Chocolate sweets

I made miniature chocolate sweets by clay.

marsh marrows, chocolate pie and donuts with stick. 

Done. :-9

February 14th is Valentin's day. There is a habit that woman gift a chocolate to man who she likes or love on this day in Japan. This habit was made to sales promotion by a confectionery company before long  time. This habit sometime is never wonderful, because there is a case of women has to gift chocolate to men in her office. But this is an according to the office, it is never all office. The chocolate is called "giri choco (obligation chocolate)." When woman gift chocolates to men who her boss, senior or  fellow workers and doesn't has goodwill in the office, those chocolates are called "giri choco".

This story is my experience,  In the office I worked, a woman who she entered the company earlier than I collected money with compulsion from each women, she bought chocolates to the number of men and gave them. She did it eagerly. sigh...

Why woman has to gift obligation chocolate. This is my opinion, there is a culture of "to consider others" in Japan. I think this is very good, but this culture often make unnecessary considerer. It's troublesomeness. 

And there is White day on March 14th in Japan, man return candy, marsh marrow or white chocolate to woman on this day. Yes, this habit was made by confectionery company too. 

Hello again :)

I started English miniature blog again. :) But, today is not about miniature. Let me introduce about tatami mat.

I think tatami mat is very important and necessary to Japanese people's life. Because tatami room is very comfortable  and can relax to body and spirit. We take a nap and lay down on the tatami and read books. :)

This is my tatami room. Tatami mat generally has to reface about every five or six years. But almost Japanese houses not do it, I guess. Because the cost is expensive and can living no problem do not reface. So, tatami of my room hadn't refaced about 15 years. It has very damage. I decided to have a tatami refaced. Tatami quality has various. If chose very high quality tatami, the cost will be very expensive. So,  I chose tatami not high class, it's enough to my house.

(before reface)

This border of a tatami is common design and color in Japanese house. I guess almost Japanese houses has green.

I visited tatami maker to ask reface. The workshop is small, there is an old craftsman. He is an owner of this workshop. Maybe he is about octogenarian. I thought he may come to my house with other craftsman, but the day of reface, he came alone. I thought "How does he move heavy wardrobe, I wonder?" But he moved it easily. He used special tools to move furniture with his wisdom. He came to my house at 8:30 am and he took tatami mats to his workshop to reface and he back to my house bring tatami mats refaced in the evening.

(the state of no tatami)

While he reface the tatami mats in his workshop, I cleaned a room of no tatami. 

He back to my house at 5:30 pm bring tatami mats refaced. How beautiful! I'm very exiting! The smell of rush is full in the room. The real color is green. It's different from photo.

(after)

I could choose some design and color from the sample of the border of tatami. I chose orange. Old craftsman said me "It's unique. I did it first in my craftsman history." I didn't want choose green. Because I  wanted change my mood.

This is professional work.

When he go back his shop, I said him "I will ask you have a tatami refaced again after a few yeas." He answered me "It will be impossible, because I may retire soon.  hahaha." He told me he decide to  retire every year, because he doesn't has strength. But he think about after retired, "What should I do after retired? I don't need free time." The craftsman of tatami is his job and also his hobby.
I said him "Sir, your move is brisk and your work is very beautiful. I think you can still working. Please continue your job. I hope it." He said me "I don't have idea. hahaha"

The demand of the craftsmen of tatami decrease in Japan, because Japanese room also decrease, increase to the room of only flooring. And young generation don't be craftsmen of tatami. It also has other reason to decrease, I guess. Anyway, it still need veteran craftsmen.

Today, I wrote about a part of Japanese life. :)

Thanks for reading.

:)

Thank you for visiting my blog this year. :)) 

I wish your happiness. :)))

 Have a wonderful winter vacation!  

See ya!

Miniatures to Christmas

I made miniature sweets and teddy bears, those are to Christmas event on consignment.

Miniature stollen. It seems real powdered sugar, I guess. :)

Cookies to use ornament.

Slices of stollen.

Miniature mittens of needle felting.

Miniature teddy bear, brown ears. It seems Sooty.

Patchwork bear. He has an ornament of woody heart on his knees.

Today's last one. Miniature doggies.

I put other photos in Flickr. :)

Funny things

This is ghost danish. I bought this in a bakery. Eyes are chocolate chips and  mouth is sweet potato paste. It's delicious! :-9 I often go to the bakery to buy this danish. But they will disappear after Halloween season.

They are lovely guys. :) I love it! I bought this in the shop. This is pottery.

Bird cage

Japan became cool and the air is the fall. I can spend very comfortable. :) This summer was burning, too.  How are everyone's country? Take care for your health.


I made miniature bird cage. I will display some miniature things that the theme of halloween and Christmas inside the cage. Design of the top of this cage is pumpkin.

Colored.

Rose and leaves.

Tiny boots. :) This is model.

Reproductions and colored. It seems two dwarves are talking.  I painted like much used boots of the right side.

Tied. It's like cute. :) I wrote tiny word many times to beautiful style. I have bad handwriting, so this is hard work to me. hehehe. 

Miniature cart. It can moving. I imagined that a scene of a hamster pulling this cart.

Teddy bear convention in Tokyo

I participated Teddy bear convention last month. :) The place was Yurakucho, Tokyo, this city is very big and there are a lot of office, shop, brand shop, department store etc. and there is the Imperial Palace near. And this city is for rich people. hahaha

This is a big building, Tokyo International Forum. This building has several hall, a lot of restaurants, shops,  conference rooms, museum and exhibition hall etc.

This is exhibition hall to Teddy bear convention. There are some big animals in the doorway. They welcomed. :)

Ta-dah-! Oh! I didn't notice that a dinosaur and an mammoth also were there in the left side.

Big event for Teddy bear! :) It was opened for two days, Saturday and Sunday.

Ta-dah~! This is my table. This table is wider than a table of miniature show. At first, I worried about table size, because I thought it's very wide to my works. But it's was no problem. I put my doll house and my illustration for exhibit, the table was never wide. The space to display selling works was not enough.

Ah~! I can't take the photos very well by iPhone. Sh*t!

A lot of people visited!!

There are a lot of people and teddy bears in the hall.

First day finished. This hall is second underground floor. I took a photo from the window at the first underground floor. After finished, hang the shade. I can see my place. I guess this is good position in the hall. I think the position in the hall of exhibition is very important. If it's not good position, for example, the corner in the hall, people may not came and not notice me.

I enjoyed and spent for exciting two days. :)  I talked to a lot of people. I was very happy, because a lot of people has interest miniature works. I was asked a lot of question about how to make and what kind of material I use to miniature etc. And people was wonder about my tiny bears, so I explained that I had made same way to sew stuffed bear. They were amazed. This is not amazed to miniature fans and miniature creators, I guess. But it was amazed to teddy bears fans. I learned new things and get new experience. 

By the way, I displayed to sell miniature teddy bears no include miniature works and miniature teddy bear with miniature works. People visited in this exhibition are pure teddy bears fans, they loves only teddy bears. They has interest miniature works too much, but they purchased only miniature teddy bear, doesn't need miniature works. But there are purchaser who purchased teddy bear with miniature works, too. :)  I learned that people's interest is different too in each exhibition of different theme. I'm sorry, I can't writing well in English that what I want to say. English sentence is difficult! X(

Some my works to exhibition.

They are bearsNINE9! Their missions are makes happy and smile to people! 

 Narrow to him?

Go to travel!

This is for charity.

Happy Halloween!

I ordered new business card to a printer. 

I talked to other wonderful exhibitors. :)) They has talented and teach me good technique. :)) I got wonderful treasure! :D After convention,  I went to the cafe with friendly exhibitors, we chatted a lot. We enjoyed. :)) The next day, my voice was husky. I talked too much.  hehehe

I started making new works. Japan has a scorching weather now. I don't want to touch the fake fur...

He couldn't pick up moomin mom.