The topic of Matsumi Ladies Clinic Mita English blog in October is about autumn.

In the second part, I create an article about Japanese autumn festivals.

 

Japan has a festival called “Otsukimi”(Moon viewing festival), which falls in the mid-autumn.

The celebration originated in China that came to Japan in the Heian period.

Japanese people gathered at night and enjoyed the full moon during the era, reciting poetry and playing music.

They also offered Japanese pampas grasses, fifteen rice dumplings, and seasonal harvests to the moon.

Nowadays, modern people partially follow the tradition.

 

You may be interested in why “fifteen rice dumplings” are offered.

The full moon is called “Jugoya”.

“Jugo” means 15 in Japanese.

The festival is a bit of fantasy.

As the famous folklore tells, some people believe that the rabbits are pounding rice cakes with a mortar and pestle in the full moon.

So, children are keen to look up at the sky and count how many rabbits are there.

There are many rabbit-shaped decorations or snacks are sold in the streets.

 

Another autumn festival is Halloween.

Recently, Halloween has become a trendy event among young people in Japan.

 

However, it is not as big as the western countries.

It has developed from the original style after coming from abroad.

Nobody knocks on strangers’ doors asking for candy, for example.

And there are no pumpkins with the shape of a face outside people’s homes.

Many young people wander around the streets of major neighborhoods such as Tokyo’s Shibuya district with various kinds of costumes during Halloween.

 

The topic of a next blog is about changes of medical conditions during autumn.