Yuka Simeno Puppe des Monats August 2019 示野由佳 今月の手作り人形 8月

Water Yo-yo (from the series “Yukata Girls”).

Water Yo-yo is a typical toy for Summer in Japan. That is a small balloon filled with a little bit of water, bound to one finger with a rubber strap, and can be bounced up and down. While playing, the sound of water splashing inside the balloon can be heard which is enrtaining. I prefer watching it over actually playing with it. Colours and patterns of water yo-yos are so many and quite beautiful. Often at summer street festivals there are some yo-yos floating on water in order to be sold. When I was little, in front of a department store in my home town, there was a man selling water yo-yos on the street. It was a great pleasure to see many yo-yos with many different colours floating on the water. When my parents bought one for me, my happiness was limitless. I remember walking between my father and mother and sometime I wanted to hold their hands, lifting my feet up in the air. Yes I was really young and I remember it with a smile on my face.

小さかった頃、故郷高知の或るデパート前の道端で、ヨーヨーが売られていることがありました。銀色の大きくて浅い水槽の中に浮かぶ色とりどりのヨーヨー… ひとつでも買ってもらえた時は、この上なく嬉しかったです。お街に出る日は特別な感じがして、うきうき気分。片手を父、もう片手を母と繋ぎ、3人で歩いている最中に、ぐっと両手に力を入れます。そして両膝を折り曲げ、足を地面から離して、父と母の間にぶらさがるのが面白くてたまりませんでした。本当に私は小さかったんだなあ、と思い出すと笑ってしまいます。とても幸せな思い出です。   シリーズ「浴衣ガールズ」より