TTT2019: Day 13--Reiwa

Reiwa will be new era name in Japan on May 1 when Crown Prince Naruhito assumes the throne, replacing his father, Emperor Akihito, with the current era name of Heisei.  This is year 30 of Heisei.  Since the Year 645 there have been 247 era changes, with Reiwa to become #248.  Most of you had no clue that this was year 30 of the Heisei era anyway, so why am I sending you so much detail?  Well, I'm in Japan, and you might as well know something that few do.

Reiwa came from the oldest (1200 years?) Japan poem collection Manyoshu:

Shoshum no Reigetsu nishite Ki Yoku Kaze Yawaragi (meaning, in an auspicious month in early spring, the weather is nice and the wind is gentle--or, by inference, BEAUTIFUL HARMONY)

I guess you could draw Rei and wa out of the above, but something eludes me here.  The selection of the new name is said to have been based on suitability as an ideal for the public, and being easy to read and write.  Frankly, I disagree.  Japanese people have the tendency of calling Honolulu...Honoruru.  They pronounce Reiwa...leiwa, with the "l" being drawn out.  Americans will prounce Reiwa...reiwa, or incorrectly.

Is Reiwa sacred?  Nope.  Coke already has such named-bottles on sale, and throughout the country kamaboko (fishcake), manju (a kind of pastry) and other snacks are available with those kanji symbols.

What has happened, though, is that the people are happy, with 74% approving of the era name.  Apparently, one plus was that the original source was Japanese, not Chinese.  The Abe Cabinet was given responsibility for selecting the term, and its approval rating rose to 52.8%, a jump of 9.5%.

Oh, I'm now in Tokyo and continuing my quest for cherry blossoms.

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