＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
A giant, upside-down kokeshi doll balloon, a piece of contemporary art, appeared next to Heian Shrine from February 17th to March 17th, 2019, and it garnered attention. It was featured in newspapers and on television.
This giant kokeshi, named “Hanako,” is the work of the contemporary art unit “Yotta,” formed by Kimitaka Kizaki, a graduate of Kyoto Institute of Technology, and Hiromichi Yamawaki, a graduate of Kyoto University of Art and Design.
1. About the Giant Kokeshi “Hanako”
“Hanako” is a 12-meter-long balloon kokeshi created in 2011. Its design is based on the shape and patterns of kokeshi dolls from the Tohoku region, and it is said to occasionally say things like “I’m hungry.”
Apparently, it has been exhibited in various places, including Osaka, but I had no idea about it. In other locations, the kokeshi dolls would have been displayed upright like normal kokeshi dolls, but this area of Kyoto City is a designated scenic spot, so they were laid down out of consideration for the scenery.
In Kansai, the word for toppling or falling is “kokokeru,” so it makes for a pun: “kokeda kokeshi” = “kokedashi kokeshi.”
This is likely what sparked the buzz because it’s unexpected, gives a sense of their enormity, and is Instagrammable.
The current exhibition, held on the grounds of the ROHM Theatre next to Heian Shrine, is part of the Kyoto Culture Power Project, which aims to promote Kyoto culture in the lead-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, and was put on by an executive committee made up of Kyoto City and other organizations.
This area was the finish line of the Kyoto Marathon, held on February 17, 2019, and the large crowds that gathered there likely contributed to the buzz.
2. “Hanako” is also related to “Nirvana Buddha.”
In Thai temples, you can often see “Nirvana Buddhas,” depicting the reclining Buddha, depicting the Buddha’s nirvana. In Japan, there is also a Nirvana Buddha at Kuanji Temple in Ikeda City, Osaka Prefecture, which I have seen myself.
It has a similar appeal to the recently popular “yuru-chara” (cute mascot) character, so if possible, I hope to see it exhibited around the country in the future.