Today we celebrate Children’s Day in Japan with our lovely children’s fabrics. As always on May 5th thousands of colorful ‘Koinobori‘ windsocks fly above the roofs, carrying with them wishes for good health and success. If you too want to have your own flying fish at home, we found a great guide to sewing the sweet ‘skydivers’ and have the perfect bento accessories to carve your own cute carps. After all, taking things in our own hands surely the sky is the limit.

On May 5th colorful carps representing strength and good health take to the skies

Heavenly delicious. This cute ‘Koinobori’ Bento

cat and fish bowls Bento cups rice shaper bento box

white fish fabric Mod Fish by Michael Miller USA

blue monaluna sea animal organic fabric sea life

Michael Miller fabric Retro Rocket Rascals astronauts

pink ballerina girls ballet fabric Robert Kaufman USA

Cherry blossoms are crucial for spring celebrations in Japan. Hanami is a wonderful occasion to admire the beautiful Sakura trees in full bloom and share a Bento lunch with a friend or two. The spectacle lasts for two weeks in March and April. The perfect time to enjoy a picnic in the park.

A Cherry Blossom picnic in Tokyo

off-white structured flower cherry blossom dobby fabric from Japan

cherry blossoms flower mt Washi Masking Tape deco tape

Japanese Kokeshi dolls eraser origami from Japan

sky blue and yellow Bento Box Lunch Box with stripes and clock from Japan

panda bear stripe Bento Cutlery Set from Japan

Spring has arrived and many beautiful flower buds bloom again. Amidst the blossoms, we spotted the probably cutest flower arrangements of all. These enchanting Hello Kitty bouquets from Sanrio are a perfect decoration for the new season and a lovely idea for a present. It’s time to flourish and be happy. It’s time for spring.

Simply kawaii. This Hello Kitty flower arrangement with ribbons.

We love this super cute present box with Hello Kitty, apples and roses.

A lovely Hello Kitty rose bouquet. Suitable for a little princes.

Isn’t it adorable? A charming bouquet with Hello Kitty and a toy poodle .

Sanrio’s flower shop in Japan.

Today is a special day for all little girls in Japan. It’s ‘Hinamatsuri‘ or Doll Festival. This lovely celebration is not so well known outside of Japan and the counterpart to Children’s Day in May, when families celebrate their boy’s well-being.
The doll theme is also taken up by many shops, just like this Tokyo based bakery that sells cute cakes with doll decoration and adorable Hello Kitty designs. For boys and girls, this is an irresistible feast for the eyes.

Super cute My Melody and Hello Kitty doll cup cakes.

Japanese Doll Festival cake. What a sweet tradition.

Adorable Hello Kitty cherry blossom strawberry cake.

This year we met the fun Mofutans Mochi bunnies for the first time. There are quite a few of the cute rabbits; let’s get to know them better:

Mofutans Mochi rabbits are fluffy little bunnies that are extremely stretchy. They are as stretchy as the Japanese dessert Mochi and also as sticky as Mochi, because when they touch each other, they stick together. This happens quite a lot because they like to play and bite each other. If they are not playing together, they comb their super soft fur. Each Mofutans character is inspired by real rabbit breeds. So who is in the Mofutans familiy?

blue Mofutans Mochi rabbits 3-pocket A4 file folder

Mofutans

Mofutans is a white rabbit and the main character of the Mofutans family. He is very, very stretchy and a lot of times you will see him stretched super long because his friends were pulling him. He has long ears that almost hang on the ground. When he feels good his ears go up.

Japanese pink San-X Mofutans Mochi rabbits Note Pad

Tomotan

The grey rabbit Tomotan is Mofutans closest friends. Indeed they are so close that you will see Tomotan biting on Mofutans a lot. It looks like Tomotan is eating rice cake, but he is just gently nagging on his friend.

funny Mofutans small grey mochi bunny San-X plushie

Potechi

The brown rabbit Potechi has the same color like potato chips. He is quite a naughty bunny, but also very popular among all the other rabbits.

light brown Mofutans mochi rabbit plush toy by San-X from Japan

Chamu Chamu

Chamu Chamu has grey ears and a lot of fur. He is so furry that you can’t even see his legs. He loves to eat and always puts way too much food in his mouth.

cream-grey Mofutans mochi rabbit plush toy by San-X from Japan

Norimaki

Norimaki has dark grey/black marks and looks like he’s wearing a mask. He is always sleepy.

white-grey Mofutans mochi rabbit plush toy by San-X from Japan

Angorajisan

This ball of fur is the the elderly rabbit Angorajisan. He is really old but also very wise.

white elderly Mofutans mochi rabbit plush toy by San-X from Japan

Ikimonogakari

The small pink rabbit is very tiny. Nobody knows what rabbit breed he is, it is an unknown type. This makes him very special. He easily makes friends with all the other rabbits.

pink mini Mofutans mochi rabbit plush toy by San-X from Japan

If you’re a fan or not you probably know Hello Kitty. But do you know any other characters from Sanrio? Sanrio released a super cute interactive timeline where you can see which characters were created between 1970 and today. Hello Kitty is the star of the timeline and walks you through it using different vehicles in each decade. When you click on the characters you get a short bio.

It’s so interesting to see what character was born at what time. Did you know that Hello Kitty, My Melody and Little Twin Stars were all created in the 1970s? But Hello Kitty’s boyfriend Dear Daniel was not developed until 20 years later.

Sanrio released a super cute character timeline on their website

It all starts in 1970 and Hello Kitty walks you through it

My Melody and Little Twin Stars were created in the 1970s – just like Hello Kitty

Whenever there is a change of decades, Hello Kitty changes her vehicle

So many cute characters that we haven’t seen before

Badtz-Maru and Chococat were developed in the 1990s

Charmmykitty is one of the youngest characters, released between 2000 and 2010

Hello Kitty’s superhero alter-ego Ichigoman is the latest character development up to this point

Clicking on the character provides you with a short bio

The funny Zombbit zombie bunnies were released by San-X in 2013 and therefore are the youngest members of the San-X family.

funny Zombbit zombie rabbit stickers from Japan

Zombbits are cute rabbits that somehow became zombies. The living dead bunnies are very hungry and will try to bite anything. They make the gnawing sound “gajigaji” all the time and are super slow. Once they bite another bunny it is infected too and will become a zombie. Let’s get to know them a bit better:

turquoise Zombbit zombie animal rabbit Nonbi plush charm

Nonbi

The cute turquoise rabbit is still a baby. His appearance didn’t change that much after he became a Zombbit. Nonbi doesn’t seem to have any ears.

pink Zombbit zombie animal rabbit Somii plush charm San-X

Somii

The hot pink Somii is always at Nonbi’s side. So is he his pet? Nobody knows. He looks a bit like a cloud because he appears to be trembling.

Zombbit zombie rabbits polka dots glitter pencil Japan

Zombbits

There are lots of different Zombbit rabbits. They are always in a group and gnaw on something – quite frequently on each other. When they see Nonbi they run after him.

striped Zombbit zombie rabbits A4 plastic file folder

Joshii

Joshii looks a bit like a pig, but she is a female bunny. She is Nonbi’s classmate and accidentally became a Zombbit. She wears quite a bit of make up which is a bit messy now.

funny Zombbit zombie rabbit stickers from Japan

GG

The school bus driver GG really doesn’t look a lot different as a zombie than he did before. But now flies are always hiding in his mouth.

black Zombbit zombie rabbit Nonbi Note Pad sticker

Hamii & Salamii

Hamii and Salamii are twin brothers and sisters who live near Nonbi. They are always together.

Today we meet Toromi, a funny French bulldog girl puppy, who became a member of the San-X family in 2012. Her name literally means “thick” because she looks and feels like Mochi – the typical Japanese rice cake dessert. Toromi is known for her slow and slightly stupid movements, but her clumsiness is super cute. Even though she is slow, she is super curious and changes position all the time. Her little pink teddy bear is her favourite toy. She loves to eat mochi, sweets and all kinds of soft food.

Isn’t she adorable?

pink Toromi bulldog dog A4 plastic file folder

funny Toromi French bulldog dog eraser

colourful Toromi Bulldog glitter pencil white dog

San-X most popular bear character is definitely Rilakkuma. But there is another little bear fella in the San-X family who deserves your attention: Chocopa!

pink Chocopa panda bear chocolate A4 plastic file folder

Chocopa

Chocolate, chocolate and even more chocolate. The kawaii baby panda Chocopa has a sweet tooth, because he wants to eat chocolate all the time. But one day a change happened when he took a bite of his favourite milk chocolate. Just like the chocolate bar he suddenly became all brown. Just when he drinks milk he becomes a panda bear again.

Chocopa bear with chocolate cover plush charm San-X

Nuts

The cute orange squirrel Nuts is Chocopa’s friend. The cute rodent wears brown glasses and looks very smart. He loves to sit on Chocopa’s head and often takes photos of him.

San-X orange Chocopa squirrel with glasses plush toy

San-X has so many different kawaii characters, it’s really fun to introduce them all. Today it gets really girly, because little piglet Piggy Girl is the star of the moment.

Piggy Girl pig tea rabbit cake mini Note Pad San-X

The kawaii Piggy Girl animals love make-up, fashion and shopping. They all have a sweet tooth and enjoy a good afternoon tea with some delicious cake and fresh strawberries.

Piggy Girl pig cake strawberry towel from Japan

Piggy Girl

Just like a girl the kawaii piglet Piggy loves girly things like shopping, doing her nails and trying on make-up. She loves perfume and collects ribbons which are all over her room. She always wears a ribbon on her tail. Her charming point is her nose which is a tiny bit short. The soles of her feet are heart-shaped and so are her shoes. Piggy Girl’s favorite accessory is her sparkling rhinestone tiara, but sometimes she also wears flowers in her hair instead.

Piggy Girl rabbit plush charm white rabbit strawberry

Rabby

The cute little white rabbit is Piggy Girl’s fashionable friend. They love to go shopping together, gossip and hang out for afternoon tea.

cute mini Memo Pad Piggy Girl pig with perfume

Mabby

The cute blue mouse never leaves Piggy Girl’s side. She always ties the ribbon on Piggy’s tail.