Takashi's Japanese Dictionary (Takashionary)

Takashi's Japanese Dictionary (Takashionary) Explains Japanese Slang Words and Idioms!

  • Home
  • Post Category ▾
    • There’s a word for it
    • Idioms/Words by theme
    • Slang
    • Idiom
    • Column
    • Grammar
    • 日本語記事 (in Japanese)
  • Selected Posts
  • About
  • Contact
Home » Column » Superstition about 初夢 (Hatsuyume, “New Year’s First Dream”) in Japan

Superstition about 初夢 (Hatsuyume, “New Year’s First Dream”) in Japan

January 1, 2021

皆さん、あけましておめでとうございます! (Everyone, Happy New Year)! I hope you are having a wonderful New Year’s Day. Before you call it a night and fall asleep, I’d like to briefly teach you a funny Japanese tradition about 初夢 (hatsuyume, “New Year’s First Dream”).

Meaning and Interpretation of 初夢 (Hatsuyume)

In Japan, it is widely believed that “hatsuyume” – the first dream you have at the night of 1st January – foretells your luck thought the new year. According to the tradition, there are three things that bring you good luck if you have a dream of them on the day. Can you guess what they are? Four-leaf clovers? Number 7? Gold coins? No, not such banal things. The answer is, of course, “Mt. Fuji”, “a hawk”, and “an eggplant”. Why? Actually, there are several theories about this tradition, one of which says that they represent three favourite things of 徳川家康 (Tokugawa Ieyasu), the first shōgun of the Edo Period (1603-1867). When we remember this superstition, we usually memorise the line “一富士 (いちふじ)、二鷹 (にたか)、三茄子 (さんなすび)”, meaning “First Mt. Fuji, Second hawk, and Third eggplant”.

So, when you go to bed tonight, don’t forget to think about Mt. Fuji, hawks, and/or eggplants. If you have a dream of watching a hawk holding an eggplant in its mouth and flying over Mt. Fuji, surely the world is your oyster in the new year!

See also

あけおめ (Akeome): Casual Japanese New Year’s Greeting

Filed Under: Column

Related Posts

  • Lost in Translation of 遠慮 (enryo) & 空気を読む (kuuki wo yomu)

  • 正義マン (seigiman): Japanese Slang Meaning “Justice Man”

  • 自粛警察 (jishukukeisatsu): Japan’s “Self-Restraint Police” Explained

  • “Omission of Words” and “Unfinished Sentences” in Japanese

  • Heisei Saw “Titanic” Economic Bubble Followed by ‘The Lost Two Decades’

If you like this page, follow me on social media!

Pink flamingo.    Pink flamingo.

Ads

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Follow Me!

Pink flamingo.    Pink flamingo.    Pink flamingo.

Featured POSTS

  • 40++ Ways to Say “Many” in Japanese to Sound Like a Native Speaker
  • What イチロー (Ichiro Suzuki) Means To Us Japanese People
  • Why “The moon is beautiful” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • 猫も杓子も: Japanese Idiom ‘Cats and Rice Spatulas’
  • 高校デビュー (koukou debyu): Japanese Slang ‘High School Debut'

Categories

Ads

Copyright © 2021 · All Rights Reserved