Hello Kitty & Kawaii

All of our hearts and minds are with those in Japan. It is unfathomable what they have been suffering. It is sometimes quite difficult to comprehend. We see the images on our television and computer screens. We hear the reports on the radio, podcasts, or other places online. Unless you are there, it is rather surreal. It may be really silly or stupid but one item of news that made it feel personal to me was the report that Yuko Yamaguchi, the creator of Hello Kitty had been killed in the earth quake. She has since updated her blog and is not only alive, but well. It all of a sudden felt real to me! I don't know Yuko. I've never even seen her in real life. But Hello Kitty has been a love of mine for years and years! I felt a sense of loss. I'm actually embarrassed to admit it. So many people have lost their lives and homes and everything they've owned and it was the possible death of Hello Kitty's creator that shook me.

I am a child at heart and in mind sometimes too. I am not alone. I'd like to honor the Japanese love of cuteness as it is something I love about Japan.

Since the 1970s, cuteness, in Japanese kawaisa (可愛さ^?) (literally, "lovability", "cuteness" or "adorableness"), has become a prominent aspect of Japanese popular culture, entertainment, clothing, food, toys, personal appearance, behavior, and mannerisms.^[1] It is also referred to as kawaii (literally, adorable, precious, lovable, or innocent^[2]). wikipedia.

There is a Wikipedia article titled Cuteness in Japanese culture!

Amigurumi - literally knitted stuffed toy, is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and anthropomorphic creatures.
Here are a few free patterns! 

Nuigurumi literally means 'sew and wrap' in Japanese - but refers to rag dolls and stuffed animals!

 There is of course origami, 

furoshiki 

I think I shall have to give Amigurumi a go in honor of the Japanese x

Hari-kuyo: Festival of Broken Needles

I only just stumbled upon this fascinating festival. It is yet one more incredible Japanese tradition.

Hari-kuyo 

Hari kuyo, Temple Sensõ-ji, Tokyo © Michele Walker, 2005

Harikuyo is a solemn rite of respect and thanksgiving in which the worn and broken sewing needles used in the previous year are retired to a sacred resting place.

"There is a very great respect for everyday objects in Japanese culture. And there are many objects that are treated in the same way as the needles of the ladies who made the kimonos. For example, you have in Japan the incan, the seal, that in a sense represents a person's life. And of course they become worn over the years and they have to be replaced. But it would be considered sacrilege just to throw it away. And so when the time comes, the proper respectful way to deal with it is to take it to a place -- to a shrine or a temple -- where there is a small burial ground for those family seals."
"The basic point is this enormous sense of respect for daily objects and particularly objects of work. And this is part of what I would call the subconscious popular religious culture of the Japanese, that focus on life in almost any form. And when they do come to this particular event, it is taken very seriously."
Professor Stuart Picken directs the Japan studies program at International Christian University in Tokyo.

Some people look upon the ceremony as an observance of respect for needlework skills as well.

"In doing the research that we did for the book, we came across this seemingly antiquated, yet enchanting 400-year-0ld Japanese tradition with roots in Buddhism. I can not pretend to truly understand this tradition, but I believe in the underlying ideas of being thankful for my work, and for the tools that I worked hard to achieve my goals. I think that taking time to pause, reflect and look forward towards another year of thoughtful and improved stitching recognizes the value of humility and the sense that I can not do anything completely alone. I need these small needles and I am thankful for them. They have earned their rest".
David Boyd for the Japan Foundation

 How wonderful! I so appreciate the respect and thoughtfulness in Japanese culture. I hope to learn from it and be more thankful for the tools I have which enable me to create. I do carry gratitude in my heart for those who have encouraged creativity in me from young childhood. I am so thankful that I am able to make some money from being gifted with ability to make. I am thankful for those who appreciate what I make. I am so thankful for you for taking time to read my ramblings. What are you thankful for today?