Today is the "Hina Matsuri", literally Empress' Festival, in Japan. For the month of February, most, if not all, homes with a daughter put out these dolls on display steps in their homes. The top level holds the emperor and empress, next are the three court servants (women), third are the musicians, each with different instruments, the next level contains 2 government officials also responsible for the protection of the royal couple, the three on the next step are like porters to move all of the luggage on the the bottom step to and from place to place. :-O This display is often bought by the grandparents when a little girl is born, and usually costs around $2000, but can be up to $10,000 (according to a website I found).
Since the traditional set is expensive, and takes up a lot of space (they often use one whole room just for that purpose), many people nowadays are buying just the emperor and empress dolls, or a small 2-tiered set. There are all different kinds of these dolls, made from everything from shells or clay, to wood or paper, and during this time of year you can go to quite a few different shops, museums and houses to see these displays.
And here are two very important people in my life. . . Hikaru and Moe. Tonight I went over to their house for supper, and we celebrated with a cake their grandma had sent (by mail, amazing, eh? Sending gifts by mail is so popular here that they have special trucks with places to keep frozen, fridge and warm foods at the right temperature) I love spending time with these two, their litte brother, Wataru and parents. It's amazing to see how the kids have grown up since I first lived with their family 2 years ago. Tonight their mom, Chiharu, and I were upstairs putting the kids to bed and Moe asked if I could live there. . . How sweet!! :-)
Just a shot of the cake -- if you don't think Japanese people are detailed. . . This came "disassembled" and in a bag, and we had to put it together before the "candle-blowing" happened.So for all you girls out there -- take today to celebrate being a female! :-D
