The above picture is from the calendar I have hanging in my kitchen. Is it just me or does this guy totally look like he predates Beavis or Butthead? (I can never remember which one is which) I wonder if their creator, Mike Judge, ever spent any time in Japan.
Japanese calendars divide their days up according to good or bad fortune. They're called the 六曜 （rokuyou) and are all based on the 陰陽道 (onyoudou) - the Chinese philosophy of yin and yang. On a traditional Japanese calendar you can always check whether the day in question holds good or bad luck for you. There are six denominations.
Some days are ranked 仏滅 (butsu metsu). These are the days the foretell the worst luck. Then you have 赤口 (shakkou). These are also really unlucky, except at midday. Apparently, for some reason, at midday on these days you're good to go. Other days are marked 先勝 (senshou). On these days the morning is lucky but the afternoon is unlucky. Basically, it's the day where you best get around to doing things quickly. 先負 (senbu) is the exact opposite. On this day you should put things off as long as possible, as the morning is the unlucky period, while the afternoon is lucky. 大安 (taian) is the luckiest day of the Japanese calendar. Good luck trying to reserve a wedding banquet hall or moving company on one of these days. The last day of the six is my favourite. It's called 友引 (tomobiki). It means literally 'pull your friends in'. It's the most confusing of all the days. In principle, the morning and evening are lucky, while the afternoon is unlucky. However, as the name suggests, whatever you do you draw your friends in. So most people feel it's best to avoid doing anything unlucky on this type of day. For example, if you have a funeral ceremony on this day, it's believed another friend will have to suffer the same fate. In fact, I think most funeral homes take tomobiki off.
I am a superstitious person. I should have arranged to hand over the keys to my apartment on taian. But I just couldn't resist the urge to move on tomobiki. As I was saying to my great friend a few days ago, it just sounds too Irish. Like Tom O'Biki. In any case, I'm looking on it as a good day to move because I hope the friendships I have made here in Japan will be drawn with me and follow me wherever I may go.
Japanese calendars divide their days up according to good or bad fortune. They're called the 六曜 （rokuyou) and are all based on the 陰陽道 (onyoudou) - the Chinese philosophy of yin and yang. On a traditional Japanese calendar you can always check whether the day in question holds good or bad luck for you. There are six denominations.
Some days are ranked 仏滅 (butsu metsu). These are the days the foretell the worst luck. Then you have 赤口 (shakkou). These are also really unlucky, except at midday. Apparently, for some reason, at midday on these days you're good to go. Other days are marked 先勝 (senshou). On these days the morning is lucky but the afternoon is unlucky. Basically, it's the day where you best get around to doing things quickly. 先負 (senbu) is the exact opposite. On this day you should put things off as long as possible, as the morning is the unlucky period, while the afternoon is lucky. 大安 (taian) is the luckiest day of the Japanese calendar. Good luck trying to reserve a wedding banquet hall or moving company on one of these days. The last day of the six is my favourite. It's called 友引 (tomobiki). It means literally 'pull your friends in'. It's the most confusing of all the days. In principle, the morning and evening are lucky, while the afternoon is unlucky. However, as the name suggests, whatever you do you draw your friends in. So most people feel it's best to avoid doing anything unlucky on this type of day. For example, if you have a funeral ceremony on this day, it's believed another friend will have to suffer the same fate. In fact, I think most funeral homes take tomobiki off.
I am a superstitious person. I should have arranged to hand over the keys to my apartment on taian. But I just couldn't resist the urge to move on tomobiki. As I was saying to my great friend a few days ago, it just sounds too Irish. Like Tom O'Biki. In any case, I'm looking on it as a good day to move because I hope the friendships I have made here in Japan will be drawn with me and follow me wherever I may go.
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