Maya and I headed out today to celebrate the Japanese New Year a bit late at the JCAW New Year's Festival (新春祭り), held at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park near the Zoo.
I learned about the event from friends in the Washington-Tokyo Women's Club and I thought it would be a great way to introduce Maya to some Japanese New Year traditions.
[kites are a traditional gift given at the New Year, and tako-age (凧揚げ), kite-flying, is common]
[lunch: inari sushi (稲荷寿司) and takoyaki (たこ焼き)]
[playing a traditional New Year game similar to Pin the Tail on the Donkey: fukuwarai (福笑い)]
[trying her hand at Japanese calligraphy; she wrote the word dog in Japanese, inu (犬)]
