New Sakura Earrings over at Akabana-!

Ok. Well, it's not exactly a new product, but they have been out of stock since we sold out at Christmas. They are quite labor intensive, and I have been busy with other things, so I have not had the time to make any more. However, with the springtime here and the cherry blossoms (sakura) blooming, we couldn't not have something so quintessentially Japanese at our store. So, a re-debut of our sakura earring studs! Perfect for all your springtime Japanese festivals!


They are all handmade and each petal is folded from a tiny one centimeter squares. Then the petals are arranged and glued together before they are coated for strength and protection. The entire process takes hours, but I think the finished product is beautiful. I hope other people do, too :P

For better pictures, head on over to our Etsy store! We will be adding more colors soon and a new design for the sakura is also in the works, so keep your eyes peeled for the new releases!

Springtime means 花見!!

The Japanese word in the title of this post says hanami. Hanami is the Japanese idea of enjoying looking at the cherry blossoms. It is something almost everyone in Japan does. Some will even travel to see hanami in far off cities. In today's world, that may sound boring since there are no vampires or anything involved, but I love the idea of the simplicity of not merely appreciating nature, but enjoying it. 

In an ideal world, I would be working in Washington, DC working "making a difference" in American foreign policy or building relationships with foreign countries. In my free time, I would be heading to the Tidal Basin and enjoy a nice hanami picnic or even just plop down with a book to read under the blossoming cherry trees. This year marks the hundred year anniversary of the first gift of cherry trees from Japan to the United States.

They were planted 100 years ago in the name of friendship between the two countries, and aside from a little skirmish called World War II, seems to have been fairly effective. The pink cherry blossoms are almost as much of a sign of our nation's Capitol as they are of Japan. 

In DC, there is no doubt I would be enjoying the blossoms as much as possible. But this year, as part of the centennial celebration, hundreds of trees will be donated all across the country so that dozens of cities will be able to enjoy the springtime beauty that these blossoms provide. In my area, there will be some planted in Denver and Colorado Springs, as well as some planted in Salt Lake City. Check out if there are any cherry trees in your city. In a few years, these trees will hopefully provide springtime enjoyment for more hanami opportunities!