皆様 お元気ですか？ Hope you liked today's lesson. I really enjoyed this one, as I found out some really interesting things in researching it. Please let us know about any superstitions unique to your country!

こんにちは、キャサリンさん！(Konnichiwa, Katherine-san! "Hello, Katherine!")

That's an excellent question! In Japan, just like in America, not everyone believes in superstitions. While some Japanese people might avoid certain numbers or actions due to traditional beliefs, others might not pay them any mind. It really depends on the individual.

Keep up the good work! Your interest in understanding the cultural aspects of Japan is very impressive.

ありがとうございます！

Ryoma

Team JapanesePod101.com

Konnichiwa, katherine desu

Does everyone in Japan believe these superstitions?

Because, a lot of Americans don't take our bad luck symbols, like 13 or black cats seriously.

Hi Santi,

Thank you for studying with us.😄

Not ALL the hospitals are like that so it depends on the hospital. Also often the hospitals don’t have so many floors that up to 9th, but if they do, some might not have those numbers.

Feel free to let us know if you have any further questions.

Cheers,

Yoshimi

Team JapanesePod101.com

Hi!

Since 4 & 9 are considered bad luck and hospitals doesn't have rooms from 40 through 49 does that mean that they don't 90 through 99 also? Or only applies for 4?

Hi Tony,

Thank you for posting.

Indeed. 😳

We hope you liked the lesson.

Let us know if you have any question.

Cheers,

Lena

Team JapanesePod101.com

Interesting that 4 + 9 =13

Hello Alan,

Thank you for leaving the comment.

In case of any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

Cristiane (クリスチアネ)

Team JapanesePod101.com

One possibility for the superstition about cutting finger and toe nails at night may be due to the constant threat of tetanus. Once cut and an infection set in there was almost no curing this as vaccines were not available.

Just one possibility

Hi Kornelia,

Thank you for the comment!

Oh, that's an interesting story. Thank you for sharing it👍

Keep studying with JapanesePod101.com

Cheers,

Miki(美希)

Team JapanesePod101.com

Actually Maneki neko is Japanese, but it has been made popular with Chinese merchants! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maneki-neko

Hi Daniel,

Thank you for your comment!

I think 招き猫 is originally from China and the Japanese borrowed 招き猫 from the Chinese. You can find many Chinese cultures in Japan. For example, the city plan of Kyoto imitated Choan(長安), one of Chinese cities when Heiankyo (平安京/Old Kyoto city) was built in 794.

Different currencies on the wall is very unique. Maybe the restaurant owner feel happy when foreign visitors come and want to display their currencies?😄

Keep studying with JapanesePod101.com

Cheers,

Miki(美希)

Team JapanesePod101.com

Here in America, we have 招き猫 (welcoming cat) in almost every Chinese take-out/dine-in restaurant. Was this borrowed from the Japanese, or did the Japanese borrow this symbol of good fortune from the Chinese?

Also, when I was visiting Osaka in 2016, I ate at a restaurant that had a place on the restaurant wall where they displayed bills in several different currencies. I know there is no tipping in Japan, but I gave them an American $20 bill to put on the board. The restaurant was highly rated on TripAdvisor, which is why I went out at night looking for it, so I guess they get a lot of foreign visitors.

Hi José Carlos,

Thank you for posting!

In case of any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

Cristiane (クリスチアネ)

Team Japanesepod101.com

In my opinion, it is unlucky to be superstitious. ?

Hi Savannah,

Thank you for the comment and sorry I didn't reply sooner.

Your story is very interesting.

I like watching movies from Western countries and sometimes couldn't get what they are talking about because of the culture difference:sweat_smile:

Keep studying with JapanesePod101.com

Cheers,

Miki(美希)

Team JapanesePod101.com

Today I learned that Peter doesn't know how to pronounce "hearse". :P

The apartment building my grandma lives in doesn't have a 13th floor. My grandma lives on the 14th floor… Which is technically the 13th floor, since it's the one right above 12! I think it's silly. Just because you slap a different number on it doesn't change the fact that it's the 13th floor!

In Western culture, some people like to "knock on wood" if someone brings up something bad happening, especially if you are expressing relief that it didn't or hasn't happened. Expressing relief for something bad not happening is considered jinxing yourself and guaranteeing it will happen, so you knock on wood to undo the jinx. A good example is in the movie Home Alone 2, when Mr. and Mrs. McCallister are talking to an officer about losing Kevin again, and then they say, "Oddly enough, we've never lost our luggage!" Right after saying that, they both knock on the wooden desk so that they won't actually lose their luggage. We like to do this in my family as well (even I do it, and I'm not superstitious).

My aunt is pretty superstitious about some things; once, when we crossed a black cat, she wanted me to knock on wood, and she got mad when I wouldn't. I'm not superstitious, and I won't support bad luck superstitions towards animals.

@Robert I think that's just for dramatic effect. They do similar things in Western media too.

George san,

Konnichiwa.

You know many!:open_mouth:

I didn’t know many of them.

Yuki 由紀

Team JapanesePod101.com

I don't like it when I see a rekyuusha either.

But I don't do anything with my thumb, though.

I probably should have.

Both of my parents might still be alive.

I never cut my nails at night either.

But I didn't know that was the reason.

I thought that meant the snakes would come or something.

I forget but I still don't do it.

Watashi no Okasan was Nihonjin so I grew up with a lot of Nihon no superstition.

1. Once you sit down to eat somewhere, don't change your seat or it means you will be married twice.

2. Don't take the trash out of your front door (unless you only have one door) or you won't have any money.

3. If you drop a fork at the dinner table (chopsticks?) that means someone is coming over.

4. If your nose itches, someone is coming.

5. If your ear itches, someone is talking about you.

6. If someone is laying on the floor and you walk over their legs, cross back over them and then walk around.

7. If you don't like something, (like on paper) tear it up, spit on it and throw it away.

8. If you have a bad dream, tell someone. If you have a good dream, don't tell anyone.

a. Dreaming of blood means you will get money.

b. Dreaming of snow falling is the best kind of dream you can have.

c. If it's raining in your dream, you are going to get sick in real life.

d. If you dream you lose a tooth, someone is going to die.

9. How things go on New Year's Day will determine what the rest of the year will be like.

10. If you give something away, that's ok. But if you lose something then that's bad luck.

11. You can't go to a cemetery after 3pm.

12. Don't name your kid after a close relative or in-law that had a bad misfortune, accident, etc.

I've forgotten so many of them.

Once I had the flu and my Japanese grandmother put a sheet over while I knelt on the ground. She wielded a very big knife over me from behind. After she did that for a few minutes saying stuff, she took the sheet off of me and burned it on the ground. It might have gotten rid of the evil spirits but I still had the flu a few more days.

Very nice. Break it down.

Very nice. Break it down.

Very nice. Break it down.