ＧＲＥＥＴＩＮＧ of March, 2013

^{The First Doll Festival for Granddaughter Konoha

Only recently I wrote about the birth of our granddaughter Konoha.

March the 3rd is the Doll Festival for girls in Japan, and the first festival
for a new born baby is something special.

Konoha is 4 months old now, and she looks like a Girl!

Please see her at her first festival.}

	^{The Hina dolls we bought for Konoha. These dolls are the images of the Emperor and Empress of 1000 years ago, with the people who serve in the palace. Furnitures of mini size are prepared, even carriage and the bull which pulled the cart. All these mean that the baby will be prosperous and happy when she grows up/}
^{Also other dolls are presented by relatives. This is a typical, traditional Ichimatsu Ningyo.}
	^{We had the party , not at Yoyokaku, but at Konoha's own small house. Sushi was prepared, which mostly Konoha's brothers and grandmother (me) ate.}
^{Konoha is the first girl grandchild for us. My husband was afraid to take her in his arms, because our princess looks fragile!}
	^{Usually, on the 100th days after the baby's birth, it is a custom to do a ceremony called "First Chopsticks". The baby is not yet ready to start eating solid things, but we prepare rice, fish, and vegetables.}
^{Just for the show, I put a flake of cooked fish to her mouth. I was surprised to see that Konoha showed her will to eat it. How did she recognize that it was FOOD? Just for a moment, she licked the fish at the tip of her tongue.}
	^{All the relatives were wished Konoha all the happiness and good health.}
^{Konoha's great grandmother Kaga is 96 years old, This was her first meeting with Konoha. Kaga sang Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival ) Song for the baby. These two beautiful lives of 96 years apart from each other, deeply impressed us all. My own mother had been dead before Konoha was born, and how I wished she could have also embraced this blessing baby.}
	Konoha (4months), Akira (4years) Asahi (8years) God bless these pure things!