White Day

                                      Japanenese "Valentines day"  known as White day ^ ^
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In Japan, We celebrate "White day" it starts on march 14, one month from the normal valentines you have in American.Women give the men gifts of chocolate as well as other gifts.These gifts of chocolate are divided into two types: giri choco (obligatory chocolate) and honmei choco (chocolate for the man the woman is serious about). Giri choco is given by women to their superiors at work as well as to other male co-workers. It is not unusual for a woman to buy 20 to 30 boxes of this type of chocolate for distribution around the office as well as to men that she has regular contact with.


Needless to say, the approach of Valentine's Day is something that department stores and shops look forward to and promote with zeal because of its potential for increased sales. Large displays featuring chocolate usually with heart-shaped displays start to grace the floors of department stores from mid-January or so.

A woman will normally purchase boxes of giri choco in the several hundred yen range and may purchase an expensive box of honmei choco and another gift such as a necktie for her "special someone".(LOL) The gifts of chocolate that men buy are in white boxes( lol after all it is "White Day)

          HappyValentine's Day/White Day ^ ^

Traditional Japanese Housing

                               This is what a traditional Japanese house looks like the
                          the architecture is very simple and roomy, yet still very comforatable
                          and attractive. Here is is a list of what you might see in a simple

                          Japanese home.

                                                    This would be the dining room

                          http://www.busyboo.com/2008/01/10/japanese-architecture-interior-design/

                                                   
                                          

This is an example of a traditional Japanese living room , along with a glimpse of a Japanese zen garden.

Here is image of a Japanese prayer room, this one is a little more modern than a traditional alter, but it is the only image I could find ^w^

Here is an example of a Japanese zen garden

Here is a traditional Japanese bedroom, and an example of tatami mats, which are used as traditional Japanese flooring.

                                      

Japanese Kotatsu tables are a type of traditional Japanese furniture, likw most peices in a Japanese house the are short and close to the ground.

               These are traditional Japanese table pillows, they come in many colors, shapes, sizes, and designs. 

Here is an example of a Japanese bed.

Blinds are used to seperate and add beauty to rooms, they come in many designs.

                                                          Thank you for reading this post.

What is Kawaii?

               Kawii is the Japanese version  of adorable although seeing a really cute dog wouldn't make it kawaii, things that are kawaii are usually either an adorable character such as an apple with a suprised face or a chibi animal /person. Kawaii is more of a Japanese art stle than anything else, it is also part of a Japanese sub culture.

Kawaii is becoming very popular in the U.S.A

                                                    Here is a kawaii style illustration.

                                                           
                                               This panda hat would be considered kawaii.

In this picture Naruto is kawaii.

Kawaii is also a way to describe cute clothes.

http://eviesims.blogspot.com/2011/01/real-life-clothing-ideas.html

Even this outfit is kawaii.

Future posts - Japanese holidays, Japanese wild life, City life in Japan, Manga and Anime, Japanese fishmarkets, Modern technology, Interesting places, Japanese snacks, Japanese school life, International festivals, Sakura Festival Nashville TN U.S.A, Bentos, Games, Tourist attractions, Male and female Japanese names, and a lot more ^w^

Traditional Japanese clothing for women

Although Japan is becoming more urban overtime

a lot of women still prefer to dress in traditional Japanese

clothing.

                                            Here is a video on how to put on and tie a kimono

you may have to turn off my music on the bottom of the page.

(Note: The narrator is slightly annoying)

Kimonos can be made of many different fabrics including

Silk and Cotton. Kimonos also come in many different colors

and designs.

Here is website with many beautiful kimonos, these designs are a little

more modern.

http://redhotbrides.com/blog/index.php/2008/08/25/culture-shock

This is a Kinchaku a type of Japanese purse or a money pouch.

                                                       

                                                       Clip pouches are also common

                                A Kinchaku usually comes with  a  matching tissue holder.
                                                   

                              http://melissagoodsell.typepad.com/day_to_day/2007/09/disco-diva.html

                                                     A matching seashell bell  I love this one.

Some women still carry fans like this one

http://www.weddingaccents.com/accessories/eb-2013-japanese-theme-wedding-favors.htm

                                                  This is a pair of traditional Japanese shoes

                                                           Here are some hair pieces

                                           http://www1.odn.ne.jp/maya/english/enknshop.htm

                   
         Here is a traditional Japanese umbrella, women use these to protet themselves from the sun.

                      Here is is a beautiful young woman with  a traditional Japanese bun.

                                   http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/82547772/Digital-Vision

                                               Here is traditional Japanese geisha style makeup.

                            http://thegloss.com/beauty/japanese-geisha-maiko-makeup-tools/

                                Here is another Japanese clothing style is quickly becoming more  popular,  it is known  a  lolita, Japanese lolita is very modest and girly girl, it is a popular dress style for the younger generation. It is also a very un-usual and unique style.
                       

 

                                           http://sweetlolitaonline.com/tag/japanese-lolita-fashion/

Sakura Bear (This is one of my simpler posts)

This is the Sakura Bear beanie baby
it is exclusive to Japan and rare in the U.S.A
the tag is written in Japanese.I have one sitting
on my nightstand ^w^

                                                          You can buy it here ^w^

http://www.amazon.com/TY-Beanie-Baby-Release-Exclusive/dp/B000UK3DUE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1297363162&sr=8-5

Japanese Kit Kats

Japan has many different types of
Kit Kats compared to the U.S.A's main 3 here
is a list of flavors in alphabetical order.

1. Aloe Vera
2. Aloe yogurt
3. Apple
4. Apple Vinegar
5. Azuki Bean
6. Bannana
7. Beet
8. Bitter Almond
9. Black Tea
10. Blueberry
11. Blueberry
12. Blueberry Cheesecake
13. Bubblegum
14. Brown sugar Kinako
15. Cacao 61%
16. Cacao 72%
17. Café Latte with Hokkaidō Milk
18. Calpis
19. Cantaloupe
20. Cappuccino
21. Caramel
22. Caramel and salt
23. Caramel Macciato
24. Caramel Cream
25. Carb Alternatives
26. Cheese
27. Chocolate Bannana
28. Cola and lemon Squash
39. Citrus Pepper
30. Cookies and Chocolate
31. Cookies and Milk
32. Cookies Plus
34. Creamy Apple
35. Cucumber
36. Custard Pudding
37. Dark Chocolate with Cookies for adults
38. DaigaKuimo
39. European Cheese
40. Exotic Kansai
41. Framboise
42. Fruit Parfait
43. Ginger Ale
44. Green grape Muscat
45. Gold
46. Golden Peach
47. Hazlenut
48. Hascapp
49. Houjicha
50. Iced Tea
51. Itoen Juu-jitsu Yasi
52. Jasmine Tea
53. Jyagaimo
54. Kobe Pudding
55. Kinako
56. Kinako Ohagi
57. Kiwifruit
58. Kokuto
59. Lemon Chocolate
60. Lemon Vinegar
61. Lite
62. Mango
63. Mango Pudding
64. Maple
65. Matcha
66. Melon
67. Mild Bitter
68. Milk Coffee
69. Mixed Juice
70. Orange
71. Original Kit Kat
72. Passion Fruit
73. Pepper
74. Pickled Plum
75. Pineapple
76. Pumpkin
77. Ramune
78. Raspberry and Passion Fruit
79. Relaxation Cacao
80. Rose
81. Royal milk Tea
82. Sakura
83. Sakura Macha
84. Semisweet
85. Sour Orange
86. Soy Sauce
87. Sports Drink
88. Sparkling Strawberry
89. Strawberry
90. Strawberry and Cranberry
91. Strawberry and Milk
92. Strawberry Cheesecake
93. Tiramisu
94. Tiramisu Macha
95. Triple Berry
96. Ume Soda
97. Vanilla Bean
98. Wa Guri
99. Wasabi
100. Watermelon and Salt
101. White
102. White Peach
103. Wine
104. Yakimorokoshi
105. Yuzu
106. Zunda

Here is link to their website
http://www.kitkat.com/kitkat_worldwide

Mochi Icecream ( For my first post I want to talk about Mochi)

                 Mochi Icecream has a dough like outer shell and an icecream filling that can
           come in many different flavors, shapes, and colors. Mochi was first made in Japan
           by the Lotte company in 1981 , Yukimi Daifuku is another name for mochi., but usually
           has chocolate filling and a strawberry inside.
                                

                                         
                                             http://geekgirl.me/lifestyle/pastel-colored-mochi/ 
                                                                                             

                               
                                           
                                  http://www.shareyourtable.com/features/2009/two_ladies_mochi                                   　
                            Mochi Recipe
What to buy: Red bean ice cream is a milky dessert flavored with adzuki beans, and can be found in most Japanese markets or specialty food stores. Or you can make your own.
Instead of using a tablespoon to fill our mochi, we used a 1/2-ounce ice cream scoop.
Game plan: For optimum mochi texture, let the ice cream balls sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
This recipe was featured as part of our New Year’s, Japanese Style story.
INGREDIENTS
30 (3-inch) Basic Sweet Mochi
1 pint Red Bean Ice CreamINSTRUCTIONS
1. Place a baking sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper in the freezer for 15 minutes, and the mochi in the freezer for about 10 minutes, to chill before forming mochi ice cream.

2. Remove 1 sweet mochi circle from the freezer and place 1 tablespoon of the ice cream in the center. Pinch mochi over ice cream to close and immediately place on the baking sheet in the freezer. Repeat with remaining mochi and ice cream.

3. When finished filling all mochi, cover the baking sheet and allow ice cream to firm at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours before serving. Once ice cream is frozen, you can transfer filled mochi to a resealable plastic bag or a plastic container and store in the freezer up to 2 weeks.                   http://www.chow.com/recipes/11206-mochi-ice-cream
　

                                             Go here to see more about Mochi Ice Cream  
                                              http://mochiicecream.com/