When I was younger, I believed in “laughing it off and getting by in life,” but maybe it’s because as I’ve gotten older I’ve realised how important it is to think about how you feel.
Therefore, for the past five years or so, I have chosen to decorate my entrance with a “笑門：Shomon” signboard as a New Year’s decoration. Furthermore, I have been told since I was a child that “New Year’s decorations should not match the seven herbs of the New Year,” so I take down the entrance decorations before the seven herbs of the New Year. It would be a waste to use them as they are for the “Tondoyaki” festival at the local “Torigoe Shrine,” so I keep them on display above the entrance to the store’s office until the end of the year!
So now, “Laughter brings good fortune” is my favorite motto.
By the way, when I had 「Gemini」 translate “笑門来福：Shomon Raifuku” into English, the following came out.
Common expressions
- Fortune comes to a laughing gate. (幸運は笑いの門にやってくる)
- A smiling face is a sign of happiness to come. (笑顔は幸せの兆し)
Other expressions
- Fortune comes in by a merry gate. (幸せは陽気な門から入る)
- Fortune comes to a merry home. (幸せは楽しい家庭に訪れる)
- Laugh and grow fat. (笑う門には福来たる)
I found the following example sentence to be one of my favorites!
I believe in “Fortune comes to a laughing gate.” That’s why I always try to smile.
(私は「笑う門には福来たる」を信じています。だからいつも笑顔でいようとするんです。)
