Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival 2014

JAFA’s Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival is the biggest Japan festival in Adelaide, South Australia with a 19-year history. The day is filled with Japan-related performances, exhibitions, activities, stalls and plenty of Japanese food.

The event has won a number of prestigious community awards including:

Sausage vs The World

Today, I’d like to tell you a little about a new design company called Sausage vs. The World. The company based in Kobe, Japan consists of two Aussies and one Japanese. They focus on delivering quirky designs that you just simply fall in love with. After living in Japan for quite a few years they like to incorporate Japan’s charming and cute culture into their unique designs. Sausage isn't as cute as the standard Japanese character but is aware of this and exudes his own unique charm. The two Aussies haven’t forgotten their roots and also like to work a little Aussie charm of their own into the design as well with a big celebration of the absurd that us Aussies really like.

Here is a little more about the company.

The Flavors of Spring in Japan

Spring is finally here in Japan and if you can’t tell, I’m very excited about it! It has been a long cold winter here in Japan and spring brings with it the promise of warmer weather and the beautiful cherry blossoms. The cherry blossoms usually make their appearance here in Gifu in late March and early April. You can read my post about the must see Cherry Blossom Spots in Gifu.

This time of year also sees a lot of interesting and delicious spring or cherry blossom inspired food and drinks in Japan. A few of my favourites so far have been:

Best Cherry Blossom Spots in Gifu

We are lucky here in Gifu to have so many great spots for viewing the beautiful cherry blossoms. This year they are expected to start blooming close to their average schedule with the estimated start date of around March 25 in Gifu. The peak is estimated for around April 3-10.

A popular past-time during the sakura or cherry blossom season in Japan is “hanami”. Hanami (花見) literally means “flower viewing” and cherry blossom viewing is a traditional Japanese custom of enjoying the beautiful cherry blossoms.

Below are some of my favourite spots for cherry blossom viewing in Gifu.

Sakura Teritama Burger

The Sakura Teritama Burger also affectionately known as the “Cherry Blossom Burger” is just about to hit McDonald’s Japan stores across the country. Spring in Japan is the time for the beautiful Sakura or Cherry Blossoms, which usually start to bloom in late March in Central Japan. This time of the year also sees lots of spring or cherry blossom inspired food and drinks in Japan. One of my favorites so far has been the tasty Sakura Cherry Blossom Ice Cream from Haagen Dazs. To fit in with the season, McDonald’s Japan will release a spring inspired burger complete with sakura pink-colored buns and a sakura mayonnaise sauce.

White Day 2014

White Day is a special day held in Japan on March 14, exactly a month after Valentine’s Day. White Day is a time in Japan for the boys to return the favour of gifts received earlier from the girls on Valentine’s Day. Why is it called “White Day”? It is simple really, white is the colour of sugar, which is the main ingredient of candy traditionally given as a gift on White Day.

Popular traditional gifts on White Day include white chocolate, cookies, jewelry, white lingerie, and marshmallows. These days anything goes, so the gifts can be pretty much anything.

Hina Matsuri Japanese Doll’s Festival

March 3rd in Japan is a special day called Hina Matsuri (雛祭), a traditional Japanese festival also commonly known as Doll’s Festival or Girl’s Day. On this day, families with girls will display ornamental dolls in the hope of bringing their daughters a successful and happy life.

Platforms covered with a red carpet called hina-dan (雛壇) are used to display the set of ornamental dolls called hina-ningyō (雛人形). The dolls represent the Emperor, Empress and other court attendants in traditional court dress of the Heian period (794-1185) in Japan. The dolls are usually displayed on a five or seven tired stand with the Emperor and Empress at the top. The next step contains three court ladies (sannin-kanjo), followed by five musicians (gonin-bayashi), two ministers (udaijin and sadaijin), and three servants ending the bottom row in a five-tiered display.