Snow Daruma?

ゆきあそび Yuki asobi means ... playing in the snow! The kids are doing lots of this lately, and I have to pack a special bag every week with snow gear just in case they go outside to play in the white stuff. And ゆきだるま yuki daruma means ... a snowman! ゆきだるまを　つくりましょう！ Let's make a snowman! I wondered why they just don't say "yuki hito" or something like that to mean snowman in Japanese. It's because the "daruma", that little round guy that gives you good luck on tests and stuff, is a similar shape to a ball of snow, so it made more sense to say yukidaruma. In Japan, if there is a hat it is usually a bucket or something, since there is no history of wearing "silk top hats" in Japan.

Switch to Winter

It's October, time for schoolkids in Japan to switch to their winter uniforms. Preschool kids don't have uniforms, so our Japanese preschool just told us to switch to pants and long sleeves. "But still dress lightly," they said, so the kids can (抵抗力 ていこうりょくを　つけ) "build up their tolerance" for cold weather. Wow! Unlike the "bundle up" message from American teachers, Japanese teachers tell parents NOT to bundle up kids too much. The thinking is that they will be more able to tolerate the cold and illnesses if they are "robust." Sugoi ne!