Konnichiha ~ Hello!
Hajimemashite ~ Nice to meet you.
My name is *Kioko Akiko*
My name is Japanese.
Kioko means *Happy Child*
and Akiko is the Japanese word for
*Bright Light*
This is me at 8 weeks ~
RASPBERRIES!!!!! 
Wow ~ It's a jungle in here...
This is me
swimming in the pool at 8 weeks~
This is how intelligent water dogs do it ~
This is my sire.
His name is *Buddy Of Mine X*
My bloodline carries many American ,
Canadian & English Champions
including NAFC FC AFC Gusto's Last Control.
FC AFC Trumarc's Zip Code
FC AFC Snake Eyes Double or Nothin'
FC AFC Rippin' Blue Thunder
FC AFC San Joaquin Honcho
Champion Hunt Club Hennings Mill Gino
Champion Hennings Mill Caruso
Canadian Champion Tabatha's Remarque O' Citadel JH
Champion Breezy's Whirlwind JH
Champion Chafern Court Star of Fabracken
Champion Country Place O' Hennings Mill
Champion Kupros Spartacus
Champion Tabatha's Corker O Valleywood
American/Canadian Champion Rainelle's Dynasty
American / Canadian Champion Rickway's Tuscaroura
English Sh Champion/American CH Receiver of Cranspire
English Champion Charway Ballywillwill
Dutch Champion Cranspire Skytrain~ plus many more.
I'm all grown up now.
Please click on the link
at the bottom of this page
to visit my adult page.
The Japanese language is called Nihongo.
This is how it looks written in Japanese.
Would you like to learn
how to say a few words
in Japanese?
You can practice by saying the words below ~
*Children's Festivals*
On March 3, the Japanese celebrate
the Girl's Doll Festival
which is called Hinamatsuri.
On this day, beautiful dolls
dressed in ancient costumes
are displayed
on a doll-stand
and they pray for the
health & happiness of girls.
This is the Hinamatsuri song.
Click Here To Listen To The Song
May 5th used to be celebrated
as the boys' festival
called TANGO-NO-SEKKU.
It is now a national holiday
called Children's Day,
established to wish all the children
steady growth and happiness.
Families with a young boy
hoist koi-nobori (carp streamers)
high in the sky,
display a kabuto(a feudal warrior's helmet)
or musha-ningyo (warrior doll)
in the alcove and eat chimaki
or kashiwa-mochi
to celebrate the day.
Some people take a bath
with the leaves or roots of the iris
which are believed to
drive away evil spirits.
A carp is a symbol of manliness.
People hoist koi-nobori
because they wish that boys
would overcome all difficulties in life
and become successful.
This originated from a Chinese legend that said
there was a swift stream in the upper part
of the Yellow River
where only strong carp
could fight their way up the stream
to become mighty dragons.
What do those colors and sizes
of koi-nobori represent?
The big black one is the father,
the big red one is the mother
and the small ones are the children.
What does fukinagashi
(colored streamers) represent?
It represents the waves of the waterfalls
that the carp are going to swim up.
What are chimaki and kashiwa-mochi?
Chimaki is a dumpling of glutinous rice
wrapped in bamboo leaves and steamed.
In olden times
it was wrapped in the leaves of chigaya
so it was called chimaki.
Kashiwa-mochi is a popular Japanese cake, wagashi.
It is oval-shaped and made from kneaded rice powder,
with a sweet bean paste filling,
steamed and wrapped in an oak leaf.
It is also called Koi-nobori.
Koi-nobori is a wishing symbol
for boy's strengths against all possible hardships
they would face.
It is also said Koi-nobori
is a sign towards God
which indicates the parents' prayer
of asking God to
"Bless our boys".
It is so good to know that children
are being celebrated
all around the world.
