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

Patrick Gannon--SCBWI Presentation

Patrick Gannon gave a presentation about cut paper art. It was fantastic! And fun! We got a chance to make one ourselves. I did mine at home. I like doing it.

Check out his beautiful art at his website here. His art has appeared in Cricket Magazine, TIME Asia, and other publications.

Concrete Slabs

The crane also lifted concrete slabs. The worker directed them over to the pile.

These concrete slabs will be the outside wall of the house. Typically, houses are made of wood here.

This netting is to protect workers from falling tools, etc.

Jewel Lock Pins

I've had these for years but haven't used them.

I bought them to pin a towel to the top of a blanket. Baba used to use what we call 'diaper pins' to attach towels to blankets.

When Big Sister and Little Brother were babies (18 and 14 years ago) we didn't use diaper pins. Diapers were held on by woolen or cotton diaper covers that had velcro fasteners.

Building the Neighbor's House

A crane was brought in to do the heavy lifting.

It lifted metal sections of the frame. Workers fitted them into place.

Our vegetable stand man watched from below. Can you see him at the corner of his stand?w

Litter Box

The litter for this litter box is made out of recycled wood chips. The litter can be used for one month. Urine goes down through the grated tray and is collected in a block of compressed wood chips. The blocks need to be changed each week. For two cats more often. This system is so much easier than other cat litter. Our box has a cover so that the cats have privacy.

Seven Herbs of Spring

I totally forgot this! Packages of the seven "herbs" were sold at our neighborhood grocery store. I kept thinking later, later...then it was too late! Check this link

Kids Web Japan--Seven Herbs of Spring

First Tokyo Sunrise of 2010 from Our Roof Garden

Blue moon in the west. (almost had a bird on the wire.)

The rising sun in the east.

Mt. Fuji in the southwest.

Seven Herbs

It was a cold and blustery day. None of us wanted to go to the store to buy these herbs. Maybe I'll have a picture tomorrow of them. Baba said she will make it when Papa is home tomorrow. It is a holiday. If I'm not able to take a picture, then read what Kids Web Japan says about them.

01-08-07 It was a warm and gorgeous day today. None of us felt like eating okayu! (See link above.)