Gotenba Premium Outlets

My family had a date today in Gotemba Premium Outlet... an outlet shopping center of internationally known brand.

East Zone

Heater at the food court

Our lunch!

West ZoneWe also used to bring Lucky here before! Natsukashii with this black labrador retriever! I wanted to buy... and yet... Good for Sachan... she was able to buy some jeans in Gap and her ideal shoulder bag in Next Door! I wasn't able to buy anything... so with papie. I just enjoyed walking and looking around!

Raining Friday in Shizuoka Apita!

It's raining again! I don't have class today... walang magawa kaya nagyaya si Sachan in Shizuoka Apita for window shopping and at the same time... matagtag naman ang mga katawan namin!!! hehehe!This cute Pooh stuff toy is dancing! Chocolate UFO Catcher... This vending machine is low in height ... a barrier free device?An ice cream in a cold afternoon! Babae sa unang panahon! v(^o^)vFast-food area Cloudy sky on the way home! Happy week end!

Hina Matsuri 2009

Today is Hina Matsuri... or girl's festival! This is the day families pray together for the health, happiness and prosperity of their girls. During this festival... they usually display some traditional and ornamental dolls representing the emperor, empress, attendants and many more. Sachan displays only the Emperor and Empress image-- a gift from her grandparents 20 years ago... while her aunt gave her a typical Japanese girl doll of her image yata... (kc kamukha n'ya... nagkataon lang po! ) It is also a custom to offer some foods like hishi-mochi or a diamond-shaped rice cake and drinks like sweet white sake.

Most families take out this display of dolls around mid-February and put it away immediately after Hina Matsuri is over. There is a superstition that says that families slow to put away the dolls will have trouble marrying off their daughters!

Every year, for 20 years... we usually displayed the Hinamatsuri dolls two weeks before the event. Sachan is 20 years old already... now, the question is... until when are we going to display this dolls?

According to some of my Japanese friend... we can celebrate the event until Sachan is single!

SENGEN DOORI de OMOTENASHI

In line to our last activity regarding the promotion of Aoi District, our Aoi District Citizens Committee, together with Aoi District General Office staff and Sengen Doori Committee... the SENGEN DOORI de OMOTENASHI in connection to Aoi District Fiesta was held today in Sengen Road.

The morning preparation... welcome to Sengen Doori!

The event featured original and typical goods of Aoi District like sweets, tea, and other native foods and products. There are exhibits of amusing pictures and activities of Aoi Districts. Games and some fun like picture story show, clowns, roller skating and many more were popular among kids.

Shiratori san's omise

Our stage line-up...

Opening remarks from our committee chairmanoriginal dances of Sengen DooriShinto dance and musicJapanese wooden footgear tapdancePhil NAKAMA bamboo dancers joined the event!RehearsalSachan and MaikaSome of our committee membersAoi-kun with Koyama sanMaika's cute pose! Ready for bamboo dance performance!An interviewDance time

Enjoy our video!

The clownsCongrats to Endo san and Kobayashi san for their good job as emceesWith our chief... With Aoi District DirectorWith Aoi-kun, some committee members and staffsSachan with Aoi Kun...Ohhh... Aoi-chan pala! Well... we are blessed to have a fair weather today... the event was well attended enough! I hope that thru this event... we were able to express our main objective and that's to promote Aoi District!

OTSUKARESAMA and thanks to the cooperation of everyone! The event was a success!