The Inch Boy by Junko Morimoto is a great book for elementary school kids learning about Japan.  I read this to my daughter’s 3rd grade class and they loved it!  The pictures are good for reading to a class – nice and large so the kids can see them even if they’re sitting in the back of the group. 

The story is similar to the Tale of Tom Thumb.  It’s about Issun-boshi – a boy who only grows to be 1 inch tall.  He wants to be a samurai.   His mother gives him a sewing needle for a sword, a bowl for a boat and chopsticks as oars so he can go to Kyoto to prove himself as a brave warrior.  The boys in my daughter’s class loved that there was a samurai in the story.

Tom Thumb

Eventually, Issun-boshi has to fight a demon to prove himself.  It’s a great big red demon that’s called Oni in Japan. 

Statue of an Oni Demon

This is a good lead-in to talking about the Japanese festival called Setsuban.  In the festival, people throw soybeans at Oni demons to get rid of evil spirits.  The kids loved to see that connection!

You can read the tale of The Inch Boy online (here’s a 2nd version).

You can also watch an illustrated version of the tale told on YouTube.

Enjoy!

Mama Lisa

Note: Issun-boshi comes from Otogi Zoshi, a collection of about 350 tales written in the Muromachi period (1392-1573).

Thanks to Stephanie Batzer for reminding me of this great day!

Now, go eat some pie!

Mama Lisa

Ai vist lo lop, lo rainard, la lèbre

Ai vist lo lop, lo rainard, la lèbre
Ai vist lo lop, lo rainard dançar
Totei tres fasián lo torn de l’aubre
Ai vist lo lop, lo rainard, la lèbre
Totei tres fasián lo torn de l’aubre
Fasián lo torn dau boisson folhat.

Aquí trimam tota l’annada
Per se ganhar quauquei sòus
Rèn que dins una mesada
Ai vist lo lop, lo rainal, la lèbre
Nos i fotèm tot pel cuol
Ai vist lo lèbre, lo rainal, lo lop.

English Translation:

I saw the wolf, the fox, the hare,
I saw the wolf, the fox dance.
All three were circling round the tree
I saw the wolf, the fox, the hare,
All three were circling round the tree,
They were circling round the sprouting bush.

Here we slave away all the year round
So we can earn a few coins
And just in a month’s time
I saw the wolf, the fox, the hare,
There is nothing left
I saw the hare, the fox, the wolf.

Check out the song page for Ai vist lo lop, lo rainard, la lèbre for the score, midi, mp3 and French and Spanish translations.

Check out this metal version of the song!

Many thanks to Monique Palomares from the French and Spanish versions of Mama Lisa’s World for the translation!

Enjoy, but remember the tax collector is still around, nowadays in a different guise!

Mama Lisa

Dedy said: "They do a dance of traditional java that’s called Jaranan or Jatilan (Horse dance)."

I asked if it was performed for any specific event and Dedy wrote: "Yes it is, usually in a traditional ceremony or to celebrate a birthday and big events such us weddings, independents day of my country (soon)."

He wrote: "I don’t know exactly the name of the crowns, but in my language we call them bando and they’re made of Jasmine.

Indonesia has a lot of traditional dances from our archipelago. We have more than a hundred dances. There are no specific songs its just dance, and there are many songs that go with these dances."

I found the YouTube video below that said: The Traditional Dance call is"Jaranan Kediri":

Here’s a second video that shows people dancing to a song that Dedy said is "the dance song of jaranan. It is the famous jaranan dance in some cities in Java Island."…

Thanks for sharing this with us Dedy!

This song was written and conducted by: Alex Myril with additional underscoring by: Eli Renner. It’s a project of http://www.beyondbordersflorida.org/.

If anyone can provide the other lyrics in the song (I can hear one or two other lines), please let us know in the comments below.

Thanks!

Mama Lisa

1) Hina Matsuri – Doll Festival – March 3rd – people pray for their daughters’ future happiness, health and growth.

The hina (dolls) used for this festival are called hina ningyo. These are a set of dolls that are handed down from generation to generation which are specially taken out for this festival. The dolls are displayed on a special stand that has tiers which are covered in red cloth.

It’s also called Peach Blossom Festival, because it’s around the time the peach blossoms bloom. Peach blossoms are a symbol for a happy marriage.

Girls dress up specially on this day in their best kimonos. Some girls will dress up like the dolls and have little parties.

Here’s an old traditional song that’s sung for the Festival with the transliterated Japanese, and with a loose English translation.

Hina Matsuri Song

Transliterated Japanese

Akari o tsukema sho bon bori ni
O hana o agemasyo momo no hana
Gonin – bayashi no fue daiko
Kyoo wa tanoshii Hina Matsuri

Loose English Translation

Let’s light the lanterns on the tiered stand
Let’s put peach blossoms on the tiered stand
Five court musicians are playing flutes and drums
Today is a happy Dolls’ Festival.

MP3 of the Hina Matsuri Song

The girl below is singing the song in her special kimono in front of her dolls…

Right after the festival, the dolls are supposed to be put away. If not, it’s thought that the daughter will be slow to marry.

You can learn more about Hina Matsuri on previous blog posts.

2) Tango no Sekku – Boys’ Festival - officially called Children’s Day or Kodomo no hi - May 5th

It’s been celebrated for over 1000 years. Originally it was celebrated in the houses of warriors. It celebrated boys’ courage and determination. Many of the symbols of this day are about having the character of a warrior. Eventually this day became important to all households in Japan with boys. 

Print by famous artist Hiroshige (1797 – 1858)

Large carp windsocks, called koinobori, are displayed outside houses of families with boys. There’s one windsock for each boy in the house. The largest windsock is for the oldest son of the house.  The carp is a symbol of Tango no Sekku, because carp are considered strong and determined.

Here’s a traditional song for Tango no Sekku called Koinoburi or Carp Windsocks.

Koinobori
(Japanese Transliteration)

Yane yori takai koinobori.
Okii magoi wa otoosan.
Chisai higoi wa kodomotachi.
Omoshiro soni oyideru.

Carp Windsocks
(English)

Carp windsocks are above the roof.
The biggest carp is the father,
The smaller carp are children,
They’re enjoying swimming in the sky.

MP3 of Koinobori

You can read more about Tango no Sekku on previous blog posts.

3) Tanabata – The Star Festival – July 7th

Tanabata celebrates the meeting of a husband and wife. They are Orihime (the star Vega) and Hikoboshi (the star Altair). to meet they must cross the river Amanogawa (the Milky Way). They can only meet once a year on this night. it’s the one time they can cross the river. The story is that a flock of magpies help Orihime cross the river on this day only. If it’s a cloudy night, that means the river was too high and Orihame and Hikoboshi couldn’t meet. So in Japan everyone wishes for a clear night full of stars on July 7th.

Ayako Egawa in Japan wrote to me about one fun tradition on this day: “Children write their wishes on strips of fancy paper and put them on displays made of the branches of bamboo trees.”

Here’s a song for Tanabata…

Sasa no ha sara-sara

In Japanese Romaji:

Sasa no ha sara-sara
Nokiba ni yureru
Ohoshi-sama kira-kira
Kingin sunago

English Translation:

Bamboo leaves are rustling, rustling,
Swaying close to the roof’s edge,
Oh, how the stars are twinkling, twinkling,
Gold and silver grains of sand.

Midi Tune of Sasa no ha sara-sara

You can read more about Tanabata on previous blog posts..

Check out our Japanese Song Pages for many other Japanese kids songs and Holiday Songs.  You can find out more info about other Japanese festivals in the blog side column under Holidays Around the World (once you click it on, you’ll see the different holidays listed in the left-hand column).

Hope this helps!

Mama Lisa

Note: If you’re doing a presentation in a school, you should check if YouTube videos are blocked – if they are, make sure you can play mp3’s and midi tunes.

Here’s the famous saying that’s told on this day…

MP3 Recording of Groundhog Saying

If the groundhog sees his shadow
We will have six more weeks of Winter.
If he doesn’t see his shadow,
We will have an early Spring.

The groundhog did see his shadow, so we’re in for the long haul. (We were anyway, so don’t feel too badly about it.) You can watch Punxsutawney Phil make his Groundhog Day Prediction for 2010 below…

While you’re waiting for the winter to pass, why not watch the movie Groundhog Day (one more time if you’re like me). It’s great fun!

Many thanks to Jason Pomerantz for reciting the Groundhog saying for us!

Stay warm.

Mama Lisa

You can read more about Groundhog Day below…

Thanks to Monique for pointing this out!

When I was little we always played “double double”…

Double double, this, this,
Double double, that, that,
Double this, double that,
Double double, this, that.

Whenever you said “double”, you tapped the side of your fists with the other persons, when you said “this” you clapped your hands with theirs, and when you said “that” you’d clap the back of your hands with theirs and you go faster every time.

Here’s a video showing the game from the US…

I found a YouTube video of this rhyme showing a variation from Australia…

Double double, this, this,
Double double, that, that,
Double this, double that,
Double double, this, that.

Double double, out out,
Double double, cream cream,
Double out, double cream,
Double double, ice cream.

Thanks for sharing Erin!

Mama Lisa

Think of what can we do if we join together to make this world a better place.