Takagi is the Japanese program coordinator at the University of San Diego. She lives in Menifee.
The Tokyo Olympic Games will be held from July 23 until Aug. 8 after a year of delays due to the pandemic. Since Japan is not permitting any foreign tourists in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we will need to enjoy the games on television. Luckily, San Diegans can experience Japanese culture right here at home without embarking on a long 12-hour flight.
Japan consists of four main islands and over 6,500 smaller islands. The long and narrow country could cover the distance of Maine to beyond Florida when superimposed over the East Coast. Seventy-three percent of Japan is mountainous and uninhabitable. It has a population of 126 million, 38 percent of the U.S. population. The country has a long history, which dates back to 30,000 CE.
For the ultimate Japanese experience, find a restaurant which has Japanese-speaking waiters or waitresses. As you enter, please pay attention to the greetings. You’ll hear “irasshaimase,” which means “welcome,” as the waiters or waitresses and chefs bow. When you order, I encourage you to try this Japanese phrase, while pointing out an item you want on the menu: “Kore o onegai shimasu.” It means, “This, I request,” and is pronounced: Ko-ray-oh neh-gahy shee-mahs. Please remember to pronounce each vowel clearly, somewhat similar to speaking Spanish.
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Washoku, traditional Japanese cuisine, was designated by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage in 2013. Three popular Japanese foods are sushi, tempura and ramen. Some may enjoy curry rice: a curry seasoned vegetable or meat stew served over rice, and katsudon: breaded pork over rice with egg and onion. For those who have already tried the aforementioned, here are additional Japanese dishes you may like: okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza), takoyaki (hush puppies with octopus), sukiyaki or shabu shabu, yakitori (traditionally chicken on skewers), udon (thick white noodles) or soba (thinner brown noodles), and gyoza or shumai (dumplings).
One tradition you will find in a restaurant, and throughout Japanese culture, is Omotenashi or Japanese hospitality. In fact, the word Omotenashi was used by Christel Takigawa, a newscaster, when she spoke about why Tokyo should host the 2020 Olympics on behalf of Tokyo’s Olympic bid team in 2013.
Omotenashi is the Japanese way of receiving guests, which has its roots in the tea ceremony. According to Favy Japan, a site that provides food news and dining guides for Japan, “The essence of Omotenashi is service from the heart, without expectations of receiving something in return. Omotenashi means not just providing outstanding service, but providing hospitality that goes above and beyond the expectations of the person receiving the service.” For example, tipping is not customary in Japan.
If you would like to further immerse yourself in the traditional Japanese culture, I recommend you visit the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park. Some may think this is just a pretty Japanese garden, but it is also a museum that offers events, classes and exhibits that afford opportunities to learn about Japanese culture in a fun hands-on way. It also offers classes in the Japanese language as well as traditional Japanese arts, such as origami (paper folding), shodo (calligraphy), ikebana (flower arrangement), go (board game with black and white stones) and so on.
On Aug. 7, the Japanese Friendship Garden will be celebrating Obon Festival with chorus performances, taiko (drums) performances and toro nagashi (floating lanterns). Obon is a Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one’s ancestors. It is believed that the spirits of their ancestors return home to this world. During the spirits’ stay, offerings of food and drink are presented at special altars in the home. Japanese people also dance at night in the precincts of the temples or at any open area in the neighborhood to welcome the spirits. In some areas, they float paper lanterns down the river and pray for the spirits’ safe return to their world.
If you prefer to stay at home to experience Japanese culture, venture into books. Try reading the globally celebrated Japanese author Haruki Murakami or Yasunari Kawabata, the winner of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1968. Another recommendation is “The Tale of Genji,” one of the world’s oldest novels written by Murasaki Shikibu, a noblewoman, in the early 11th century.
I hope you enjoy the Tokyo Olympics and the opportunity to experience Japanese culture at home in San Diego.
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July 10, 2021 at 07:24AM
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Opinion: Sad to miss the Tokyo Games? Explore Japanese culture right here in San Diego - The San Diego Union-Tribune
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