SAKURA

"Sakura" means cherry blossoms in Japanese.

We love sakura very much.
In spring, we can get a lot of things which is made from sakura.

Sakura tea, sakura ice cream, sakura chocolate, sakura rice, sakura sweets,
sakura potato chips, sakura jelly, sakura wine, sakura jam....and more.

I wanna introduce some of them.

Sakura ice cream

Sakura jam

Sakura KitKat

Sakura tea

Sakura bread

Sakura cake

Do you wanna try them?

The Doll's Festival

I'm sure that this post will be the most difficult one that ever I wrote.

We have The Doll's Festival for little girls on March 3rd in Japan.

The family who has a little girl decorates these dolls to hope she will grow up well.

We call this all dolls "Hina ningyo".

The festival originated more than 1,000 years ago.

A long time ago, Japanese people purify to use a doll on March 3rd.

In their purification, they leave to have their sin to the doll,

and they rub the doll against their skin, they blow their breath to the doll.

After all, they float the doll in a river.

(The doll is different from Hina ningyo.)

There were two kinds of dolls in Japan.

The first one was used to purify.

The second one was used to play dolls.

Hina ningyo came when the first one and the second one were mixed.

A long time a go, it was very difficult that all kids grew up well.

There were a lot of very bad illness.

So all familys used the Hina ningyo as a wish.

But it looked different from Hina ningyo we can buy today.

In the Edo era, its appearance was changed.

The dolls looked like the people who lived in the court lived in Heian era.

I got a package from America!

I got a mail from my friend Damien and his little sister Kiz.

I was soooooo excited to open it.

Damien knows I like a toy. So he sent me two dolls of PUFFY.

They are really cool! Thanks, Damien :)

And I got A LOT OF American candy!!
I have never seen candy like that!
American candy look like toys :) They look very fun and cute.

And I got a special necklace and a letter from Kiz.
I didn't know she knows me but it was really really really good surprise.
The necklace was made by Kiz and I LOVE IT!!
She sells necklaces and something eles.
Can you believe that she is only 14 years old?
She is a little bussiness woman :) Cute!

I sent a mail for Damien before.
But it was for Damien, not for Kiz.
(Because I didn't know her when I sent it.)
I decided to send a mail for her as "THANK YOU".
I bought a lot of Japanese candy, and......secret :D

I hope she likes them :)

Valentine's Day with Maki

Anna took this video on Valentine's Day.
And Brian edit it for me :)