Sarubobo - Takayama Souvenir

Sarubobo is a Japanese charm, associated particularly with Takayama in Gifu-ken. It looks like a red doll without face and it comes in different sizes. It is a symbol of good couples, good marriage and good children or easy childbirth. Since babies are reddish, even called akachan in Japanese - where aka means red, the doll is also red. Sarubobo is a popular souvenir, and the colour of its clothes varies: pink for luck in love, blue for luck in study and work, yellow for money, green for health. The black one removes bad luck.

Other posts on Takayama: 18 September, 6 October and 8 October.