なぜ、日本でハロウィーンが広がったのか？ Halloween In Japan

この数十年間で、北米由来のハロウィーンが日本でも広がってきました。昨秋の地元新聞記事によるとディズニーランドのイベントやテレビCMが日本でのハロウィーンの普及に影響したのではないかとのことでした。しかし、それだけでのことでハロウィーンが日本に定着したでしょうか。北米出身の英会話学校の講師や公立学校のALTが日本で増加したことによって、彼らがこのハロウィーンの普及に貢献したのではないでしょうか。また、現代日本におけるサブカルチャーのコスプレ、オタク文化や企業のコマーシャリズムも後押ししているのではないかと思われます。しかし、コロナ後の2023年の10月最後の日曜日の渋谷スクランブル交差点はどうなるのでしょうか。
Halloween　ハロウィーン 　　～　ソフィア学院便り１０月号より

In Japan, Halloween events have been getting more popular for these several decades. Commercial sign boards printed witches, jack-o’-lanterns, and ghosts can be seen here and there in this season. But do we know since when Halloween has been popular in Japan? According to a newspaper article, Halloween events in 1997 and TV commercials in 2002 done by Tokyo Disneyland may influence these atmospheres of Japan in this season. And we can guess another reason why assistant language teachers at public schools and private language school teachers from North America have been increasing for several decades. They have planned and held many Halloween events.  They may be missionaries of Halloween and they have made Halloween more popular. Also, it has been promoted by company commercialism. Halloween in Japan is a massive cosplay event for young adults rather than a trick-or-treat event for children.Halloween may be well established as a kind of custom like Christmas in Japan.

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たった一度の約束 “ Promise of just one time ”

I apologize in advance for becoming a private publicity of my brother in-law, movie art director, Koichi Takeuchi. He and his superior, movie director, Nobuhiko Obayashi have created many works of art for several decades.  Also he has been just one of the backseat roles for many years. But he had an opportunity of first appearance as an extra in this TV drama “　Promise of just one time”. Please watch the scene of taking wedding photographs, and you will be able to catch him.

  Broadcasting Date: September 28 ( Sunday )
  Broadcasting Channel: BS Japan   
  Broadcasting Time: 21:00 ~ 22:55

 

This is he. Could you catch him on TV?

これは、19世紀から20世紀に移行する近代東アジアを舞台に一人の日本人が起こした奇跡です。日本の商業映画の父、日比谷公園松本楼創業者一族の梅屋庄吉と中国を近代化へと導いた孫文とかわされた一度の約束とその関係を実話に基づき制作された特別ドラマです。今日の日中関係を考えるとタイムリーな感じと、不思議な感じを持つ方もおられるとは思います。日中の歴史に興味がある方は、是非ご覧ください。
なお、このドラマは、1度2月にテレビ東京にて放映されました。

放送日：9月28日（日曜日）
放送チャンネル：BSジャパン
放送時間：２１：００～２２：５５

お盆とは日本人にとって何ですか。“ What is Obon? ”

「お盆　Obon Festival 」　～ソフィア学院便り　８月号より～

Obon is a in Buddhist event occurring from the 13th to 15th of July or August to hold a memorial service to the spirits of ancestors.
Because the spirits of the dead are said to return at this time, fires are lit at the entrances to homes so the spirits do not lose their way, and, in addition to lanterns being lit inside homes, the Buddhist home altars are tidied up and vegetables and fruit are set out as offerings.
And when obon is over, the spirits are sent on their way. This is called the escorting of the spirits and fires to speed their seeing off are lit at entrances of homes and offerings are floated on rivers and the ocean.

During these obon holidays, parents and their children go to their home　towns to meet their grandparents.
And grandparents are looking forward to seeing their children and grandchildren. They enjoy spending time and eating special dinner together. Those who are living away from hometowns come back then, so that there are terrible traffic jams on the toll ways here and there.
One of the Japanese proverbs:  Both obon and oshogatsu ( New Year's day) have just been coming together.  Both of them are very important and pleasurable for Japanese people. And especially obon holidays are really holy for them.

わが師、内海敬三先生！

7月6日（日曜日）の西日本新聞32面「西南学院100年と戦争」の中に高校で担任だった内海敬三先生の記事が載っているではありませんか。昔とお変わりない、お元気な様子の写真で嬉しく、懐かしく。また、内海先生が教壇に立って教えられている光景が浮かんできました。パイプオルガン奏者でもありましたので、両手が左右関係なく利かれていました。両手でチョークを持ち、筆記体で同時に2つの英文を板書されていたと思います。同時に2つの違う英文を書くパフォーマンスをする英語の先生は内海先生以外いないと思います。当時は、それが当たり前の授業だったのですが、自分が教壇に立って、先生の素晴らしさに気付き感嘆しています。当時の先生は、少しニヒルな感じで、厳しくも本当に生徒に優しい先生だったと記憶しています。もう82歳になられたのですね、いつまでもお元気でいてください。

ひな祭り The Doll's Festival In Japan

「博多の伝統や日本の習慣を簡単な英語で表現。」
3月は、やはりひな祭りが最初のトッピクでしょう。
Hinamatsuri is a seasonal festival on March 3, with traditions to pray for the health and happiness of young girls. Households with young daughters celebrate the festival for the girls' future happiness.

And they display a set of dolls dressed in court noble costumes of Heian period on a step-like platform called hinadan. So it is called the Doll's Festival in English.

They also eat various kinds of foods for good luck, such as clam soup, chirashi-zushi( a kind of sushi ), hishimochi ( lozenge-shaped colorful mochi ), colorful snacks called hina-arare, and so on.

And they drink a white sake called shirozake , which has two types, non-alcoholic one and alcoholic one as aside from food. The former one is major.

Since it falls within the peach blossom season, the festival is also called " momono-sekku " or the Peach Festival in English.