日本の事情
FURISODE（振袖）: The furisode is a type of kimono with long sleeves. It is very colorful, and many patterns are used according to the season or occasion. It is worn for weddings, coming-of-age ceremony, graduations, and other occasions. It is worn onlyunmarried women.
FURO（風呂）: Because of the humid climate of Japan, most Japanese take a bath in the evening or at night every day. Washing is done outside the tub, and the bath is used only for soaking.
SHOGATSU(正月）: It is to Japanese what Christmas is to Westerners. The New Year(usuallythe first three days of the year) is one of the few times that a long holiday is given. Many people take advantage of this and meet relatives and friends, visit shrines, or go sightseeing. Many special kinds of food are eaten during this festival. For example, mochi(rice-cake) is eaten after being baked and seasoned with soysauce, or cooked with vegetables in a soup called Zoni. Parents and relatives give children special pocket money called Otoshidama.
SUKIYAKI(すき焼き）: It is a dish cooked at the table, usually on a gas stove. Slices of beef, tofu, and vegetables are cooked in a shallow pan in a soup seasoned with soysauce and sugar.
HANKO（判子）: Instead of the signature, a Japanese commonly uses seal engraved with one's name. It has legal validity when used for a contract or an official document. They have at least one hanko, and some have two or three. The seal is usually made of hardwood, or ivory, and vermilion ink is used.
JOYA-NO-KANE（除夜の鐘）: It is the ringing of temple bells at the end of the year about midnight on New Year's Eve. The 108 tolls of the bells ring out the old year and tell the coming of the new year. The 108 peals of the temple bells represent the same number of human beings' desires or worries. When the last peal sounds, all unnecessary desires and worries are driven away so that people may begin the new year afresh.
SUMO（相撲）: It is the Japanese style of wrestling. It is the national sport of Japan, and is popular as baseball, soccer. Contestants wearing loincloths wrestle in a circular ring. When one is forced out of the ring or falls on any part of his body,he loses. It has no weight classes. Small wrestlers must develop skill to substitute for weight.
SUSHI（寿司）: There are several kinds of sushi. Nigirigushi is a rice ball with a slice of fish on it. Norimaki is a sheet of dried seaweed(nori) around rice with some kind of filling. Rice is seasoned with vinegar.
TEMPURA（天ぷら）: Various of food such as shrimp, fish, eggplant, lotus roots, or sweet potatoes may be used in tempura. The food is coated with a light batter and fried in a deep pan of hot oil.
YUKATA（浴衣）: It began as after-bath wear, but today it is worn as informal summer evening clothes. It is made of cotton cloth with usually indigo blue and white patterns.
