Paper Crane Shower (折り鶴シャワー)

Do you know the story of the 1,000 origami cranes (千羽鶴)? It's a famous story in Japan about a girl named Sadako Sasaki (佐々木禎子), who tried to stave off her death from leukemia as a result of radiation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during the World War II by making 1,000 origami cranes. She folded 644 and died before she could reach her goal, but her classmates went on to fold the remaining 356 cranes in time for her funeral.

Her story of folding paper cranes has resonated around the world as a universal symbol of peace. Cranes also represent a gesture of caring and sympathy. In Japan, many elementary school students learn how to fold paper cranes in school, often before a trip to Hiroshima, and as a class fold 1,000 to bring with them.

I made 100 (but not 1,000) cranes for my friend last weekend. Not because she is hospitalized or anything like that but for her wedding! It's become more and more popular to use paper cranes as wedding decoration here in the states. But do you know about Paper Crane Shower (折り鶴シャワー)? In Japan, the crane is also a symbol of honor and loyalty, so it makes perfect symbol for a wedding. In the past 2 years, it's also become more and more popular for the newlywed in Japan to do Paper Crane Shower (折り鶴シャワー) instead of Flower Shower. I like this idea very much, You can ask your family and friends to make the cranes for you, or with you, it's a good chance to get your family and friends involved and bring them closer. It also save some money, and you can have the cranes in any color you want. M friends told me that little kids also had fun picking up the cranes after the wedding.

A thousand paper cranes is also traditionally given as a wedding gift by the folder, who is wishing a thousand years of happiness and prosperity upon the couple. It can also be gifted to a new baby for long life and good luck. Hanging a Senbazuru (千羽鶴) in one's home is thought to be a powerfully lucky and benevolent charm.

If you are going to have a wedding, maybe you should think about doing this Paper Crane Shower (折り鶴シャワー). You don't have to make 1,000 of them, 2 to 3 hundred will do!

Suitcase Stickers (スーツケースステッカー)

{images via thecheeky.com}

I don't think it's a good idea to use these stickers on your luggages if you are traveling by air, but I do appreciate the creativity! These cheeky stickers are designed to stick to anything, they will draw attention to your bag, making it easily identifiable and sure to make you some new friends. Just be ready for the full body-cavity search if you bring these to the airport!

Valentine’s Day is not for Japanese women!

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{image via http://blogs.japanesepod101.com}

Before I moved to US, I didn't know that Valentine's Day is also for women too.

In the US, Valentine's Day celebrations are generally geared towards couples, with a slight bias towards women when it comes to the marketing of chocolates, flowers and other gifts---a bias that is meant to have women encourage men to buy gifts for them. In Japan, things are a little different. The Japanese celebrate St. Valentine's day in a rather unique fashion---Women give men gifts of chocolate as well as other gifts. The chocolates and other Valentine's Day items are marketed towards women, but they're marketed for them to buy and give to men, rather than the other way around.

From mid January, grocery stores, department stores, and convenience stores start selling many different kinds of domestic and imported chocolate. More than half of the chocolate sold in a year is sold around Valentine's Day in Japan. Women buy chocolate for their co-workers, bosses, male friends, brothers, father, husband, boyfriends, and so on. These gifts of chocolate are divided into two types: giri-choco (義理チョコ, obligatory chocolate) and honmei-choco (本命チョコ, chocolate for the man the woman is serious about). Giri-choco (義理チョコ) is given by women to their superiors at work as well as to other male co-workers. Many men feel embarrassed if they don't receive any chocolate on Valentine's Day. Women usually make sure to give giri-choco to men around them so that they don't feel left out. That's why 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. The average price range for a giri-choco (義理チョコ) is from 200 yen to 500 yen each.

Women tend to give special gifts, such as neckties and clothes with an expensive box of honmei-choco (本命チョコ) to her special someone. Honmei-choco (本命チョコ) is more expensive than giri-choco and is sometimes homemade. It's considered lucky if a man could receive a honmei-choco (本命チョコ).

While all of this may seem quite one-sided, confectioners in Japan - never ones to miss an opportunity to sell more - took advantage of the Japanese feelings of obligation and created White Day in 1980 to help assuage the guilt feelings of those poor obligated males who received chocolate on Valentine's Day. On March 14th, exactly one month after Valentine's Day, men who were lucky enough to receive gifts of chocolate have the chance to return the favor by giving the women who gave them gifts of chocolate a more expensive box of chocolate or sweets (for some reason, these return gifts seem to be priced slightly higher than those the women purchase). The stores provide plenty of reminders of the approach of this day so that even the most forgetful man cannot say that it slipped his mind. The gifts of chocolate that men buy are in white boxes (after all, it is White Day) and come with separate shopping bags to put them in.

In recent years, many Japanese young women exchange chocolate gifts with their female friends. These chocolates are called tomo choko (友チョコ friend chocolate).

I am glad that I don't have to do this giri-choco (義理チョコ) thing any more. I wasn't good at it and didn't enjoy it at all. Especially I was working for a company with about 100 male co-workers! Imaging that! Of course I didn't buy Giri-choco (義理チョコ) for all of them. In fact, I ususally skipped that day....

Now I just need to get one honmei-choco (本命チョコ) for my lovely husband, and I enjoy it!

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

Ukiyo-e Éclair (浮世絵エクレア)

{images via Walker Plus}

Look what I found! Éclairs from Fauchon! My friend Naoko mentioned this to me couple months ago but I didn't have chance to google it until now, and here they are! Éclair, the longish cream puff with chocolate coating is quite common in Japan, could even be bought in most convenience stores. What made these Éclairs-Éclair La Vague- special is that this time, instead of chocolate, these puffs are adorned with Hokusai's Ukiyo-e "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" (葛飾北斎の「富嶽三十六景 神奈川沖浪裏」).

Unfortunately, this "Éclair la Vague" was this summer's specialty of Fauchon, available at Takashimayas in Nihonbashi, Shinjuku, Yokohama, and JR Nagoya Takashimaya at the price of 525 yen, for the limited time until September 1st. I am 2 months late.... According to Naoko, these were not only beautiful to the eyes, but also amazingly delicious.

I also found these images from Fauchon's (Paris) last year's event. For two days, Fauchon's windows were filled with total of 45 flavors of their creations from the past five years. It must be really fun to even just look at their windows!

Eco Shopping Bags (エコーショッピングバッグ)

{images via concierge-net.com}

Eco Shopping Bag is a big boom in Japan and Taiwan. Everybody has at least one since most of the supermarkets and stores don't provide plastic bags anymore. Of course they still prepare some, just in case you forgot your bag. But you have to pay for the plastic bags.

I just love these shopping bags, so many different designs, so much fun!

[shikisai] alternative T-shirts (Tシャツブランドーシキサイ〕)

Shikisai (シキサイ) is a alternative T-shirts brand established by the Japanese Duo-Designers Noto-Fusai (デザイナーデュオ能登夫妻). Fusai, a Japanese word, means husband and wife. This couple explores alternative possibilities of T-shirt design, through the use of black print on a white surface. The designs on these T-shirts are from the everyday things around us, like water coming out of a faucet, the loose shoe lace you tie and untie, the snap button on the umbrella you fasten and unfasten...etc, very much everyday life. What seems far from art, design or fashion. But once it is played on the stage of a "white t-shirt" starring "black print", it leaps to art, design and fashion. The scenario is not difficult at all, but by incorporating the interactivity, one can easily enjoy the designers' intent, excitement and sense of fun.

{images from Shikisai}

I specially like these two: the window blind, and the messenger bag. But I am not so sure whether it's a good idea for ladies to put on this window blind T-shirt. Well, I guess you are better off just keeping your blind closed or at least half way down, even when it's a very nice sunny day!