All About Japan - Stories, Songs, Crafts and Games for Kids

All About Japan - Stories, Songs, Crafts and Games for Kids

All About Japan - Stories, Songs, Crafts and Games for Kids

by Willamarie Moore

Tuttle Publishing (2017)

ISBN: 978-4805313947
Hardback, 64 pp

All About Japan - Stories, Songs, Crafts and Games for Kids

Young readers join 10-year-old Yuto and 12-year-old Momoka as they explain all about Japan from a child's perspective. Yuto lives in the countryside with his large (for modern days) family, and Momoka, an only child, lives in Tokyo. Both are fun, active kids involved in many things.

The children talk about their living arrangements. Yuto lives in a traditional old Japanese house, and he explains things like shoji, fusuma, tatami etc., while Momoka lives in a modern 2LDK apartment with many high-tech gadgets.

The children also mention their three favorite places in Japan, a typical day in their lives and Japanese culture; consisting of things schoolchildren are interested in these days such as manga, anime and video games. Their parents will be more drawn to other things explained such as ikebana, kabuki and shodo.

As for activities, readers will learn the ingredients for and how to prepare okonomiyaki, mochi and onigiri, how to fold paper into things like frogs and samurai helmets by using origami, and even the 10 steps necessary to perform in bon dances. If your young one doesn't know how to use chopsticks, that is covered, too. So is writing nengajo, a cultural part of Japan which is fading away, at least among the young.

There are slightly more "academic" sections on things like the myths of the origins of Japanese people and the appearance of Commodore Perry's Black Ships in 1868. Even long-time foreign residents of Japan might learn something if they don't already know about Izanagi and Izanami. The basics of haiku are also covered.

There is little to no kanji in the book except for translations of the few haiku and when readers will learn how to write numbers 1-10 in Japanese. Kanji, hiragana and katakana are all briefly explained.

One of the longest sections, taking about a quarter of the book, regards Japanese holidays and celebrations. Here, subjects such as oshogatsu, kodomo no hi, tanabata and o-bon are touched upon.

The final pages offer a few helpful resources to help children learn about Japan.

The book is large (8.5 x 11 inches, or 21.6 x 28 cm), and the drawings are fun, colorful and level appropriate.

Tuttle, the publisher, recommends this book for 8-12 year-olds. Eight might be a little young for a few of the pages, especially the four-page Japanese folktale of "The Boy Who Drew Cats," but consider it a challenge. Ratings for this read on various sites are high, with one site listing 97% of raters giving it four or five stars. The book won the 2012 Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award.

Review by Marshall Hughes.

Buy this book from Amazon USA | UK | Japan

Looking to buy Japanese things directly from Japan? GoodsFromJapan is here to help.

More Japan Book Reviews

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Into Japan A Starter Kit

Satsuma Rebellion - Illustrated Japanese History

Kuni: A Japanese Vision and Practice for Urban-Rural Reconnections

Norwegian Wood

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Rural Relections

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Japan Book Reviews

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Japan's Wholly Edible Organic Banana

Japan's Wholly Edible Organic Banana

We think we know bananas, but you don't know them properly until you've met the "Next 716" from Miyazaki Prefecture in Japan. This very expensive banana is not only cultivated organically, i.e., completely chemical-free, but you can also eat the skin!

"Next 716" organic Japanese banana.

We splashed out and tried a "Next 716" at our local supermarket here in Tokyo. It looked beautiful and, this being Japan, it was beautifully packaged in its own special box.

As you can see from the photo of the banana in the box, it wasn't quite ripe when we bought it, so we gave it four or five days.

When it had turned a beautiful golden-yellow, we cut it up - skin and all - and put it on our breakfast. 

A ripe "Next 716" organic Japanese banana.

We were most interested in how the skin would taste. Well, it certainly wasn't as sweet as the deliciously sweet banana itself, but it wasn't face-screwingly bitter either. In other words, they had done a pretty good job of making the skin edible.

And, of course, with no chemicals used in cultivating the banana, there is no risk of ingesting chemicals by eating the skin.

Would we buy the "Next 716" again? Yes, if we were trying to impress a visitor with a uniquely Japanese product! (Or, should we say, a uniquely Japanese version of what is originally a South-East Asian product.)

The "Next 716" was by far the most delicious banana we've ever tasted and is a lesser-known food delicacy that any visitor to Japan should try.

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Cute Mameshiba Sankyodai Pug-beh Puppy Plushie

Cute Mameshiba Sankyodai Pug-beh Puppy Plushie

Pug-beh is one of the cutest dogs in the Mameshiba Sankyodai family of plushie toy puppies.

Adorable little Pug-beh!

Pugbeh's soft dawn-tinted fur and rosy cheeks combine with his soft chocolate nose and ears - not to mention his chic, purple Japanese-style scarf in traditional designs - for all-over totally lovable charm.

Pugbeh strikes a pose!

Faithful little Pug-beh wants a part of your heart, and promises to stay with you forever.

Thrill a friend! Pug-beh also makes the perfect gift for anyone who needs a happy, comforting, easy-to-keep little doggy by their side.

Pug-Beh's little curly tail!

Get Mameshiba Sankyodai Pug-beh delivered to your door from GoodsFromJapan. Pug-Beh is the best birthday or "I love you" gift ever!

Bow-wow! (meaning "I love you!")

Order your Pug-Beh from GoodsFromJapan!

Pug-beh is about 27 cm (11 inches) long and about 20 cm (8 inches) high.

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Adorable Alpacasso Plushies

Adorable Alpacasso Plushies

Alpacasso Tissue Box holder plushie in rainbow colors.

Look up "alpaca" online and you'll discover a real-life, super-cute sheeplike animal from South America that - although lamb-like in appearance - is actually related to the camel family!

Alpacasso are characters are inspired by the alpaca, and are created by Japanese plushie maker Amuse!

Soft, loveable Alpacasso plushies come in all shapes, colors and sizes. Pictured here is the Alpacasso Tissue Cover in rainbow colors. The tissue box has been placed beside the Alpacasso in the photo to give you an idea of size. The box actually goes inside the Alpacasso Tissue Holder and the tissues come out through the slot in its back.

Rainbow Alpacasso Tissue Box holder (tissue box goes inside).

The Alpacasso Tissue Cover, Rainbow and many other kinds of cute Alpacasso are available for sale, delivered directly to your door, from the GoodsFromJapan online store.

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BIGBANG - Hajimari no Sayonara live tour tickets

BIGBANG - Hajimari no Sayonara live tour tickets

BIGBANG 始まりのさようなら

BIGBANG - coming to Japan at the end of this year

Big Bang is a five-boy Korean boy band that formed in 2006 under the umbrella of the YG Entertainment company.

Big Bang has a distinctive style and charisma that sets it apart from the usual cookie-cutter Asian boyband - a quality that has earned the band a lot of money (more than USD40 million by some estimates) and has seen BigBang achieve an almost unheard of longevity for boy bands - a full decade!

BigBang is coming to Japan this December for its Hajimari no Sayonara live tour. Dates are as follows:
November 6 at Tokyo Dome
November 20 and December 11 at Fukuoka Yafuoku! Dome
November 26 and December 28/29 at Kyocera Dome Osaka
December 4 at Nagoya Dome.

Big Bang - Hajimari no Sayonara, happening in November and December throughout Japan.

Fan club tickets have already sold out on the official sales site, but some are still available from ticket resellers.

GoodsFromJapan has been helping numerous fans get hold of tickets from resellers. If you want to attend one of Big Bang's Hajimari no Sayonara concerts in Japan, please contact GoodsFromJapan for a quotation. With responsive, personalized service and secure payment using PayPal, GoodsFromJapan takes care of your ticket needs reliably and efficiently.

Get tickets for Big coming to Japan in November & December 2016.

Contact GoodsFromJapan now about tickets for the BigBang Hajimari no Sayonara tour happening in Japan at the end of this year. You won't be sorry!

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Scotty Cameron Golf Gallery Tokyo

Scotty Cameron Golf Gallery Tokyo

Scotty Cameron is a name in golf associated with gear of the highest quality - handcrafted clubs of exquisite design and balance, and other golfing accouterments that feature jazzy, fun, often comically inspired, designs.

Scotty Cameron Gallery, Tokyo

The Scotty Cameron Golf Gallery Tokyo opened in the trendy Aoyama district last month, a little on from Omotesando Avenue. Located on the third floor with its own direct-access elevator, the gallery spaciously exhibits a range of Scotty Cameron products, quite a few of them available only in Japan.

High quality golf clubs, Scotty Cameron Gallery, Tokyo

Things sell out fast here, so time is of the essence - besides knowing what you want. GoodsFromJapan has had requests for purchases of goods from Scotty Cameron Golf Gallery Tokyo, such as the Wasabi Warrior golf club head covers, Scotty Cameron Tokyo divots and ball markers, golf balls, the very sophisticated (and popular) Scotty Cameron golf bags, to name a few.

Scotty Cameron Gallery, Tokyo

GoodsFromJapan can help out with purchases of things you might want from the Scotty Cameron Golf Gallery Tokyo if you are unable to make it there yourself. Please inquire about our reasonable rates.

** The Scotty Cameron Golf Gallery in Tokyo is no longer open for business. See the Scotty Cameron website for more details: scottycameron.com

The new location is Scotty Cameron Museum & Gallery
4119-1 Samejima, Iwata, Shizuoka 438-0055, Japan

Entrance to Scotty Cameron Gallery, Tokyo

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Great-Tasting Instant Cup Raamen Noodles - from Japan to your Door

Great-Tasting Instant Cup Raamen Noodles - from Japan to your Door

Japan is the home of cup noodles. The "Cup Noodles" brand took Japan by storm back in 1958 when it was launched by Momofuku Ando, the founder the Nissin foodstuffs company, based in Osaka. This instant noodle product then went on to take the United States by storm in the 1970's as "Cup O' Noodles."

Nissin Don-hyo-eh Kitsune Udon Noodles (Higashi)

Nissin has been enjoying uninterrupted success since that time with new lines of instant noodle products. Nissin instant noodles always surprise with their freshness of flavor, hearty taste and textures, and - with most of their products - no artificial coloring or preservatives. Who could imagine that a desiccated product could taste so great - and be so nourishing - with just the addition of hot water?

Nissin Raoh Kojuku Koku Miso Instant Ramen Noodles 

A bowl of instant noodles - specifically raamen noodles - is ready to eat in no more than five minutes, and after just three or four very simple steps. The bowl contains the noodles themselves plus a few sachets that require opening and emptying into the bowl before and/or after peeling back a section of the foil cover, pouring in the boiling water, replacing the cover, and waiting for five minutes.

Pokka Corn Potage Soup with Well-Toasted Croutons

Cup noodles are extremely lightweight and portable, and every bit as nourishing as a fresh bowl of noodles. This makes them the ideal food on the run, on those days when you're just too busy to cook or just need something quick, or when engaged in vigorous outdoors pursuits like hiking and camping.

Nissin Raoh Seabura Koku Shoyu Instant Ramen Noodles

GoodsFromJapan delivers a variety of Nissin and other instant noodles and snacks straight to your door in cartons of 12 products, or, for some products, of 24.

Nissin UFO Instant Yakisoba Noodles with Extreme Sauce

Check out the GoodsFromJapan instant noodles, instant soup, and other snacks (and see more details of each product). They're just a PayPal payment away, ready to be rushed straight from us to your door!

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Buying Second Hand and Vintage Books from Japan

Buying Second Hand and Vintage Books from Japan 中古本

Japan is a land of enthusiasts, and has more than its fair share of bookworms. Japan therefore has a wealth of second-hand book shops stocking usually very well preserved books in fair to excellent condition and covering as many topics as you can think of.

Most second hand book stores in Japan are very small, individually owned businesses catering exclusively to the busy domestic market. Therefore, vintage book stores in Japan are not motivated to offer their services to the overseas buyer, and usually shy away from foreign transactions because of the language barrier, the perceived risks involved in terms of payment security, and potential problems with delivery.

GoodsFromJapan regularly comes to the rescue of buyers in overseas countries who wish to purchase second-hand vintage books from Japan.

GoodsFromJapan's reliable proxy service charges a base fee of 1,200 yen (about nine dollars eighty cents, or nine euros, at today's exchange rate) plus 10% of the cost of [book + domestic freight].

Therefore, a 7,500 yen book would cost the overseas buyer as follows. (Please note that the book price, domestic freight price and international postage prices shown here are estimates, for illustrative purposes only):
7,500 yen for the book (estimate)
  600 yen sales tax levied by the Japanese government (8% at present)
  500 yen for domestic freight (estimate)
2,060 yen for the GoodsFromJapan commission (1,200 yen + 860 yen, i.e., 10% of the cost of [book + domestic freight])
2,400 yen for EMS postage (estimate based on 1kg to the USA)
  548 yen international surcharge (4.2% of the 13,060 yen subtotal)
13,608 yen TOTAL (illustrative estimate)

Books are sent using Japan Post's EMS service. Books usually arrive within 3 days, 5 days at maximum. EMS goods are fully insured and traceable online using a unique number.
EMS international postage rate schedule

GoodsFromJapan packs your valuable books very securely, but as lightly as possible to keep the postage down. We have never had a single incident of books being lost or damaged in transit, so your book purchase is safe with us.

GoodsFromJapan uses PayPal for payment.

Did you see a book on a Japanese website that you need? Please contact GoodsFromJapan. Our personalized, secure and efficient English-language service is guaranteed to satisfy.

Read more about the GoodsFromJapan Proxy Shipping & Forwarding from Japan

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REVOLTECH DANBOARD - a cute cardboard robot from Japan

REVOLTECH DANBOARD - a cute cardboard robot from Japan リボルテックダンボー

The adorable Revoltech Danboard ("danboard" meaning "cardboard" in Japanese for "cardboard robot") has become a hit both in Japan and overseas. GoodsFromJapan has been receiving numerous purchase requests for the cute battery-powered Revoltech Danboard, and has shipped them out to many satisfied customers.

Being battery-powered, the Revoltech Danboard moves his limbs and his eyes light up!

Few products fuse the pedestrian simplicity of the cardboard box, the high-tech cutting-edge image of the robot, and the must-have adorableness of a children's toy into a single, unique product so adeptly.

The Danbo Robot is the creation of Japan's Yotuba Sutazio (i.e., Yotsuba Studio) and features in its "Yotsuba" mange. The Revoltech Danboard comes in various sizes and styles.  There is an Amazon Japan-only version of the Revoltech Danboard, a Pepsi version, a "plain-pack" version, a "Mandarin orange carton" version, and more.

The Revoltech Danboard is so popular that there is high demand for it even as a second-hand item. Revoltech Danboard has clearly become a hit with collectors of kawaii products from Japan.

Contact Us

If you are trying to get hold of a Revoltech Danboard, please contact us at GoodsFromJapan. We charge a reasonable 1,200 yen basic handling fee for buying it on your behalf, plus 10% of the cost of the goods, and ship it to you via the Japan Post's secure EMS service, trackable online.

(Please understand that we cannot send batteries in the post. You will have to put them in yourself.)

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Hi-Fi Audio Cables from Japan

Hi-Fi Audio Cables from Japan

Japan has some of the world's biggest names in high end audio. Names like Audio Technica, Acrolink, Luxman, Fidelity Research, Onkyo, Denon, Accuphase, JVC, Jelco, 47 Labs, Nakamichi, and Esoteric are legendary in their respective fields.

GoodsFromJapan has years of experience dealing in high-end audio equipment and components, exporting both new and second-hand stereo goods from Japan to Europe, the United States, South America and elsewhere.

One product GoodsFromJapan gets regular inquiries about is audio cable.

Acrolink is one supplier of high-end audio cable that is highly respected for its ultra high-fidelity cables. Pictured here is a 0.5 m pair of Acrolink's 7N-A2070 RCA interconnect cable featuring almost 100% pure copper, and below a 1 m pair of Acrolink 7N-D5000 with its two cores of 19-strand 0.26mm diameter 7N copper.

The top product was won from YahooAuctions Japan—a source of select, high-quality, hard-to-find goods for large numbers of our customers—and the bottom one from an audio supplier in Tokyo.

GoodsFromJapan offers experience of buying and selling in Japan, along with on-hand Japanese language ability, and secure shipping—as over a decade's worth of satisfied customers will attest to.

Our customers deal with us mainly by email and pay using PayPal. We ship using the fully insured, trackable online, express postal service EMS. Please inquire with us about what you are looking for from Japan.

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Beams T-shirts from Japan

Beams T-shirts from Japan

Beams T-shirts from Japan

Few Japanese T-shirt makers come out with as wide a line-up of cool T-shirts as BEAMS - the now-international Japanese clothing brand that started off in Tokyo's stylish Harajuku youth fashion district.

Beams produces the full range of fashion clothing for men and women, but it is the Beams T-shirts in particular that make a statement - and for which we at GoodsFromJapan get regular inquiries.

Beams' imaginative T-shirts combine a cool message with a very cool look - or should that be "looks." The range is huge, and whether its cutsey, streety, plain or over-the-top, you'll find a Beams T-shirt right for you or that someone special.

The number of street and skateboard and other artists and designers represented in the Beams T-shirt line-up is astounding: Shuntaro Takeuchi,  Palm Graphics, Wolves Kill Sheep, NuGgets, JT & Co., NexusVII, Welcome to the Suck, Aloye, Comic Band Orchestra, Militant Pacifist, Loser Machine, Scumco & Suns, The Quiet Life, Koichiro Takagi, Stefan Marx, Raw and many more.

To check out some of Beams way cool T-shirts, go to the Beams Japan website and  paste "Tシャツ" into the search box.

Beams doesn't ship overseas, so GoodsFromJapan provides a service that is reasonably priced (1,200 yen + 10% of cost of the goods), efficient (payable by PayPal, and using EMS postal service, trackable online, fully insured, and with you in about 5 days) and reliable (thousands of happy customers) to get Beams T-shirts to you, wherever you are in the world.

Contact us when you find that must-have Beams T-shirt from Japan.

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Beautiful Commemorative Japanese Stamps

Beautiful Commemorative Japanese Stamps

Japan is a nation of enthusiasts, collectors,and - in what has almost become an English word - otaku, or "nerds." Japanese boys traditionally collect and rear stag beetles which they stage fights between, Japanese girls have traditionally loved their dolls, and in modern Japan this love of discovery and acquisition has extended to the full panoply of comsumables available to well-off, almost universally "middle-class," Japan.

Among the collectables that the Japanese do particularly well are postage stamps.

Philately is alive and well in Japan, which has its fair share of stamp museums to reflect the popular (if not overwhelmingly so) interest among Japanese people in stamps of Japan and the world.

There is a regular output of commemorative stamps by Japan Post, all of them distinguished by their richness and/or subtly of coloring, their imaginative design and impeccable production.

Pictured here are some commemorative stamp issues from the past, celebrating the postal service, Japanese calligraphy and letter writing.

GoodsFromJapan is always ready to help you follow up on any Japanese stamps you may be interested in, purchase them for you and deliver them to wherever you are, trouble-free and reliably, for a reasonable fee - payable using PayPal.

This is just one of the many proxy purchase services offered by GoodsFromJapan, vouched for by thousands of satisfied customers the world over.

切手

切手

Tokyo 2020 Olympics Stamps

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List Your Japan Products on GFJ

List Your Japan Products on GFJ - Reach Out to International Customers From Japan

List Your Japan Products on GFJ

グッズフロムジャパンは京都,東京そして名古屋に拠点を置く、伝統的、現代的な日本 の優れた商品を販売しているオンラインショップです。

カテゴリーは衣類、インテリア、玩具等幅広い分野の取り扱いがあります。

弊社サイトへの掲載料は無料にて、御社が取り扱っている商品を海外へ販売する事も可能です。

個人、法人を問わずお気軽に下記アドレスまでお問い合わせください。

List Your Japan Products on GFJ

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Bunchin Paperweights - beautiful Japanese iron ornaments

Bunchin Paperweights - beautiful Japanese iron ornaments 文鎮

Shodo, or Japanese calligraphy, is an art that is very much alive and well in Japan. The implements used in shodo include a paperweight, or bunchin ("boon-chin") for the parchment while you brush the characters in ink.

Bunchin paperweights are almost a world of their own, such is their variety - in terms of shape, size, material, form, color - and, most importantly, their beauty.

GoodsFromJapan offers five beautiful, elegant Japanese bunchin paperweights, selected as being suitable as one-of-a-kind ornaments and decorations in the home: in that special room, as a discrete but exotic feature that others will notice, and you will love.

Crafted out of solid iron, and exquisitely, subtly colored, these very different bunchin all share one thing in common: whimsical beauty in quality, made-in-Japan cast iron.

There is the huge, gentle whale, presented here in very easy to handle proportions, the sleek, playful dolphin, the long, lissome - and healthy - green cucumber, the bulbous, sensual eggplant, and the comically grumpy-looking long-nosed Japanese devil, or "oni" - actually a figure of fun in Japan!

Choose any one of these bunchin, or buy the whole set at a reduced price - from GoodsFromJapan to your home, or to the mailbox of a delighted loved one.

Buy bunchin paperweights now from GoodsFromJapan

Related

Calligraphy in Action

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Audio Technica Rexat AT7797/1.0

Audio Technica Rexat AT7797/1.0

The Audio Technica Rexat AT7797/1.0 cable and similar cables often come up for sale on Yahoo Auctions Japan.

- Audio Technica Rexat AT7797/1.0 cable specifications and features
- Oxygen-free copper (OFC)-plated signal line and power source/ground line.
- Gold-plated contacts for enhanced durability/reliability.
- Hanenite™ and Hybrar™ hybrid conductor for reduction of unwanted oscillation.
- Thoroughgoing damping settings possible with Hanenite™-lined connectors.
- Heat-resistant to 90 degrees Celsius (194 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Resilient double sheathing of copper tape and OFC braided shield.
- USB2.0 compliant.

Hardly any Yahoo Auctions Japan sellers will deal with buyers outside Japan.

That is where GoodsFromJapan comes in.

GoodsFromJapan deals with the seller on your behalf: does the bidding for you, communicates with the seller on your behalf, receives the goods and forwards them to you - all for a reasonable fee and a totally transparent payment structure.

Also, GoodsFromJapan will communicate with you promptly - no days off. Secure packing. Good communication. Years of experience. Satisfied, loyal customers.

Contact Us

Contact GoodsFromJapan with what you're looking for.

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Japanese English Electronic Dictionaries

Japanese English Electronic Dictionaries 電子辞書Casio XD-GF10000

Japanese-English dictionary

Low prices, great models, reliable delivery. For Canon and Casio Japanese-English, Japanese-Chinese, Japanese-Korean, Japanese-French and many more types of electronic dictionaries:

www.goodsfromjapan.com

The Casio XD-GF10000 is an excellent model and great value.

GoodsFromJapan.com has years of online service, thousands of satisfied customers.

電子辞書

電子辞書

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Hyottoko Japanese Mask

Hyottoko Japanese Mask 火男お面

Hyottoko 火男お面

Here is a classic version of the famous Hyottoko (Fire Man) mask.

Hyottoko is an abbreviation of "Hi Otoko," or "Fire Man." According to legend, he blows fire from a bamboo tube.

Look at the shape of the mouth, and you can picture it.

A wonderful mask.

Hyottoko Mask

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Scented Silk Bag

Scented Silk Bag 匂い袋

Scented bag from Kyoto

Made from 100% silk, both the bag and draw string are handmade.

These bags can used in drawers, in a toilet, in your dresser drawer, in the entrance to your home, and as a decoration.

Keeps away bugs as well as smelling great.

Beautiful and wonderfully scented. A blend of many types of incense creates a perfect bouquet.

Incense filled.

Made in Gion, Kyoto, and sold online only at GoodsFromJapan.com.

Purchase scented bags here

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