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Bundle 92: Edo Era: Vibrant Street Life

In the Edo era (1603–1867), Japanese streets vibrated with sounds, spectacles, and surprises. As these essays show, peripatetic performers entertained people in all kinds of ways. Some magicians would repeatedly say something like "Abracadabra" and produce a different wooden doll each time from under a bamboo basket. Jugglers would spin plates to make their juggling performances more appealing. Candy vendors would drum up business by playing flutes while walking around. And street performers sold utensils and incense, as well as medicines, giving rise to a term that means "showman; charlatan; quack."
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偶
accidentally
JOK: 1185
See how the disparate definitions of 偶 converge on one theme. Learn to discuss chance occurrences (e.g., "I happened to be in London then"). Find out about dogus, the otherworldly figurines that the ancient Japanese created, and see why people compare these statues to the Inuits. Also learn to talk about your idols, whether you adore Haruki Murakami or a North Korean dictator.
香
fragrance
JOK: 1255
With a plethora of photos, this essay shows how 香 conveys the scent of everything from coffee to flowers in signs from around the globe. This kanji also means "incense" (which has played an important role in Japanese culture and religion for centuries), as well as 'perfume' (which hasn't). On top of that, 香 factors into two notable place names and some food terms. It's even a radical!
皿
dish
JOK: 1307
Learn words for everything from segmented condiment dishes to ice cube trays. Find out how to count empty and full plates differently and to ask servers for share plates. See how corporations and nursery schools can be saucers, hear about ghostly torment associated with dishes, and learn where we keep dishes in the body. Also discover the role 皿 plays in 18 Joyo kanji.
笛
flute
JOK: 1624
Woodwind instruments have played a prominent role in Europe (e.g., the Pied Piper), but what about Asia? Find out about bamboo flutes in Shinto music, Noh theater, gagaku (old court music), hunting, and old-time candy peddling. Read about a bamboo instrument that resembles a phoenix and may express a ray of heavenly light! Also learn about a whistle that you'll hear only in Japan.
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