Happy Girls’ Day!

On March 3rd families in Japan celebrate Hinamatsuri, the Japanese Doll Festival commonly referred to as 'Girls’ Day'.

Girls’ Day is a day for families to celebrate girls and wish them health and happiness. Families place fancy "hina" dolls on platforms covered in red carpet in their homes to celebrate this special day. These dolls represent the imperial court of the Heian period, including the Emperor, Empress, and other court members.

There is a tradition that says if the dolls are not put away immediately after Girls’ Day, then the girl who lives in the house won’t get married or will get married really late. Yikes!

I was lucky because my Japanese teacher prepared a few popular Hinamatsuri dishes for me on the Tuesday night before Girls' Day. She made "chirashizushi," which is basically a colorful sushi plate, including mushrooms, finely shredded omelet, shrimp, green vegetables, etc. I also tried "sakuramochi," which means "cherry blossom rice cake." The rice cake part was pale pink pale and it was filled with azuki bean paste, and covered in a salty leaf. Both were beautiful and delicious!

However, I have to admit that I was actually a little disappointed on Girls’ Day. I had been looking forward to eating Baskin Robbins' "Hinamatsuri special" with one of my friends that evening. Pictures of the special sundae that I had seen showed multiple scoops of ice cream topped with two doll-like candy figures of a boy and girl surrounded by candy flowers. When we got to Baskin Robbins on March 3rd, I was shocked and sad to discover that they were sold out.  Perhaps the girls who work there were afraid to keep the dolls out too late...and I don’t blame them.

http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/events/2010/02/11/hina-matsuri-japanese-dolls-from-the-tsuji-family/

Forget Trick-or-Treating, I'd Rather be at Baskin Robbins . . .

Most of the people I talk to here tell me that Japanese people don't celebrate Halloween-no costumes, haunted houses, or trick-or-treating.  However, my experience today made me think otherwise.  One of my students invited me to go to Baskin Robbins with her (commonly referred to as  "31" in Japan) to get the Halloween special. 

I knew I was in for a treat when I walked into Baskin Robbins and felt like I was in an American Halloween store.  The workers wore pumpkin hats and the entire store was decked out in Halloween stuff.  Banners with ghosts and pumpkins on them hung from the ceiling and there was even a stuffed pumpkin dressed like a witch near the entrance (hmm).  And of course there were special Halloween ice cream flavors.  I forget the names of the flavors I chose, but one had POP ROCKS  in it and one was filled with mini peanut butter cups. 

After I paid for my ice cream (590 yen...a little expensive but so worth it), the lady at the cash register held out a plastic pumpkin and told me to pull out two scratch tickets.  Halloween prizes at Baskin Robbins?  Score!  I didn't win anything, but my friend won a Halloween glow bracelet.  Then we ate our ice creams-I've never felt so bad about eating something in my life.  I was destroying a work of art.  The pumpkin stem was an almond, the pumpkin was a small orange cake that had been carved out, the eyes were small chocolate triangles glued to the pumpkin with whipped cream.  On one side, a little white chocolate ghost stood next to a pile of whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and nuts.  The pumpkin was filled with the pop rocks ice cream and the scoop of peanut butter ice cream hid underneath it, like a stand for the display. 

The excitement didn't end there.  My friend ordered a few Hallowen specials to go.  As I savored the last few bites of my treat, I watched the lady prepare the order.  When she was finished, she carefully placed the sundaes in a paper bag along with a few pieces of dry ice and then sealed the bag quickly.  How cool is that?!  The whole experience was very amusing.  I guess Japan does celebrate Halloween, you just have to know where to look.