British Asians are ethnic groups which include people who have British nationality but are originally from South Asia. This includes the countries Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Maldives.
The 2001 UK Census says there are 2.33 million British Asians. They make up 4% of the population of the United Kingdom.
British Asian does not include people from eastern Asia. People from eastern Asia are called by their own ethnic origins. An example is British Chinese.
Black British
Black British are people who have British nationality but are originally from Africa.
The 2001 UK census says there are 1.2 million Black British people. They are 2.33% of the population of the United Kingdom.
In the past, Black British used to mean any immigrant who was not English, like British Asians, but people say that it was because of racism in England at that time.
Ryūjin
Ryūjin (Japanese 龍神 "dragon god", also called Rinjin and Owatatsumi) was the god of the sea in Japanese mythology. He was a dragon, a symbol of the power of the ocean, had a very big mouth, and could transform into human shape. Ryūjin lived in Ryūgū-jō, his palace under the sea built out of red and white coral, from where he was believed to control the tides with magical "tide jewels". Sea turtles, fish and jellyfish were Ryūjin's servants.
Ryūjin was the father of the beautiful goddess Otohime who married the hunter prince Hoori. The first Emperor of Japan, Emperor Jimmu, is said to have been a grandson of Otohime and Hoori's. This means, Ryūjin is believed to be one of the ancestors of the Japanese imperial dynasty.
A legend about Ryūjin is the story about how the jellyfish lost its bones. This story tells that once, Ryūjin wanted to eat monkey's heart, and sent the jellyfish to get him a monkey. The monkey managed to escape from the jellyfish by telling him that he had put his heart in a jar in the forest, and offered to go and get it. When the jellyfish came back and told Ryūjin what had happened, Ryūjin became so angry that he beat the jellyfish until its bones were all broken.
Takamagahara
Takama-ga-hara (Japanese: 高天原), literally "High Heaven's Plain" but usually translated as the "High Plain of Heaven," is a place in Japanese mythology. In Shinto, Takama-ga-hara is the place where the Kami live. The legends say it's connected to the Earth by the bridge "Ama-no uki-hashi" (the "Floating Bridge of Heaven"). In Shinto, when a kami is worshipped, it is to leave Takama-ga-hara and enter a shrine.
Gospel music
Gospel music is a style of music. It is often written to express personal or group belief, regarding Christianity. This music is used to praise, worship and thank God, Christ or the Holy Spirit. Perhaps the most famous gospel song is Amazing Grace.
Salsa
Salsa is a type of music and dance of hispanic origin. Salsa music is based on Cuban music. This is a "fusion" of musical ideas which originally came from Africa and Spain.
During 1965-1975 in New York, musicians of Cuban and Puerto Rican origin combined to produce this Cuban-style music. The music got the label of 'salsa'. No-one really knows how this happened, but everyone recognised how good it was to have a label for it. Over time, salsa bands worked in other influences. For example, in the late 60s Willie Colon developed numbers that made use of Brazilian rhythms. N.Y. radio programmes offered 'salsarengue' as a further combination.
The question of whether or not salsa is anything more than Cuban music has been argued over for more than thirty years. Initially, not much difference could be heard. Later it became clear that salsa in New York was a bit different from popular music in Cuba. Also, Miami, Venezuela, Colombia and other places all had their own ideas. It now seems clear that salsa has receded from the great position it achieved in the late 1970s, at any rate in New York. The reasons for this are also much disputed. It is difficult for any music which uses a foreign language to succeed in the biggest English-speaking market-place.
Salsa as a dance can be seen in all the places mentioned. Unlike standard ballroom dancing, there is no clear agreement on how it should be danced, and the methods differ widely in detail. The teaching of salsa is also rather undeveloped. But, as a general guide, salsa dancing is rather like other dances from Cuba, such as the cha-cha-cha.
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer, actress and television presenter. She was born on October 3, 1969 in Fullerton, California. She was raised in Anaheim, California. She has millions of fans around the world. She is a member of the band No Doubt, and has also released two solo albums. One of her biggest hits is "Hollaback Girl".
On September 14, 2002 Gwen married Gavin Rossdale, the singer of Bush. They have two sons, Kingston James McGregor Rossdale (born on May 26, 2006) and Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale (born on August 21, 2008). On September 4, 2013 it was reported that Stefani was pregnant with her third child.
Stefani says as a child she was diagnosed with dyslexia and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. On October 20, 2014, Stefani released the first single from her third album, "Baby Don't Lie".
As of 2017, Sefani is said to be dating her "The Voice" co-star Blake Shelton.
Izumo Province
The province had borders with Iwami, Bingo and Hōki provinces.
In the 8th century, Matsue became the provincial capital city.
In the Meiji period, the provinces of Japan were converted into prefectures. The maps of Japan and Izumo Province were reformed in the 1870s.
"Izumo taisha" was the chief Shinto shrine ("ichinomiya") of Izumo.
Mount Hiei
Mount Hiei appeared in many folk tales in different centuries. Traditionally, people believed it to be the home of gods and demons of Shinto.
Momotarō
The most common version of this tale (from the Edo Period), tells Momotarō came to earth inside a giant peach. The peach was found floating down a river by an old woman without children who was washing clothes there. The woman and her husband found the child when they tried to open the peach to eat it. The child explained that he had been sent by Heaven to be their son. The couple called him Momotarō, from "momo" (peach) and "tarō" (oldest son in the family).
An older version of the story tells the old woman discover the giant, floating peach and take it home with her, as she finds it to be of good color and looking tasty. After eating a piece of the peach, the old woman is and becomes young and beautiful again. When her old husband comes home from the hills, he is surprised to find a lovely young lady in his house. At first he does not even recognize his own wife in her new form, but she explains what happened to him. She then gives her husband a piece of the peach to eat, and he also becomes young again. That night, the couple makes love, and the woman becomes pregnant as a result. She later gives birth to their first child, a son, whom they name "Tarō", as that is a common Japanese name for a first son. This version of the story is the oldest one that is written in old texts, but it appears to have been changed with the version without sex in school textbooks of the Meiji period. The peach is often seen as a symbol of sex or in Japan, because its fruit is believed to be similar to a woman's buttocks.
Years later, Momotarō left his parents for an island called Onigashima to destroy the evil oni (demons or ogres) that lived there. On his way, Momotarō met and became friends with a talking dog, monkey, and pheasant, who agreed to help him in his mission. At the island, Momotarō and his animal friends entered the demons' fort and beat the demons' leader, Ura, and his army. Momotarō returned home with his new friends, and his family lived happily from then on.
Ama-no-Uzume