Kune and Olga showing it off. These Hinamatsuri doll sets are given to a family by the mother's parents on the birth of the first girl child. They are incredibly expensive and used only once a year. March 3 is the official hinamatsuri day.

Olga and I basking in the glory of our accomplishment.

The flute playing musician. Her sleeves defy gravity!

The commedians: the center one holds the king's shoes...now, why is that funny?

The left guard, with so many weapons he can hardly hold them all.

A close up of the king and queen.

The final touches are added. On the bottom level left is the king's coach, the right is the queen's coach. Above that is the queen's collection of bridal luggage, including dressers, with working drawers, a complete tea set, and a vanity with a real mirror.

More accessories! We've added flowers on the top level, round mochee on the second level, rhombus shaved mochee on the fourth level, and the beginnings of the bride's luggage down towards the bottom.

Screens and lamps go next. Olga is plugging in the lamps behind the set.

The commedians join the entourage as well as the plants, stairs, and fence.

The Guards are set. They both have swords, long bows, arrows, and crazy tall hats.

Olga paying attention to detail.

This one holds fans of some sort.

Putting the drummer's sticks in the hands is easier said than done. We had to wrap the end of the stick in tissue so it'd fit in the doll's hand.

The next trays go up.

Unpacking more dolls. The heads are wrapped to protect them while in storage. It's tough to get the tissue off without touching the face though!

Next come the King's servants. The one on the left holds his tea pot, the middle has his shoes, and the right has his cup.

The groom (left) and bride (right) are the first on display.

Kune explains to me how the doll's hat goes on. The tricky part is that you can't touch the doll's face yet you have to tie a bow under it's chin!

One of the coolest mom's in Japan, her cool daughter, and the amazing Olga unpacking the boxes

Hinamatsuri: What it looked like when Olga and I got there.

And so it begins

We'll see how this goes. Supposedly the software connections make this amazing, quick, and effortless to use. I'm not convinced quite yet.