Boy's Day Decorations at TOYS "R" US

May 5th will be Children's Day or Boy's Day. From the middle of March, there were decorations and treats in the stores. TOYS "R" US sells decorations, too. Here are some helmets that are displayed for the special day. Check last year's post to see Little Brother's decorations. He uses Papa's old set of armor. Check the posts for April last year to see other Boy's Day things.

It was raining today so there are no pictures of the outdoor nature of Tokyo.

Can you figure out the price of these in your country's currency? Do you know where to look for the current exchange rate?

Kids Web Japan-- Children's Day

Big Sister's Dolls

This is the set of dolls that Baba and Jiji bought for Big Sister before her first hina matsuri. We don't set out its lacquer platform and the silk screen because they are too big for this space. Her set has two ume trees.

Kids Web Japan-- hina matsuri

Kids Web Japan--manga, The Missing Doll

Details of An Emperor

This strap is to lift the doll without touching its silk robes. Actually white gloves are worn when handling them.

Details of An Empress

Layers of silk robes.

Even the back of her fan is decorated.

Hina Matsuri Dolls at TOYS "R" US (more pictures added,03-03)

Tomorrow, March 3, is hina matsuri. Since the middle of February, department stores have been selling sets of dolls. Even the TOYS "R" US in Fuchu had them. (There is another one in Machida.)

The set on the right is a full set of dolls. On the top shelves to the left, there are sets with just the Emperor and Empress. The one on the top shelf is quite small.

A set of dolls is bought after a baby girl is born. She has to be at least three months old before it is bought. Many years ago when Jiji and Baba bought Big Sister's dolls, the clerk at the shop told us "small apartment-size" sets were being introduced. A set of dolls takes up a lot of space, but the storage boxes take up even more closet space! So, smaller sets have become available.

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Here is a three-tier set. Ume and citrus trees are part of the set, but those are sakura blossoms on the paper above the set. This set includes ladies of the court and decorative mochi. On the lower tier are trees, guardsand utensils for the tea ceremony. Click to enlarge.

Over the years, sets of just the Emperor and the Empress have become more common.
Here is a two-tier set.

Here is just one tier.

Sometimes one doll like this one is given by grandparents or aunts and uncles when they visit on hina matsuri.

Note the prices. Can you figure how much these dolls cost in your country's currency? The prices at this store are low. Some sets cost much much more at department stores and specialty shops.


Kids Web Japan--hina matsuri

Decorative Mochi

This New Year's decoration was for sale at a department store. It is quite elaborate. Today is the day to put it away.

This mochi is used as part of the decoration. It is sold at grocery stores before and during the holidays. This one is the size of Little Brother's palm. (He's ten years old.) Today is the day to eat the mochi.

Kids Web Japan--kagamimochi

Year of the Boar 2007

It is the Year of the Boar, Inoshishi. Most of the decorations and cards use pictures of the boar. Very few use a picture of a pig. Here are two examples of decorations for the Year of the Boar. The one above with a screen looks very traditional. Click on the picture above to see the detail.

I especially liked this one. It was rather large, cheap and made out of terracotta.

And this was on the cards Little Brother sent to his friends. Cute inoshishi.

Some of these cute little animals came down through the streets of Yawatahama in Ehime Prefecture on January 1st. The first day of the Year of the Boar!! They charged and injured 7 people in the course of only 15 minutes! I hope they have a better second day of the new year! Lucky dreams...of Mt. Fuji, hawks and eggplant.

New Year's Decoration Kadomatsu

This is a common New Year's decoration. These were outside a karaoke center.

Click here to see photos of some American kids in Hawaii making one. More information about the symbolism is given, too. The link also mentions mochi. I'll post more about that later.

Kids Web Japan--New Year's

Holiday Flower Arrangements

These flower arrangements were outside a small flower shop in a grocery store. Bamboo was used as the vases.

More decorations.

Flower Shop

This decoration is sold at other stores, too. I have seen wreaths made out of this. This rope is also draped across an entrance with white folded paper hanging from it.

Pine branches are added to flower arrangements and bouquets at New Year's.

The owners put these up as their decorations for the shop. They put rice with their pine branch at their entrance. This is a JFTD flower shop. They make FTD deliveries.

More New Year's Decorations

Pine branches are put on both sides of the gate or entrance. Aunt put these at our front gate.

This is a close-up of one of the branches.

This is one of our neighbors' gates.

This is their front door decoration.

Decorations at the Grocery Store

This is a common decoration used in stores.

This citrus fruit is used for a decoration.

A display of decorations at the grocery store.

Department Store Christmas Tree Wishes

This is the Christmas tree at our neighborhood Seiyu Department Store. Seiyu is a big chain of stores. Our store is small.

Tokyu Department Store had a Christmas tree. Customers wrote wishes on paper decorations and put them on these trees. It is sort of like the tanabata decoration on July 7th. Click on the "decorations" label below to see pictures of that.

Entering the Shrine

This is the path to the shrine. The tall concrete structure is a tori. It is decorated for shichi-go-san. There are stalls of food along the way. The two women in the middle of the picture are wearing kimono with its traditional jacket.



There are lanterns overhead. The names of sponsors are on the lanterns.



This little girl was walking toward me. She is in the picture above. Her mother said I could take her picture. She is three years old. You can tell by her size but also by her kimono. She's wearing a vest instead of an obi, sash.

Here is another three-year-old girl wearing a kimono.



This is the back of the lanterns.

Kids Web Japan-- shichi-go-san

Kids Web Japan--kimono