Dolls Have Come Back on Display

Hina Matsuri or Doll Festival takes place on March 3 known as a "Girls' Day" in Japan.

Families pray for their daughters' happiness, prosperity, health and being beautiful forever.

The first "Girls' Day" for a girl is called her hatzu-zekku.

On the day, it is popular for the girl's granparents to buy her dolls.

The dolls in the picture were bought by my parents to celebrate Rina's hatzu-zekku.



Most families take out dolls around mid-February and put them into place immediately after Hina Matsuri is over.

There is a superstition that families slow to put the dolls away will have trouble of their daughters marrying.

Kiyono Says She Quits Ballet Recitals

As I love tennis, my wife Kiyono loves classic ballet.
But, she sometimes complains backaches these days.

To think about it, the complaints have started since intensive practices for her annual ballet recital last year.

After that, she calls the last year recital in December 2012 is her final one for her  ballet life.

I don't know it actually becomes the final or not.

Anyway, I upload pictures of her in ballet stage costume for memory.

My 54th Birthday

I had my 54th birthday on Feb 6th  last week.

My wife had asked her friend who ran her restaurant in the suburb of Utsunomiya city to make a birthday cake for me.

 It looked nice and was, with no doubt, super delicious.

We had a small birthday party on the day.

Looking back to last one year, it was sort of a peaceful year.

I had no home moving, no work-related changes, no separation or sickness among my family.

My younger daughter Rina has finished two college entrance exams so far and is going to have another two in February.


Rina will leave us within two months for her college in Tokyo.　...　sigh.

Setsubun Festival

Setsubun is a traditional Japanese festival held on February 3rd.

It literally means "the day between two seasons" in Japanese.

On Setsubun day, people open the doors of their houses and drive the demons out of their homes by throwing beans and shouting, "Demons out! Good luck in!"

At Futarasan shrine, next to my home, they had celebrations for Setsubun.

Shrine staff and invited guests threw sweets, candies, cookies, stuffed animals and even rolls of toilet papers.

Many people came to get the gifts tossed from above, enjoyed pushing and shoving to get the gifts.