You’ve heard of Santa and maybe even the Easter Bunny, but do you know about the Tooth Fairy?
In Japanese culture, when you lose a tooth you need to throw it! If you lose a tooth from the top row, you should throw the old tooth into the dirt to make the new tooth grow down straight. On the other hand, if you lose a tooth from the bottom row, you need to throw the tooth to the roof to help the new tooth grow straight up.
In American culture it is completely different. After you lose a tooth, you place it under your pillow. Then while you are sleeping at night, the “Tooth Fairy” will come and visit your room. When you wake-up and check under your pillow you will find a pleasant surprise… MONEY!
The amount of money you get really depends on your parents – I mean the Tooth Fairy…
When I was a child, I received 25 to 50 cents per tooth. A recent survey of American parents showed that children receive anywhere from 1 dollar to 5 dollars on average.
Last night, my daughter lost her last baby tooth. She was really excited, so she wrote a letter for the Tooth Fairy. Normally, I give about 3 dollars (300 yen) per tooth, but since it was her last tooth, I gave a little extra; 5 dollars (500 yen). In my house, we sometimes like to have a little extra fun. The Tooth Fairy will leave a piece of paper with a riddle. You must solve the riddle to find the money hidden in the house.
If you would like to know more about the Tooth Fairy, just do a quick Google search and you will find millions of pictures, videos, and books all about the Tooth Fairy.
