Archive for the ‘Japanese culture’ Category
I got a funny ninjutsu manual T-shirt at Uniqlo UT.
Cute ninja learning ninjutsu (how to be a ninja) on here.
My favorite tenugui (Japanese traditional cotton flat-towel) company Kamawanu designed some T-shirts for UT.
I always love their humorous rebus logo picture puzzle of “kama” (sickle) “wa” (ring) and “nu” (hiragana).
Black Thunder is a famous cheapy yummy chocolate bar with crashed biscuits and cocoa cookies.
Ordinary, you can get it at supermarkets. Children likes it, and grown-ups loves it too.
This reasonable chocolate bar hold unique campaign for Valentine’s Day.
Their copy was “One glance will be enough to make you know this is not from love but duty”.
You know Japanese girls gives chocolate not only for the guy who she loves, but her around for giri (duty) on Valentine’s Day.
Special vending machines appeared in Shinjuku underpass. First you needed to get QR code, then put it on the machine, you’d get special can for free!
Three Black Thunder bars were in it, and the special stickers crack me up… tiny black heart stickers says “GIRI” in big red letters.
Another paper was funny too, it was illustrated how-to use this can.
Black Thunder – Yuraku Seika (Japanese)
These beautiful tarts are not fresh, but dry.
These are durable and keep longer time, because of made for Valentine’s Day gift.
It’s very interesting these fruit tarts has crispy and gummy textures. As Japanese Valentine’s Day custom, all of tart shells are filled with chocolate!
GIOTTO – plaisir (Japanese)
Valentine’s Day in Japan – About.com
My friend gave me a couple of beans packs for ‘Setsubun’ with 2 kinds of small masks such as Oni (a devil) and Otafuku (women’s face).
‘Setsubun’ is the day before the beginning of Spring in Japan.
It is usually February 3rd. Bean throwing, called ‘mamemaki’, is done at home on the day of ‘Setsubun’.
One bean is ‘sukeroku-mame(beans)’ that is salty taste.
Some dried laver seaweeds are put around the beans.
Other bean is ‘goshiki(5 kinds of colors)-mame(beans)’that is sweet taste.
The beans are beautifully covered by colored sugars.
I am not going to throw them, but I am going to eat all of them.
Tenpyoan
goshiki mame (5 colored sugar beans) – Wikipedia (Japanese)
Setsubun – Wikipedia
I got a unique purse at “suikinchikamokudottenmeikai”(the shop name means all planets of the solar system!), it was made by traditional handcraft in Tokyo.
So many beautiful modern design purses at there, but I chose Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s famous ukiyoe cats one.
This was designed to be very flat shape, for put it into kimono’s obi to bring safely.
suikinchikamokudottenmeikai
Bunkoya Ozeki (Japanese)
(suikinchikamokudottenmeikai purses are collaborated with this artisan shop)
As lucky charms, I got a couple of tiny snake daruma – this years zodiac sign (from Chinese Zodiac).
They were made as self-righting daruma toy that is called Okiagari-koboshi. It means if when something goes tough, you can get up and beat it easily.
Not only that good meanings, I like their cute hat and ribbon.
Okiagari-koboshi - Wikipedia
Chinese Zodiac – Wikipedia
Happy New Year 2013!
I made maneki-neko and sea bream shaped financier (French gold butter cake) by lucky charm cakes silicon mold from MUJI.
Both of maneki-neko and sea bream are good-luck symbols in Japan.
May all 8tokyo readers’ New Year sparkle and shine!
Good Luck Charm cakes silicon mold – MUJI (Japanese)
Maneki-neko - Wikipedia
Tai: Japan’s King of Fish (meaning of Sea bream in Japan) – Kikkoman Corp.
I went to Doll Show 35. Not only Blythe dolls, but so many kind of unique dolls exists.
You could have a happy dolly time on that day – some photo booth for bringing-dolls, make your own Licca dolls, of course tons of handmade high quality outfits (or things for “living”).
I found my Etsy friend INOMI’s shop. So cute!
