A fun addition to a local hanachozu

BigFamJapan recently wrote about November hanachozu that often seem to incorporate chrysanthemums, one of the prolific flowers that blooms around this time of year. Along with the flowers, I was interested to see apples at the hanachozu at a local shrine in Nagaoka recently, alongside a little figurine of Hello Kitty.

A little research had me find that it was in honor of Hello Kitty's birthday on November 1st! The significance of the apples is because Hello Kitty is said to be five apples high and weighs three apples (yes, apples are used as a unit of measurement for her!) so there's your fun fact of the day!

Did you know it was Hello Kitty's birthday on November 1st, or that her height and weight are measured in apples?