We generally celebrate May 5 as "Children's day", which is one of Japanese national holidays.
The another name of "Children's day" is "Boy's festival".
"Children's day" based on "The day for the prevention of cruelty to children" was established in 1948.

The purpose of "Children's day" was to celebrate children's happiness and to respect their individual.

Boy's parents display "colorful carp banners" or "helmet".
Many people eat some famous sweets to celebrate the special day.
"colorful carp banners" and "helmet" are famous symbol to celebrate "Children's day".
Many parents display them hoping that children will grow up with courage and wisdom.
 
"Kashiwa-mochi", rice cake wrapped in an oak leaf, and " Chimaki" , rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves, are also famous as a Japanese sweets to celebrate "Children's day".
In Japan many people believe "kashiwa-mochi" is a symbol of prosperity of their descendants.
On the other hand "Chimaki" has been familiar among the people as a protective charm.




 “Daruma” is a traditional Japanese tumbler doll representing Bodhidharma, who founded the Zen sect of Buddhism in the sixth century. 
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“Daruma”, representing Bodhidharma sitting in meditation, is made of paper-marche, limbless and typically painted in red.  “Daruma” is made in various sizes, but typical size as large as a melon.  It is weighted on the bottom, so it always recovers upright position whenever it is tumbled. 

Nowadays “Daruma” is regarded more as a bringer of good luck.  It is considered a symbol of perseverance and reaching the objective, as it always stands up positively. 

Willy found a Daruma stand at the green festival in the last weekend at Hiratsuka Sogo Park.
And, he tried to paint Daruma with Nana.





We enjoyed other stands.

Yakitori
(BBQ Chicken)

Bamboo works






It was sunny day!










We had got very surprised gifts from Mexico!


Thank you, friends! 
Arigatou, Luis!






Japanese curry is very different from Indian curries.  It’s thicker and has a milder flavor than its Indian counterpart, and the real secret is … using a curry mix from a box and that is the truth.  Japanese people like to make a lot of dishes from scratch; however, when it comes to curry, there are not too many people that do.

Japanese curry or kare (カレー) is a quick, easy and fail-safe meal, making it a great choice for busy or uninspiring nights. Traditionally, you will have to make the roux from scratch using curry powder, flour, oil and seasonings. 

These are Japanese instant curry blocks, also known as curry roux. They can be found in just about any Japanese/Korean/Chinese market (or ordered online). 



Curry and Rice
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Chicken (cut for stew)
2 onions
2 carrots
3 potatoes
1 Tbsp oil
3 1/2 cups water (840ml) or see the package for the amount of water
1 box curry sauce mix (4 oz)
---Optional Seasonings---
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp Worcester sauce
1 Tbsp apricot jam
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp curry powder
Steamed Rice

Instructions

1.Cut vegetables into bite size pieces.Heat oil and brown meat in a pot.

2.In the same pot, fry onions, carrots and potatoes.

3.Add water to the pot. After it boils, skim fat, and reduce heat to low. 

4.Remove from heat and add curry sauce mix. Stir well so the pieces of the mix dissolve.
Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes (cook longer if you'd like it thicker).
If you'd like to add the optional curry powder, stir it in just before serving.

5. Pour the curry over rice.




Can you see the red lipstick on our faces? That was the "Abi-Streich" 2015! Once a year, when the older students are nearly finished with all their final exams (which are called "Abitur" or short "Abi"), they go crazy one day and play games with the teachers. The teachers and younger students never know the day, so it's always a great surprise! It is wild and the older students are allowed to mock their teachers and turn the school day upside down.. They usually dress up, too! Girls dress up as boys and they wear costumes of all sorts. This year, they did a quiz: the teachers had to answer questions and they could use students for help as "jokers" like in a quiz show. The older students had also hacked the school internet and put all the tables and chairs of every classroom outside :-) Xólotl had a great time during P.E. lessons, where he did some "ceiling-diving" (of course he was caught by the students who looked after him!). He was allowed to take part in all the activities, and he loved to have his photo taken with some of the teachers, too! Great fun it was to have you here in Hamburg, Xólotl! For a creature your age you are very fit and active ;-)









































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