As I mentioned in previously, Japanese summer is very hot and humid. The humidity reaches up to 70~80 %. It is obviously not a comfortable time, but there are many things that I miss about the Japanese summer. When I was little, I used to go to the shrine grounds to do "radio exercises" every early morning (It started 6:30 a.m.). Radio exercises (rajio-taisou), is a form of exercise most Japanese are familiar with. The instructions are synchronized to light piano music. There is an attendance card for rajio-taisou and you get a stamp on it when you come. I didn’t want to miss rajio-taisou because I liked seeing my card filling up with stamps. The music of rajio-taisou makes me nostalgic. It is funny; after all these years my body still remembers the exercises whenever I hear the music.
Japanese Translation
Japanese Translation
Comments
konichiwa Namiko,
It’s nice reading your blog posts, just got back from a three week vacation in Japan.Spent most of the time in Tokyo and nearby prefectures,pity couldn’t go to other cities especially Kyoto.about Radio exercises, is it similar to what storm trooper, character in Haruki Murakami’s novel Norwegian Wood, carries out every morning.Just wondering
Konnichiwa ,
I’m a 20 year old student and now trying to learn Japanese as you said because of dramas movies and animes. Your short story is interesting I think Japanese people have a lot of activities very different from Europeans and that determines me to learn Japanese language.
I just wanted to thank very much for your well structured lessons that help me more than you can imagine. Every day I begin a new thing :verbs,adjectives or kanji and sometimes it’s very hard on me but when I recognize some symbols in my favorite Jshows I’m very excited
Arigatou gozaimasu !!!!
konichiwa Namiko
well,,, the summer here is killing toooo ^-`
here it is almost in range of 40-45` dgree
Konnichiwa!
It certainly is really hot this time of year in Japan, and I notice it varies quite a bit depending on where you are.
I’m currently living in the mountains of Toyama-ken, and it hasn’t been unbearable. Last week, however, I traveled to Osaka to watch the spectacular PL fireworks show, and it was so much more hot and humid, especially in our Yukata!
My wife found that exercise music on YouTube and before I could turn around she was doing the exercises in the living room. She has the same memories as you and it brings a smile to her face to hear that piano music!
Konnichiwa!
I only ever played the Gamecube game Animal Crossing, and in that real-time game, during late July/August you could get up every morning early and do radio exercises. I had no idea it was a real Japanese event though. That’s so cool! Arigatou for the information!
This site is so cool. I have been learning hiragana and katakana on my own for about one year. This site helps me read both at the same time. The kanji is hard though . When I retire in 54 months, I hope my learning curve is not still vertical (smile). I am amazed by Namikos’ mastery of both English and Japanese. I wonder what school she went to?
Anyone have a clue where I can get a step-by-step guide on how to do Rajio Taiso? I would prefer something online and in english. I’ve found several videos but they don’t show every little detail of the complex movements.