result of "Mikan-gari"

I have regretted that I should take a photo that people was harvesting "Mikan".

"Mozu no Hayanie"

I found "Mozu no Hayanie" on a branch of Japanese apricot in my yard. It is, I think, a kind of stinkbugs "Kamemushi"（カメムシ）.

"Syugaku-ryokou"

Last week, my son went on a study trip "syugaku-ryoku"（修学旅行） to Osaka（大阪）, Kyoto（京都）, Nara（奈良）.

About thirty years ago, I went on a study trip when I was a third-year student. But my son is now a second-year. And we went to Kyoto, Nara, but didn't go to Osaka.

"Syugaku-ryokou" is a great fun for almost junior high school and high school students in Japan.

I found a small booklet "siori"（しおり） that was used for my study trip. Above is my son's , and below is mine in this photo.

I feel how a peaceful country Japan is because almost same events have continued for thirty years.

"～-gari"?!

I have a plan to go "Mikan-gari"（みかん狩り） on November 25. So, I have collected several Japanese words added with "-gari（狩り）" that means harvesting or hunting.

"Fruits（フルーツ）-gari"
People pay an admission fee before entering a fruits plantation. Once they enter there, they can eat fruits as much as they could. In other words, they can eat them without limit（食べ放題）. And, when they leave there, they can bring some amount of fruits that they take. (Generally the cost is included in an admission fee, but occasionally people are required to pay another cost.)

There are several patterns of Fruits-gari. It includes Mikan（みかん）-gari, Ringo（りんご）-gari, Nashi（なし）-gari, Budou（ぶどう）-gari and Kaki（柿）-gari.

"Momiji（もみじ）-gari"
In Autumn, the leaves of some trees in mountain area turn beautifully red, orange and yellow. To go to enjoy beautiful Autumn's leaves is called "Momiji-gari". But people do not harvest or hunt anything there, I don't know why the word has "-gari".

"Shiohi（潮干）-gari"
In Spring, mainly May, family enjoy going seashell gathering. It is called "Shiohi-gari".

"Oyaji（おやじ）-gari"
This word is recently invented. It means that young people attack a drunken man to steal his money or only to abuse him. Japan is becoming less safety country now, I think. I have to be careful for myself because I am "Oyaji"!!. (I'm only half-kidding.)

P.S. There is another word that has "gari". But, it is written as "刈り" in kanji. (Occasionally it sounds "kari", not "gari".) It means cutting or "cut and harvest".　Don't confuse it with "gari"（狩り）. Example;スポーツ刈り、坊主刈り(a kind of hairstyle),稲刈り(ine-kari)、芝刈り(siba-kari)

today's result (fishing)

I went fishing again. The result was only four. But I am satisfied with it because it included a "Kochi"（鯒）.I got it for the first time from my birth.

The biggest one in this photo is the "Kochi". Others are "Haze"（ハゼ）. "Kochi" is popular and expensive for its good taste.

"Mozu"

In this season, I can often find wild birds in my area. One of representative wild birds is "Mozu". In Kanji character, it is written "百舌". "百" means one hundred, and "舌" means tongue. Why?

Mozu has a habit copying several other bird's voices, so it is called "百舌".

And it has another odd habit. It is called "Mozu no Hayanie".

It hunts several small animals like frog, lizard, grasshopper, and it leaves them on a branch of a tree. Some people say that it saves them to eat later. But, it often forgets them. No one has known real reason.

There is a Autumen's song that almost Japanese have known. "Mozu" appears in this song. You can listen to it, here.

like a "Isoginchaku"

A Wii remocon's cover was sent to my son from Nintendo because he is a platinum member of it.

When I saw it first, it seemed just a like "Isoginchaku"!!

P.S. There is a custom to eat an "Isoginchaku" in the southern part of Fukuoka prefecture. But I have never eaten it yet, and do not want to eat it because of its strange form.