cultural traditions – SoraNews24 —Japan News— https://soranews24.com Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today. Fri, 26 Dec 2025 14:00:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/05/en_rocket_1024.png?w=32 cultural traditions – SoraNews24 —Japan News— https://soranews24.com 32 32 176746664 Japan’s otoshidama tradition of giving kids money at New Year’s gets a social welfare upgrade https://soranews24.com/2025/12/26/japans-otoshidama-tradition-of-giving-kids-money-at-new-years-is-getting-a-welfare-upgrade/ https://soranews24.com/2025/12/26/japans-otoshidama-tradition-of-giving-kids-money-at-new-years-is-getting-a-welfare-upgrade/#comments Fri, 26 Dec 2025 14:00:02 +0000 https://soranews24.com/?p=722978 
A simple envelope leads to funding children’s aid, and providing steady work for people with disabilities.
New Year’s is a major event in Japan, much like Christmas is in the West, full of cultural traditions that span back decades, and even centuries. One of those is the practice of adults handing children small, colorful envelopes filled with money in a custom called otoshidama, meant to share good fortune at the start of the year.
Originally, the concept of otoshidama is said to have come from dividing rice cakes known as kagami-mochi, offered to the New Year deity. among family members. In time, this transformed into adults giving children money in the decorative envelopes that are now called pochi-bukuro.
However this year, this little envelope could do a whole lot more than just make a single child happy, with a new envelope named “Musubi”.
Musubi is a pochi-bukuro that at first glance looks surprisingly minimalist in comparison to other types, sporting a traditional noshi ribbon and the single kanji of 結 (“musubi,” meaning “to connect” or “to tie together”). Underneath that simple exterior, however, are three layers of benefits that take the long-held tradition of giving to others to a broader scale.
First, if you purchase Musubi, it contributes towards creating stable employment for people with disabilities. The design work, illustration, and packaging are all handled by employment support facilities, which provide ongoing jobs rather than one-off charity work. A supply of work to be done is the lifeblood of these programs, so the hope with Musubi is that it will eventually help create employment opportunities at these support facilities across Japan.
Second, the envelopes are made from recycled origami crane paper. If you have ever visited a shrine, you may have seen bundles of origami cranes, senbazuru, that are folded to be a symbol of hope and peace. The paper that Musubi uses comes from the countless origami cranes sent from around the world to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
Third, Musubi directly supports children in need. With each Musubi costing 150 yen (US$0.96), excluding tax, it might seem a little pricey for a single envelope, but 50 yen from every single one is donated to the Nippon Foundation Children’s Support Fund, which helps children facing challenges such as poverty or serious illness.
While the creators have dubbed the idea “Otoshidama 2.0”, the word “otoshidama” isn’t written on the Musubi envelope itself , so it’s just as easy to use it for any other occasion, such as celebrations, greetings, or even just a simple note, and there aren’t many who would say no to more opportunities to support welfare activities. To help people with lots of giving to do, Musubi comes in several sets, from small four-envelope packs to a more sizable 40-envelope nundle.
Even if you don’t find yourself joining in the New Year festivities and passing out otoshidama to eagerly awaiting children, Musubi will make any small gift or note just that little extra bit special, making the world a better place one envelope at a time.
Source: PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: Pakutaso, PR Times
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]]> https://soranews24.com/2025/12/26/japans-otoshidama-tradition-of-giving-kids-money-at-new-years-is-getting-a-welfare-upgrade/feed/ 0 722978 main_5a423e Speed sutras and taxi-riding geisha preserve Kyoto’s traditions through scorching hot weather https://soranews24.com/2025/10/06/speed-sutras-and-taxi-riding-geisha-preserve-kyotos-traditions-through-scorching-hot-weather/ https://soranews24.com/2025/10/06/speed-sutras-and-taxi-riding-geisha-preserve-kyotos-traditions-through-scorching-hot-weather/#comments Sun, 05 Oct 2025 16:00:51 +0000 https://soranews24.com/?p=713920 
Even weeks of record heat won’t keep Kyoto from carrying on its cherished rituals.
The summer of 2025 in Japan was a sweltering one, with many regions being subjected to heat above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) on a regular basis. Kyoto, one of the most culturally significant cities in the country, was among them, recording an entire 61 days of such extreme heat, making it one of the hottest places in Japan for a significant portion of the year.
Yet, even as the sweat poured down, the timeless traditions continued on by adapting in creative ways. At the historic Nishi Honganji temple, monks adjusted to the heat by chanting sutras at a faster pace, allowing early-morning worshippers to leave before the weather got too hot. As some of the halls are officially designated and historically preserved National Treasures, they are unable to be air-conditioned, so these speedy rituals protect the participants’ health while still maintaining the sacred atmosphere.
The city’s geisha also found new ways of keeping to tradition, while preserving a level of comfort. During the August 1 Hassaku event, geisha and maiko (geisha-in-training) visit their teachers and teahouses to give thanks, while wearing a formal black crested kimono. While these visits are customarily made on foot, in order to ensure everyone’s safety this year many training schools employed taxis to ferry the geisha and maiko from one destination to another, allowing them to stay cool and provide a chance for water breaks in between visits.
▼ The Gion District was one of places where taxis were seen transporting numerous geisha.
Kimono rental shops in Kyoto reported more visitors opting for bookings earlier in the morning or later in the evening when the temperatures were cooler. In addition, the famous Noryo Yuka summer terraces along the Kamo River are usually dismantled at the end of September, but this year have extended their season to October 15. Some venues even paused their daytime service, encouraging guests to come and enjoy the cooler evenings instead.
▼ The beautiful Kamo River is a fantastic place to cool off on a summer evening, or even a fall one this year.
In addition to its basin-like surrounding geography, experts say that the heat in Kyoto is intensified by the urban development of nearby Osaka, which blocks sea breezes, as well as the limited green space in the city. However, while the weather may be changing, and temperatures rising annually, the resilience in Kyoto is evident. Be it quickened sutras or taxi-riding geisha, the city is showing that flexibility is key when it comes to preserving traditions.
Source: Yomiuri Shimbun via Yahoo News via Golden Times
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Pakutaso (1, 2)
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]]> https://soranews24.com/2025/10/06/speed-sutras-and-taxi-riding-geisha-preserve-kyotos-traditions-through-scorching-hot-weather/feed/ 0 713920 TSU882_eakonnashi_TP_V4 Find a red envelope on the ground? Here’s why you should never pick it up https://soranews24.com/2020/06/22/find-a-red-envelope-on-the-ground-heres-why-you-should-never-pick-it-up/ https://soranews24.com/2020/06/22/find-a-red-envelope-on-the-ground-heres-why-you-should-never-pick-it-up/#comments Mon, 22 Jun 2020 01:00:53 +0000 http://soranews24.com/?p=506041 
Especially for men, snatching an unassuming red envelope from the ground can lead to a shocking proposition.
Red envelopes in Chinese culture are considered a lucky item. Traditionally stashed with cash and given to children during the Lunar New Year, the red color of the envelope signals good fortune for future generations.
However, despite the positive associations of red envelopes and money-giving, Japanese Twitter users have been abuzz about the implications of a red envelope left on the ground.
Starting from a post by @oogoda1, who is a Mandarin teacher based in Taiwan, the user stressed a warning to their fellow Japanese netizens thinking about taking a jaunt through the tropical island country.
https://twitter.com/oogoda1/status/1270655232104468481
“Warning about Red Envelopes in Taiwan.
Yesterday, I saw a red envelope on the ground. However, be careful about thinking it’s free money and celebrating too early! It’s most likely a ghost marriage proposal. Ghost marriage is tradition where a family tries to find their deceased daughter a groom, and they do so by placing her photo as well as a lock of her hair in a red envelope. If a man picks it up, the family will believe he is the fated groom of their deceased daughter, and force him to marry her. This is the third time I’ve seen this.”
While it’s common sense not to randomly grab things from the ground that don’t belong to you, it’s understandable why @oogoda1 posted a warning about this phenomenon: though red envelopes aren’t used in Japanese culture, they are often commonly associated with prosperity and cash, so anyone with this tidbit of cultural knowledge may feel tempted.
Japanese netizens, expats living in Taiwan, and even Taiwanese people pitched their voices into the discussion:
“If this is really true, please be careful folks.”
“Scary! This is even more terrifying than a ghost story.”
“I’ve been to Taiwan multiple times, and quite frankly I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“I was born in Taiwan, but I’ve never seen this before. While it’s quite common to think that Taiwan is relatively modernized, in reality the superstitions of temples and even churches play an important role within many communities.”
“I’m Taiwanese, and when I was a kid, I remembered seeing these envelopes on the road side quite often since I lived near crematoriums and funeral parlors.”
“If a lot of Taiwanese people know about this, and don’t pick up the envelope, does this mean it’ll lead only to international marriages?”
▼ One Japanese Twitter user claimed that a ghost marriage proposal wouldn’t count if you’re a woman, as well as how to negate an accidental pick-up.
女性が拾った場合はノーカウントで、男性が手に取ったら物陰に隠れて見ていた家族がお近づきになり、式についてのお話しを始める…と聞いたけれど、お金を入れて「良い方と巡りあい下さい」と声に出すとノーカウントだそう。清王朝もあったよね。今も残ってる所は結構ある。 https://t.co/uERsM7ed30
— はるか (@usN9dQ0M3dz65DJ) June 10, 2020
“If a girl picks up the red envelope, it doesn’t count. If a guy picks it up, then a family member nearby watching the act will come out of hiding and confront the guy is what I heard. However, if you put some money in the envelope, and say ‘I hope you find a good match,’ then it won’t count anymore. I believe this tradition has been ongoing since the Qing Dynasty, and there’s a good amount of places that still practice it.”
▼ A Taiwanese Twitter user went the distance to explain another cultural tradition in Taiwan where a red envelope on the floor is involved.
可能不是冥婚的！應該神壇騙術“花錢消災術”、裡面放至少一百元起的現金、頭髮及指甲、丟在路邊讓人去撿、誰撿拾到就會等同拿錢幫他消災！其實這根本不可能、撿到的人別怕、什麼事都沒有、拿著裡面的錢去買彩券、買任何東西、其餘的拿去廟的金爐燒掉。冥婚的紅包外面會裹著東西、不會一眼就看到。
— 江 少 (@v_hawk2000) June 10, 2020
“If you see a red envelope on the ground, it might not be related to ghost marriage! In Taiwanese culture, we have a traditional practice called hua qian xiao zai shu [lit. Spend Money, Avoid Calamity Method].
Basically, if you experience a small misfortune, you spend money to lower the chance of a larger misfortune by putting in some cash and a piece of yourself (hair or nail acceptable) in a red envelope.
You then wrap it up in something [e.g. a piece of clothing, in another envelope] and leave it on the ground. If a stranger grabs it, they’re actually doing a favor by taking away the misfortune — the cash inside the envelope can be used however they like, but the hair/nail inside should be burned at a local temple!”
Regardless of the interpretations one may have about a red envelope on the floor, one important question to ask is: why is ghost marriage practiced, and what does it actually entail?
Traditionally in Chinese culture, families have altars dedicated to their deceased ancestors, usually taking time to pray and offer tributes in the form of favorite food items as well as incense. Women, however, are added to the ancestral altar of their husband’s family. If a woman doesn’t marry, she will not have a spot in an ancestral altar, and there is a risk that once she passes away, she will become a “hungry ghost,” assumed to wander starving and alone, eventually spiting humans out of vehemence.
▼ Feed your local ghosts, lest they show up through town in a spooky posse.
Through ghost marriage, the unmarried, deceased party is granted a place to rest and will be remembered onto posterity. Depending on the family, the living groom may be expected to commit through all rituals and practices of a traditional Taiwanese marriage. The living spouse will still be able to take on another spouse in the mortal world, so the arrangement isn’t necessarily going to restrict or hamper your dating chances if for some reason you become the spouse of a ghost.
It should be noted that the aforementioned practices differ between families, and sometimes ghost marriages are done between a deceased party and their still-living significant other. Not to mention ghost marriage isn’t just a purely Chinese tradition — it has been practiced in multiple parts of the world, from South Korea to France, and even in Japan. Japan’s ghost marriage traditions are primarily regulated to Okinawa and mountain villages in Yamagata. Historically, Okinawan ghost marriages were similar to Chinese ancestor worship customs — unsurprising considering the influence of Chinese culture on the former Ryukyu kingdom.
However, in Yamagata, the tradition of ghost marriage is related to a practice called mukasari ema, mukasari a derivation of the term mukaerare which means to welcome a marriage, whereas ema an is a votive tablet commonly purchased at a Shinto shrine.
▼ With the typical ema, the buyer can write, or even draw, their wishes on it for an extra divine boost.
Mukasari ema is essentially a framed drawing of the unmarried deceased in a wedding ceremony, paired with a fictional spouse. When the deceased child is of age, their family commissions a local temple for this type of ema for two main reasons: to grant their offspring the rite of marriage, and to ensure they are happy even in the afterlife.
Even if you don’t believe in the afterlife or subscribe to superstition, the focus on securing a child’s overall well-being is universal no matter the country or customs. At the end of the day, parents simply want their children to be happy. They try their best in the cultural contexts available to them — for the sake of stability, longevity, and posterity — with traditional practices no doubt being one of the most common avenues today.
Source: Twitter/@oogoda1 via Jin
Top image: Twitter/@oogoda1
Insert images: Pakutaso (1, 2)
Related: Goda’s blog, Taitai Lesson
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