Goten-kazari Hina dolls displayed in Omi merchants' residences (Tonomura Uhei residence, Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture)

An annual doll exhibition titled "Shoka ni Tsutawaru Hina Ningyo Meguri," or Hina dolls handed down in merchant families, started on February 1 in the Gokasho district of Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture. Gorgeous dolls are displayed at the Omi merchants' residences and convey the feeling of spring's approach.

A total of 100 Hina doll sets are displayed at eight locations, including Ohmi Merchant Museum in Gokashotatsuta-cho, Higashiomi City, and other nearby merchants' residences, by the Higashi Omi Tourist Association and other groups.

In the Tonomura Uhei residence, in Gokashokondo-cho, Higashiomi City, one of the merchant houses which was constructed in the late Edo Period, Hina dolls made about 150 years ago in the "Goten-kazari" style and other styles of dolls are displayed. Visitors gazed intently at the gorgeous emperor and empress dolls sitting neatly in palaces modeled after the Shishin-den building in the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

The exhibition continues until March 20. It is closed on February 4 and February 12. The museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is an admission fee.