By: Apple Tan
It all started when the Japanese pop culture swamped into South East Asia back in 1999. At that time, I wasn’t too much into the Japanese pop culture until I was introduced to watch the Japanese series entitled “With Love”, starred by Japanese actor Takenouchi Yutaka (竹野内丰).
What I find most Japanese dramas interesting is unlike the usual HK dramas which have a span of at least 20 episodes, the Japanese dramas are relatively shorter, which are usually around 13-15 episodes only. The storyline in Japanese dramas is usually heart-wrenching, simple and yet unique. Other notable dramas include “Long Vacation”, “Love Generation”, “Love 2000″, and the list goes on…
In With Love, it revolves around 2 Internet lovers who got to know each other coincidently through email. The guy is popularly known as “Hata” and the girl is nicknamed as “Teru Teru Bozu”.
The symbolic icon from the drama is the Teruterubozu doll, translated as “Shiny Shiny Buddhist Priest”. It is a little traditional hand-made doll made of white paper or cloth that Japanese farmers began hanging outside of their windows using a string back in the ancient time. This amulet is supposed to have magical powers to bring good weather and to stop or prevent a rainy day.
This culture is then made popular since Edo period. Now the urban children will make Teruterubozu dolls with tissue paper or cotton and hang them from the window using a string in wishing for a Sunny day. On the other hand, hanging upside down with its head pointing downward acts like a prayer for rain. These dolls are still a common sight in Japan.
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[...] Teruterubozu doll, translated as “Shiny Shiny Buddhist Priest”. It is a little traditional hand-made doll made of white paper or cloth that Japanese farmers began hanging outside of their windows using a string back in the ancient time. This amulet is supposed to have magical powers to bring …read more [...]