Kane - bell

It is believed, in Japan, that bells and wind chimes attract good luck and bring prosperity.

A New Year's tradition in Japan is to stay up late and listen to the ringing of the Tsuri Gane (Temple Bells). In Buddhist temples the bonsho (large Buddhist temple bells that have no interior clapper) are struck with a long log or pole suspended by ropes at a special spot called the tsukiza which traditionally has a lotus petal design. The Joya-no-Kane consists of 108 tolls of the temple bells. In Buddhism, it is believed that man has 108 sins that, by hearing the bells toll 108 times, those sins can be relieved.

While some Shinto shrines have large temple bells called waniguchi which are flat and without a clapper, they are rung using a mallet. They also have suzu (round bells with a pellet inside or a clapper). Large versions of these bells are often found over an offering box with a rope attached so that worshipers can shake them to attract the attention of the kami. Smaller versions are used by miko during dances attached in a small cluster to a handle and shaken. Suzu are believed to have spiritual power; so they are also used as onamori (protection amulets).

Another type of bell used in Buddhism is a Kinsu (a bowl shaped bell on a small cushion also called a kin). These are used in Buddhist services a monk strikes it when he is about to chant Buddhist Sutras. The monk then sits on a cushion and chants, rhythmically hitting a wooden fish (mokugyo). Alternatively they are known as singing bowls where the sides and rim of bell vibrate to produce sound. They are commonly used before offering prayers (like Soun Tendo did in the Ranma manga) and during meditation.

Another type of bell in Japanese culture is the hansho, which is a fire alarm bell. These bells would be hung in a fire watchtowers (hinomi). If the fire was far away the beats on the bell would be single, closer double, and when a fire is nearby the bell would be loudly beaten at a fast pace. Some towns would also use them to mark the time.

A Japanese bell of note is the Japanese Peace Bell which was given to the United Nations on June 8, 1954.

Another type of bell, furin (wind chimes), were discussed in an earlier post.

Sarashi

In the Ranma ½ manga, several of the girls (Akane, Ukyo, Ranma-onna) wear sarashi, bleaching cloth, wrapped tightly around their midriffs and chests when trying to hide the fact that they are female. A sarashi is a long, strip of cloth, most commonly made of thick cotton. It used to be worn by samurai under their kimono, to make it harder to be wounded in sword fights (amongst other reasons, after all it is a long cloth strip that can be used for many purposes, such as make shift bandages). It is considered a symbol of toughness and until fairly recently masculinity in Japan. Yakuza and yankii (youth gangs) wore sarashi until fairly recently because of the symbolism. Which is a bit strange when you consider they were and are also used by pregnant women to support the stomach.

I do not recall reading many fanfics in which characters wear sarashi or breast wraps, even in period pieces such as the feudal period, when bra's were yet to be invented. While the occasional Ranma fan fic will have Ukyo wearing one it is rare for any other character to do so. Ukyo is shown to wear one in her intro while she is dressing like a guy, so it might get remembered more often but I still don't get why other characters don't. Most specifically Ranma since they can, and are, worn by both males and females.

While looking up information on sarashi I happened upon a poem/song. It can be found at The International Shakuhachi Society website.

Senko-Hanabi - Sparkler

There are quite a few different types of sparklers. The type most commonly seen in the United States is made with wire coated with something that slowly burns down. There is a type I used to play with when I was smaller, I don't know what their real name is but they were called Chinese sparklers. They had a wooden stick and were made mostly from paper and card board and would sparkle in multi-colors. I have looked for this type recently but have not found any place that has them.

In Japan, the most common firework is a sparkler called Senko-hanabi (incense fire flower). It is not made of either wood or wire, instead it is made from either a twisted paper or string and paper. It just dangles from your hand, you have to be careful to hold it in the correct place to avoid being burned. The above poor quality picture has Akane from the Ranma manga playing with one of these.

Tsuyu - Rainy Season

Early summer is the rainy season in most parts of Japan. Tsuyu (or Baiyu) is what the Japanese call the rainy season, it means plum rain (plums ripen at around the same time). The rainy season is caused by the collision of cold northerly and warm southerly air masses, resulting in a relatively stable bad weather front over Japan. The rainy season last from the beginning of June to mid-July, depending on region. Earlier for Okinawa and Hokkaido is barely effected by it at all. In Tokyo it usually from around June 8 to July 20. It does not usually rain every day during the rainy season and the amount of rainfall varies. A movie that I recommend everyone see called Ima, ai ni yukimasu has the rainy season as a major part of the plot.

Teru teru bozu (Teru is a Japanese verb which describes sunshine, and bōzu is a Buddhist monk) are often seen during the rainy season. Teru teru bozu are small doll like charms made with a ball or wad of stuffing and a piece of white cloth or paper tied just below. They are hung as a charm to invite good weather. If the weather is good they maybe given faces. To make it rain occasionally you will see them with either black heads or hung upside down. In the movie mentioned above, the little boy hangs them upside down to bring rain. In Azumanga Doiah, a couple of the characters hang Chiyo-chan (one of the main cast members) upside down outside the window as a Teru teru bozu.

There is also a Warabe uta (song like nursery rhyme) associated with teru teru bozu:

Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu
Do make tomorrow a sunny day
Like the sky in a dream sometime
If it's sunny I'll give you a golden bell

Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu
Do make tomorrow a sunny day
If you make my wish come true
We'll drink lots of sweet rice wine

Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu
Do make tomorrow a sunny day
But if it's cloudy and you are crying (i.e. it's raining)
Then I shall snip your head off

Some people also flip a shoe into the sky, if it lands on its face it would be sunny tomorrow. Osaka does this in Azumanga Daioh, it happens to land on a moving vehicle so she does not find out via shoe toss method if it will be sunny the next day.

Nengajou - New Year Cards

The exchanging of nengajou (New Years cards) started in 1873 when postcards were first introduced to Japan. It caught on big. The average family sends over a hundred nengajou to their relatives, friends and colleagues. Virtually all businesses mail new years cards to their customers. To get an idea as to how many cards are sent, nengajou accounts for almost 20% of all annual postal revenues. Approximately 35 billion cards are sent every year.

Postal workers in Japan do not get New Years day off, since it is the busiest delivery day of the year, they do get December 31 and January 2nd off though. Post offices in Japan will hold nengajou so as to deliver them on January first. To ensure that post cards are delivered on January first the post office in Japan has taken steps like placing special temporary mailboxes adjacent to permanent ones at post offices for nengajou. Every card put into the temporary boxes between December 15 and 25 gets a special postmark and is delivered promptly on New Years Day.

Cards can be made or purchased at many places but government postcards are available only at post offices for 50 yen each. These government postcards are blank on one side, where you would write your greeting, and have a lottery number and a new year postage stamp printed on the address side. The New Years lottery cards were first sold in 1949. Demand for lottery cards exceeds supply, they usually sell out in the second week of December (they print around 4 billion of these lottery New Year cards every year). The lottery is drawn on TV, and the winning numbers are published in newspapers on January 15. If you win you can get your prize at the post office. Prizes vary, but some typical prizes are commemorative postage stamps, televisions, and of course cash.

Popular pictures on cards are illustrations of the animal for the coming year under the Chinese zodiac. After that are New Years motifs such as kadomatsu (decorations made of pine branches), kites, plum flowers, and the sun rising against Mount Fuji.

A bit of etiquette: If you get a card from someone you did not send a card to, it is customary to send a card on January 6, formally asking them to take care in the cold weather. If there has been a death in the family, it is customary to send a mochu (bereavement card) to inform people they shouldn't send you nengajo.

It is customary to write Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu (Happy New Year) on the cards and what you've been up to lately. For variation you can also write kinga shinnen the more formal version of Happy New Year or shinshun no oyorokobi o moshiagemasu meaning: I would like to wish you a pleasant spring.

-The picture above is taken from Azumanga Daioh volume 2 and displays a nengajou (though it is a custom made one not a purchased one with the lottery on it). Teachers giving New Years cards and receiving them from students is common.

Sento - Public bath houses

Japan has public bath houses which people go to take a bath. The rise of the sento, or bath house, really starts in the town of Edo (currently called Tokyo) during the Edo period. Private heated baths were outlawed because of the fear of fires, so if people wanted a hot bath they either needed to go to a hot spring or a bath house. Until the 1950's, these bath houses were mixed sex. A law was placed requiring bath houses to be sexually segregated, mostly because of pressure from westerners. Since then they are divided by a wall, or if a really old one, a curtain.

Sento's served as more than a place to get clean. They were a gathering place for conversations, gossip, and general interactions. Cleanliness was also a very important part of their religion so it was also seen as a religious activity.

When you go to a public bath bring your own soap, shampoo, hand towel, and wash bowl. Must wash thoroughly before getting into the tub of hot water, soap is not permitted in the tub. This is especially important so I'll mention it twice wash thoroughly before entering tub.

With the increased western influence, rising prices, and more households having private bathes, these public bath houses have been in decline. To counteract this decline, operators of bath houses have been adding additional amenities, such as coin-operated laundry machines, saunas, coffee shops, game rooms, reading rooms, etc.

Random trivia:
Temperature of the water is usually between 105 and 108 degrees Fahrenheit.
They can often be recognized by large smoke stacks since a lot of them are wood heated.
I could write more but the wikipedia page for it is quite good, so have a look at it: Wikipedia page for Sento

Sento are seen in many manga and anime because they allow for fanservice. Ranma has several storylines set in public bath houses.

Shishi odoshi - deer scare

Shishi-odoshi is a deer scare (literal translation is deer scarer). It was originally developed by farmers to scare off deer and boar to keep them from eating their crops. There are several types of things used to scare away away animals. Many can be scene in anime/manga though some are more often heard.

Deer chasers were later used in japanese gardens as their movement provided an element of change. As the water flows from the bamboo fountain, the knocking portion fills and spills the water creating a rhythmic knocking sound as it hits a rock.

There are kakashi (scarecrow - new robotic type look like giant eyeballs), naruko (clappers - wooden clappers that were banged together by pulling a string or by the wind) and sōzu (the water fountain pictured above).

Sōzu are often found in Japanese gardens. The sound they make is soothing to some people and reminds people of the passage of time. They usually are made of bamboo. Contains one or more upright bamboo poles with a hollow pivoting arm attached into which water pours from a tube or pipe above it. When the arm gets full, the weight of the water causes it to tip over and empty, making a sharp sound when it hits a hard surface below it. This noise is intended to startle any deer which may be grazing on the plants in the garden. The empty arm is then free to swing back up into position and refill.

This site tells how to make one: http://www.canadianhomeworkshop.com/weekend/shishi_odoshi.shtml

I think these are kind of neat and could use a deer scare of some type. Deer have come to the garden in the backyard and eaten the tops of plants like the peppers. It's kind of annoying. Placing unappealing plants like marigolds and vinca do not stop them from coming and eating the plants.

The Tendo's in the Ranma anime have a deer scare in their garden. They are also seen in the manga (above picture was taken from the Ranma manga) but I do not remember seeing one in the Tendo's yard in the manga.

Kamidana

A kamidana is a small Shinto shrine in peoples houses. It literally means kami shelf. Made of plain cypress wood with talismans from local shrines. They are placed high on a wall and resemble a miniature shrine. Offerings to the kami are placed in front of it. Common offerings are rice, salt, and water special occasions sake or food are sometimes placed there. Usually the kamidana enshrines the local kami and perhaps a kami connected to the family in some way. Before worshiping at the Kamidana, it is ritually important to cleanse your hands.

Traditional Japanese Dojos in Japan have kamidana. They are usually located on the North wall if can't be put there then should be on the West wall (so Kamidana's doors open to the South or East). It is very bad luck to put it on the south wall. When entering a dojo it is customary to bow toward the kamidana.

In the Ranma manga and anime the kamidana can be seen in the dojo frequently. It can be seen in the picture above. The kamidana falling down is considered an ill omen. This can be seen in the Ranma manga as well, when Happosai manages to get free from his entrapment in the cave the kamidana falls down.

Chochin - Japanese lantern

Chochin are portable lanterns made of a bamboo frame covered with paper or silk. A candle is placed inside as the light source. They can be folded flat when not in use. They were widely used during the Edo period for night time travel. In present times they are rarely used for that purpose. They are often used at festivals or outside bars to attract customers.

There are many different designs for these and different designs serve different purposes here are a few (there are many more):
-Akachochin are red lanterns usually found outside of establishments that serve liqueur.
-Gifu chochin were first produced in present-day Gifu Prefecture in the mid-18th century. The term Gifu paper lanterns encompasses o-uchi andon (lamp stands), rotating andon, andon that can adopt various shapes, and decorative lanterns. This type is often seen at the O-bon festival and Noryosai (a Japanese dance festival), both held in summer. These were designated a traditional craft in 1995.
-Odawara Chochin - Japanese paper is applied to a spiral-shaped coil of finely split bamboo, and rings are fitted to the top and bottom of the Chochin so it can be collapsed and folded flat. It was believed to protect people against evil spirits. Some of the materials for this Chochin are sometimes obtained from a holy mountain (Saijoji Temple, Mt. Daiyu).

In the picture at the top of this post Ranma and company have chochin that in the original say official business while searching for the gang that was cutting pigtails. Chochin can be seen fairly often in the Ranma manga and they use them as flashlights though using them in this manner is now uncommon. edit: added picture from volume 30.

Japanese hand fans

In the Heian period (794-1185), fans with intricate designs were used as ceremonial items at the Imperial court and as accessories by the aristocracy. Over time they became common props for the performing arts; like Japanese classical dancing, Noh plays and farce, and for the tea ceremony. By the Edo period, Uchiwa were widely used among ordinary people. Since people did not have electricity to cool themselves down, fans were a necessity. Particularly in the summer to cool off, keep mosquitoes away, and for stoking up cooking fires.

Uchiwa are the non-folding round flat fans made of bamboo ribs covers in paper or cloth. These originated from China. Traditionally they are made by cutting a bamboo tube into narrow splinters, which are then splayed out in the radial shape of a fan. Over both sides of this bamboo frame is pasted "washi" paper. It is thought that these fan designs were originally based on the shape of leaves or bird's wings.

Sensu are folding fans made of paper pasted on a thin split bamboo frame. When folded is shaped like a stick when unfolded has a semi-circular shape. The paper usually has a picture or calligraphy. These are Japanese made not, originating from China. The earliest versions, called hinoki fans, were made of thin slats of Japanese cypress hinoki wood that were stacked and bound. As time passed, paper fans made by pasting paper to a skeleton of split bamboo were made, then many types of folding fans have been created using various materials, shapes, and decorations. By the 13th century folding fans were being exported to China. Later the fans migrated to Europe, fancy courtiers of the Bourbon dynasty of France highly prized them.

Ogi, which is just a term for fan, most commonly refer to larger ones which are used for dance or decoration, ones that are more so objects of art rather than for practical use.

Fans, most commonly made from iron were used in warcraft as well.
-Dansen uchiwa were large iron fans, sometimes with a wooden core, which were carried by high-ranking officers. They were used to ward off arrows, as a sunshade, and to signal to troops.
-Gunsen were folding fans used by the average warriors to cool themselves off. They were made of bronze, brass or a similar metal for the inner spokes, and often used iron for the outer spokes, making them lightweight but strong. Warriors would hang their fans from a variety of places, most typically from the belt or the breastplate, though the latter often impeded the use of a sword or a bow.
-Saihai were tasseled fans which would be used by a commander to signal troop movements.
-Tessen were folding fans with outer spokes made of iron which were designed to look like normal, harmless folding fans or solid clubs shaped to look like a closed fan. Samurai could take these to places where swords or other overt weapons were not allowed, and some swordsmanship schools included training in the use of the tessen as a weapon. The tessen was also used for fending off arrows and darts, as a throwing weapon, and as an aid in swimming.

In manga and anime, it is not uncommon for a character to hit another character with or use as a weapon a harisen (paper fan). Ranma for example used a paper fan to redirect a punch from Happosai and then toss him high into the air.

Dogu - Clay Figurine

Dogū (土偶) are clay artifacts dating back to the Jōmon Period of ancient Japan. The Jōmon period was from 14,000 BC to 400 BC. The clay figurines of this type though date from around 1000 BC to 300 BC. Most of the humanoid figurines have the breasts, small waists, and wide hips of females and are considered by many to be representative of goddesses. The hollow body is covered with elaborate, raised cord-impressed patterns and is what this period in history is known for, the term Jōmon means "cord-patterned" in Japanese. The average size of the figurines range from ten to twenty-five centimeters. There are quite a few theories on the purpose of these clay figurines.

Some theories are:
-talisman for good health or safe childbirth.
-similar purpose as hitogata (paper or straw effigies rubbed on the body to remove impurities then thrown into the sea or a nearby river to carry away sickness and bad luck) nowadays, some people think that after it was no longer needed for it's purpose they were broken and tossed in the trash since many were excavated in fragments.
-goddesses to whom Jomon people prayed to for food and health.
-toys for children
-funerary offerings
-objects used in some unknown ritual
-statues of aliens from outer space.

Mon

In the past warriors used designs on their banners and camp equipment to identify who they were, these are called mon. It eventually spread to clothing. They often can be found on formal Kimono at the front just below the shoulder, between the shoulder blades, and on the sleeves. Crests can also be found on lanterns in front of houses and stores to make them identifiable in the dark. Mon continue to play an important role in Japanese society today. Patterns based on centuries-old family crests (called kamon) are often used as company symbols, trademarks, or as central themes for posters.

See this wikipedia article for more details and some history on mon: Wikipedia: Mon(crest). The wikipedia article also links to more articles on mon.

The above picture is taken from the Ranma manga, it is of Happosai memory of when he was 18. In the picture on Happosai (the guy in the picture), a mon can be seen.

Noren

Noren are traditional Japanese fabric dividers, hung between rooms, on walls, in doorways, or in windows. They are also used at shops to indicate that the business is open and as room dividers. They usually have one or more vertical slits cut from the bottom to nearly the top of the fabric, allowing for easier passage or viewing. Noren are rectangular and come in many different materials, sizes, colors, and patterns. Noren most commonly come down to neck or chest height but some go down all the way to the ground.

Hachimaki - Headband

Hachimaki are Japanese headbands made of cloth (usually cotton), usually red or white, and often with a slogan like try hard or a picture of the rising sun. They are worn as a symbol of great exertion. These can be seen often since they are used for a wide variety of reasons mothers giving birth wear them, students studying for difficult exams, carpenters building temples, etc. Japanese competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi wore one while at a hotdog eating contest.

Hachimaki are thought to help the wearer gather their spirits and show determination/resolve. It is thought by some that the slight pressure around the forehead helps improve speed of thought and concentration. Several theories as to their origins. One theory is that they were used to ward off evil another theory is that they were just worn to keep sweat out of the eyes of Samurai.

Akane can be seen putting one on a few times in the Ranma manga in preparation for a challenge for example before her first date with Ryoga which she had originally thought as a challenge from Ukyo. The picture is taken from volume 14 of Dr Slump (very good manga by the creator of Dragonball but better in my opinion).

Sneaking Mask

The sneaking masks worn by some characters in manga (Happosai often in Ranma, Tenchi's dad in Tenchi Muyo) are Tenugui - hand towels. That the face is still recognizable doesn't matter, they are more symbolic than actual disguises similar to Robin's mask in the teen titans/batman. The theory I heard about how these came about is: During the Heian period a common practice was for guys to sneak into unmarried women's rooms at night and be gone before dawn. The men would wear these sneak masks so that when the girl was asked if she knew the man she could honestly say he was wearing a mask. Supposedly, in the Heian period, if the guy came back three nights in a row she would became betrothed to him and leave her fathers house as a bride.

There is a second theory about how this practice came about as well. A legendary thief around the years 1823-1832 called Nezumi Kozo (Mouse Guy) wore one. He was a Robin Hood type. He would steal from big houses owned by very rich guys doing illegal things and then after making his getaway he would go onto the roof of a house and throw the money to the poor town people who were suffering from such heavy taxes they couldn't afford food to feed their babies. Well the guy did exist and was captured in 1832 many of the stories behind him are probably made up/over blown. He is currently buried in Sumida-ward. Because he was such a lucky guy (took years for the cops to catch him) people would take scrapings from his grave stone for luck. The stone was originally square and is now almost a circle. They put up a fake grave stone for people to take scrapings from.

Tenugui - a rectangular hand dyed cotton cloth about 33X90cm, most commonly used as a towel or head covering. Because Japan is a humid country the tenugui ends are unfinished to dry quicker and will fray after a few washes. If it frays do not pull the strings cut them. This was the most common household item in Japan until a few decades ago when the terry cloth towels (called Seiyo Tengui - western hand wipe) became popular. It has many other uses as well it was/is used as a wiping tool such as a towel or a handkerchief, it was also used as a bandage or a headwear in the old days. Kabuki actors used to print their names onto them and give them out at debut shows. Although everyday use of tenugui dropped significantly, Tenugui remains necessary part of matsuri (festival) costume.

This website shows how it is folded into a hat for Kendo: http://www.yamatanidojo.com/folding_the_tenugui.htm.
This website sells them, explains some of their uses, and tells the history of them: http://www.wuhaonyc.com/blog/

Matoi - Fire Banner

A matoi is a banner used in Edo period Japan by firemen to notify people of a fire nearby or within a building. They were placed on the nearby roof of the burning building by the machibikeshi (fire brigade). Each local brigade of firemen in the Edo period had their own matoi to identify themselves. They were also used to identify the place where the brigade would meet. In modern Japan, the matoi is used mainly for ceremonial purposes. The matoi are seen as symbols of courage, hope, and leadership for firefighters.

In Japan, the houses were often made of wood and paper, with thatched roofs so fires were a common occurrence and a real worry (Tokyo/Edo and other Japanese cities have burnt down repeatedly in the past, the Japanese just rebuild). The only way to stop the spread of fires was often to tear down nearby houses to keep them from catching fire and burning as well. The tool used to tear down these buildings was often large wooden mallets such as the one Kodachi uses or the one Kasumi gives to Akane in the Ranma ½ manga.

Kodachi's school in the Ranma ½ manga (pictured above) has a Matoi symbolizing that it was a place where a fire brigade would meet.

Furin - Japanese Wind Chime

Furin are small bells made traditionally from glass but nowadays are made from all sorts of materials including metal, pottery, or bamboo. To help catch the wind and enhance its chime, a feather or more commonly a sturdy sheet of paper that hangs downwards is attached to the bell. The piece of paper commonly has a poem or a brief message written by the person who gave it to you. They are generally hung indoors near a window, or outside from the eaves.

In the late Edo period (1603-1867) glass furin could be heard at every corner of the town of Edo. The peddlers would carry the bells on a pole and use the sound of the bells to draw customers instead of shouting their wares.

Picture is taken from Volume 1 of the Ranma manga but can be seen through out the manga and in many other manga.

Hashi - Chopsticks

Chopstick etiquette
* Hold your chopsticks towards their end, and not in the middle or the front third.
* When you are not using your chopsticks and when you are finished eating place them onto the chopstick rest. Or if there is no chopstick rest place them down in front of you with the tip to left.
* Do not stick your chopsticks so that they are standing straight up. The reason for this is in Japan chopsticks are stuck into rice on altars for the deceased.
* Do not pass food with your chopsticks directly to somebody else's chopsticks. The reason for this is because at funerals the bones of the cremated deceased are passed from person to person in this way.
* Do not spear food with your chopsticks.
* Do not point with your chopsticks to something or somebody.
* Do not move your chopsticks around in the air too much, nor play with them (no drum solos).
* Do not move around plates or bowls with chopsticks.
* To separate a piece of food into two pieces, exert controlled pressure on the chopsticks while moving them apart from each other.
* Use the serving chopsticks/utensils to move food from a shared plate to your own plate. If there are no serving utensils use the opposite end of your chopsticks (the part you didn't stick in your mouth). The reason for this is fairly obvious to stop the spread of germs.
*Do not start eating until everyone has been served.
*Women should cup their other hand beneath their serving when using chopsticks when conveying food from dish/bowl to mouth.

Chopstick etiquette is pretty simple even though people do ignore/forget them occasionally (you know people will play with them, point with them, or take from the shared plates with the part that went into their mouths). It's not that different from and is simpler than the proper etiquette of using knives, forks, spoon, etc., seen in Western Cultures.

The Japanese do eat with knives and forks when eating Western foods like steak simply because those foods are Western and they would be very hard to eat with chopsticks. The Japanese also use spoons for foods that are difficult to eat with chopsticks like curry rice. While eating soups they drink directly from the bowl and use chopsticks to pick out the larger pieces or noodles.

While chopsticks can and have been made from many materials the most common by far is Bamboo because it is cheap, available, heat resistant, and has little noticeable taste or odor. The Japanese rarely use metal chopsticks for eating for two reasons; metal conducts heat and metal chopsticks are used after cremations to break apart the remains of the skull.

At home you will generally have your own chopsticks most likely made from lacquered wood that no one else uses. Quite a few people bring chopsticks every where they go and carry them in a special box called a hashibako.

Disposable chopsticks are called waribashi and are made from a single piece of wood joined at one end so that they can be broken apart. They are usually wrapped in paper with with the restaurants name and phone number on them. Though cheap restaurants or schools will have them bare. Some people break the disposable ones after using them because of a superstition that spirits can attach themselves to the discarded ones and make you ill.

Japanese chopsticks are slightly different from Chinese ones. Chinese chopsticks are usually 9 to 10 inches long and rectangular with a blunt end. Japanese chopsticks are rounded and come to a point. Japanese chopsticks are also shorter 7 inches long for females and 8 inches long for males.

Origin of Chopsticks: Chopsticks have been in use in general for at least 5000 years. The Chinese have been using them as main tableware for more than 3,000 years. By A.D. 500, chopstick use had spread from China to present day Vietnam, Korea, and Japan.

In the far past it is believed that people cooked their food in large pots which held heat for a long time and some impatient people would use twigs from trees to retrieve the food. By 400 B.C., because of a large population and dwindling resources, food was chopped into small pieces so it could be cooked rapidly to conserve fuel. The pieces of food were small enough that they negated the need for knives at the dinner table, and thus, chopsticks became staple utensils. It is also thought that Confucius, a vegetarian, advised people not to use knives at the table because knives would remind them of the slaughterhouse.

In Japan, chopsticks were originally used exclusively for religious ceremonies. The earliest Japanese chopsticks used for eating looked like tweezers and were made from one piece of bamboo that was joined at the top. By the 10th Century, chopsticks were constructed into two separate pieces as you see them now.

Picture 1 taken from Ranma manga of Ranma eating with chopsticks. Picture 2 also taken from the Ranma manga shows waribashi (disposable chopsticks) at Ukyo's restaurant.

mimikaki - ear scoop

A bamboo scoop used to remove excess wax from inside the ear. Ear cleaning is a symbol of intimacy and happiness and is usually done between couples or parents cleaning their children's ears.

There are places in Japan that Mimikaki services can be purchased at. Where the customer lays their head on the thighs of a young woman as she picks the wax out of your ears.

Cologne can be seen cleaning Shampoo's ears in an episode of Ranma 1/2. The picture is from volume 2 of the manga confidential confessions.

Buruma

Japanese girls gym shorts are called Buruma. They are worn by girls at school and they allow a great deal of freedom of movement because they don't cover the legs at all. They look a lot like panties. The word comes from bloomers which were worn by American and European women in the 19th century in a few athletic activities — such as bicycle-riding and gymnastics. The bloomers of the 19th century were more baggy and knee length. Considering what they are guy's really like them, girls generally don't.

In the Ranma manga, Happosai often steals Buruma from the girl's locker room. Most of the girls in the manga are seen wearing them at one point. In the above picture Kodachi and Shampoo are seen wearing Buruma.