committed to superstition
TOP-4 PLACES WHERE IT IS TO GO FOR WINTER (part 2)
As the festival developed, in addition to creating snow sculptures, other types of entertainment were added: concerts, food stalls, art exhibitions and ice-skating, cheesecake and snowmobile platforms.
If you go to Sapporo for a few days, be sure to take a stroll through the Odori park, which is the main venue of the snow festival, climb to the observation deck on Hitsujigaoka Hill, which offers a magnificent view of the city. There is a statue of William S. Clark, the first vice director of the Sapporo Agricultural School (now Hokkaido University).
We also recommend visiting the Sapporo Clock Tower, built in 1878, and the Nijo Fish Market, which occupies an entire quarter of the city. There you can taste the sea of delicacies. Continue reading
Japanese New Year (part 3)
And NOW THE MOST PLEASANT – GIFTS
Interesting articles The first thing that comes to the Japanese mind: clay, paper, drawn, metal, plastic – any images and figures of the corresponding animal from the twelve-year zodiac cycle. In the case of 2006, an image of a dog guarding a house and driving thieves away.
Oddly enough, money comes second in the ritual scale of New Year’s values. Previously, they gave exclusively five-yen coins, since their name – goen – is harmonious with the word denoting strong family ties. But today you can’t buy anything for five yen, and therefore, as a rule, bills in a beautiful white envelope are attached to them. Continue reading
