Monday, March 30, 2009

Ruby Tuesday - Kokeshi Dolls

Kokeshi are wooden Japanese Dolls, one of the most popular traditional folk-crafts in Japan

On a recent trip to Japan, my brother in law bought us some cool Kokeshi dolls. These dolls are handmade from wood, generally cylindrical in shape and limbless. They are completely unique and simply adorable, so I feel happy with whatever I get. It's quite the norm for people to pick up souvenirs and mementos or local delicacies of their vacation. Infact, I love collecting unique souvenirs from different countries. Regardless big or small the gift, it is always the thought that counts. It is pretty interesting to see different items with intriguing cultural backgrounds too.

We have been fortunate to do an extensive bit of travel in the past years, both for business and leisure and have gotten a charming collection of those little souvenirs of where we have been. Most of the trips were overseas to very spectacular places. Whenever I get to those cities and places of attractions, I make it a point to get unique souvenirs to add to my own collections as well as for friends and relatives, with affordable bargains of course. More often, I'm always on the look out for something original that would bring back wonderful memories of my travels.

How about you? Do you like buying souvenirs and gifts from places you travel to?


***********************
First Commenter - Foong

38 comments:

foongpc said...

FC?

foongpc said...

Yay!! FC!! : ) : ) : )

foongpc said...

Cute dolls! I like to buy souvenirs when traveling, but only buy those that I can afford : )

foongpc said...

The word "kokeshi" reminds me of the word "kakashi" which means scarecrow : )

Life Ramblings said...

foong,
congrats for being my FC for this post. you're real fast.

Life Ramblings said...

foong,
I'd usually buy affordable gifts and set a budget for each gift. Although my budget is very small, I still make sure that my gifts will not be something cheapskate for friends and relatives. :)

Marlene Affeld said...

The dolls are darling, what a thoughtful gift. They remind me of the Russian stacking dolls. Wishing you well and happy travels.

Ayie said...

The dolls are cute, shows a very authentic japanese touch. We also love souvenirs, most of the time we get shirts. The item that me and my husband collect from places are keychains. The price is just right, easy to carry even if we buy alot to give friends and relatives and many designs too.

Shinade said...

Oh I have loved these little dolls!! Well truly I am in love with just about all types of Asian colors, design and art.

These are great!!

Jackie:-)

Life Ramblings said...

Marlene,
stacking doll is the most popular Russian souvenir and would make a wonderful gift for everyone.

thanks for visiting.

Life Ramblings said...

Ayie,
For smaller budgets, keychains are always appreciated, and they are always used.

I have a lot of keychains as souvenirs from different places. Some are being used while some are on display since I don’t have enough keys to use them.

Life Ramblings said...

shinade,
yeah, these dolls have great appeal and are popular collectible items.

Happy Tuesday!

Mei Teng said...

The dollies are cute! I am a fan of those miniature Russian dolls...I think that differs in sizes with all of them fitting into a giant one.

napaboaniya said...

I love getting souvenirs during travels, but I often get into trouble with excess baggage weight! :P

lina said...

The dolls are so cute.

I buy plenty of souvenirs, but I'm afraid that I don't buy that many unique gifts for friends and relatives. I choose the easy way - key chains and food! :P

Mariuca said...

Alamak! Missed again! :(

Mariuca said...

Congrats cute Panda he he!! ;)

Mariuca said...

Hey LR, these are really cute!! How nice of ur BIL!

Mariuca said...

Oh me too LR! I looooooove souvenir shopping, even if it's in a local place ha ha! Will spend a lot of time at the souvenir shops of coz!

Mariuca said...

I usually get fridge magnets for my collection! :)

Life Ramblings said...

Mei Teng,
I've seen a lot of photos of Russian Nesting Dolls in a variety of pieces, sizes, colors, and designs in blogs and photo sharing sites. Whatever you call them in Russian, they sure are cute!

Life Ramblings said...

napaboaniya,
I always make it a point to travel light. You will have to pay some extra if you go beyond the weight restrictions.

Life Ramblings said...

lina,
keychains and food are always great souvenirs/gifts for friends and relatives back home.

but as for myself, I'd purchased something out of the ordinary as a memento of my journey.

Life Ramblings said...

Happy 7th anniversary, Mariuca!

peace, love, happiness and good health to you both always.

Life Ramblings said...

mariuca,
you like fridge magnets too? Yay,my DH likes collecting them in all our trips and beyond.

levian said...

those are such lovely dolls! :D i love buying (n receiving) souvenirs from different places as well. it reminds me of the experiences. :)

Towards healthy and leisure life~! said...

Kokeshi dolls looks cute...

Cashmere said...

They are cute.. I like the lil' one on the left.. I never fail to buy souvenirs from the places I visited.. I'm collecting souvenirs now.. even states.. ;D

Life Ramblings said...

levian,
that's wonderful. It reminds me of wonderful family tours and unlimited fun we had during those trips.

Life Ramblings said...

Towards healthy and leisure life,
hi! thanx for visiting.

Life Ramblings said...

cashmere,
yeah, the little one is my fave one as well.

Marites said...

I have one Kokeshi Doll given by an aunt (so, that's what it's called) and I really adore it. I do like buying souvenirs from places i've been to too.

Monica said...

I always like having Souvenirs whenever I go to different places!!

Monica said...

I usually buy something yummy for my family to enjoy :-D

Life Ramblings said...

Marites,
yeah, the dolls are cute, aren't they? Buying souvenirs for family, friends, and colleagues are actually a cool thing to do on holidays.

Life Ramblings said...

monica,
how cool. When we go for travel, we also end up buying souvenirs for our friends, relatives and of course for ourselves.

Life Ramblings said...

exactly monica. i like to buy their snack food when i travel.

JL said...

Once I got one of these dolls but I didn't know they were called kokeshi. I definitely like buying souvenirs from places I visit.