Japanese Chochin Paper Lanterns

Whenever sommer comes, it remind me of Japanese Chochin.
Have you seen it? It's a paper lantern. We see it anywhere in Japan,
but during this season, we could see more because many summer
festivals use it for ornaments. I'll introduce some of them today :)


1. Chochin was very popular items for people in the past in Japan.
Look at this picture, which shows the lanterns shop in Edo period.







2. Ramen (noodle) restaurant often hang it down on the front.
Food restaurants in Japan often use it, I guess.









3. Japanese summer festival displayed with many Chochin.
Mantou Matsuri at Taga Taisha in Shiga prefecture

4. Hello Kitty Chochin
As you know, Hello Kitty can transform into anything. 

As I tried to search "Chochin" on PIJ, a lot of them
are shown on the page. As I guess, there are many
chochin for some food restaurant, Yakitori, Takoyaki,
Sake, and so on. When you start your yakitori restaurant,
try to check "chochin" here.
http://tinyurl.com/lprftjw

I also found Hello Kitty chochin on PIJ.
http://tinyurl.com/khlsqow