Gift from a Funeral

These miso soup bowls were wrapped more neatly than this when they arrived. I unwrapped them and then decided to take a picture of them in the box.

We attended the funeral in the spring, but the gift arrived in summer. There are sakura blossoms on the bowls.

The bowls are microwave and dishwasher safe.

Coming Home from a Funeral

When I left the house yesterday, I saw this small plate of salt near our entrance. It was wrapped in saran wrap. Aunt had put it there before she left for a funeral of a friend at work.

It is a custom to throw salt on a person who comes home from a funeral. A pinch of salt is thrown on the person's back and front. It is supposed to scare away spirits who follow the person home. Our family also does it when we return from the cemetery.

When we go to funerals, we usually ring the bell for Baba to come to the gate to throw salt on us. (Baba usually stays home.) Today Aunt threw salt on herself. Baba was having tea with a neighbor in the afternoon and I was gone.

Autumn Tea Cups & Fancy Plates

Not everyone has special tea cups for autumn. I bought these when I first came to Japan as a souvenir. They were made by a company called Arita.

These plates were a gift for attending a funeral. Click on the label below for more about that.

This is the underside of the ohagi. When I turned it over, I left a fingerprint on one side. Big Sister was grossed out. She ate it anyway.

She turned it back over with a fork. She ate it with a small cake fork.

Past Funeral Gifts

A reader asked about funeral gifts. Check the comment section on yesterday's post. Here are some gifts we received from other funerals. The green plates were given many years ago when Papa's boss's daughter died. We use them for Japanese or western cakes. They are quite fancy so we use them for special occasions. Each time we use them I or Papa mention her name because the children never knew her. Perhaps it's not a custom. It's something we do.

Big Sister and I use the opera glasses every year when we go to see "The Nutcracker". Nothing is said, but we are reminded of the neighbor's grandmother. She passed away a few years ago and we were given a catalog to select a gift after the funeral. We had presented an envelope of money at the funeral.

Check the label below for other posts.

Green Tea and Seaweed from a Funeral

Papa went to his aunt's funeral and was given this green tea and seaweed set. It was in a nice box neatly wrapped with plain paper. His aunt's name was written on the outside. Gifts are given to guests at funerals in Japan. Guests put money in a special envelope for the family of the person who passed away.

The tin on the left is filled with green tea. Actually, a small bag of tea is inside. The tin on the right is filled with seaweed strips. The seaweed can be used for sushi or it can be eaten with rice. The tins can be kept to store tea and seaweed.