Find my Japan

We have uploaded two articles in this series introducing Japanese stuffs such as Yukata, shaved ice or Shintoism.

The last is this article in which we write about Japanese view of the world that helps you to find your own Japanese emotional situations, “Hare” and “Ke”.

The concept of ”Hare(ハレ)” and ”Ke(ケ)” has significant importance to understand Japanese culture.

Though English translation of these two words are simple, “special” or “fare” for “Hare” and “usual” for “Ke”, the actual meanings they have among Japanese people is a bit different.

In old Japan, people had to live unchanging days (=“Ke days”) except annual “Hare” events like summer festivals in temples and shrines, or coming-of-age ceremonies.

In other words, they wasn't permitted to act freely ignoring their community rules referring to their social classes, or only “adults” who went over the “Hare” initiations were allowed to do certain things like going out with “Katana”, Japanese swords.

Of course, all of the modern Japanese people aren't limited to anything because of their age, living places, parents' jobs, sex and any other social reasons except for biological reasons drinking alcohols or smokings,
there still remains many invisible and unstipulated social sanctions against modern Japanese, which raises demand for “Hare” events.

Indeed Yukata wasn't a special cloth in old Japan until Japanese culture was Westernized in Meiji-era, it has become one of the symbolic “Hare” cloth in present days.
So, the pictures gives Japanese people emotional impressions.