Well, I don’t have to tell you what day it is tomorrow, you already know.  But in case your neighbors or office mates are living in their own worlds, please let them know that it’s Hionmatsuri.  Exactly.  Girl’s Day in Japan.  Every March 3rd.  Write it down.

Time to reflect on a girl’s happiness and past, her future prospects, maybe…maybe even her role in society when she becomes an adult.  Who knows?  It could happen.

According to Wikipedia, “The customary drink for the festival is shirozake, a sake made from fermented rice. A colored hina-arare, bite-sized crackers flavored with sugar or soy sauce depending on the region, and hishimochi, a diamond-shaped colored rice cake, are served.  Chirashizushi (sushi rice flavored with sugar, vinegar, topped with raw fish and a variety of ingredients) is often eaten. A salt-based soup called ushiojiru containing clams still in the shell is also served. Clam shells in food are deemed the symbol of a united and peaceful couple, because a pair of clam shells fits perfectly, and no pair but the original pair can do so.”