Amin Abbas

DUBAI: A wonderful Hinamatsuri activity event was held on March 9 at Konjiki Hototogisu restaurant in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates. Organized by Al Dahlia Kimono, the event featured a kimono experience, Japanese calligraphy, matcha, and origami workshops.

“This time the theme was Hinamatsuri, one of the traditional Japanese celebrations that happen on March 3. It’s a doll festival also known as Girl’s Day in which parents wish the girls in their family health and a good future,” Motoko, founder of Al Dahlia Kimono, reflected on the event. 

“March 8 was the World Women’s Day, so we combined the two celebrations at the Konjiki Hototogisu restaurant. We displayed the traditional Hina doll set and hosted a matcha latte workshop, origami workshop, calligraphy learning, and kimono experience on the day. Most of the people who came didn’t know about Hinamatsuri; they’d never even heard about or seen the Hina dolls before. Our concept is about sharing our Japanese culture, so we were happy to answer the many questions everyone had. We want to encourage the girls to be independent and to create their own future by themselves,” she added.

About the response and feedback from the people who came to the event, Motoko said: “Most of the visitors didn’t know about Hinamatsuri and when we explained the celebration, they had even more questions. It was a really good opportunity for people to know more about it and understand it more in depth. Some of the guests tried traditional kimono at the restaurant and they really enjoyed the beauty of it, even here in the UAE.  Japanese people usually celebrate newborn baby girls on Hinamatsuri day, called Hatsu-sekku. One baby girl missed her chance because her family moved to Dubai recently, and didn’t have anything ready to celebrate it. That family was able to take beautiful photos with Japanese Hina dolls, and the baby got to wear a traditional Kimono to celebrate.”

“This time we collaborated with Matcha Oasis to offer a matcha latte workshop. Each guest chose which drink they wanted to make and got to make it by themselves. Additionally, during the fasting time, we provided a takeout option. Everybody enjoyed the cultural event and even got to try Hōjicha (roasted matcha) for the first time as a latte. We got many good reviews and responses from both the venue and guests,” she added.