Blanket Vests for Kids

These vests are worn in bed. These have zippers. I have seen some in catalogs that have sleeves. I guess we could call them blanket jackets. Click on the label below to see other ways we keep warm here. We usually heat only one room and we don't sleep with the heat on.

New Chopsticks

Chopsticks are usually sold this way. They are packaged individually. However, a couple of years ago, I found some that were sold in a bundle of ten pairs. They were all alike. Big Sister thought it was gross. She recently requested that I buy a pair for each family member. She said that was the Japanese way to do it. I knew that, but it is so much easier to find a pair of chopsticks when they are all alike!

I bought these for Papa, Little Brother, and Big Sister. I'll probably buy them another pair, too. I'll use the old ones. I have ten pairs all to myself!

The pair in the middle cannot be put in the dishwasher. I hope we remember that!

Any Idea ?

Setsubun and Mame-maki

Today was setsubun. Some people put a dried fish and a sprig of holly near their entrance. The smell of the fish and the possibility of being poked by the holly will keep bad spirits or bad luck away from the entrance. People throw roasted soybeans out the entrance to get rid of bad spirits and then throw beans inside the entrance for good luck to come inside. Read about setsubun and mame-maki on Kids Web Japan by clicking on the link below. Also read last year's entry.


Kids Web Japan--Setsubun & Mame-maki

Rolling Snowballs off the Roof

Today was setsubun, the change of seasons, but it snowed. After Little Brother and Big Sister made a muddy snowman at the park, Big Sister went in to study and Little Brother and I went to the roof garden. There was a lot of clean snow up there. We made snowballs and then rolled them down the roof. Maybe we hit some oni (bad spirits)!

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.

SCBWI Tokyo Showcase Event--Kiyo Tanaka

Kiyo Tanaka is an illustrator and writer. She talked about and showed illustrations of a magazine story she recently illustrated called "Creatures in My Garden." She also talked about a new story she is writing and illustrating about a fish market. She discussed her research and showed photos of a fish market that she visited. She has illustrated many books. Click on her name and look around her website. It is in English and Japanese.

I'm sorry this picture is so dark! I am taking an online photography course so I will improve. I need to practice and do my homework!

SCBWI Tokyo Showcase Event--Suzanne Kamata

Author Suzanne Kamata presented her works for children at the SCBWI Tokyo event last Saturday. Here she is holding her book for adults, Losing Kei, and a story for young adults called "Woman Blossoming" published in Cicada Magazine.

Her story, "Baseball, Dad and Me" was published in Skipping Stones, A Multicultural Magazine. It will be published as a picture book. The title will be Playing for Papa. It will be available from Topka Books in November 2008. The illustrator will be Yuka Hamano. Congratulations, Suzanne and Yuka!

I will post about it in November. Hopefully, I will have a picture of Yuka Hamano then.

SCBWI Tokyo Showcase Event--Keiko Okamoto's Kimono

I went to an event held by the SCBWI Tokyo (Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators). At the events, member Keiko Okamoto usually works at the table to greet and take fees from guests. This time she wore a kimono.

I didn't have time to talk to her about her kimono, but you can read about Keiko Okamoto's work on the SCBWI Japan's website.

I will post pictures of the event later.

Green Tea Tofu

We found this at our grocery store recently. Click to enlarge.

It came with its own serving dish and spoon. That little bag contains what Papa calls "black honey". It tastes like molasses!

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.

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.

Kitty Bandages

It looks worse than it is. Our kitties needed to be spayed so they won't have kittens. This is Nana on the third day. She is doing well. She is eating well. The bandage came off later today, but the collar will stay on until her stitches are taken out.

She sleeps a lot. Toto, her sister, is still at the clinic.

Green Tea Leaves

 

Sometimes, the tea leaves form a heart at the bottom of my cup. Actually it happens to all of us at one time or another. Wonder what we could read into that?

I'll soon post more about green tea, tea cups, tea pots, etc.

Coming of Age Day

Today was Coming of Age Day. Young men and women dressed up. I didn't have my camera with me so please check last year's post for a picture and explanation. Actually, I think the picture I posted last year was the best picture I've ever taken. Have a look.

High School Art Project

Big Sister brought this home after the holidays. It is a paper mache replica of a bottle of glue. She made it in her high school art class.

Taiyaki Ice

That's what it says in red letters.

This is ice cream and sweet bean paste inside a cone shaped like a fish. Yum. It is yummy!
Do a blog search for taiyaki.

A Portable No Parking Sign

 

Year of the Rat

This is the Year of the Rat. It comes around every twelve years. Little Brother was born in the year of the rat. He will be twelve in February. For a snack one day, we ate these manju with an imprint of a rat. Manju is a wheat cake that is filled with sweet bean paste called an or anko.

For another snack time, Aunt bought this butter roll shaped like a rat at a bakery. Its eyes are raisins. It is filled with sweet bean paste, too.

Best Wishes for the Year of the Rat!

Kids Web Japan--other sweet bean cakes