yurayurateikokuさんの おぼえた日記 - 2023年10月19日(木)

Believe It or Not (5)

That comes from a belief that good sprits lived in trees. To get something you want, ask for protection, or show gratitude, you knocked on a tree to communicate with the sprits.
It’s amazing how deeply ingrained those beliefs are in our thinking. If we see a ladder, we’re not walking under it. If we find a four-leaf clover, we feel lucky. If we break a mirror or spill salt, we think, “Oh no, I’ll have bad luck.”
In Japan, finding a tea stalk standing upright in your tea is considered good luck. The caveat is that you shouldn’t tell anyone, but just drink the tea quickly. If you tell somebody, then the good luck will leave you for that person. Another common Japanese folk belief is that if a catfish starts acting violently, there will soon be an earthquake. It’s believed that catfish can sense earthquakes a lot sooner than other animals or seismometers.
Very interesting. Have any Western superstitions caught on in Japan?
Yes. Many Japanese people consider finding a four-leaf clover to be a sign of good luck. And the wedding industry in Japan has taken on the Western custom of “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” Superstitions have an interesting way of transcending boundaries between countries and cultures.