24/10/2014 9:23 AM -I'm at a track event right now, gonna update when I get home- (•ө•)♡ once again thanks for all your support! (∂ω∂)
Hello everyone, once again, thank you so much for reading Origami Girl. 3,500 reads! I'm so exhilarated (TvT)/ Referring to a suggestion by @AmandaJuneHagarthy, I've decided to follow up each chapter with a glossary to explain certain terms and cultural concepts I've utilised in each of these chapters, so you guys can better understanding the settings and also the mindset of the characters.
Let's go!
2/11/2014 update: I found a picture of Tomomi eating cup noodles, so I thought I should share it with you all :P Oh, Tomo-chin <3
Origami- (折り紙）
As most of you already know, Origami is the art of making sculptures out of paper. Be it cherry blossoms, roses or the famous paper crane, these all fall under the category of this art form. Origami was popularised in the Edo Period （江戸時代 / Edo Jidai) Paperfolding in Japanese culture has been around since the Heian Period (平安時代 / Heian Jidai), from the year 794 to 1185, in the form of origami butterflies used to decorate Shinto weddings, representing the bride and groom. Now origami itself has also taken many diverse forms, from the traditional paper miniatures of traditional Japan, to microfibre structures.
The Japanese School Year
In Japan, the school year starts in April, and ends in the following April just before spring break. The entire school year is split into three trimesters, the first being from April to July, the second from September to December, and the third from January to March. The length of these trimesters vary from prefecture to prefecture.
Bento
In Japan, bento boxes are a popular choice for a portable lunch, be it at the workplace or school. A typical boxed lunch consists of rice and some side dishes, such as deep-fried ebi (prawn) or karaage (small balls of chicken), as well as salad. Bento are usually homemade, but this homely meal is so popular that bento are now also sold at convenience stores, supermarkets as well as speciality shops that have sprung up all over residential districts. Then there's also Ekiben, which roughly translates to 'station lunch'. These are lunch boxes sold at train stations, usually focusing on local specialities of a particular district.
Honorifics
In the Western world, it is perfectly acceptable to refer to someone with their given name, even if they are just acquaintances. However, in Japan, this is only applicable to someone the speaker has a really close relationship (eg, lovers, close childhood friends) Honorifics can be used with either
-san
The most generic honorific, can be used with either given or family name, but most of the times it is used with a family name. This is a general form for respect, which indicates formality and politeness.
-chan
An honorific that is usually used to refer affectionately to girls that one is close to, usually friends and lovers. May be used with family or given name, but when the given name is used, it indicates a close relationship, but not as close as saying a given name without an honorific.
-kun
An honorific typically used to refer to males. And just like -chan, it is a level more informal than -san. -Kun may also be used with either family or given names, but as said earlier, when used with a given name, it indicates a closer affection than using it with a family name.
-sensei
An honorific used to refer to doctors and teachers, indicating a higher amount of respect for them.
That's it for the glossary in this chapter. I hope you had fun reading! :)
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Origami Girl
RomanceWhen you fold a piece of paper, you're essentially changing the memory of that piece Under the dim light of my desk lamp, I took the square piece of fuchsia paper and laid it on the table. Flipping it over to the reverse blank side, I fished out a p...
