I did a workshop making summer greeting card “Shochumimai” (暑中見舞い) at Keio department store in Shinjuku.
I’ve done another workshop making new years card before. Then they offered me again fortunately:)

Summer in Japan is super muggy. So we send the card to wish their health.

They were all Japanese. I usually teach Japanese Calligraphy (Shodo) to foreigners. But I’ve found the Japanese were almost same as foreigners. I mean things I taught them. Only except they know Kanji so that I didn’t teach order of strokes. 

Calligraphy is a Japanese traditional culture.
But unfortunately most of Japanese don’t know about it well.
Especially younger people and my generation, we don’t really use brushes to write:(
It’s a good opportunity to experience/know our traditional culture:)

Wakalture’s activities
http://www.wakalture.com/activities/

I went to Ikuta ryokuchi rose garden last weekend:)

The garden opens in late spring and autumn.
It was the last day so some of them were dying unfortunately 🙁
But still very beautiful!!

There were a lot of kinds and colours of roses!!
This rose garden is a bit far from the city but it’s free entrance:)

Web site (Ikuta ryokuchi)
http://www.ikutaryokuti.jp/hp/forein_en.html

Have you ever seen these Japanese sweets?

It’s rice dumpling. We call it “Dango” or “Odango” in a polite way.
There are few kinds of tastes such as sweet soy sauce (on the left) and sweet red bean paste (on the right). I don’t have a photo but my favorite is Yomogi a kind of fragrant herb:) Usually sweet red bean paste is on the top.
We call sweet soy sauce dango “Mitarashi-dango”.
Sweet red bean paste is “Annko” in Japanese.
Annko is a bit too sweet for me so I always eat with Mitarashi dango:)
Also green tea is MUST to drink with!! Great combination of sweetness and bitterness:D

Look at these Hello Kitty (on the right) and My Melody (on the left)!!
These are traditional Japanese sweets called Manju and Nerikiri. 
Both are sweet red jelly beans inside:)

I felt guilty to eat them but it was yummy!!

You can find them in stores of Shiose-sohonke (塩瀬総本家).
It’s in Ginza, Shinjuku etc…
Web site: https://www.shiose.co.jp/user_data/shoplist.php *Japanese only

Kanda matsuri (Kanda festival) was held last weekend here in Kanda. 
It’s one of three most famous festival in Tokyo:) It’s a very very very big festival!!

This is called Mikoshi which is a portable shrine. The spirit of a deity temporarily reposes during the festival held in his honor.
There is 108 Chokai which is like neighborhood associations. Each of us have our own Mikoshi and carry it on the festival:) We also have our own colored Happi.

On Sunday, all of Mikoshi were in Chuo-Dori (Chuo street)!!

I saw the kid were standing on the Mikoshi and led people carry the Mikoshi:)

Would you like to see it?
The next one is in 2 years 2019!!