July the 7th is round the corner which means that Tanabata is upon us. This festival is one that celebrates Princess Shokujo and the shepherd boy Kinju becoming stars in heaven. Princess Shokujo was working on a project weaving cloth for her father. It was to make a coat. However during this time she fell hopelessly in love with Kinju. There decided to get married. Bliss. But unfortunately, caught in a fog of romance, Shokujo forgot about the project she was asked to manage – and her father was so cross.

The king decided that the marriage was off and they were sent to live at opposite ends of the Milky Way. However, one day a year they were allowed to meet each other.

Tanabata means ‘weaving loom’ and in Japan during Tanabata the streets are decorated with lovely banners which represent the stars of the Milky Way. Bamboo branches decorated with paper dolls and prayer strips are placed in the front of houses and when the holiday ends the decorations are floated away on the river.

We are about to embark on a Tanabata project of our own – we are going to make tissue paper balls and hang them from our tree outside with wishes written on them.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

How popular are rap songs in teaching Japanese to middle years students I wonder? I have found a rap song for teaching dates. Would this method appeal to kids ?

Take a look at this youtube working with Queen.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

This great cartoon is from this site. It looks like you can use the work if it is not for commercial purposes – which is great for home lessons with the kids.

There are so many great worksheets and tasks to create on the web these days….. I really like this site for worksheets for class too. Has anyone else used this site?

And this puzzle site for making games and quizzes is really helpful too.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

There is a new cultural trend in Tokyo – cat cafes.

(click on photo for flickr account details of brilliant photographer)

Customers pay to sip tea and cuddle cats. Supposedly, there are cat cafes popping up all over the city. I must go and check one out and report back to my blog.

The logic behind these feline cafes is that you can get to enjoy cats and not have to have the worry of leaving them in cramped apartments while you are out at work. Take a look at this youtube piece.

Do you like cats enough to enjoy tea time together?
Very interesting and enterprising all the same!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

This item from Amazon Japan looks like the best way to teach Japan tradition in the classroom.

And it is probably the answer to my question when researching the Girls Day dolls for a gift also.

This soft fabric hanging for the wall will also allow kids to handle the pieces and enjoy. All the dolls look like they are velcro taped on and the colours and materials look just right for the occasion. It looks perfect for show and tell at school and this way none of the dolls will get broken.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I am researching the price of hinasama dolls. It is years since I bought a set of hina sama dolls and I am trying to find a red carpet set of dolls for Girls Day for less than 1000 dollars. I don’t think my budget is going to meet my expectations.

This photo of a set of dolls is around 2,000 dollars worth.

Can anyone tell me if there is an online site that sells them a little cheaper? I want to purchase a set to give to nieces and anymore than that price is too expensive to contemplate…. even the 1,000 dollar budget is stretching it but they are a wonderful traditional and cultural item.

Do you have hina matsuri dolls?

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Next Wednesday is Girls Day and we are thinking about what foods to prepare already.

A popular sweet is sakuramochi – of course it is my favourite!! So it will be on the menu for Girls Day. It is a great sweet for those that like sweetened azuki bean paste and cherry leaves. The sakuramochi has a lovely smell to it.

Another popular treat is hishimochi which is coloured and layered steamed rice.

This is a picture of Hello Kitty sitting on hishimochi.

The custom of the doll festival began in the Heian period. Supposedly the dolls had the power of bad spirits and the idea was to float the dolls in the stream to take away the bad spirits.

In Kyoto, each year this tradition is still celebrated and people pray for the safety of children.
This link takes you to a great colouring in worksheet of the type of woven baskets that dolls were placed in.

We will be celebrating with food!!

Another food that is often eaten to celebrate the Girls Day is chirashizushi which is sushi rice with sugar, vinegar and raw seafood….. very nice! This is probably another dish that will be on our menu!

Girls Day – good celebration – what will you be planning?

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Yokohama is a wonderful place to visit for a holiday with the family. It is a major port city today but until the mid-1800′s was a small fishing village. It is hard to believe that only a 150 years ago this bustling cosmopolitan city was just a sleepy town. When Yokohama opened to foreign trade in 1859, silk was a key commodity that was traded. Great Britain in particular was very interested in Japanese silk and as a result became a major trading partner.

It was through Yokohama that Western influences reached Japan at that time. And many of these influences meant radical changes. The Japanese were introduced to daily newspapers, gas-powered street lamps and railway technology. With these kinds of new ideas, Yokohama became quite a Western-oriented Japanese city. Many of these Western ideas are still visible in the historical architecture of Yokohama today.

The red brick building in the photo is the Aka Renga or the Red Brick Museum. This is now a shopping complex that also holds events and banquets but originally was built to service Japan’s export industry.

It is unusual to see red brick architecture in Japan. However two other notable structures built in red brick are Tokyo Station and the former Hokkaido government office building in Sapporo. The significance of this type of construction is evidence of European influences on Japan during the first few decades of opening to the West.

Tokyo station is currently being redeveloped of course. And the project is due for completion in 2013.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I love the feel of a bygone era and the British House in Yokohama certainly has that atmosphere.

Designed by a British engineer in Shanghai, it was completed in 1937 for the British Consul General but soon after was seen as surplus to needs and the British moved out due to the start of the war.

The house is set on a hill overlooking Yokohama Bay. The views are wonderful.

The tradition of placing a stone in the wall with King George’s initials are part of this feeling of a bygone era. So much has happened in the world since that original stone was set.

The letter box with the white roses on is quaint.

An old bell system is another reminder of a time gone by. This system is situated in the kitchen.

The views out of an inside window are lovely.

The master suite is very British. The architraves, carpets, high ceilings and general smell of the room is a British one! Lovely.

Another view of the master suite.

This room must have been where many a serious meeting took place. And given the times, you can only imagine what types of issues must have been on the agenda.

This is a replica of the house from the back.

Taking the kids through this type of historical journey was marvellous. They got into the spirit with reflectiveness – then after a long day of feeling pensive – let off steam!!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

These are our favourite cakes! Have you tried one before?

Rather sweet but very delicious!!

The kids often leave the chestnut in the middle but for me that is the best bit!!

The Mont Blanc cake is usually made with a sponge cake base and covered with whipped cream and then piped with pureed chestnuts. My kids think this bit looks like soba – noodles.

Mont Blanc cakes are really popular in Japan. They are also quite big as far as cakes go and I am always full after I have eaten one. The kids however can often eat two in one go!!!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.