Daiso Haul - Good Luck Chopsticks

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Daiso Haul - Good Luck Chopsticks

Today, my husband and I went to Daiso, a Japanese 100 yen shop, and purchased these chopsticks. We have been using Muji chopsticks and liked them for a long time. However, I found these cute chopsticks made in Japan at Daiso and couldn't resit buying them! I'm going to share our new chopsticks with you.

Daiso Good Luck Chopsticks

I chose these Maneki-neko, Lucky Cat, chopsticks. According to Wikipedia, the Manekineko is a common Japanese figurine (lucky charm, talisman) which is often believed to bring good luck to the owner. I sometimes saw Maneki-neko displayed at the entrance of stores, restaurants and other businesses in Japan. These are well known to bring good luck related to money in Japan. :) I wanted to improve my income this year, so I decided to purchase them.

Daiso Maneki-neko Chopsticks

Maneki-neko is holding a gold coin, which is called koban in Japanese. Koban is money used during the Edo period in Japan.

Daiso Maneki-neko Chopsticks

My husband chose these Daruma Chopsticks. According to Wikipedia, the Daruma doll (達磨, daruma^?), also known as a Dharma doll, is a hollow, round, Japanese traditional doll modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of the Zen sect of Buddhism. These dolls, though typically red and depicting a bearded man (Dharma), vary greatly in color and design depending on region and artist. Though considered an omocha, meaning toy, Daruma has a design that is rich in symbolism and is regarded more as a talisman of good luck to the Japanese. Daruma dolls are seen as a symbol of perseverance and good luck, making them a popular gift of encouragement. The doll has also been commercialized by many Buddhist temples to use alongside goal setting. Darumas are still usually made of papier-mâché, have a round shape, are hollow and weighted at the bottom so that they will always return to an upright position when tilted over. In Japanese, a roly-poly toy is called okiagari, meaning to get up (oki) and arise (agari). This characteristic has come to symbolize the ability to have success, overcome adversity, and recover from misfortune. I didn't know that daruma was come from Buddhism. Some Japanese people display daruma in their home. I saw daruma on TV that politician daubed in the dark right eye on daruma when they scored an electoral triumph.