Seven Herbs of Spring

Fresh from the grocery store or

freeze-dried and packaged, these seven herbs are eaten on the 7th of January. Usually on top of rice in okayu, rice porridge. Something warm and green for this blustery cold day today in Tokyo.

These packets of freeze-dried herbs are sprinkled on rice and hot water is poured over it to make a dish called ochazuke. Ochazuke is also made with green tea over rice or other kinds of dried flakes and hot water.

Starting at the top and going clockwise, there is seri, Japanese parsley, then nazuna (shepherd's purse), gogyo (cudweed), hakobera (chickweed), hotokenoza (henbit), suzuna (turnip), and suzushiro (daikon). Do not substitute or try eating any of these herbs from the roadside where you are. Some may not be the same!

Check the labels below for other posts and the website, Kids Web Japan, which is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

Kids Web Japan-- seven herbs of spring

Japan Times 2003 article by Linda Inoki-- Haru no nanakusa

Year of the Rabbit

Aunt brought us this mochi from the grocery store. Inside, there is potato paste (sweetened mashed potatoes) that was dyed pink. It is supposed to look like rabbits. Four little rabbits huddle in a plastic hutch.

There was a time (not too long ago) when things were never sold in fours. In pairs, threes or fives, but not fours. Four is an unlucky number because the word in Japanese (shi) is the same sound as the word for death.

Times are changing. Big Sister told me that some people are saying that shi (four) should be considered as a short form for shiawase which means happiness. It will be interesting how much this changes. Gift packs are still being sold in pairs or threes or fives.

Scroll to see earlier posts about mochi or click on the label below. Click here to read about the number 4.

Oshiruko, A Winter Japanese Dish of Beans and Rice

Atsuki beans can be bought dried or canned. They are used in a rice dish eaten on special occasions, sekihan, and to fill glutinous rice cakes or mochi. A bowl of sweetened atsuki beans are also served with mochi in them. Those things that look bars of soap are the glutinous rice cakes before they are cooked. After they are heated they become gooey. They should be eaten carefully.

Click on the labels below to see other posts about mochi and sekihan.

Lucky Dreams

Check this post about the dreams of the second day of the year.

Happy New Year--First View of the New Year

Mt. Fuji had a big cloud stuck to it at sunset last evening. We have clear skies this morning in our piece of Tokyo sky. (This is not at sunrise.)

So glad we still have our view. Even with the wires draping it. It could have been different.

Click here to see last year's post. Click on the label below for more about the New Year's holiday in Japan.

Osechi

We had our New Year's eve meal, osechi, from 6:30 tonight. We always eat downstairs on New Year's eve with the whole family. This is an old photo. We basically had the same thing this year except for the fried chicken. Aunt and Baba made potato and carrot wrapped in beef slices. We eat our own osechi upstairs for the first three days of the year.

Check here for posts and more photos of osechi, the new year's meal.

Mt Fuji at Sunset New Year's Eve

Click to enlarge the photos.

Kagami Mochi

Yesterday, Baba asked us to buy one of these. We ended up with three. I bought one for us upstairs and she had asked Aunt to buy one, too. Kagami Mochi is displayed at this time of year. It will be eaten in ozoni, a vegetable and meat soup. The mikan on top is plastic.

Check out Kids Web Japan-- Kagami Mochi

Click here for mikan.

Click on the label below for more posts about the New Year holiday in Japan.

Plastic into Oil

Garbage is now treasure. This kind at least. Akinori Ito created a machine that turns plastic back into oil.

Click here to see this video from the United Nations University in Tokyo.

Sukiyaki

Check this post from 2006.

Kimono Rental Catalogs for Coming-of-Age Day

In 2012, Big Sister will dress up in a kimono for Coming-of-Age Day. Check Kids Web Japan and the labels below for more information about the day.

Rental catalogs are coming to the house already. If we make arrangements early, we can get a discount. We're not sure what her schedule will be like so we will wait. The catalog above comes from Yamato Kimono Rental. The photo below is from their catalog.

The kimono above and the one below come from Sakura Eternity. There are many different styles. Click on the photos to enlarge them so you can see the patterns of the kimono, the accessories, and the models' different hairstyles.

Merry Christmas!

I can't say that Christmas decorations are everywhere. But some products change their packaging seasonally. Like these chocolate chip cookies.

Click on the label Christmas in Japan below to see other posts about our Christmas in Japan.

Winter Solstice & Eclipse

We were supposed to be able to see the eclipse here in the evening. It was cloudy and rainy where we live, so there was no moon viewing for us. It was the winter solstice and we did what we usually do.

Check this post and this one to see what we do on the winter solstice.

Click on the label below for posts about yuzu.

Now This is Broccoli

Frost on broccoli leaves.

Not Broccoli After All

The farmer wasn't transplanting broccoli in this post. It was cabbage!

The NutCracker at Dream Hall

Big Sister and I went to see The Matsuyama Ballet Company perform The Nutcracker last night.
We booked late so we had to sit in better, more expensive seats on the main floor for the first time. I have to say we prefer the cheaper balcony seats. I guess we're just used to them.

This postcard posts other performance dates later this week.
Check their website here.
Click on the labels below for other posts about The Nutcracker. One post includes the Japanese lyrics to "Silent Night".

Around and Over and Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree

Down the street surrounded by apartments, houses and a parking lot, these chestnut trees stand.

Just a couple of chestnuts remain on the branches with bright yellow leaves. Clear blue skies overhead today.

Looks like a lot fun under the chestnut tree. Unless you come up on a chestnut. Ouch!

Click on the labels below.

First Broccoli of the Season

 

Cut, purchased and cooked today. Broccoli soup yum!

Still Blooming After All These Years

Great-grandfather's mums are blooming again this year. I transplanted these from a pot into the ground. Check this post.

There are still chrysanthemums in a pot outside the gate. Here they are today:


They are in the second pot between miniature bamboo and Mexican heather. The mums are blooming, but they're scraggly. We had a very hot, dry summer this year. (The Mexican heather did much better than the mums and I did!) Click on the labels below for more posts about chrysanthemums. There are chrysanthemum festivals and competitions here.

Missed the Gingko

We didn't get out to see the gingko trees this year. Have a look at older posts by clicking on the label below. Click on this photo to enlarge it.

Happy Labor Thanksgiving!

Click on the label below for older posts. And see what Kids Web Japan has to say about it here.

Our View Saved!

We kept our eyes on the height of the rooftops of the new houses waiting to see if they were going to block our view of Mt. Fuji. They don't! The clouds lifted for a while this morning and we saw we still had our view.

Houses Going Up

The houses are going up fast.

We're hoping the rooftops will not reach to the top of those poles!