第2回 愛知県 (Aichi) を知る

愛知県　Aichi

Hello, everyone.

Did you enjoy reading about Alabama?

I would also like to introduce you the prefectures in Japan in English. By the way, my name is Ayaka, and I am an adviser at YGC who loves Japanese comics (manga).

Let us begin with Aichi Prefecture.

Firstly, you may already know that its capital, Nagoya is the third most populated city in Japan after Tokyo and Osaka. Secondly, “The Three Great Heroes of Japanese History”, or Nobunaga Oda, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, and Ieyasu Tokugawa were all born in Aichi, a well-known fact. Additionally, Aichi is famous for corporations that sustain the country’s manufacturing industries, such as the highly acclaimed Toyota Motor Corporation. Consequently, it could be said that Aichi is undoubtedly one of the most renowned prefectures in Japan.

Aichi was originally divided in two regions, Owarinokuni and Mikawanokuni, and Nobunaga and Hideyoshi grew up in Owarinokuni, where the city of Nagoya lies. Tokugawa grew up in Mikawanokuni, where the head office of Toyota Motor Corporation is currently located. There seems to be a theory of a historical rivalry between the two regions that still live to this day.

There are so many things worth sharing about the culture and specialty goods of Aichi. Instead of presenting all of them, I would like to introduce you a few regional characteristics of the people in Aichi.

It is often said that regional traits of the people in Aichi are ostentatious and frugal (always saving up money in case of actual needs), although these do not apply to all residents. In my opinion, wedding ceremonies in Aichi best represent these personalities.

The wedding ceremonies in Aichi tend to be flashy in general, and there are several distinctive marriage customs and practices. The betrothal gifts, marriage furniture, and wedding favors are quite flamboyant that there is a well-known phrase, “A family having more than three daughters would fall into a financial crisis.” Some areas in Aichi have the tradition of dropping down sweets from the second floor of a house when a bride leaves her house on the day of the wedding. The most exciting part about this is that their relatives and neighbors scramble for as many sweets as possible. Another fascinating fact with regard to marriages in Aichi is that in Nagoya, furniture are carried to the couple’s new home by trucks with red-and-white banners. The drivers are always cautious about not reversing the truck as it evokes a negative image of divorce. When I first heard of this, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if the truck ran into a dead end.

On a final note, I would like to recommend some local dishes in Aichi, which I presume to be the best area of your interest. Let us conclude this article by showing you some pictures of the dishes that I took when I visited Nagoya myself.

Now that you have seen all these pictures, I am assuming that you cannot wait to take a trip to Aichi.
Golden Week is coming soon, so why not visit Aichi with your family?

» 次回は、Alaska（アラスカ州）を紹介予定です。