The Princess Collection

Princess of Japan

Source(s): We R Toys

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Princess of Japan

(Back of the Box)

The ancient Island nation of Japan is known as the land of the rising sun. The Princess of Japan stands in the early spring sunshine, her black hair gleaming, her eyes glowing with excitement. Springtime is finally here, and the beloved Sakura, the cherry blossom, is in full bloom. Today, there will be Hanami, the annual blossom viewing. All across Japan, there are parties for this festival celebrating the delicate flowers. With her ladies in waiting, she sits beneath the trees and writes haiku (traditional poetry) in honor of the cherry blossoms. Besides haiku, the lovely girl practices other wonderful Japanese arts. She enjoys studying the cha-no-yu, the art of the tea ceremony. On special days, she attends performances of bunraku, traditional Japanese puppet theater. The princess is also very fond of ikebana, the art of arranging cut flowers. Each of these arts stresses balance, harmony, and form. For the Hanami, the princess wears the traditional Japanese robe called a kimono, but she dreams of one day wearing a very special gown at her royal wedding. For that court ceremony, she will be dressed in an exquisite juni-hitoe, which means “twelve unlined robes.” This traditional 12-layered costume features a long train and, at her waist, an obi holds the robe closed.

Company	Mattel
Brand	Barbie
Type	Collector
Label	None
Line	Dolls of the World
Collection	The Princess Collection
Edition	Collector Edition
Release Date	2003
Character	None
Face Sculpt	Kayla/Lea
Body Sculpt	1999 Belly Button
Hair Type	Saran
Height	11.5″ (29 cm)
Hair Color	Black
Eye Color	Brown
Mattel SKU	B5731