means "noisy", "loud", or "disruptive. It can be used to tell someone to stop being disruptive or noisy [Like saying "shut up" since there's no Japanese phrase like that]
Kuso - a swear word that is similar to "shit"
Kaa-chan [Mommy]
Miki ミ喜 - to rejoice in
Gohei (御幣), onbe (御幣) or heisoku (幣束) are wooden wands, decorated with two shide (zigzag paper streamers) used in Shinto rituals. The streamers are usually white, although they can also be gold, silver, or a mixture of several colors. The zigzag paper streamers themselves (also referred to as "gohei") are often attached to straw ropes ( shimenawa ) used to mark sacred precincts.
*****
Phish Phood
Choume 丁目- district indicator [choume, ban, go 丁目/番/号- district, block, house number. Japan does not have actual addresses and street names, only a series of numbers]
Nafuda 名札- name plate [most houses have the family surname outside]
Konnichiwa - “good afternoon” but can be used as a greeting any time, morning or night
Sashiburi - “it’s been a while/long time” [can be used even if you’ve seen the person earlier in the day, but usually after a period of two weeks absence or more]
Makige 巻毛 - curly fur/hair
Nin 忍 - endure/sneak/spy [Ninja/Shino(bi)]
Kamon 佳門 - the beautiful/talented/pleasing gate [Gate of Highest Esteem]
Kaemon 嘉右衛門 - esteemed/righteous/protective gate [Gate of Justice]
kaenmen 火炎面 - flame fronts [sort of like fire walls]
Kanshumon 看取門 - seeing through/perception gate [Gate of Perception/Transparency]
Kagemochi 景持 - holding view [Still Frame/Frozen Moment]
Ketsumei 結盟 - making a pledge [Ketsumeimon :: Gate of Sacred/Blood Pledges]
Ryo 両 - a unit of currency, appearing as ingots and medallions made of gold. The highest standing currency, originally equivalent to Chinese taels which was eventually replaced by the yen 円. Originally one ryo was valued equally to its weight. Like modern coinage, the ratio dropped until the value of the ryo was more in faith than actual gold weight.
*****
Shinobi Dating Protocol
flak vest - an abbreviation for the German word for "anti-aircraft gun" (Fliegerabwehrkanone). Originally designed and coined by the Royal Air Force during World War II to protect ground forces from shrapnel and low impact flying debris. Modern day usage refers to "ballistic vests" which are essentially reinforced body armor/shells. A non-reinforced flak jacket or vest is essentially useless for protection against anything stronger than debris kicked up by one's own weapon or slow flying projections.
Mama-san - this title can refer to a brothel madame, to a female yakuza head, traditional skin/oyster divers, or to an older woman (usually in the service industry) that you may be somewhat familiar with but whom is too close for you to call "obaachan" or granny. It's a more familiar form of address than "obachan" or auntie as well. It implies someone that you know.
blue melanistic pheasant - the same as a normal pheasant only with a melanine mutation that doesn't restrict the production of the blue-green pigment and doesn't encourage the brown/black/white representation. They both taste the same.
花見 [hanami] - "flower viewing" normally restricted to either 桜 [sakura/zakura] or cherry blossoms or 梅 [ume] or plum blossoms. They bloom about the same time from the end of March to early May.
祭 [Matsuri] - "festival" Traditionally referring to temple sponsored events or Shinto ritual days, they can be held for almost anything: Snow Festival, Fire Festival, Sakura Viewing Festival, Obon Festival, etc.
金魚すくい | 金魚掬い [kingyo sukui] - "goldfish scooping" Better known as the children's fish catching game. Normally played by children and females, participants try to scoop goldfish from a tub or small pond using a paper net called a "poi" that looks almost like a bubble wand with a film of soap over it. Oftentimes girls will play against their friends and sometimes their boyfriends will catch fish for them if they fail. It can be a couple activity and many girls will try to get their boyfriends to pay at least one try. Fish must be placed safely in a bowl in order to be counted as a win. Prize fish may be taken home in special bags with draw strings that allow the fish to be safely ported for long periods of time without fear of suffocation. Goldfish are considered both symbols of luck and of wealth.
couple outfits - It's an Asian term referring to when both members of a couple wear the same top, bottoms, shoes, or more often, a whole outfit. It identifies them as an exclusive couple and can be very cute, even if the outfits are sometimes odd. It is unlike Western "couple" or "his/hers" outfits in that a "couple outfits" are the exact same outfit, disregarding gender.
Yukata - A yukata, which is unlined and made of cotton, is worn mostly in the summer. Putting your arms through the sleeves, gentlemen and ladies alike wear the yukata with the left side wrapped over the right side, and tied with the obi sash. Deep sleeves act as pockets. It can be worn in and outdoors.
Tanzen - in the cold seasons, a 'tanzen', which is a rather thick padded kimono is worn over your yukata, and in the same way as wearing the yukata. It looks like a yukata and can be worn both in and outdoors.
Haori - A 'haori' is worn over the yukata or tanzen. It is short in length, and has rather large sleeve-pockets to allow the sleeves of your yukata or tanzen to fit in easily and your arms to move smoothly. This haori also serves as a coat. Normally this will be worn outdoors or for a formal function. Oftentimes, this will have a design where a yukata or tanzen may be more plain. It may traditionally be crafted from recycled yukata.
Little Drummer Mochitsuki Boy[s]
Mochi made for mochitsuki is not the same as confectionary mochi and is very dense and chewy with a slight sweetness and needs to be eaten hot. Some people fill them and crack them open at New Years. It may also be eaten in ozoni, a type of mochi soup which is a little sweet and syrupy. It may also be eaten with sugar and shoyu.
Traditionally, mochi was made from whole rice, in a labor-intensive process. The traditional mochi-pounding ceremony in Japan is Mochitsuki:
>> Polished 餅米 mochigome [glutinous rice] is soaked overnight and cooked.
>> The cooked rice is pounded with wooden mallets (kine) in a traditional mortar (usu). Two people will alternate the work, one pounding and the other turning and wetting the mochi. They must keep a steady rhythm or they may accidentally injure one another with the heavy kine.
>> The sticky mass is then formed into various shapes (usually a sphere or cube).
>> 餅 mochi can also be prepared from a flour of sweet rice (mochiko). The flour is mixed with water to a sticky opaque white mass that is cooked on the stovetop in the microwave until it becomes elastic and slightly transparent.
>> Both mochigome and reconstituted mochiko can be cooked in a mochi machine which does all the cooking and pounding for you, but that's generally called cheating.
>> Traditional mochi making usually starts early in the morning and will probably take all day, with the mochi having to be moistened and heated during the pounding process to keep it from setting too quickly.
>> This is made before New Year's Day and eaten during the beginning of January.
>> Mochi is made into a New Year's decoration called kagami mochi (鏡餅), formed from two round cakes of mochi with a bitter orange (橙daidai) placed on top. The name daidai is supposed to be auspicious since it means "several generations." Because of mochi's extremely sticky texture, there is usually a small number of choking deaths around New Year in Japan, particularly amongst the elderly. The death toll is reported in newspapers in the days after New Year.
New Years celebration meal called osechi-ryōri (御節料理 or お節料理), typically shortened to osechi. This consists of boiled seaweed (昆布 kombu), fish cakes (蒲鉾 kamaboko), mashed sweet potato with chestnut (栗きんとん kurikinton), simmered burdock root(金平牛蒡 kinpira gobo), and sweetened black soybeans (黒豆 kuromame, which may also be formed into a sweet paste to fill mochi and buns)
Take (竹) - bamboo.
Takenoko (竹の子) is for a bamboo shoot.
>> Both may be used to make a kadomatsu.
Kagami mochi >> A decoration for the New Year for inside the home is made of two large, flattened balls of mochi rice cakes, with a mikan, [tangerine] on top. This decoration is displayed in a prominent place in the home, and after the new year, is eaten by the whole family.
Kadomatsu >> made of pine branches, bamboo, and straw, is placed beside the gates or doorways of homes. Pine branches symbolize long life and bamboo represents strength.Shimekazari is a decoration made of rice husks for the doors of homes and shops. Fern leaves, oranges, or lobsters represent good luck for the coming year.
tawara-gata - rice bale design used on clothes. Rice is a sign of wealth and the rice bale shape is the form the ryo [gold and silver monetary tablets] was designed after.
Many people wear short yukata with shorts during mochitsuki and the yukata may be plain dark colors in blue, black, grey, or white or may have prints relating to luck and health.
otoshidama-bukuro (お年玉袋) >> Pouch for giving otoshidama. On New Year's Day, Japanese people have a custom of giving money to children. This is known as otoshidama (お年玉). It is handed out in small decorated envelopes called 'pochibukuro,' similar to Goshugi bukuro or Chinese red envelopes [Li-si] and to the Scottish handsel. In the Edo period large stores and wealthy families gave out a small bag of mochi and a Mandarin orange to spread happiness all around. The amount of money given depends on the age of the child but is usually the same if there is more than one child so that no one feels slighted.