Introducing the latest addition to my kokeshi doll family… My friend rescued this kokeshi for me from the internet as an early birthday present. She’s absolutely gorgeous, but I don’t know anything about her origin. She has a slight wonkiness about her, which I like. The head was separate and just slots on with a … Continue reading
Whilst I was at HYPER JAPAN recently I came across a stall selling old kokeshi (こけし) dolls (the stall was part of Kimono De Go). As a collector of kokeshi I was curious to see how much they were charging for dolls which were probably found at flea markets. They hand a range of dolls in … Continue reading
This week’s Weekly Photo Challenge is on the theme of ‘yellow’, and yesterday I just happened to pick up a brand new sunshiny addition to my kokeshi (こけし) doll family: ‘Yellow’ is making me think about this beautiful piece of craft right now. She’s my first yellow traditional kokeshi doll – most of my other … Continue reading
Continuing on from my Naruko Onsen (Part 1) post, I’m finally back with Part 2! (Sorry it’s taking me forever to write up my Japan adventures!) On Wednesday 28th May, I woke up relaxed and refreshed in Naruko Onsen (鳴子温泉) and ate the most amazing breakfast at the Taishokan (大正館) ryokan. The food there was just so good – … Continue reading
On Tuesday 27th May my Tohoku adventure continued. Just before midday I left Yamagata Station on the Tsubasa shinkansen and travelled north to Shinjo. At Shinjo I changed to the JR Rikku East Line, a local line with small trains full of character. My destination? Naruko Onsen (鳴子温泉). The journey to Naruko was simply gorgeous. The … Continue reading
Japanese Dolls: The Fascinating World of Ningyō by Alan Scott Pate (published by Tuttle, 2008) is a gorgeous hardcover book comprising 272 pages and over 400 colour and archival photos of Japanese dolls. For the art enthusiast, the doll collector, as well as the casual reader, the world of Japanese dolls (ningyō / 人形) is a … Continue reading
こけしのこころは見る人の心をうつすこころです “Kokeshi no kokoro wa miru hito no kokoro o utsusu kokoro desu” “The kokeshi’s heart is the heart that reflects the mind of the beholder” (or something like that!)
Introducing… Chihiro! Chihiro is the latest addition to my Japanese doll family. Rather than being a traditional kokeshi (こけし) doll, Chihiro is a modern Momiji doll, and she’s a bit of a Hello Kitty fan if this fabulous Sanrio collaboration is anything to go by! I also got a Chihiro keyring and a Stella badge. … Continue reading
This coming year (as always) I’ll be keeping Japan close beside me as the months pass by. One of my Christmas presents was this cute Hello Kitty calendar: The calendar is simple, and very, very pink! Kitty wears a cute ballerina outfit, and she’s in a different pose each month. Kawaii! This is an official … Continue reading
Merry Christmas from Haikugirl’s Japan! メリークリスマス！よいお年を！Wishing you all a happy, kawaii/kakkoii Christmas! Thank you all for your likes and comments throughout the year. I still have lots of posts to share before the year is out, so do keep reading. ﾟ☆,｡･:*:･ﾟ★o (*^_^)v ﾟ☆,｡･:*:･ﾟ★o
Haikugirl's Japan 