Japanese with anime voice: episode86
Hello, I’m Sachi.
It’s July 1, 2024, and before you know it, six months will be over. I can’t believe it. Seriously, time flies by so fast. And it’s been almost a year since I started YouTube. It really goes by so fast. No wonder the neighborhood kids are growing up. The kids who were still in elementary school when I first moved into this house are now not only in high school, but also in college and working. Time moves too fast for me to keep up.
There are many anniversaries on July 1, and one that I found particularly interesting is Imuraya’s Adzuki Bar Day. Imuraya is a company that manufactures and sells food products. One of Imuraya’s products is an ice cream bar called Azuki Bar, which is well known in Japan. It has been on the market since 1973, and since then it has been continuously improved with a focus on quality and has become a long-selling product representing Imuraya. It has a deep-rooted popularity among some fans. Moreover, last May 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of its launch. In 50 long years, there are many products that newly appear and disappear. However, it is quite amazing to see that even though times have changed, the product has remained a long-seller.
July 1 was established by Imuraya as Azuki Bar Day to commemorate the gradual increase in heat in July and in honor of 民間伝承 (Minkandenshou), which says that it is good to eat azuki on 朔日 (Sakujitsu) every month.
朔日 (Sakujitsu) means the first day of the month. 民間伝承 (Minkandenshou) is a legend, custom, or practice passed down from generation to generation among the people.
This custom of eating azuki on 朔日 (Sakujitsu) is actually a custom of eating azuki not on one day, but twice a month, on the 1st and 15th of each month. The 1st is the new moon when the moon begins to expand, and the 15th is the full moon when the moon rounds up, so people cooked お赤飯 (Osekihan) to celebrate the waxing and waning of the moon. お赤飯 (Osekihan) is written 赤い飯 (Akaimeshi) and reads Sekihan. It is rice cooked with glutinous rice and azuki beans. In Japan, it is customary to eat sekihan on auspicious occasions and celebrations. It is said that azuki beans have long been used to ward off evil spirits, and also to expel fatigue and toxins from the body and to keep the stomach healthy. This is why it has been used as an event food during celebrations.
So, I have been eating anko (bean paste) and zenzai without thinking about it, but they are meant to ward off evil spirits, right? I really don’t know anything about the meaning of these foods. I really don’t know anything about the meaning of these things, and I hope they will be passed on to future generations. Many people nowadays are doing Japanese events just because they are traditional events and don’t know the meaning. Most people eat azuki without knowing that it is good for their health or that it is meant to ward off bad luck. This is the reason why they cannot answer questions about their own culture when they are asked by people from overseas. I think this is a really bad thing. Ignorance about one’s own country is nothing but a shame, isn’t it?
If listeners have learned anything from my podcasts, I am ashamed to admit that I am actually learning about Japanese culture at the same time.
Therefore, since azuki is considered one of the foods that are good for one’s health, Imuraya’s Azuki Bar Day is said to be a way to encourage people to eat azuki bars and stay healthy even in the summer.
I like azuki beans, but I don’t really want to eat azuki bars. I wonder why. If I’m going to eat ice cream, I want to eat other ice cream. It’s not that I don’t like it or anything. When someone offers me an azuki bar, I eat it. I mean, azuki bars are really hard. My brother said that his tooth came off when he ate an azuki bar. It seems that Imuraya is now reviewing the hardness to make it easier to eat. Even so, I think they are still too. But still, people like azuki bars, don’t they? I think men in particular like them. My dad, for example, loves to eat azuki bars. If left alone, he would seriously eat a whole box. I don’t know if he likes azuki bars or just wants to eat ice cream.
