How are you getting along in these cold days?

I am very sorry to have failed to write New Year's greetings to you.

I got married last month. My husband (boyfriend, at that time) and I had been going out for fifteen years. 

Thanks to our families, good friends and the others around us, we have been able to experience a very good time together until now, and I believe we can walk a long distance and realize our fantastic future. We are very happy.

In addition, three days after we had our marriage registered at the ward office, my younger sister, too,  got married. They held a wedding ceremony in my home town. She looked happier and more beautiful than she had ever been.

I want to hold ours in this town within a year, too.

I have been very busy for several months. The first reason is my marriage, and the second is... that my husband and I had gone on a day trip or been out watching Momiji, or, colored leaves EVERY weeks last autumn. I have a lot of stories and photos to show you. I upload my articles dated back to the date when we went somewhere, so, please wait a few days and look at "MONTHLY ARCHIVES" on the right-hand side.

Thank you for reading! Sorry for my poor English. If you have any questions, take it easy to ask me! Also, I would like you to correct my errors, if you could.

Amanohashidate in Miyazu City, Kyoto (3) Promenade through the sandbar

After lunch, we walked along the sandbar across the bay. There are four ways to get to the opposite shore. You can walk, bicycle and take motorboat and pleasure boat. The sandbar is only about 3.5 kilometers long and it was very fine! In order to enjoy the nature enough, we challenged walking along the sand promenade.

The starting point
The seas spread out to the right and left.

The sand promenade runs the pine forest over sandbar.

The outer side of Miyazu Bay, from the sandbar beach.

The inner side of Miyazu Bay, from the sandbar beach.

There is a gun.

NOTE:
This gun was gifted by the Japanese Navy on 5th February, 1923.
Name: (sorry, I cannot translate it.)
Maker: Armstrong, UK 1902
Price: 16,000 yens
Weight: 5t
Length: 6.40m
Weight of cannonball: 45kg
Distance: 12,500m
Time: 38s
Price of gunpowder: 100 yens par 1 shot
Former owner: The Battleship Kasuga

We came across small Amanohashidate Jinja Shrine.

Amanohashidate Jinja Shrine(Amanohashidate Dai Myojin)

Amanohashidate Jinja Shrine has been sometimes called Isoshimizu Jinja Shrine, because the spring of fresh water named Isoshimizu appeared nearby.

One archive says that the main deity is Izanagi and the other says that it is Toyoukebime. Also, it is considerd that this shrine moved from Chionji Temple to here Atsumatsu area according to several old archives and pictures. It is clear that Amanohashidate and this Shinto shrine has belonged to Chionji Buddhist Temple since at least Edo Period (1603-1867). The main hall was built in 1907. (The rest is omitted)

Miyazu Municipal Board of Education

There is Isoshimizu behind Amanohashidate Jinja Shrine.
Very mysterious or unique water is sometimes deified
by the way of Shinto,
and that kind of Shinto deities has a relationship to Buddhism.
In this case, very pure water Isoshimizu is appreciated and deified,
therefore it is guarded by Amanohashidate Jinja Shrine,
in addition, this well and its guardian shrine belong Chionin Temple.

Isoshimizu
This well, Isoshimizu has been regarded as a miraculous spring for a long time. Its water is fresh with no salt at all instead that it is encircled by the sea. Travelers has been valued it very much.

A waka poem by Isumishikibu (?-AD.976?)
Hashidate no Matsu no shita naru Isoshimizu Miyako nari seba Kimi mo kumamashi
(There is Isoshimizu under pine trees in Amanohashidate. If this place were the Capital Kyoto, you would draw its water, too.)

A haiku poem by someone
Hitokuchi wa Geni senkin no Isoshimizu
(A sip of the Isoshimizu water is priceless indeed.)

The fresh water has appeared also now, and people appreciate it. In 1985 this well was selected one of the best 100 waters of Japan by the Ministry of the Environment
Miyazu Municipal Board of Education

A large tree named "Senkan Matsu"
"Sen" means thousand and "kan" is an old unit of weight.
One kan equals to 3.75kg. 

Senkan Matsu
A pine that people said was equaled to one thousand kans.

3.5 kilometers might be long, especially when you walk through the same forest. Actually, we nearly got tired of the same scenery.

However, there are a lot of special trees which have unique stories like "Senkan Matsu". Miyazu City sets information poles under each special pines. Or, it sets various information boards of literally and history related to Amanohashidate, too. We could find them here and there, and enjoyed them very much. We appreciated the historical nature here, indeed.

If you can read the Japanese language, try to search one!

This is the ending point.

We reached the opposite after about an hour. Very enjoyable walking!


Fee:

Walking: of course free
Rental bicycle: 400 yen (first 2 hours, and next, 200 yen/1 h)
* You can find rental bicycle shops near parking areas and the mouth of sandbar.
* You do not have to return your bicycle to the same shop. You can return it to the other shop on the opposite shore.
* There are tandem bicycles in some shops, but I am sorry, I did not watch it.




Thank you for reading! Sorry for my poor English. If you have any questions, take it easy to ask me! Also, I would like you to correct my errors, if you could.

Amanohashidate in Miyazu City, Kyoto (2) Chionji Temple, one of Three Manjusri of Japan

After the View Land, we went to Chionji Temple which was sacred to Manjusri, or, a bodhisattva associated with transcendent wisdom. The statue is not usually shown to the public, but people have believed in its benevolence very much. So, this temple is one of main spots around Amanohashidate.

The Entrance to Chionji Temple.

We say Monju for Manjusri in Japanese. Many places were named after Monju or something related with wisdom. For example, we had come down from View Land on Mt. Monju and the word "chion" of this temple's name means "the benefit of wisdom".

Zen, Rinzai Denomination
Tenkyo-zan Chionji Temple*
at Aza Monju, Miyazu City

Chionji have been believed very much and wel-known as "Manjusri, the wisdom". Or, people used to call it "Manjusri of Kireto" or "Manjusri of Kuseto" after acient place names around here. The tradition says that Chionji was built about one thousand years ago, during the Engi period (AD.901-923). What is called the Three Manjusri of Japan are here in Chionji, in Abein Temple, Sakurai City, Nara Pref. and in Konkai Komyoji Temple, Sakyo-ku Ward, Kyoto City (or, in Daijoji Temple, Takahata Town, Yamagata Pref.)

Amanohashidate is a government-designated special place of scenic beauty. It does not include only the sand spit 3.6 kilometers long across the bay, but also "Kasamatsu Area" from where people can view the sand spit and also here, the precincts of Chionji Temple where you stand.

Its old archive says that;

originaly, in Kuseto in Amanohashidate, there have been both of the principal statue of Manjusri and the Shinto shrine of its guardian, Hahidate Myojin. They have deep relations on the same Manjusri.

Therefore, the sand spit and Chionji have been regarded as the same one for religious faith.

The principal statue is Manjusri mounting a lion accompanied by Sudhana (Child of wealth) and Udayana (a prince in ancient India). There are Mahavira hall, gate, pagoda and so on within its precincts. From them we can understand the history around here, too.

Miyazu Municipal Board of Education

Pagoda, 1501
Designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan
An architecture in the Medieval Period is very rare in Miyazu City.

Monjudo, the Mahavira Hall
Although it have been rebuilt many times,
it is said that the four innermost columns are left from the mythological age.
The statue of Manjusri is in this hall.
His accompanied animal is a lion.
There are a lot of place names related Manjusri, wisdom and a lion
around Amanohashidate.
That proves ancient religious belief in Manjusri here.

Tetsu Yubune, an iron vessel for hand washing, 1290
Designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan
This was originally used as a bath tub for Buddhist monks.
Today, we usually wash our hands to purify ourselves
before going to worship at Monjudo

An incense holder in front of Monjudo
People offer sticks of incense from the both sides before entering to the hall.
Instead of getting the stick, we usually make
a little monetary offering into the box on the center.

The smoke from incense maybe makes us wiser.
We usually gather the smoke to our heads.

The inner side of Monjudo from a garden.
People are expected to stop taking photos
of the most sacred space.

We tried the fortune
whose shape was a fan very singularly
My fortune oracle was "Blessing"
It was not good, and not bad.

This house was in Chionji, too

In front of it, a cat was sleeping like a doll

After Chionji Temple, we walk around there.

Chie no wa, a big ring of wisdom.
It is said that if you can pass through it,
you should be given the wisdom by Manjusri.
A kid or a baby could do it. 

For lunch, I ate Kaisen don,
rice covered with fresh sea foods in a bowl.
We were near the sea indeed!

Access
Chionji Temple: several minutes walk from Amanohashidate St. and the Lift and Monorail St.
Chie no wa ring: a few minutes walk from Chionji

Fee
Chionji Temple:  free (but monetary offering around a few hundred yen are expected to worship.)
Fortune of fan shape: 300 yen (maybe)
Chie no wa ring:  of course free

More detailed for Chionji Temple: (Japanese)
http://www.monjudo-chionji.jp/



* The formal name of temple in Japan is composed of a mountain name and a temple name. The formal name of Chionji is "Tenkyo-zan Chionji". In this case, "Tenkyo-zan" is its mountain name and "Chionji" is its temple name. "Ji" means a temple, "zan" means a mountain and "Tenkyo" is another way of saying "Amanohashi(date)".


Thank you for reading! Sorry for my poor English. If you have any questions, take it easy to ask me! Also, I would like you to correct my errors, if you could.

Amanohashidate in Miyazu City, Kyoto (1) View Land, the best but dilemma spot

Amanohashidate (天橋立／あまのはしだて), one of Nihon Sankei, or, the Three Views of Japan is located in Miyazu City, the northern Kyoto Prefecture. It is very famous for its singular view of sandbar covered with pine woods, which looks like a very long floating bridge across Miyazu Bay.

The name "Amanohashidate" means "the standing bridge to heaven"("ama" is a refined diction meaning "heaven", "hashi" is a "bridge" and "date" means to "stand"). According to the Japanese myths, Izanagi, the father of the sun goddess and the moon god, built a bridge from heaven to the earth and used to pass up and down it. However, one day when Izanagi was taking a nap, it toppled to the ground to become what it is today. Although the bridge does not stand but just lie now, people regard it as to stand.

I went there with my friend on September 24th. We parked our car at a municipal parking area and the staff gave us a free sightseeing map. It was very useful! Enough detailed but brief ! I think you can get one at Amanohashidate Station, too. If you can read the Japanese language,  I recommend you to get one.

The municipal parking area is next to Monjuhama Koen Park.
The green belt above is the sandbar of Amanohashidate.  

The view of Amanohashidate from the parking area

It was very fine this day! It remained the heat of late summer, but the wind was blooming enough, so we were able to enjoy seeing everything very comfortably.

We went to the lift and monorail station to "View Land" located halfway up Mt. Monju. Travelers view the sandbar from its lookout point with a very unique way. The view called "Hiryukan" is the most famous of all spots around Amanohashidate.

The entrance to View Land is this station.
Travelers can choose one between a lift and a monorail.
The monorail car leaves every twenty minutes,
and the lifts go up and down at any time.
Of course we chose the lift.

From my lift.

 We reached the View Land after several minutes.

This is Hiryukan.
Do you notice anything strange?

People bend over to view the sandbar from between their legs.
This unique way of viewing is called "Mata nozoki",
and the view itself from here is "Hiryukan"

"Hiryukan" means "the view of a flying dragon". Dragons are the guardians of water in Chinese legend. Can you imagine that a dragon is flying up to heaven from the mixed world where the sky and the sea are upside down? Ancient travelers used to have a break here and enjoy its beautiful scenery.

This is the original view.
The green belt of pine woods across blue Miyazu Bay is beautiful.
Ancient people used to regard the belt as the bridge to heaven.

Name: Hiryukan

The cliff of Mt. Monju rises straight up from the sea dircetly and the landform around it is very rock-bound. So, ancient travelers could not go along the beach but had to move on through the mountains to a small pier at the foot . After reaching there, people used to take a boat to visit to Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples like Monjudo and enjoy sightseeing around Amanohashidate.

Here View Land is located where the ancient observation deck used to be. Travelers coming through the mountains reached here, soon took their luggage down to have a break, enjoying the views of the beach of Amanohashidate with white sand and green pines. Also, a lot of poets, writers and artists created their works.

The name of "Mata nozoki" has become popular among travelers. You can stand and bent over on every "Mata nozoki dai" which looks like a bench in order to see the scenery. During bending over to view it, you can find that your blood gathers on your head and feel dizzy gradually. After that you can look Amanohashidate illusorily as if it leads to the blue sky. Please try it.

The ancient waka poem by Murata Harumi,

Kami no yo ni Kami no kayoishi Ato nare ya Kumoi ni tsuzuku Amanohashidate

(Is this just the vestige? During the age of the gods, they went up and down Amanohashidate, which lead to clouds)

The improvised poem of a Chinese quatrain with seven-character lines by a Japanese traveler from Namba, 1820,

(Sorry, I cannot pronounce it, but the poem says about the famous "Mata nozoki". The traveler enjoyed the beautiful view and named it "Hiryukan".)

After this poem, people have called this view "Hiryukan".

People love "Mata nozoki" and "Hiryukan" as historical traditions, too. However, I cannot understand why, this observation decks is located within a childish, cheap and noisy amusement park.

This is the gate.
People must enter this amusement park
to enjoy historical "Hiryukan".

The beautiful views are spoiled at all
by noisy attractions.
There are lot of rose trees,
but rose has no relationship to the history of Amanohashidate

In order to appreciate the historical, very beautiful view, we had to enter this amusement park, but it is very ugly and noisy. We had to have BIG patience at that time. View Land is ultimate dilemma spot.

The lift returning to the foot.
The views of green sandbar and blue see are very beautiful.

Access
Amanohashidate Station, KTR line:
* JR line connects to KTR line. You can take the JR express Hashidate at Kyoto St.  It takes about 2 hours from Kyoto St. to Amanohashidate St.
View Land: several minutes walk from Amanohashidate St.

Fee
JR express Hashidate from Kyoto St. to Amanohashidate St: 4,380 yen
Round-trip fare of lift or monorail: adult 850 yen, child: 450yen
* Included to the entrance fee to View Land
* You can take lift or monorail as you like.

Open Hours
View Land:
Feb. 21-July 20: 9:00-17:30(entrance 17:00)
July 21-Aug. 20: 8:30-18:30(entrance 18:00)
Aug. 21-Oct. 20: 9:00-17:30(entrance 17:00)
Oct. 21-Feb. 20: 9:00-17:00(entrance 16:30)

More detailed for View Land:
http://www.viewland.jp/~e/



Thank you for reading! Sorry for my poor English. If you have any questions, take it easy to ask me! Also, I would like you to correct my errors, if you could.

How to count things (10) counters (3) dai

Since beginning to write this series of articles, I have had a little uncertainness. I always use a word, "counter" for Japanese 「助数詞」. But is this right, I wonder? Should I use "numeral suffix"?

Anyway, I explain 「台（ダイ, dai）」, today.

Its pronunciation resembles English "dye" and "die". Please do not speak it like "day".

「台」 is originally a common noun meaning some tools on which we can put something (載せる：のせる：noseru) or which we can mount （乗る：のる：noru）. It is a kind of tower, platform, pedestal or table. That is the fundamental impression of 「台」 as a common noun, and have a great influence on 「台」's function as a counter, too. In my opinion, Japanese people have a tendency to use the counter 「台」 for machinery and something large, therefore can be put on the earth or floor. I think the reason why we apply the counter 「台」 to machinery may come from cars or clocks. Cars are a machine that people can climb up into to ride, too. Or, the Japanese influential person might display the very precious clock gifted by an European missionary on a 「台」 in "tokonoma", the traditional desplaying alcove long time ago. I cannot determine one from them, however, please remember 「台」 has a deep relation to machinery when counting now.

We usually use the counter 「台」 for machinery like clocks, phones, facsimiles, cellphones, radios, TVs, videos, cameras, computers, microwave ovens, blenders, refrigerators, irons, sewing machines, washing machines, vacuum-cleaners, air conditioners and so on, or the other machine tools for professional use. Or, we use it for some European musical instruments which are larger and are put on the floor like pianos, timpani and harps. Also, we use it when counting some vehicles like bicycles, motorcycles and cars which include buses, taxis, trucks and so on as well as family cars. As for cars, we never apply 「台」 to every car of trains. It has the other counter. Moreover, younger people have applied 「台」 to some larger furniture which has four legs like tables, desks and beds except for some kinds of chairs recently. Although I have a sense of incongruity about it, I must tell you this usage becomes popular now.

clock	時計	トケイ	toke-
phone	電話	デンワ	denwa
facsimile	ファックス　 ファクシミリ		fakkusu　 fakushimiri
cellphone	携帯　 携帯電話	ケイタイ*　 ケイタイデンワ	ke-tai　 ke-taidenwa
radio	ラジオ		rajio
TV	テレビ		terebi
video	ビデオ		bideo
camera	カメラ		kamera
computer	パソコン　 コンピューター		pasokon　 kompyu-ta-
microwave oven	レンジ　 電子レンジ	デンシレンジ	renji　 denshirenji
blender	ミキサー		mikisa-
refrigerator	冷蔵庫	レイゾウコ	re-zo-ko
iron	アイロン		airon
sewing machine	ミシン		mishin
washing machine	洗濯機	センタクキ	sentakki **
vacuum-cleaner	掃除機	ソウジキ	so-jiki
air conditioner	エアコン		eakon
piano	ピアノ		piano
timpani	ティンパニー		tinpani-
harp	ハープ		ha-pu
bicycle	自転車	ジテンシャ	jitensha
motorcycle	バイク　 オートバイ		baiku　 o-tobai
car	車　 自動車	くるま　 ジドウシャ	kuruma　 jido-sha
bus	バス		basu
taxi	タクシー		takushi-
truck	トラック		torakku
family car	車　 自家用車	くるま　 ジカヨウシャ	kuruma　 jikayo-sha
table	テーブル		te-buru
desk	机	つくえ	tsukue
bed	ベッド		beddo

* We usually write 「ケータイ」, although the formal katakana spellings of 「携帯」 is 「ケイタイ」.  
** We usually write 「洗濯機」 with kanji. If we must write it with katakana, it should be 「センタクキ」, the formal spellings. However, we often pronounce it as 「センタッキ」 actually.


The forward number is based on the Chinese style pronunciations, except for 4 and 7, because the pronunciation 「台（ダイ, dai）」 is the Chinese syle one, too.

The standard number list used for 「台」 is below;

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
	一	二	三	四	五	六	七	八	九	十
ゼロ	イチ	ニ	サン	よん	ゴ	ロク	なな	ハチ	キュウ（ク）	ジュウ
zero	ichi	ni	san	yon	go	roku	nana	hachi	kyu-(ku)	ju-

Remember ? If not, please review "How to count things (1) number (1)".

0 （ゼロ）	→	零台	レイダイ／ゼロダイ	rei dai / zero dai
1 （イチ）	→	一台	イチダイ	ichi dai
2 （ニ）	→	二台	ニダイ	ni dai
3 （サン）	→	三台	サンダイ	san dai
4 （よん）	→	四台	よんダイ	yon dai
5 （ゴ）	→	五台	ゴダイ	go dai
6 （ロク）	→	六台	ロクダイ	roku dai
7 （なな）	→	七台	ななダイ	nana dai
8 （ハチ）	→	八台	ハチダイ	hachi dai
9 （キュウ）	→	九台	キュウダイ	kyu- dai

You can add 「台」 to the standard numbers simply. It is easy, isn't it?

However, "0" is very particular. If you come across the Arabic writing, "0" or "0台", you can speak it "zero" or "zero dai" as well as "rei" or "rei dai". However, "零" and "零台" can be adapted to only "rei" and "rei dai". I would like you to remember that the pronunciation "zero" is from English, although  every Kanji is pronunced by the Chinese or Japanese style pronunciation.

Please review "How to count things (8) counters (1) ban(me)".

10 （ジュウ）	→	十台	ジュウダイ	ju- dai
11 （ジュウイチ）	→	十一台	ジュウイチダイ	ju-ichi dai
12 （ジュウニ）	→	十二台	ジュウニダイ	ju-ni dai
13 （ジュウサン）	→	十三台	ジュウサンダイ	ju-san dai
14 （ジュウよん）	→	十四台	ジュウよんダイ	ju-yon dai
15 （ジュウゴ）	→	十五台	ジュウゴダイ	ju-go dai
16 （ジュウロク）	→	十六台	ジュウロクダイ	ju-roku dai
17 （ジュウなな）	→	十七台	ジュウななダイ	ju-nana dai
18 （ジュウハチ）	→	十八台	ジュウハチダイ	ju-hachi dai
19 （ジュウキュウ）	→	十九台	ジュウキュウダイ	ju-kyu- dai

20 （ニジュウ）	→	二十台	ニジュウダイ	niju- dai
30 （サンジュウ）	→	三十台	サンジュウダイ	sanju- dai
40 （よんジュウ）	→	四十台	よんジュウダイ	yonju- dai
50 （ゴジュウ）	→	五十台	ゴジュウダイ	goju- dai
60 （ロクジュウ）	→	六十台	ロクジュウダイ	rokuju- dai
70 （ななジュウ）	→	七十台	ななジュウダイ	nanaju- dai
80 （ハチジュウ）	→	八十台	ハチジュウダイ	hachiju- dai
90 （キュウジュウ）	→	九十台	キュウジュウダイ	kyu-ju- dai

100 （ヒャク）	→	百台	ヒャクダイ	hyaku dai
1000 （（イッ）セン）	→	（一）千台	（イッ）センダイ	(is)sen dai
10000 （イチマン）	→	一万台	イチマンダイ	ichiman dai
100000000 （イチオク）	→	一億台	イチオクダイ	ichioku dai

Thank you for reading!
Sorry for my poor English.
If you have any questions, take it easy to ask me!
Also, I would like you to correct my errors, if you could.

How to count things (1) number (1)
How to count things (9) counters (2) mai

Japanese expressions of colors (9) specific abstract nouns (4)

Have you understood the differences between concrete color names and abstract ones? Today, I continue to explain actual usages of color names from specific abstract nouns, too.

(1)color name	(2)origin	(3)allowed to be added "色"	(4)meaning
緑 （みどり：midori）	adjective-verb, みどり, to be fresh, vivid from Japanese origin	緑色 （みどりいろ：midori iro）	green
紫 （むらさき：murasaki）	the name of dyeing weed, 紫草 from Japanese origin	紫色 （むらさきいろ：murasaki iro）	purple
紺 （コン：kon）	a dyeing technical term from Chinese origin	紺色 （コンいろ：kon iro）	navy blue
臙脂／えんじ／エンジ （エンジ：enji）	the name of safflower-producing area from Chinese origin	臙脂色／えんじ色／エンジ色 （エンジいろ：kon iro）	dark red
オレンジ （オレンジ：orenji）	the name of fruit, orange from English origin	オレンジ色 （オレンジいろ：orenji iro）	orange
ピンク （ピンク：pinku）	the name of color, pink from English origin	ピンク色　*very rare （ピンクいろ：pinku iro）	pink
アイボリー／ アイヴォリー （アイボリー：aibori-）	the name of color, ivory from English origin	―	ivory-colored
グレー （グレー：gure-）	the name of color, gray from English origin	―	gray
グリーン （グリーン：guri-n）	the name of color, green from English origin	―	green * not usual

The loanwords imported from English and staying as color names since the beginning to now cannot be added "色" at all. Except for them, we can use both of the group (1) and (3).

We usually tend to use the group (1) more, especially in daily conversation, and some people tend to prefer the group (3) more, especially in writing. However, it is just tendency. It actually depends on a situation. Whether in conversation or in writing, when the users deal with colors of cloths, of products and so on clearly, we prefer to skip "色", but the users do not concentrate on the topics of colors, we sometimes add "色". Or, when we use various color names, we often skip "色" of abstract nouns to avoid the repetition. For example;


今日、庭のバラが咲きました。ピンクのとオレンジのとが同時に。隣は、あじさいが花盛りです。私は、あじさいは紫が好きなのですが、今年は、めずらしい緑のあじさいも買ってみました。清楚な趣があっていいですね。今は紺の植木鉢に入っていますが、花が終ったら花壇に植え替えようと思います。

Kyo-, niwa no bara ga sakimashita. Pinku no to orenji no to ga do-ji ni. Tonari wa, ajisai ga hanazakari desu. Watashi wa, ajisai wa murasaki ga sukinan desu ga, kotoshi wa mezurashii midori no ajisai mo katte mimashita. Seisona omomuki ga atte ii desu ne. Ima wa kon no uekibachi ni haitte imasu ga, hana ga owattara kadan ni uekaeyo- to omoimasu.

Today my pink and orange roses have simultaneously bloomed in my garden. Next to them, hydrangeas are at their best. I love purple one the most, but I purchased a rare, green hydrangea this year. I appreciate its neat and clean appearance, too. It is in a navy blue flowerpot now, but I will replant it in my flower bed when the flowers have fallen.


In this example, there are five names of colors and I skipped all of their "色". It could be still good with "色" added only once or twice. However, if I applied it to EVERY color, the descriptions would sound to be full of redundancies.

Also, I would like to pay attention to "オレンジ". I wrote "オレンジのバラ" simply and you can do so in both of conversation and writing. However, if I had a tree of orange fruit and wanted to mention about it with the discriptions above, I must have said "オレンジ色のバラ" in the case.

Tell someone something by the simplest way, but keep your message the clearest. If you do so, you can select the best usage of color name. The actual usages of color names from abstract nouns stand between the simplest way and the clearest way.





By the way, I must tell you a miserable news that my explanations above are not today's conclusions. It is just a prologue to review. I am sorry! The main subject is how to use particles and auxiliary verbs. Please remember the following list;

	present tense	past tense
standard mood (casual conversation and standard writing)	だ	だった
standard mood of literary style (only strict writing)	である	であった
respectful mood (formal conversation and gentle writing)	です	でした

The couples of "だ／だった", of "である／であった" and of"です／でした" are all auxiliary verbs and their past tense which represent conclusions and we use them for the predicative construction. Please do not mistake their right moods and cases with each others. Also, "の" is the particle which express the possessive case or attribute. We use "の" for modifying some nouns.

Do you remember?


The abstract color names can be applied to these auxiliary verbs and a particle, too.

noun of color	の ex)本(book(s))	だ だった	である であった	です でした
緑 (みどり／midori)	緑の本	緑だ 緑だった	緑である 緑であった	緑です 緑でした
緑色 (みどり／midori iro)	緑色の本	緑色だ 緑色だった	緑色である 緑色であった	緑色です 緑色でした
green	green book(s)	It is/was (They are/were) green.
紫 (むらさき／murasaki)	紫の本	紫だ 紫だった	紫である 紫であった	緑です 緑でした
紫色 (むらさきいろ／ murasaki iro)	紫色の本	紫色だ 紫色だった	紫色である 紫色であった	緑色です 緑色でした
purple	purple book(s)	It is/was (They are/were) purple.
紺 (コン／kon)	紺の本	紺だ 紺だった	紺である 紺であった	紺です 紺でした
紺色 (コンいろ／kon iro)	紺色の本	紺色だ 紺色だった	紺色である 紺色であった	紺色です 紺色でした
navy blue	navy blue book(s)	It is/was (They are/were) navy blue.
臙脂／えんじ／エンジ (エンジ／enji)	臙脂の本	臙脂だ 臙脂だった	臙脂である 臙脂であった	臙脂です 臙脂でした
臙脂色／えんじ色／ エンジ色 (エンジいろ／enji iro)	臙脂色の本	臙脂色だ 臙脂色だった	臙脂色である 臙脂色であった	臙脂色です 臙脂色でした
dark red	dark red book(s)	It is/was (They are/were) dark red.
オレンジ* (オレンジ／orenji)	オレンジの本	オレンジだ オレンジだった	オレンジである オレンジであった	オレンジです オレンジでした
オレンジ色 (オレンジいろ／orenji iro)	オレンジ色の本	オレンジ色だ オレンジ色だった	オレンジ色である オレンジ色であった	オレンジ色です オレンジ色でした
orange	orange book(s)	It is/was (They are/were) orange.
ピンク (ピンク／pinku)	ピンクの本	ピンクだ ピンクだった	ピンクである ピンクであった	ピンクです ピンクでした
ピンク色** (ピンクいろ／pinku iro)	ピンク色の本	ピンク色だ ピンク色だった	ピンク色である ピンク色であった	ピンク色です ピンク色でした
pink	pink book(s)	It is/was (They are/were) pink.
アイボリー／ アイヴォリー*** (アイボリー／aibori-)	アイボリーの本	アイボリーだ アイボリーだった	アイボリーである アイボリーであった	アイボリーです アイボリーでした
ivory-colored	ivory-colored book(s)	It is/was (They are/were) ivory-colored.
グレー (グレー／gure-)	グレーの本	グレーだ グレーだった	グレーである グレーであった	グレーです グレーでした
gray	gray book(s)	It is/was (They are/were) gray.
グリーン**** (グリーン／guri-n)	グリーンの本	グリーンだ グリーンだった	グリーンである グリーンであった	グリーンです グリーンでした
green	green book(s)	It is/was (They are/were) green.

* The sipmle usage of "オレンジ" depends on the situation.
** "ピンク色" is very rare.
*** For saving spaces, I wrote "アイボリー" instead of "アイボリー／アイヴォリー". You can use アイボリー and アイヴォリー for ivory-colored.
**** "グリーン" is not standard. We prefer "緑" more.


 I would like you to remember that the abstract color names above are not adjectives but nouns, so, you can use them by the same way as usual common nouns.


Thank you for reading!
Sorry for my poor English. If you have any questions, take it easy to ask me!
Also, I would like you to correct my errors, if you could.

Japanese expressions of colors (1) four adjectives (1)
Japanese expressions of colors (8) specific abstract nouns (3)

Japanese expressions of colors (8) specific abstract nouns (3)

I will continue about the specific abstract nouns of color names. Please remember the following list;

緑（みどり：midori）	緑色（みどりいろ：midori iro）	green
紫（むらさき：murasaki）	紫色（むらさきいろ：murasaki iro）	purple
紺（コン：kon）	紺色（コンいろ：kon iro）	navy blue
臙脂（エンジ：enji）	臙脂色（エンジいろ：enji iro）	dark red
オレンジ（オレンジ：orenji）	オレンジ色（オレンジいろ：orenji iro）	orange
ピンク（ピンク：pinku）	* ピンク色（ピンクいろ：pinku iro）	pink
アイボリー／アイヴォリー（アイボリー：aibori-）	―	ivory-colored
グレー（グレー：gure-）	―	gray
グリーン（グリーン：guri-n）	―	green

* "ピンク色" is very rare.

The former group, that is, the series of specific abstract nouns from Japanese or Chinese origins is sometimes allowed to be added "色", although we usually prefer its original nouns simply. On the other hand, the latter group from English origins cannot be added "色" at all. We must always use the simpler usages.

Today, I will explain only "オレンジ". This is a borrowed word from English. You saw this word in my forward articles about concrete nouns, too.

More detailed:
Japanese expressions of colors (3) specific concrete nouns (1)
Japanese expressions of colors (4) specific concrete nouns (2)
Japanese expressions of colors (5) specific concrete nouns (3)

I tell you my conclusion in advance, "オレンジ" has two characters as both of a concrete noun and an abstract noun.

As I mentioned before, we have a lot of color names from specific concrete nouns in Japanese as in your language, too. However, we would sometimes like to abandon them in explaining something with colors. Because concrete nouns sometimes control the impression of explained matters by their imagenations. For example, if I explain a woman's beautiful gray sweater by "灰色のセーター: hai iro no se-ta-", it may not be a praise but sometimes be an abuse because "灰" are dirty ashes. So, we often prefer more abstract nouns, moreover, we have been sometimes seeking for new ones. "緑" instead of "草色 (くさいろ: kusairo: grass)", "紫" instead of "すみれ色" are both the efforts of these seeking.

For average Japanese native speakers, color names from Japanese origins are sometimes too firsthand by their sounds like "ももいろ (桃色)" and those from Chinese origins are sometimes too understandable by their Kanji characters like "灰色". However, every Katakana word from European languages tends to be farther. English origins do not run so much in our mind. The color names by Katakana, or borrowed nouns have tendency to be separated from their origins in our impressions. Therefore, Japanese native speakers sometimes select them as neutral words. "ピンク" instead of "桃色", "グレー" instead of "灰色" are both the results of the efforts. So, I would explain her beautiful sweater by "グレー", because I am unconscious of gray's negative impression of English.

"オレンジ" is, too, the same word as "グレー" and "ピンク". It was imported to the Japanese vocabulary as a deputy of "橙色 (だいだいいろ: daidai iro: bitter orange)". Of course, we know that this is the name of citrus. However, we have various kinds of more popular citrus in our country, too. "蜜柑 (みかん: mikan)", "伊予柑 (いよかん: iyokan)" and "八朔 (はっさく: hassaku)" have been very popular on our tables, and "橙 ( だいだい: daidai)" has played an important role in New Year's decoration traditionally. "オレンジ" reminds us its origins less than Japanese traditional citrus. In this sense, "オレンジ" is one of the abstract nouns.

On the other hand, Japanese people still do understand the origin of "オレンジ" well, and it has become much popular than before. In my childhood, I rarely see California oranges on the table of my family, however, I actually get to eat them more often recently, within twenty years. In this sense, "オレンジ" is one of the concrete nouns.

From my research on the usage of "オレンジ" for a week, about 70% of natives use "オレンジ" simply in daily conversation, and 30% of natives speak "オレンジ色". (I am sorry, but I am not a linguist. This is not a technical research, but only my private interest. I just asked my friends for it.) However, even some users of simple "オレンジ" in conversation tend to write "オレンジ色". That is, avarage people prefer "オレンジ" in conversation, but write "オレンジ色" more often. Or, one of my friend said, "I speak "オレンジ" when I deal with the topic of colors clearly, except for then, I sometimes use "オレンジ", and also sometimes use "オレンジ色"." So, I can say that we speak "オレンジ" more often and we write "オレンジ色" more often, although we can use both of them in both of conversation and writing.

The usage of borrowed word, "オレンジ" resembles the abstract color names of Japanese or Chinese origins like "紫", "緑", "紺" and "臙脂" at first glance. However, we usually forget the original meanings of these traditional words, although we do not perfectly forget the origins of "オレンジ". We can easily imagine its color, shape, touch, sweet smell and sweet and sour taste. "オレンジ" is very unique. I think it has double characters of concrete and abstract names of colors.

Thank you for reading! Sorry for my poor English.
If you have any questions, take it easy to ask me!
Also, I would like you to correct my errors, if you could.

Japanese expressions of colors (1) four adjectives (1)
Japanese expressions of colors (7) specific abstract nouns (2)

Japanese expressions of colors (9) specific abstract nouns (4)