- Audio Lessons
- Video Lessons
- Reference Materials
- My Tools
- Community
- Help Center
Welcome to the Help Center
Get Started with JapanesePod101First Steps with the System
My Account
How to Download
Basic and Premium iTunes Feed Setup
Innovative Language on your Gadget
Billing and SubscriptionsSubscriptions
Billing
Subscription Info and Pricing
FAQ, Tech Support and MoreMost Frequently Asked Questions
Tech Support
Text User Guide
Video User Guides
More about Innovative Language
The JapanesePod101 SystemLessons and Methodology

5 Most Recent Forum Posts
Sentance construction series
1:42 pm by
drennic6111
Favorite anime?
8:50 pm by
miljana3686
simple question about this greeting
4:04 pm by
sheffieldmuse12145
Missing Newbie Lessons
6:47 am by
mmmason8967
Audio lessons
6:35 am by
mmmason8967
Learn Japanese Culture at JapanesePod101.com. Today we look at Hinamatsuri and its origins as this day is quickly approaching (March 3rd). Also in today’s track, there is a very special surprise waiting for you which you definitely don’t want to miss. After listening stop by and be sure to leave us a post!
About our Printer-friendly lesson notes
Follow along to our award winning lessons with detailed PDF Lesson Notes! These easy to print notes take a closer look at the grammar point and vocabulary words presented in the audio lesson. Plus, read more about language101 cultural topics related to the lesson.
Re-activate or upgrade your account to access the PDF Lesson Notes today!
Kanji Close-Up
Take a closer look at the kanji characters used in the lesson Dialogue with the Kanji Close Up Practice Sheets! You'll learn the meaning, readings, and stroke order of each character. Plus, improve your writing with kanji stroke order practice sheets!
Re-activate or upgrade your account to access the Kanji Close Up Practice Sheets today!
About our Review Audio Tracks
Listen and repeat with the Review Track. Hear the lesson vocabulary and main phrases and repeat after the native speaker - it's the best way to perfect your pronunciation!
Upgrade your account to access The Review Track and start perfecting your pronunciation today!
About our Lesson Audio
Our team of Japanese language specialists have been releasing new audio and video lessons weekly since 2005. That's a lot of Japanese language learning! All lessons are free for the first 2 weeks before going into our Basic and Premium Archive.
Re-activate or upgrade your account to access every single lesson we've ever created today!
About our Dialog Audio Tracks
The audio lesson is a comprehensive, easy to use lessons that makes learning Japanese fun for anyone. Each audio lesson contains can be downloaded in seconds to your computer, iPod, phone, or mp3 player so that you can learn quickly and be speaking Japanese in no time at all. The audio lesson is your ticket to learning to speak Japanese with confidence and accuracy, and from your very first lesson!
About our Dialog Audio Tracks
Don't have enough time for an entire lesson today? Listen to the Dialogue Only Track to hear the native Dialogue. Listening to a little bit of Japanese everyday, no matter how much, will greatly improve your listening comprehension. Guaranteed!
Upgrade your account to access the Dialogue Only Track and other Premium Tools today!
About our Grammar Audio Tracks
Tackle grammar head on with the lesson Grammar List. We break down the grammar piece by piece so you fully master the structure and formation.
Upgrade your account to access the Grammar List and other Premium lesson tools today!
About our Videocasts
Our team of Japanese language specialists have been releasing new audio and video lessons weekly since 2005. That's a lot of Japanese language learning! All lessons are free for the first 2 weeks before going into our Basic and Premium Archive.
Re-activate or upgrade your account to access every single lesson we've ever created today!
About our Learning Center
Listen and read the line-by-line breakdown of the lesson conversation with this Premium Tool. Listen to each line as many times as you need until you fully understand the conversation and pronunciation. Line-By-Line Audio Transcripts are the perfect way to improve your comprehension - fast!
Upgrade your account to access Line-By-Line Audio Transcript and other Premium lesson tools today!
About our Videocasts
Our team of Japanese language specialists have been releasing new audio and video lessons weekly since 2005. That's a lot of Japanese language learning! All lessons are free for the first 2 weeks before going into our Basic and Premium Archive.
Re-activate or upgrade your account to access every single lesson we've ever created today!










This entry was posted on Saturday, February 25th, 2006 at 7:40 am and is filed under Japanese Culture Classes . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
45 Responses to “Japanese Culture Class #8 - Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival, Girls’ Day!)”
Saturday at 7:40 am
Mina-san! Today’s Kanji Close-up will be released Monday.
Thank you for your understanding.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Saturday at 8:27 am
Very nice podcast
Also, it sounds extremely traditional Japanese, so it’s very nice to hear
And I liked Hatsumi and Sakura’s singing! Very fun!!!
Saturday at 8:36 am
Alexander-san, great to hear from you!
You could tell I was blown away!!
They were so great! Please suggest that they sing more often!
Saturday at 8:38 am
Here is another photo of common hina-arare.
I found out today that hina-arare is different in Kansai (west) and Kanto (east)! The picture below is the sugar coated one in Kanto. Kansai one seems to be something like ordinary arare (soy-sauce-based round rick crackers that are not sweet).
http://www.kisetsu-kashi.com/product/17
Here is a link to the hinamatsuri song.
I came across two titles for the song. One is “Ureshii Hinamatsuri” and the other is “Tanoshii Hinamatsuri.” But I think most Japanese consider it just as a hinamatsuri song
http://www.ocochama.net/music4p.htm
Saturday at 8:40 am
Hey Sakura!!
You girls are great!! What were the lyrics of the song??
Saturday at 8:42 am
Alexander-san, I’m glad you liked it
I’ve always wondered why the melody was in minor and sounds a little sad, when the last part of the first verse says “kyou ha tanoshii hinamatsuri” (today is happy hinamatsuri)
Saturday at 8:48 am
Here are the lyrics for the first verse.
あかりをつけましょ ぼんぼりに
Let’s light up the lanterns.
(Actually, you can find miniature lanterns in the hinamatsuri set. In usual homes, we don’t use real lanterns.)
おはなをあげましょ もものはな
Let’s offer them flowers - peach flowers.
ごにんばやしの ふえたいこ
The flute and the drums of gonin bayashi (court musicians).
きょうはたのしい ひなまつり
Today is happy hinamatsuri.
Saturday at 9:50 am
Thanks for the lyrics! It’s great
You should sing more, Sakura.
OH! I got an idea! I’m sure Peter will agree with me on that! How about we take out the song part of today’s podcast (Where Sakura and Hatsumi sing) and post it as a song download from Jpod101! People will download it in the hundreds!!!
Saturday at 12:16 pm
Hey! I would just like to say that I really enjoy listening to Japanesepod101’s podcast daily on the bus! I am taking Japanese Lessons and the podcasts kinda serves as supplimentary for me! And it has been great!
Kudos to you guys!
d0w
Singapore
Saturday at 12:28 pm
さくらとハツミの歌がきれいよ。 ^_^
Also, forgive me if this is old news to you all. I’ve been without my internet for the past couple of days, and you have way too many comments for me to read through! But guess who’s on iTunes USA’s “Fan Favorites” section?
はい
Saturday at 2:09 pm
A question for those with more knowledge. Is it better to learn hiragana, katakana, or kanji first? I guess what I am asking is which one is more practical?
Arigatou gozaimasu.
Nate-san
Saturday at 2:41 pm
Minna,
hisa bisa
Also check out on itunes usa #58 on top 100.
I’m taking a break right now, I’ve been behind in the podcasts, I’m in the middle of mid-terms, and also trying to do my taxes by hand
hey peter-san, how does that work living in japan? do you still file taxes?
Hope all are doing well!
will talk to you all after mid-terms.
have a sake for me natsuko-san, and sakura-san, a beer for me too
ja ne
tony
Saturday at 3:04 pm
Wow!! I’m downloading this one right now and I’m super excited! I can’t wait to hear the singing
Peter-san,
When do we get to hear you sing???
Sakura-san,
I have a singing request!
I really like the 「通りゃんせ、通りゃんせ」song! I don’t know where you would fit it in, though
d0w-san,
Welcome to the site! The podcast really is awesome, isn’t it!
Scott-san,
Good to see you back! And that’s awesome! They belong there full-time!
Nate-san,
Go for hiragana! You should learn hiragana first, then katakana, and then kanji. Hiragana and katakana both cover all of the sounds of Japanese, so you can write any word with them. However, katakana is generally used for loan-words, although there are exceptions (like emphasizing a word). These two are fairly small, and then once you have them mastered, you can tackle the kanji kingdom
Check out the links I posted for Brenda-san on the last post
Tony-san,
Good luck on the midterms! I just finished my taxes not too long ago. I can’t say for sure, but I believe you do still have to file with the US. The only way out of that is denouncing your citizenship
Actually, I found a little FAQ on the IRS page about this:
http://www.irs.gov/faqs/faq-kw201.html
Saturday at 4:55 pm
WOW! Hatsumi-san and Sakura-san…what great singing voices.
And what a great podcast. I really enjoy the Japanese Culture podcasts. I did know about the dolls, but I did not realise about the order of levels or even the meaning of the different coloured rice cakes….very interesting.
Back to the old messages I need to reply too…
monkeyjay-san
The reason why my Daughter, Sakura, knows about Sadako is because she watched the film with out my knowledge…but she seems to love Sadako….Odd child…
Sakura-san
I am also pleased that you found the home video of my daughter pretending to be Sadako, funny, she wanted to do it, so she helped me make the TV..
I also think it will be great to introduce repetition words.
Yes, you are right
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/book/276032/
That was the book and I did make a couple of typing errors when I wrote down the story, so thanks for correcting me.
Nathan-san.
I am also pleased that you and your room-mates enjoyed it.
Peter-san.
My website is finished…but I guess it will never be complete. it is:
http://uk.geocities.com/yasashii_nihongo
I hope it is ok. Originally I started the website as a fun way of self study, but this site encouraged me to finish it…But I do feel kind of embarrassed about it.
Today, I took up the courage and spoke Japanese to a complete stranger. I was in a Japanese shop (in which I spent £100 pounds….
) I felt really nervous but I was determined…and it worked and the shop assistant was very pleased. My wife said I was just trying to impress her
But I guess in a way I was…after all, I was the only Westener in the shop that spoke to her in Japanese and she was really surprised and pleased when I told her my daughters name.
Ok, I must end now…it is late.
Great podcast and a great song…I think Hatsumi-san and Sakura-san are going to be the next Puffy…Hehehehe
O-genki de
Steve
Saturday at 5:43 pm
Oh! I just had a good idea…That I had to turn my computer back on and mention it…..Seeing as it is nearly spring and soon time for the Sakura season and the time when Japanese people will be going hanami. I think it will be a great idea to have Sakura-san and Hatsumi-chan sing the ‘Sakura’ song. Another great a popular traditional Japanese song…what do you say? I hope you agree
Now I am really going…time to sleep.
O-genki de
Steve
Saturday at 6:54 pm
Wow! Great singing! I should learn that song.
This holiday sounds like a lot of fun. I can’t wait to celebrate it when I go live in Japan one day!
Saturday at 10:02 pm
Will be back to respond to comments soon! Just wanted to let you know we have put up a picture of the team for anyone interested.
Yoroshiku!
http://www.japanesepod101.com/2006/02/25/pictures-finally-meet-japanesepod101coms-crew/#comments
Saturday at 10:33 pm
Wow!
I finally got to listen to the podcast, and it was very interesting! The song was great, too!
I thought I would add some links regarding the 十二単衣 (じゅうにほとえ). On this first one, click on the picture, and then click on the green birds at the bottom (次へ) to see the progression of the layers.
http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~yae-sou/mikushigedono1.html
Also, here is actually a video demonstration of the 十二単衣 being put on at the Hakubi Kimono School in Tokyo.
http://tokyodv.com/videolog/?page_id=31
Saturday at 10:35 pm
I’m sorry, the hiragana should read じゅうにひとえ.
すみません
Sunday at 1:58 am
Wow wow wow! Hehe!
Really great podcast and team!
Great great singing from Hatsumi and Sakura!
Sunday at 3:04 am
Natahn_san great lin…That is the kind of stuff I find really interesting…Thanks
Sunday at 3:06 am
sorry…that was meant to have read:
Nathan-san…Great link. That is the kind of stuff I find really interesting…Thanks
Sunday at 5:03 am
Thankyou for singing on the show, Hatsumi san & Sukura san. すごい! The singing sounds great!
I have been listening to Japanesepod 101 & I strongly support this podcast. It is getting better & better. The podcast is also very lively & cheerful. Keep it up, Japanesepod101 Team!
Sunday at 7:49 am
Sim-san,
Welcome to the site!
Steve-san,
My pleasure! Let me know if there’s anything else in particular you’re looking for info about. I’m sure I’ve got something laying around here
Lynnette-san,
Welcome to you, too! I agree… みなさん、頑張ってください!
Sunday at 8:06 am
dOw-san, great to hear that you’re using this the way we intended!
Make sure to double click the white button on your ipod to access the notes!
Scott-san, thanks for letting us know!! And for the screenshot! That is great!
All thanks to you listeners!
Nate-san, definately the hiragana.
Tony-san, much to my dismay yes! Although I don’t have to pay taxes unless I make over 80,000 USD, I am alright, but I still have to file.
Looking forward to having you back!
Nathan-san, as for singing, I was actually asked to leave BOX karaoke once!
So the chances are slim.
Steve-san, thanks for letting us know! Looks great! You should be very proud of yourself! It is great for you to build such a nice learning tool for the world to use. ありがとうございます!
If you don’t mind we’ll give it a thorough look over this week! もう少し待ってください。
Thanks for the great story!! It was so great to hear! Please keep stories like that coming!
Vynnie-san, great to hear from you! Keep the posts coming, and we’ll try to keep the songs coming.
Sim-san, keep the posts coming!
Lynnette-san, thanks for the post! Great to hear from you, and thanks for the support!
Sunday at 8:20 am
Peter-san,
For some reason, in your case, my mind can come up with so many possibilities as to why you were kicked out
Sunday at 4:57 pm
I JUST LOVE EVERY DAY WITH JAPANESEPOD101!!!
YOU GUYS MAKE MY DAY!!!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
Sunday at 5:22 pm
jp-san, woah you really do love it.
having just listened to the podcast: Sakura and Hatsumi! Sugoi! beautiful voices. And were you guys harmonising? it sounded like it!
and Peter-san, if you go karaoke, just sing YMCA, cos everyone joins in and they can’t tell if you are out of tune!
perfect.
Sunday at 5:24 pm
PS sakura, I also think its strange with the very sad “happy” verse.
Sunday at 7:05 pm
hahaha, i’m actually singing it!!! hahaha
can’t get it off me!!!
Sunday at 7:26 pm
kono episo-do wa saiko desu
Sunday at 9:23 pm
JP-san,
You’re cracking me up
They do an excellent job indeed! Keep spreading the enthusiasm
Sunday at 9:48 pm
JP tips his hat-off for Sakura!!!
Monday at 6:48 am
JP-san, thank you very much!!

I’ll give them a try if I have a chance. Hehehe.
I’m glad so many of you liked the song
Yokatta-. Arigatou gozaimasu!
Nathan-san, Steve-san, thank you for your suggestions
Tuesday at 10:44 am
Ladies, the song was amazing. You both have such beautiful voices! Peter, see if you can convince them to sing more! You’ll have my gratitude.
Friday at 11:06 pm
The etymology for “hina-ningyou” is here:
http://gogen-allguide.com/hi/hinaningyou.html
Thursday at 9:44 pm
On JCC, Peter often talks about pictures on the jpod homepage. Where can i find those?
Saturday at 8:16 am
Sakura and Hatsumi you were totemo sugoi desu ne
Omedetoo
Friday at 11:50 pm
i’m brazilian girl…
i need the hinamatsuri song please….
my email kamylla.lalaway@hotmail.com
kisses
Monday at 6:03 am
Minasan mochi,mochi, I have a question, why we can’t listen for free to this Japanese culture lesson?
Thank you in advance,
Monday at 2:20 pm
Hello Lotus_ro-san,
We have changed the system since last November and all lessons three weeks or older are moved the Basic subscription section. Could you check this link for more detail?
http://blogs.japanesepod101.com/blog/2008/11/07/change-dont-be-left-behind/
Tuesday at 7:04 pm
sumimasen ,
i need hinamatsuri song ,
can u send it to me?
shinichi_david@yahoo.com
Thursday at 4:13 am
Hello,
I am pretty new to this site and am currently listening to this lesson together with the lesson notes. I just noticed, in the vocabulary, it says ‘hinamari’ but the hiragana (and also being spoken about) says ‘hinamatsuri’.
Is this something I have missed during the lesson or is this a little typo in the lesson notes?
Greetings,
Thursday at 9:18 am
Basさん,
Welcome to the site!
Thank you for pointing out the typo in the lesson notes. It has been fixed!!
Wednesday at 9:52 pm
Loved this lesson, especially the song towards the end!
When you guys have fun it really makes a big difference to learning.
Keep up the good work!
Leave a Reply