Or this one ? Lovely with cherry blossom decorations spread around.

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I have a book to match for teaching numbers to kids in Japanese – they go down a treat!!

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These puppets are favourites of mine and a little bit unusual.

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I have recently ordered books on the HinaMatsuri.
I am looking forward to its arrival.

I am also going to get this book on Tanabata even though it is a few months away.

Has anyone a good suggestion on story books that talk about culture days?

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These cute faces are being marketed for White Day via Amazon Japan. What are your thoughts?
I like them!!!

Wonder if I could give someone a hint!!

Did you know that there is also a Black Day to celebrate singleness ???

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For those who dont know, Anpanman is a series of stories written by Takashi Yanase since 1968 with the lead character, also called Anpanman. Yanase became inspired by the idea of Anpanman while struggling to survive as a soldier in World War II. When he was faced with the prospect of starvation he said he dreamt about eating a bean-jam filled pastry called Anpan.

Anpanman is heavily branded and merchandised in Japan. Anpanman characters appear on virtually every imaginable children’s product, from clothes to video games to toys to snack foods. They also appear on this brilliant educational tool to learn the alphabet!!

I really like the look of this game because it looks like it is an electronic classroom.
Has anyone tried this already with their students?

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I can almost smell the sakura mochi already!!

For those who are unusure about what kind of smell I am talking about – sakura mochi are sweet pink rice cakes that are covered with a leaf of cherry blossom.

My favourite style of sakura mochi is the kansai style – what about you?
I have never tried making sakura mochi before but this clip on youtube shows how easy it can be with a 2 year old in full mochi swing!

I might have to give it a go too!!

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I looked up two classic items for these days on Amazon, Japan.

This one is the 7 tier court of the Emperor and Empress. It is splendid and I am sure a lot of fun to organise.
But not without a steep price tag. The price for tradition and culture. It is worth it!

Of course if you are celebrating Boys Day you will need to compare the cost of the dolls with the cost of the kites.

Both items will set you back around 5,000 US dollars.

If you don’t want to go for the real thing you can always create atmosphere with some craft paper and glue. We organised these dolls for Wednesday’s celebration. I had better think of what to do for May now!

Click through to Amazon on the photos for more information about products on Girls and Boys Day, Japan.

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Since last year’s introduction of the first HD video capable DSLR, (Nikon’s D90), the market has been flooded with DSLR cameras.

As we all know the video quality of these DSLRs are great but the sound recording is total garbage. We have two options, a) live with poor audio, or, b) record audio separately

If you want to record separately the Zoom H4n is what you need. It records everything from .mp3 48khz to 24bit 96khz. It has built in stereo condenser microphones and two XLR inputs which means you can record 4 channels of audio at the same time. It records on SD cards and runs on 2AA batteries.

Operating this device might sound difficult but it isn’t. The menu is in plain English and navigation is kinda like and iPod. The Zoom H4n is so simple to use even my 5 year old nephew can run audio. Press the button and you’re recording.

Whether you’re recording sound for video or in the classroom reviewing for an exam this portable recording device delivers top quality audio at a fraction of the cost of the competition.

The Zoom H4n can be purchased on Amazon Japan

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I really enjoy Japanese kids stories – they always seem to bring a different way of looking at things to the fore. It is great to work with the stories and help kids through new ways of thinking about things.

These stories are a couple of my favourite ones that incorporate Japanese food.

Do you work with children in a bilingual setting? How difficult is it to bring up children bilinguall? How important are books in the process?

Do you have a book that you can suggest is interesting to discuss with kids about food?

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This one looks like it is a maze of environmental issues.

Of course if your kids are looking at the easier versions of mazes or meiro perhaps this one is better.

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