title: Floating Lanterns and Golden Shrines: Celebrating Japanese Festivals
author:  Rena Krasno 
description: <P>Gr 3-5-Important celebrations such as Oshogatsu (New Year's Festival), Kodomo no Hi (Children's Day), and Hina Matsuri (Girls' Day) are included in this work as well as the Cherry Blossom Festival and Day of Remembrance, which are Japanese-American observances. Interspersed throughout are folktales, songs, games, crafts, and recipes. The book has a broad scope, which is misleading from the title, and the organization is confusing. For example, there is a brief discussion of modern Japan in the section about the Sapporo Snow Festival, and the section about the Dolls' Festival includes information about Japan's policy of closing doors to foreign trade. Japanese words and phrases are in boldface and defined within the text, but there is no glossary. There is also no pronunciation guide. The vibrant, highly detailed illustrations, many of them full page, complement the text, and the layout is attractive. However, since most of this material is available elsewhere, this is strictly an additional purchase.-DeAnn Tabuchi, San Anselmo Public Library, CA </P><P>Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.</P>
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  ![9781911284376.jpg](image/9781911284376.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Where the Wild Ladies Are
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![Title page graphic: Where the Wild Ladies Are, by Matsuda Aoko. Translated
  by Polly Barton. Published by Tilted Axis Press.](image/1.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The stories in this collection draw inspiration from traditional Japanese
  ghost and yōkai tales, many of which have been immortalised as kabuki plays or
  rakugo performances. A complete list of the original references can be found
  on page [283](Where-the-Wild-Ladies-Are-2-30.xhtml#_idTextAnchor001).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # The Peony Lanterns
  
  
  The Buddhist festival of Obon is celebrated in mid-August – when it is
  believed the spirits of the deceased return to wander the earth – and it
  occupies a special place in the Japanese supernatural calendar. The tradition
  of telling ghost stories in summer owes much to Obon, as spooky tales were
  found to pack more punch when one believed one was literally sharing a room
  with