More than Mud Pies

Children (and myself) love to play in the mud. There's something so satisfying about sinking your hands into squishy, pungent earth. Here in Japan, playing in the dirt yields a great work of art, if you have a few hours to polish a ball of mud.

What starts as dirt...


ends in delight!


This popular activity for Japanese children is called hikaru dorodango, which translates to "shiny mud dumplings". They are so amazing. If you have a free afternoon, why not make a shiny mud dumpling? It beats a sand castle! You can learn to make one here.