Hina Doll Lecture

On 4 March, the Embassy invited the third generation hina doll maker of the Ando doll shop in Kyoto, Mr. Keiho Ando and Mrs. Keiko Ando for a lecture about Hina dolls. After a welcome speech by Ambassador Ishii, Mr. and Mrs. Ando talked about the meaning of Hina Matsuri (girls’ festival) and Hina dolls, its history, display style and others were explained. They also carried out a demonstration on how a Hina doll is made. Many participants in the audience had not seen a Hina doll before and were fascinated with the beauty and the exquisite craftsmanship of these gorgeous dolls. After the lecture, various kinds of tea were served by Azumaya, a Japanese tea shop in Antwerp, and the participants also enjoyed sweets made by Japanese pâtissier Mr. Sasaki.