Tale of Genji (Cross post with Japan Rider)

Everyone loves to receive gifts - no matter what that gift may be. Sometimes gifts are cute, sometimes practical, and sometimes, just perfect because you never knew you'd needed or wanted such a thing.

My nihongo sensei (Japanese teacher) of eight years gave me a lovely farewell gift the other day - a deck of cards. Oh, sounds dull, you say? But these are special - each of the 54 cards (two jokers) is beautifully decorated with a different picture illustrating the famous Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari), a Japanese classic by Lady Murasaki.

Click the image for a larger view...
[caption id="attachment_1759" align="alignnone" width="224" caption="Several Illustrations from the classic tale..."][/caption]