SM Snipits: FAQ - Japanese Culture

Sailor Moon FAQ FAQ: Censorship FAQ: Characters FAQ: The Show FAQ: Mythology FAQ: Culture FAQ: Merchandise FAQ: Sailor Moon Snipits Sailor Moon Snipits	Sailor Moon FAQ -- Japanese Culture
	Why do the girls wear Sailor uniforms to school? What is a sailor fuku? Why does some of the merchandise have their names written backwards in Japanese? What does the writing on Rei's shrine mean? Does such a shrine really exist in Japan? What does the symbol Nephrite uses mean?

Why do the girls wear Sailor uniforms to school?

Sailor style uniforms are very common for girls in Japanese public schools, and are often seen in Anime.

The sailor style uniforms are based on the uniforms worn by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the early 20th century.

What is a sailor fuku?

Simply - a sailor style school uniform.

Why does some of the merchandise have their names written backwards in Japanese (Romaji)?

Actually, it's not backwards.

In Japan, the family name (or surname) comes before the personal name. They often introduce themselves (when stating their whole name) this way. e.g. (from the Sailor Moon R Movie) "I am Tsukino Usagi..."

What does the writing on Rei's shrine mean? Does such a shrine really exist in Japan?

The shrine is based off a real one. The writing reads "Hikawa shrine", with the character for "fire" (hi) substituted for the one for "ice" (also hi) on the real shrine.

What does the symbol Nephrite uses mean?

It's not Kanji and has no real meaning.

Some people have suggested that it is a stylized "ne".

Sailor Moon FAQ
Sailor Moon Snipits