These are traditional Japanese dolls used for making wishes. The dolls first come with both eyes white. As you make a wish, you color in the left eye. When the wish comes true, you color in the right eye. The dolls are said to be in the likeness of the famous monk Bodhidharma, who meditated so much that his arms and legs fell off. I got a pink daruma because my wish was for a healthy baby girl. Here's the 'after' photo with both eyes colored.
I bought my Daruma from J-list, a small mail-order company based in Isesaki, Japan; about two hours from Tokyo. J-list was founded by an American who moved to Japan, married a Japanese woman, and started a family there. Their website has all sorts of interesting Japanese goods, and the owner has a blog on general life there; it's pretty interesting. (Note that some of the things J-list sells are adult-oriented. I've linked to the PG version of the site above (adult items filtered out), but still be warned).
From what I'm told Daruma are supposed to be colored in (if the wish comes true) or burned ceremoniously (if the wish doesn't) at the close of the year, otherwise one risks bringing misfortune upon oneself from offended kami (Japanese gods). I missed the deadline this year, but hopefully the kami will give a bit of slack to a baka gaijin.
For more on Daruma, see this article at Mrs. Lin's Kitchen.
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