Tsukimi Food image via Wikipedia.org
Tsukimi (月見), or O-tsukimi, which is translated as ‘moon-viewing’, is the Japanese custom of honouring the autumn moon. This celebration usually takes place on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the traditional Japanese lunar calendar. This is known as jugoya (full moon night) or chushu no meigetsu (beautiful mid-autumn moon). The moon isn’t always full on this night, but the autumn air is very clear and the sun, moon and earth are in optimal positions to make the moon appear at its brightest. Thus, autumn is considered the best season to observe the moon. In the modern-day calendar, the date usually falls in September. This year’s tsukimidate falls on September 12.
History
Moon festivals have a long history in Japan, originating as a celebration of a bountiful harvest by farmers. In the Heian period, the custom of viewing the moon, an element of autumn festivals in China, was introduced to Japan. It wasn’t long before Japanese aristocrats were lounging about on boats viewing the moon, in order to catch the moon’s reflection in the water, and composing impromptu poetry.
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Steven Horowitz is a notable JET alumni who is the creator of JETwit (a resource and news site for both current and past JETs) as well as the founder of the Writers Interpreters Translators Group. In addition to the JETwit site, Steven has initiated a number of creative approaches to strengthening and connecting the JET alumni community worldwide, including the first-ever JET Alumni Author Showcase in March 2009, the JETwit Jobs Google Group and the JET ROI series intended to demonstrate the “return on investment” that JET alumni have provided to Japan in response to potential budget cuts to JET and JETAA.
Jonathan Fish Fisher
Jonathan Fisher states clearly, right off the bat, that everyone calls him Fish. Until recently, he was the ALT Prefectural Advisor for Hiroshima Prefecture, working as an ALT at Kure Miyahara High School in Kure City and putting in a day and a half every week at the Hiroshima Prefectural Board of Education in Hiroshima City. Now, however, after three years in the JET Programme, he has returned to North America to pursue a graduate degree in Education Studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
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This month, JET Effect is talking to Jeff Oloizia, a Tokushima 3rd year ALT who helps run one of the most well established JET events of the year. Jeff is in charge of the annual Eishinsha Cup AJET Games Touch Rugby Tournament which held its 7th annual tournament this year.
The tournament takes place each year at the Shikoku Saburo no Sato in Mima City, Tokushima-ken. ‘It is a wonderful venue’ Jeff comments, ‘located by the Yoshino River, it has picturesque mountains overlooking the fields and enough cabins and tent spaces to accomodate over 200 participants.’
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