We visited a Japanese grocery store recently, and my daughter loved the maneki neko figurines and posters. She does an excellent imitation of the famous Japanese lucky cat, and I just had to share. We wish everyone a lucky and prosperous 2009!

Okay, I know the term “nano” is being used inappropriately in all sorts of pop culture references, and I just did it again. Sorry. But I wanted to emphasize that this little terrarium is tiny. And cute!

I love growing houseplants and vegetables. I’ve spent many dollars and hours working on the garden this year, starting plants from seed during the winter, and transplanting them into the ground in the spring. It’s hard, dirty, sweaty work, but the flower blossoms and edible treats make it seem worthwhile.

Sometimes, though, I get into a lazy mood. Or it’s just too hot and humid to really enjoy working outdoors. I’m more of a cool weather person, and I don’t do well in the heat. Plus, I have an affinity for odd Japanese gadgets and accessories. So when I saw this little cell phone strap, I had to share it.

It’s from strapya-world, and it’s a little living plant, growing in some kind of gel medium, sealed inside a vial, attached to a gadget lanyard. I love that it’s actually alive, and I love that it’s so odd. I have no idea how long the plant will live, but I like the idea of carrying a little bit of green garden with me.

If you’re not into the pastel gel colors, you can also get a little cactus in a bit of sand, and you get to water it a couple times a month.

I have three children: two boys, and a girl. The boys have been using the toilet independently for a few years, and my daughter is just learning. As any parent can understand, I am really looking forward to the day when we are a diaper-free household!

Even though the boys can take care of their own business in the bathroom, there are still some improvements to be made. For one thing, I wish they would be more careful with their aim. I am so tired of cleaning up after them!

These nifty stickers are designed to help guys with piss-poor (ha ha) aim do a better job of hitting the mark. Of course, they’re from Japan, home to many toilet-related innovations. The stickers can be installed in toilets or urinals, and change color when peed upon.

I can imagine that a color-changing target in the pot would be irresistible for my boys, and would reduce the occurrence of stray drips and dribbles. I haven’t seen these in any stores yet, but if I do, I’m buying them!

Via tokyomango.

I love these! I know I say that a lot, but I really do love these. I found this set of 5 droid “shampoo” dispensers at strapya. For $89.95 USD, you can get the lot, and put one in each bathroom. How cute would that be? Good-bye, fuzzy toilet lid cover. Farewell, traditional bathroom decor. Hello, droids! From the product description:
Limited Star Wars R2D2 & All-Star Astromech Droids: R4-P17, R2-R9, R2-D2, R2-Q5 & R2-A6

Shapoo Bottle Droids for use of your bath time.
Some heavy Star Wars fanatics wouldn’t use them
as shampoo bottles for collectible purpose.
Each Droid comes in a perfect Star Wars Package.

From what I understand, these are a limited edition, in connection with the 30th anniversary of the Star Wars movie debut in Japan. I think my kids would wash their hands more frequently if the soap came out of a droid.

Hina Matsuri is one of the prettiest Japanese holidays, in my opinion. I love the pink colors, and the beautifully elaborate doll displays. Also, it’s a nice reminder that spring is on its way! Here is a little bit of information about Hina Matsuri, if you’re wondering what it’s all about. This is from PingMag.jp:

The overall idea of Hina-matsuri is to wish girls a healthy growth. In a family where a baby girl is born, parents give a set of dolls called “Hina-Ningyo” to the baby at her first Hina-matsuri hoping that she will grow happy, healthy and beautiful. Every year they keep decorating the dolls on the day of Hina-matsuri and hold a party to celebrate the child’s growth with some cake or tiny rice cakes.

I remember those special sweets and treats from a trip my family took to Japan when I was in elementary school. It was such an amazing experience to see, touch, taste, smell, and hear all of the elements of the celebration, especially when we visited the home of some long-lost relatives. I was about ten years old, and it made an indelible impression on my young mind.

Happy Hina Matsuri, everyone!

Hello everyone! Here is a project I worked on this weekend. It combines my love of making jewelry with my love of origami. (Some of you may not know that I am half Japanese, and I love making crafty things.) I really love the florals, swirls, and geometric patterns on traditional origami paper, and I thought it would be great to make it wearable. So…

Ta-da! It’s an origami paper pendant. I made it by cutting out the most interesting and beautiful bit of a piece of origami paper, set it inside a sterling silver bezel cup, and covered it with a crystal clear epoxy resin. What do you think? Super kawaii, right? Kind of like wearing origami, but much more durable. It’s even waterproof!

I love looking at new USB gadgets. It’s amazing the things you can get that run off of USB power right on your desk. You can get a vacuum cleaner, a lava lamp, a Christmas tree, even a robotic USB Stewie from Family Guy. (I’ve put together some of my favorites on this page at Squidoo, dedicated to great gadgets.) Seriously, who can live without this stuff?

But this is my new favorite! Look at how cute those USB sushi drives are! I love sushi, and I love gadgets. And who doesn’t need a portable memory stick? I bet these are much harder to lose than the plain old sticks.

These drives are available in a variety of flavors, including maguro, ebi, egg, maki, and more. Prices are $65 and up per piece, but they are calorie-free, and they never spoil! Awesome!

I came across this clip from a “Human Tetris” Japanese game show. It is silly and fun, and I think it’s hilarious. What does that say about me?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84_QL1kEmH4]