JAW Celebrates Hina Matsuri

Ah, here we go! The desktop computer has been resurrected and we're back in business.

We celebrated Hina Matsuri with the Japanese ladies at Tadodai House a few days early. Donning slippers, we padded upstairs to the tatami room for a koto performance by a talented trio led by a former JAW member. Two ladies plucked 13 strings but the musician in the rear (pictured above) worked a 17-string koto.  Can you see the picks she's wearing on her fingers?

More than two dozen Japanese ladies sang the first number - a traditional Japanese melody - in unison, producing a lovely sound that sent shivers up and down my spine. After two or three instrumental pieces and a rousing take on "Yankee Doodle", the performance ended with "The Navy Hymn".

Otsuka-san rolls sushi

Then it was back downstairs to the dining room for a sushi-rolling lesson. We rolled crabmeat, strips of cucumber and baked eggs, and some sort of pickled vegetable into rice wrapped in seaweed.  Then we sealed the roll along with the bamboo rolling device into a cute plastic bag to take home.  I now own three of those bamboo rolling devices so I'm all set to open a sushi school when we get back to the States.

One of our hostesses rolled sushi in the shape of cherry blossoms and roses.

The tatami room was transformed while we were busy rolling sushi. When we padded back upstairs, there were dozens of cute mobiles hanging from the rafters and the ladies' doll collections lining the walls.

American JAW members admire an elaborate doll display

While I was waiting for my friends to arrange themselves around that doll display, I noticed a scroll and flower arrangement in a nook to my left. "Psst, Mimi! Look at this pretty flower arrangement. Someone went to a lot of trouble but we are so busy admiring the dolls that I'm afraid no one will notice these camellias."

Later, over lunch, I asked Otsuka-san which Japanese member had been in charge of coordinating the wonderful party.  She told me Reiko deserved the credit so I grabbed a little bag of sakura cookies and went in search of Reiko.  Those little cherry blossom cookies caught my eye when I was wandering through a department store last week and I wanted to share them with a deserving friend.  Reiko seemed to fit the profile perfectly.  



Reiko, in typical Japanese fashion, could not bear to receive a gift without giving one in return. It turned out that she was responsible for the camellia arrangement in the tatami room and she insisted I take it home with me. Do I lead a charmed existence or what? Just don't tell Mimi.