Shiso

This is the way shiso is sold in grocery stores. Sometimes it is placed on ice or on wet paper towels in the vegetable section.

Shiso is used as a garnish. Raw fish is placed on top of shiso leaves. Shiso is also sliced in strips and sprinkled on top of rice.

Earlier in the summer, there was a shiso Pepsi available at convenience stores. We tasted it. It tasted like shiso. I didn't get a picture of it and now I can't find it in our area.

One summer there was a cucumber Pepsi.

Check this post for purple shiso. And this one for a look at Little Brother's onigiri, rice balls, with shiso.

P.S. I found a shiso Pepsi at our grocery store!

Taro and Lotus at The Dallas Arboretum in Dallas, Texas

I love to photograph taro--anywhere, any time. I grew up with elephant ears in our flower beds. Here is a big pot of them at The Dallas Arboretum. They're in the same family as taro, aren't they?

Lotus at The Dallas Aboretum.

Click on the labels below to see pictures taken in Japan.

The Bamboo Cutter's Daughter at The Dallas Arboretum

There are storybook playhouses on display this summer at The Dallas Arboretum in Dallas, Texas. This house is based on the Japanese story "The Bamboo Cutter's Daughter".

Read what Kids Web Japan says about "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter".

Baby Ears

Granny's baby elephant ears in Texas.

Baby taro in the field near our house in Tokyo. They are not the same. Click on the label below for more about taro.

Chautauqua

I've lived in Japan for over 20 years. We have a roof garden where we sit to admire Mt. Fuji on clear winter days and brown bats on summer and fall evenings. Still, one of the things I've missed over the years is porch sitting.

This is the porch at the Athenaeum in Chautauqua. I got to sit here every morning from July 12th to the 18th. I was given a grant to attend the Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop. It was a great experience!

The view was fantastic. This is a morning shot of the lake. In the evening, I watched brown bats here.

Highlights for Children®