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Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Kodomo no Hi: Koinobori


This week leading up to Kodomo no Hi has felt like a mini adventure. In the past, our cultural activities have primarily been Western-focused, with a little Philippines mixed in here and there. Spending some time getting to know more about Japan has been far more exciting than I would have guessed. It's not that France and Germany aren't exciting; it's just that they're so familiar. Learning about a country that is completely foreign to us feels like meeting the World all over again. Love it!

So what's next, after our Japanese color fun? Koinobori, the koi-shaped windsocks! While we didn't follow the traditional color scheme (that I mentioned here), we did make our own construction paper koinobori, which we will display outside on Kodomo no Hi. I understand that in Japan, koinobori might be flown for weeks, but the Midwestern spring weather has kept ours safely locked indoors until the big day.

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We will also be making this easy variation of mochi, but filling with chocolate rather than red bean paste... or perhaps swinging by our local Asian grocery to find the real deal, depending on how the week goes. On verra...

Anyone else celebrating Kodomo no Hi with their students or children?
Tell us about it!


Glossary:
On verra. = (French) We'll see.

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