Tomomi's exhibition "White Atmosphere"

The exhibition of my elder daughter Tomomi was held.
She held her personal exhibition "White Atmosphere" at a gallery in OMOTESANDOU where is near HARAJYUKU. (I think many people have ever heard the name of HARAKYUKU town.)

To our delight many people visited there. And to our great surprise, one work was sold, though her purpose of this exhibition is not to sell works, but to earn acclaim in an art world.

Constantly some one came to see her works. Mostly they were her friends, teachers, and relatives including us. But some people who run a gallery also came. And people who come to OMOTESANDOU also dropped by the gallery. She is a really happy girl, ---- not a girl, a happy lady.

It is the first step for her as an artist. Anyway she has stepped into the art world. I'm always worried about her "regular" job. But it can't be helped. She is pursuing her way as hard as her possible.  To hold such an exhibition, she can't afford to have savings for her future. On the other hand thanks of her assistant job at art college, she can use a studio in the college. So she uses her private time including Sundays and Saturdays to make her art works in the college. She must be a lucky lady.

Do your best, and go your way, it's just the word I can tell her as a mother.
Congratulations Tomomi.

After Valentine's day

As soon as Valentine's day was finished, I put Hina-dolls. March 3rd is Doll Festival Day (or Girls' Day), the traditional Japanese festival is held to wish girls' both health and growth with Hina-dolls.Usually  families of girls  display Hina-dolls representing the emperor, empress, their servants, miniature furniture, and so forth, on a  seven-tiered stand. Actually the Hina-dolls I put consist of more than 10 dolls, but it was troublesome to put all of them. So I just put a main couple of Hina-dolls.

 

When I was born, my grandmother gave me. So once they were mine. When I married and came to Utsunomiya, I didn't take them, but when we had a detached house and had a girl, my mother sent them. Since then they were my daughters'. But when our two daughters left here, they didn't take them, so now they are mine again.

I'm not sure what  I will do when I have a grand daughter.  Will I send these dolls to her? I think they are too old, unfortunately.

 

Can you see two couples of wooden dolls? They are made by my daughters who were little.

It is a good memory to celebrate HINA-festival with them.

 

Well, today I had a tea-time at a cafe with my friend. She brought me her handmade pickles.

I'm a lucky woman, thanks of it, this week I can avoid lacking of vegetables without special cooking. (What a lazy housewife I am!)

 

 



Happy Valentine

Today, it is Valentine's day. How do you enjoy this day? Today we celebrate the day with this breakfast.

I cooked heart-shaped poached eggs. They look cute, don't they?
And I also wrote a message with white chlorate pen on the sweet.

 Since last Thursday my students and I had be doing this craft? (or cooking). Some students draw pictures.

Yesterday two elderly women came to take my lesson, so we did the same craft. I recommended them to write "I love you". Both of them were really surprised, but anyway they  tried to write it. AND, while they were writing, they cannot stop laughing. One lady said "I forgot that how many years passed since I used (not say) this message."

Anyway Yuki & I and all students had  had a great time for Valentine's week.

Tomomi's exhibition

Tomomi's (she is my elder daughter) personal exhibition is going to be held  2/22 - 2/26 in Tokyo.
It is a wonderful thing. Anyway she is continuing her way as a paper artist. Her main job is an assistant at an art college. It's an annual contract, and fortunately the contract has been renewed one more year.
While she works at the college, she has a workplace to make works.
Watching the challenges of young people is fun, on the other hand watching it without guarantee as a mother gives me anxiety. If we were rich we could support her more. -- I know supporting too much is not good for her.

Anyway holding such an exhibition is wonderful. My mother will go with someone almost every day during the exhibition. Two of my friends will manage to go to Tokyo to see it from Utsunomiya.

The purpose of this exhibitions is not to sell works. I don't know whether she put a price tag on her works. The main purpose is to win the art world's acclaim. It is the first step as a paper artist.

Flower Festival

At Romantic village  Flower Festival is held for three days. Yuki and I went there.

February is a month of Valentine's Day. So many flowers are arranged to celebrate Valentine's Day.
Do you know this city is " a little bit" known as a city of cocktail? Because some bartenders have often won prizes at a world cocktail contest. To advertise this city these flowers are put in a huge cocktail grass.

It was interesting that flowers are in  a kaleidoscope.

 

At the event Utsunomiya's mascot characters were there.

 

One is TOCHIMARU-kun. (TOCHI comes from TOCHIGI prefecture, MARU, and KUN means a boy.)



The other boy is KENTA-kun, of course he is a GYOZA boy. GYOZA (pot stickers) is famous and popular in our city of UTSUNOMIYA.

February

This weekend I went to TOKYO to visit my mother and my mother-in-law. Each time I go to TOKYO I think that; TOKYO is lively and busy, TOKYO is cheerful and noisy. It has both sides. BUT anyway TOKYO is warmer than UTSUNOMIYA.

When I walk with my daughters, especially with my younger daughter in UTSUNOMIYA, I often tell her to walk early. But yesterday I asked her to walk  more slowly in TOKYO. TOKYO makes every body walk fast.

Yesterday it was SETSUBUN, which is  to celebrate coming spring. On the day we have a special ritual. This day has another name, "Bean-Throwing Festival". We throw bean to cleanse away all the evil, and  drive away disease.
In most shrines this ritual was held. And many families must have enjoyed this "event", though we didn't do that.
And these days eating EHOUMAKI on the day is getting familiar. It is familiar in west Japan. But when I was young, or when my daughters were here in UTSUNOMIYA this food was not familiar. A few years ago a famous convenience store advertised "let's eat EHOUMAKI". Since then it's getting familiar in Japan.

It's a " huge" sushi roll. The EHOUMAKI I bought has egg, spinach, ground-beef, and KANPYOU (kind of vegetable) inside.  (There are various types)

I'm not sure why we eat it on the day. Anyway it is said eating it on SETSUBUN brings a good luck.



This was main for our dinner. Of course I bought sweets.
It was sold as "Fulankfulu ta Kuhen". It seems to come from Frankfurter Kranz.
Do you know Franfurter Kranz? I don't know.