A coloring page of a kadomatsu — the pine, bamboo and plum arrangement Japanese households set beside the door for the New Year. It is free to use, works for adults and children alike, and brings a seasonal event into the room whether you are running a care-home activity hour or printing it at home. Download and print the PDF; no registration is needed. In this drawing the three cut bamboo stalks and the folded fan behind them are the only large open areas, so they set the tone: keep the bamboo pale, with a darker line along the inside of each angled cut, and the fan will still read as the brightest thing on the page. The pine needles and the plum blossoms are small and repeated — filling in every one with a strong color makes the pot at the base disappear.
🗣 Conversation Starters — for care activities and family time
Tell us about a kadomatsu you remember.
Is there a food or a decoration connected with the New Year that has stayed with you?
Has the way people mark this occasion changed since you were a child?
What do you enjoy most at this time of year?
What is a kadomatsu?
A kadomatsu is the arrangement of three cut bamboo stalks, pine and often plum that stands beside a doorway over the New Year, usually as a pair, one on each side. It is set out as a marker so that toshigami, the deity of the incoming year, can find the house. The three plants carry the wish behind it: pine stays green through the winter, bamboo grows fast and straight, and plum flowers while it is still cold. Households usually put it up after December 26 and take it down on January 7, though in parts of western Japan it stays until the 15th, and shrines burn the used decorations at a bonfire in mid-January.
Can this coloring page be used for care-home activities?
Yes. A kadomatsu-themed coloring page makes an easy conversation starter in reminiscence-style sessions. Ask who used to set the decoration out at home, where it stood, and who took it down. Sharing memories while coloring keeps the conversation going.
Any tips for a neat, polished result?
Work from the largest areas first and save the fine details for last. If you go over a line, a white correction pen can tidy it up. With colored pencils, layering lets you control how light or deep each shade looks.
