Family Gatherings on Traditional Holidays

Posted by Mari Rita Tobaru

Families gather directly front of the tomb for their Shimi “picnic”

Shimi (pronounced locally as “she-me“) is an official family gathering that takes place every year in April. The date of the event is based on the traditional Chinese calendar that is locally known as the “kyureki (old)” calendar. Clan tombs, during this time of the year, are full with people cleaning their tombs and preparing the area for lunch. Like the Obon gatherings, it is a time when families get together to offer food to their ancestors and pray. After the official rites take place, everybody enjoys their time exchanging and updating information about themselves while lunching together. 


This gathering is like a huge family picnic so many families choose a good weekend when the weather is warm and sunny. Since the gathering is relatively huge (one family can have as many as 15 to 20 family members or even more!), each family has its own task to do. Some may offer to participate in the cleaning (usually men) and some may help prepare the “picnic” grounds. Mothers or female elders of most families are mostly in charge of preparing the traditional “picnic” food.

Tradition is gradually changing, and some families also improvise by coordinating barbecues during this event. Whichever way this event is held, it is a special time with their ancestors.

As a foreigner, this event reminds me of the Christmas dinners I had with my families. Although I’m not blood-related at all, I get invited every year to a Shimi gathering. In my calendar, this event is labeled as a must-go event. Each year, the family makes sure that I know the date of the gathering and treats me like a real family member. In my heart, they are my family away from home.

Gaijin: The Okinawa Experience

   Being a gaijin, a foreigner, in Japan can be an adventure.  When I first started living in Japan, I was a bit of a hermit.  Why?  Because I was afraid to be in a situation where I didn’t understand what was being said to me or embarrassing myself because I couldn’t clearly express myself in Japanese. 

    For a typical westerner of non-Asian descent, most Japanese people will at least attempt to speak to you in a slow and easy to understand Japanese, if not English.  For me however, since I am of Japanese descent, people would assume that I was fluent in Japanese; For example, I once was talking to a worker at the airport, and she spoke to me in Japanese at a fairly fast pace.  When I asked her to slow down she gave me a look like “are you slow, or what?”  To say the least, I felt stupid.

    On another occasion, I used an elevator to go to another floor.  Along the way, the elevator would stop, so that people can get off and on.  I was standing in front of the elevator control panel, so it was my responsibility to press the buttons to keep the door open or to close it.  I was a bit nervous as the kanji, Chinese character, for open (開) and close (閉) are very similar, and I didn’t know which was which.  As the elevator stopped and the door opened to let people in, lo and behold, I pressed 閉.  The people entering probably thought I was an ***hole.  I was so embarrassed!  Luckily, the person behind me covered for me and pressed the correct button.

   In another incident, I was at my cousins house preparing to brush my teeth.  So I grab the tube of toothpaste, apply it to my toothbrush, and proceed to brush my teeth.  “Man, this stuff is gross!” I thought. Just my luck, it turns out that what I thought was toothpaste was actually facial detergent!

   I could go on and on about my gaijin experiences.  My advice to those that are planning to visit or stay in Okinawa for a while is to not let your inability to speak or read Japanese keep you from getting out, exploring, and enjoying all that Okinawa has to offer because that’s the only way you’re going to learn, improve, and adapt.  I have lived in Japan since 2003, and I’m still evolving!

New Year’s & Hatsumode

Posted by Maki Nako

       One of the biggest events of the year in Okinawa, like many other places on earth, is New Year’s. The celebrations of New Year’s remind me how different life is here in comparison to life in Canada. There, the countdown to New Year’s is one great glitzy party often lasting until dawn, and of course in Okinawa and in the rest of Japan, the party scene may be no different, but traditionally, New Year’s is welcomed peacefully with family.

              Many families spend their New Year’s Eve at home, snuggled up in their kotatsu heating tables, nibbling on mandarin oranges and watching the national New Year’s tradition, Kohaku Uta-Gassen, the prestigious music program on television. Soba noodles in broth are eaten for dinner or as late-night meals, as the long, thin soba noodles are believed to be auspicious, symbolizing a long and healthy life. 
              Once the 108 peals of the Joyano kane or the traditional bell starts to sound, as the New Year draws closer, the younger members of the family begin to get restless with anticipation for the countdown. In Okinawa, there are several places that display fireworks starting at midnight of the New Year, coloring the night sky with brilliant colors and adding to the excitement. Past midnight, the streets begin to get congested, as people start to make their way to the shrines for their first visits, called the Hatsumode. Some of the most popular Hatsumode destinations in Okinawa are the Gokoku Jinja and Naminoue Shinto shrines in Naha, Futenma Jingu in Ginowan, or Naritasan in Nakagusuku. 

Once there, people cleanse themselves with the sacred water at the entrance of the shrines, then proceed to the main area to pray for happiness and good health in the New Year. Most visitors will purchase omamori, which are talismans, amulets and other protective charms to cast away bad luck and bring good fortune. Omikuji or oracles are also purchased, and you will see many people anxious to read what is written in the small paper, all hoping for the characters 大吉; the greatest of fortunes. Even those who happen to pick an oracle with the dreaded 凶, the extreme opposite, the wise words and lessons written in them aren’t so bad. The oracles contain wisdom meant to guide us in the New Year, and many visitors will tie their oracles on a tree branch or lines set by the shrines for the purpose.

As you make your way through the crowds and pass by the many stalls of food, treats and games, the sights, smells and sounds are very similar to omatsuri festivals, but distinctively different at Hatsumode, is that you can feel in the air, the hopes and wishes of the people for the New Year.