Wakame Rice--Earthquake Supplies

Today was the anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. There are disaster drills across the city every year. It is the first day of school after the summer break and students participate in drills.

There are displays of earthquake supplies and equipment in stores. I bought some new packaged food to store in our shed. This is wakame rice. The expiration date is June 2014!

Just pour hot water in . Wait and eat from the package. Check out the labels below for more information about earthquakes and wakame.

Check this post about The Wakame Gatherers a picture book by Holly Thompson and Kazumi Wilds.

Kids Web Japan--September 1 Disaster Prevention Day

SCBWI Tokyo Showcase Event--Holly Thompson & Kazumi Wilds

Author Holly Thompson and Illustrator Kazumi Wilds presented their work on their picture book, The Wakame Gatherers. Both Holly and Kazumi have other works to their credit, but this is the most recent. Their picture book takes place in Kamakura, Japan. Holly Thompson lived there many years before her recent move to Yokohama. They showed slides of the house, the trolley, the shops, the seaside, and, of course, the wakame that were used for the illustrations. Kazumi Wilds spent time in the town and made many friends while she did her research for the illustrations. She said she received many gifts of wakame.

Kazumi Wilds brought the painting she did for the cover to show us. She painted each picture with care and attention. She put a lot of thought into each painting. It is a lovely story and as you can see the pictures are lovely, too.

I will add Kazumi Wild's webpage address later.

The Wakame Gatherers

We finally got our copy of The Wakame Gatherers ! It was written by Holly Thompson and illustrated by Kazumi Wilds. It's a lovely story and illustrations. Information about wakame along with some recipes are included in the back of the book. Holly and Kazumi will be in Tokyo for the SCBWI event on the 26th. They will discuss how the book was made. Other authors and illustrators will be there, too, to discuss their work.

Check back this post about the event.

Wakame Snack

This is a wakame snack. It comes in its own little plastic tray. There is also a moisture absorber pack with it. Who wants soggy wakame?! The strips are chewy like gummy bears. It's a little sweet, but I think it smells like pickles.

This is the package. It's small. It is only 10 x 14 cm. This wakame is ume flavored. Packages are on display near the register at my grocery store. This snack can also be found at convenience stores in the candy section.

A toothpick is included on the back of the package. You use it to pick up and eat the strips.

Holly Thompson and Kazumi Wilds have a new picture book coming out called The Wakame Gatherers. It is published by Shen's Books. Check back in the next weeks to find out more about wakame. The author and illustrator may post something here!