Happy Girl's Day!

Happy Girl's Day!  Okay, you caught me.  I'm a day late but I still wanted to get a mini post in.  This year we went to the Japanese market just before Girl's Day which meant there were a lot of special treats just for the occasion.  After drooling over all the food and pretty packaging, I settled on this bag of chocolates. 

Inside the bag were these cute little Japanese emperors and empresses candies.  They're almost too cute to eat. 

If you're wondering what Girl's Day is all about, I've written a post here.

2013 Cherry Blossom Festival

Ever have one of those days (or months) where you just need a change of scenery?  That's how I was feeling last weekend so we ventured out to San Fransisco for the Annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Japantown.   I didn't take a lot of photos due to the crowds.  Plus I wanted to actually enjoy the event, not just document it.  However, I did make an effort to take photos of things I've never shared before in past Cherry Blossom posts. 

This year there was a Japanese sword exhibit.  At the exhibit this sword diagram caught my eye.

Also in the exhibit were quite a few Tsubas (the guard part of the sword).  I had never seen one separated from a sword before.  I was impressed with how unique and detailed the tsubas were on their own.  They looked like mini pieces of art.

While shopping in Japantown, we saw the new arcade Playland Japan for the first time.  All the games in the arcade were new to me (not that I keep up on arcade games).  Pictured above is a Pikachu game.  I wasn't able to get a picture but the front of this machine looks just like a giant Pikachu.

I call this one the kawaii claw.  Have you ever seen a claw machine so neatly set up?  If any of the toys got knocked over after someone played the game, an attendant came and straightened them up.

In the back of the arcade I spotted this taiko drum game.  We didn't get to try it out but it looked like a lot of fun.

Last, I give you the The Bishi Bashi.  I looked this up and apparently you compete with others in a bunch of mini games.  I'm not sure what the mini games consist of. 

The festival offers so much more than what I shared here.  There's plenty of  good food, shows, crafts, and even a parade.  To find out more, visit the official Cherry Blossom festival page here.  The event runs for one more weekend (April 20 -21) so there's still time to check it out.

Carp Kite Drawing Song for Boy's Day

Learn how to draw a carp kite with this cute Ekaki Uta (Drawing Song).  It's another easy but fun way to celebrate the Japanese holiday Boy's Day (May 5th).  Don't worry that it's not in English, you or your children will still be able to follow the directions.  My children really like these videos.  In fact, when I was composing this post, I found my son behind me hoping I was going to play the video.  Along with the carp kite, there are lots of other drawing song videos to choose from.  The ninja is our personal favorite.  What's yours?

Girl's Day Party

Last week I mentioned I would be hosting a small party for Girl's Day. I thought some of you might enjoy seeing some of the pictures from the get together.

I tried to keep it simple and not go overboard with the decorations and food. The only thing I purchased for the decorations was this paper lantern from Daiso for $1.50. I painted it with water colors and added some steamers to hang from the bottom of it. We also had some dolls out that we display every year for the holiday.

For snacks I served monju which is mochi wrapped around red bean paste (top photo). The bottom picture is hina arare which is made only for the holiday (tastes like sweet cereal). I also served senbei (rice crackers), oranges and green tea. The girls were good about trying everything. They liked the hina arare and oranges the most.

Remember when I stood in the hot sun for a couple rolls of stickers (aka my second worst idea ever)? Well, it finally paid off. The Japan themed stickers were perfect for the party favors. I also gave out Japanese erasers and a pair of chopsticks that are heart shaped on top.

For the favor bags, I used some leftover bags I had used for a bridal shower. To make them a little more festive, I used mizuhiki cord to close the bags.

I also had the girls make a paper kimono. I forgot to take pictures of it (sorry). Not all parties go according to plan but this one ended up just about perfect. All the girls were well behaved, they enjoyed the food, had fun making the craft. I know this may sound weird, but it brought me such joy to see all of them having a good time. I know I'm fortunate in that I have the time and resources to throw parties like this.

This party cost no more than $20 to put on. I only share this because it's a good reminder that one can put together a special day without spending a lot. I tried to use items I had in my house before I went out and purchased anything.

Okay, I promise this is the last Girl's Day post of the year. Craft coming soon , if all goes well.

Happy Girl's Day!

Photo via Seesaa Blog

I was searching the net for Girl's Day ideas when I stumbled across this gem, a Lego Girl's Day display! It has to be one of the cutest Girl's Day displays I've seen. For those not familiar with Girl's Day displays, you can find a picture of what they traditionally look like, here.

Girl's Day is a Japanese holiday also known as Hina Matsuri (doll festival) held on March 3rd. It's a day for families to celebrate their daughters. Want to celebrate the holiday too? Here's a round-up of crafts and recipes to help you get started.

Flower Candy & Printable Gift Tags - La Fuji Mama

Paper craft Hina Doll Display - Canon

Kid craft Origami Empress - Origami n' Stuff

Sakura Mochi - Tasty Kitchen

Hina Doll Set - Zakka Life

Craft Project: Miniature Boy's Day Kites

Happy Boy's Day everyone! In honor of the Japanese holiday I decided to make some miniature boy's day kites to hang from a pencil. They're super simple to make and require just a few materials.

Supplies:
Fish template
Pencil
Scissors
Thread
One Brass Tack
Double stick tape or glue

Right click, copy, save, and print out fish on basic white printer paper. Fishes should be about one and half inches in length. Cut out fishes.

Place double stick tape (or glue) on the back of each fish. Place string on top of tape. Place matching fish on top of string.

Place thumb tack half way into the pencil eraser. Tie all fishes to the tack. Trim loose ends.

Push tack all the way down. You now have a miniature Boy's Day Fish Kite on a pole (pencil).

Anyone else celebrating Boy's Day?

Cherry Blossom Festival

Over the weekend I attended the Cheery Blossom Festival in San Fransisco. Here are few pictures I took from the event.

The most popular food booth was the takoyaki balls (fried octopus). It's a combination of octopus, batter, and seasonings. I know it sounds strange but you're going to have to trust me on this one, it's the best.

Okinawa Soba

For dessert we had azuki bean filled pancakes. I admit, this is an acquired taste but I've grown to love them. They're best fresh off the griddle.

From my understanding this is a Zen Buddhist Priest playing the Shakuhachi for meditation and alms. That's all I know about this.

Women performing a bamboo mat dance. Here's a video on YouTube that shows what they were doing.

I took this picture of the back of the kimono's to show the obi. Often you see the kimono from the front and never get to see the beautiful obi (sash).

Every year at the festival there's a room dedicated to Japanese crafts. The day I was there they were demonstrating Japanese embroidery. I like how the embroidery frame is set between two tables so the artists' hands can be free. It seems like it would be easier to use compared to the hand held hoop.

Japanese Embroidery

"Mom, don't look but I think Hello Kitty is standing beside me!"

Yes, even Hello Kitty was at the event, it was that popular.

Japanese Holiday: Boy's Day

This Tuesday, May 5th will be Boy's Day (Tango no Sekku). I got all the decorations out for this special day to display in our house. We will be hanging the koi fish (pictured above) outside our house. The carp is a popular symbol of the celebration which represents courage, strength, and perseverance. I will also have on display a small Japanese sword, bow and arrows. They were my husband's as a child and have been passed down to my son. We also celebrate the day by getting my son small gifts.

We purchased this koi fish in Japan town. It's a little unusual in that it's handmade. I think that's why I liked it so much. Most of the koi fishes I see here in the states are commercially made. Often they are made out of nylon and the image is printed on the fish.

Japanese sword, bow & arrows

Close up of ornamentation on the bow & arrows

Fun things to make for Boy's Day

Canon - Paper Samurai Helmet

Canon - Paper Carp Streamer

Activity Village - Color and assemble Carp Kite

Yamaha Motor - Kabuto-Kazari

Japanese Summer Festival

balloon yo-yos floating in water

Every year the East Bay Japanese Language School holds a fair at our church (Japanese Christian Church). I always find myself inspired by the games, decorations, and food. Hope it will inspire you too!

Ikayaki - Grilled Squid
I consider myself fortunate I was able to get a picture of this. My husband and children were grumbling that they had to wait 30 seconds before eating.

Fish shaped cones filled with popcorn. Cute idea for a party?

Does it look like a fish now?


Water bottle wind chimes.

Wouldn't this make a fun kid's craft? There's a small bell hanging in the inside of the water bottle. Hanging below is an origami fish with two ribbons. I was told that this year they tried to incorporate recycled items as much as possible for the prizes and the games.

close up of the water bottle wind chime


The children from the school performed a short dance dressed as sumo wrestlers. I thought their outfits might make fun Halloween Costumes. The Sumo outfit was basically a one piece jumper with an inner tube inside it. A strip of black fabric was used for the mawashi (belt) which also held the inner tube in place .