2024.07.11
DENKEN-TEST PRESS（Newsletter）weekly email newsletter “DENKEN-TEST PRESS” No. 15
We are pleased to present you with the 15th issue weekly email newsletter “DENKEN-TEST PRESS”
The main content of this issue is a video introducing the "Noto Wind Chimes," which are being produced with the hope of a speedy recovery from the Noto Peninsula earthquake before the full summer arrives. Click on the image to jump to the video page (playback time is 1 minute 26 seconds).
“Warm-up Quiz” will include answers and explanations from the previous quiz, as well as questions from the fields of Foods/Yearbook.
We are also running promotion to give away official textbook to 100 people chosen by lottery from among those who sign up for the newsletter! Please tell people around you to sign up for the newsletter.
DENKEN-TEST textbook
https://bookpub.jiji.com/book/b648563.html
table of contents
・ Noto Wind Chimes: Cooling down with a high, clear tone = Production at a rapid pace
・ “Warm-up Quiz” No. 15 (Foods/Yearbook) = "Tanabata"
・News from the DENKEN-TEST Association
Noto Wind Chimes: High, clear tones for a refreshing feeling = Production at a rapid pace
Noto Wind Chimes - Click on the image to jump to the video page (provided by Jiji Press)
Wind chimes are a symbol of summer, with their delicate, gentle sounds that make you feel cool. With summer approaching, the Notojima Glass Workshop in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, is ramping up production of "Noto Wind Chimes."
Noto wind chimes come in a variety of colors, including pink and green, and are characterized by their high, clear tone. They are sold at the workshop and online. The most popular is the blue "Noto Blue," which was created to resemble the color of the natural sea of Noto Island, which floats in Nanao Bay.
The windproofing is made of Noto Jofu, a high-quality hemp fabric that is a traditional intangible cultural property of Ishikawa Prefecture. The kasuri pattern creates a cool atmosphere.
The Noto Peninsula earthquake damaged the workshop's melting furnace and other equipment. Craftsman Masato Takahashi points out that "Many of the souvenir shops and facilities on Notojima are out of business, and tourists haven't returned." He hopes for a speedy recovery as he breathes life into the glass every day. "Each Noto wind chime has a different tone. I hope people will visit the island, touch the wind chimes, listen to their sounds, and find one they like."
What is Noto Jofu?
Noto Jofu is a hand-woven fabric made from hemp thread, and is considered one of the five great Jofu fabrics of Japan. It is characterized by a delicate kasuri pattern, and is light and breathable, with the distinctive crispness and smooth feel of hemp. It is said to have originated about 2,000 years ago when the daughter of Emperor Sujin taught weaving during her stay in the Naka-Noto region. In 1960, it was designated an intangible cultural property (handicraft technique) of Ishikawa Prefecture.
“Warm-up Quiz” No. 15 (Foods/Yearbook) = "Tanabata"
～伝検公式テキスト（9月20日先行発売予定）のジャンルごとに出題します～
Tanabata decorations at Kifune Shrine (Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City)
15th
Question: "Tanabata" on July 7th is one of the five seasonal festivals. Each of the five seasonal festivals has its own "event food." An event food is a special dish eaten on an event or celebration day. What is the event food for Tanabata?
[Previous answer and explanation]
Question: Mizuyokan is a typical summer cooling snack with a fresh and smooth texture. Which prefecture has had the tradition of eating mizuyokan in winter for a long time and has it become a familiar part of the winter season?
Answer: Fukui Prefecture
Description: In Fukui Prefecture, mizu yokan begins to line souvenir and confectionery shops every November, and the local people sense the coming of winter. There are various theories about the origins of Fukui mizu yokan, including one that says it was made by a young boy who was indentured to Kansai during the Edo period, who brought back red beans with him when he returned home at the end of the year, and another that says he brought back yokan, added water and agar, and cooked it again before eating. Mizu yokan has a low sugar content and cannot be stored well, and because Fukui's harsh winters are ideal for hardening the agar, it is said to be in season in the winter.
News from DENKEN-TEST Association
Due to various circumstances, the release date of DENKEN-TEST textbook will be slightly delayed from the previously announced date of September 1st, with the advance release on September 20th and the release date at bookstores and online bookstores changed to October 2nd. We apologize for any inconvenience caused to those who have already reserved a copy or are considering purchasing one. Additionally, the start of acceptance of applications for the first DENKEN-TEST Level 2 and Level 3 exams will also be changed to September 20th. The exam period will remain unchanged, from November 29th to January 31st next year. Additionally, the deadline for the gift of the official textbook to our email newsletter subscribers (100 people will be selected by lottery) will be extended from the end of July to the end of August.
Editor's Note
We have delivered the 15th issue DENKEN-TEST PRESS. Hearing the sound of wind chimes on a humid summer day makes you feel cooler. One theory is that the sound itself contains high frequencies and overtones, which have a relaxing effect, and that it helps us recognize the presence of wind as sound, but I think it was also the wisdom of our ancestors to get through the hot days. When you hear the sounds of wind chimes and cicadas, it means that summer has truly arrived.
Category: DENKEN-TEST PRESS