March 3rd was Girl’s Day in Japan. On this day families with young daughters celebrate this event at home to ensure their daughter's future happiness by putting up intricate doll displays. Utazu has a Hina Matsuri (Doll’s Festival) every year in celebration. Many houses and temples in the older part of town have their intricate displays open to the public. My co-worker took me there on March 2nd. We wondered the streets admiring various displays. There were a few vendors in the streets selling various things to eat and drink. We stopped for some free macha (green tea) at a temple and bought some delicious fried octopus from a street vendor. We also stopped at an elegant Buddhist temple called Shotokuin and paid to enjoy a graceful tea ceremony. Shotokuin also housed a set of dolls
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