Today marks a somewhat recent holiday in Japan called bunka no hi (文化の日) or Culture Day. November 3rd was originally the birthday of Emperor Meiji who had overseen the modernization of Japan, but the holiday was discontinued in favor of a more general, and unrelated Culture Day. The holiday celebrates the advancement of art, literature and just culture in general. The Wikipedia article linked above also mentions that November 3rd happens to be statistically one of the clearest days of the year, so if anything it’s a nice chance to enjoy some sun before Winter sets in.
Speaking of poetry, and Emperor Meiji, I took this photo in 2005 on my first visit to Japan at the Meiji Shrine:
The poem on the far right is by the Emperor Meiji and is written in the same Tanka-style as the Hyakunin Isshu anthology I wrote about recently. In my first draft of this post, I struggled to find a translation for this poem, but user “A-Joe” replied recently and provided a better one. The proceeding section is provided by “A-Joe” (thank you!)
The poem by Emperor Meiji is:
ちはやふる Chihayafuru
神のをしへを Kami no oshie wo
うけつぎて Uketsugite
人のこころぞ Hito no kokoro zo
ただしかりける Tadashikarikeru
For the which a literal translation would be:
Passing on the teachings of the gods
Corrects the minds of men.
The one in the middle is written by the Empress Consort, Shōken:
みかがずば Mikagazuba
玉も鏡も Tama mo Kagami mo
何かせむ Nanika semu
まなびの道も Manabi no michi mo
かくこそありけれ Kaku koso arikere
And a literal translation:
Without polishing, will the jewel or mirror be of use?
The path of learning is no different from that.
Anyhow, thank you “A-Joe” for the valuable translation help. It’s nice to know after 5 years what these poems actually mean. 
So, wherever you are, enjoy the weather and enjoy a bit of culture!
Hello, this blog is about my life as a father, Buddhist and Japanophile / Koreaphile. Any useful information I can pass along will hopefully make the 
玉 も鏡も磨かなければ何にもならない 勉強もそういうもの
I googled the Empress’s poem and found this ‘translation’ into more ordinary Japanese. It is a bit easier to understand. This could be: ‘A jewel or a mirror, if you don’t polish them, are nothing. Studying is the same.’ The meaning is pretty clear, but my very literal translation doesn’t have any of the ‘majesty’ of ‘their majesties” poems.
Thanks very much, John! It’s also quite possible I picked the wrong translation to match the poem. It was an educated guess, but still just a guess. :p
Literal translations:
Chihayafuru
Kami no oshie wo
Uketsugite
Hito no kokoro zo
Tadashikarikeru
Passing on the teachings of the gods
Corrects the minds of men.
Mikagazuba
Tama mo Kagami mo
Nanika semu
Manabi no michi mo
Kaku koso arikere
Without polishing, will the jewel or mirror be of use?
The path of learning is no different from that.
Ha ha ha, I was way off!
If you don’t mind I’ll update the blog accordingly to avoid further confusion (and give credit where due of course!). Thanks very much for the help. Much appreciated. I was surprised to see no English translations available for such a famous place so the efforts are certainly appreciated.