Japanese Children's Book

I found a lovely children's book and I want to recommend it to all the Japanese who are going to abroad.

"Sushi's World Travel" if I would translate the title into English name.


My kids love this book. The little one especially likes this and he used to ask me to read again and again and again.


Sushis in a sushi bar, they get outside and travel into a town, overseas and into a space.


What I like the most is Sushis, which are typical of Japanese food, go, meet and enjoy the world and they are always proud of being Japanese.


I want my children go to foreign countries in the future. Then, I want them to have enough knowledge and experience as the Japanese. I want them to introduce Japan as a lovely country with beautiful nature, culture to be learned, industry with high technology and nice people.


When I read this book at my son's class, the children were engrossed in this book. I found their eyes sparkling as if they were travelling with Sushis.




The story starts like this,


One day Sushis in a sushi bar says altogether.

"We got bored on a belt conveyor.

We will be sick on this crazy rounding belt."

Tuna, Squid, Shrimp, Octopus, Sea urchin, Salmon roe、　　　

　　 Conger, Flatfish and Cucumber Sushi.

"I should sometimes go straight away.

Now let's go on a journey."
















I

Flower Arrangement

Many Japanese women learn Kado, the traditional art of flower arrangement, to acquire culture. In fact, my mother, my sister, my mother-in-law and some of my friends learn Kado. When I was young, I was not very interested in Kado and, to be honest, I am not good at flower arranging. I had sometimes wonderd how nice if I can decorate my house with flowers beautifully.


A friend of mine found a flower arrngement class and the other day I have just joined that class. A women teacher was from the Sagami school.


First she taught us how to set flowers in a vase roughlly and asked us to start arranging by ourselves. I couldn't even start. I had no idea how to put one single flower. I felt sad how poor my creativity was. Every time I tried to set a flower, I asked her how and where.


First you put one or some flwowers along a diagonal line, which is called Tai. Then you put some flowers or leaves around that Tai, which is called Tome. One flower arrangement is supposed to consist with Tai and Tome. It is also important to keep the half part of the vase vacant.


It took about one hour to finish my work. Look at the picture!
Now I know how to arrange less flowers.
Of course I know Kado is much more profound.
Anyway, it was good to try Kado.
I may buy several flowers in a supermarket and decorate my house with them.



My husband was pleased to see my flower arrangement work.
He said, " I had thought you lived a live too simply, you know, without flowers or dresses or jewelry thing. I'm happy that you are interested in Kado."

Our Second Camping

Last weekend, I went camping with my family.

We chose the campsite in Awaji Island because it has AC power fails and water supply for each area.

This was our second camping.



It had been said that it was going to rain on the Saturday, and

also said it would stop raining in the afternoon.




Actually, it had been raining in the morning and it rained harder than I had expected.

My husband had been wondering whether we should give up camping and go home.

I, however, had believed that it would stop raining before the evening.



At 3 o'clock, it finally stoped raining, and we decided to camp.

About 5 o'clock, we arrived there and piched a tent.

We enjoyed BBQ for dinner at 6:00.

We took a bath of hot spring at 9:00.

My son wanted to play cards, but we were all exhausted and fell asleep around 10:00



I got up to hear a big noise of wind blowing.

Our tent was shaking as if it was in tornade.

My husbans went out to see whether our tent was enough pegged down once in an hour.

I got up every one hour, too, until 3 o'clock.



Thanks to him, our we could spend the night safely in the tent.


In the morning, it was still blowing and it was very cold.

Anyway, we had beakfast with hotdogs and juice.

Then we started to packing. It took about 2 hours to finish.




Our second camping in the raing and the wind was really tough, but it was also enjoyable.

We are plannning to go camping again on the next weekend.

Hopefully, it will be nice and sunny, and nice and warm then.

Mother's Day

The second Sunday of May is Mother's Day.

When I was small, I made a present by folding paper, or I gave Mom some tickets and she could ask me to help her.

When I was junior high school student, I remember that my big sister and I made breakfast for Mom.

When I started earning money, I bought cakes for Mom and ate together.



Now I got married and I got two Moms.

My mother and my mother-in-low.

Every year on Mother's Day, I give presents for them.

It has been 8 years since I got married.

I usually buy clothes for them.

Once I got Nintendo DS for my Mom because I knew that she had been interested in it.

Of course she loved it.



Yesterday I went shopping for Mother's Day.

I wandered around for two hours and decided to give clothes to both Moms.

I bought a linen shirt for my mom and a knit sweater for my mother-in-low.



I wanted to give different presents for them, but I had no idea what can make them happier.

Flowers die. Food doesn't last.

They have more precious bags and jewels than what I can afford.

Does anyone have nice idea?



I am very pleased to have two mothers to give presents to.

But, to be honest, Mother's Day is a little bothering for me.

And in June, we are going to have Father's Day!

Eco Craft

Several months ago, one of my friends taught me Eco Craft.

You can make a bag, a box, a doll and so on.

At first, I was not very interested in handicraft.

Then I found it was interesting to weave strings of craft paper into a box and
I could make nicer work than I had imagined.

It is a lot of fun.



　　http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~hpkoto/

The Kenjin Puzzle

Do you know this puzzle?

The Kenjin Puzzle is produced by Ed. Inter CO.,Ltd.

Ed. Inter makes various kind of toys for intellectual training.

http://www.ed-inter.co.


Last X'mas I got this toy for my 7 year-old son,although he believes he got it from Santa Clause, of course.






You have 7 different shaped blocks and you make a cube with them.

You have a textbook and follow the guidance.



It is difficult for my son to complete it by himself.

Unfortunately, he is not very interested in this puzzle.

Instead of him, I enjoy the challenge.



Level 1 and Level 2, No problem.

Level 3 Hard.

Now I try it without the textbook.

Sometimes I complete it very soon.

The other times, I can't make it and give up.

When I complete one, I am very satisfied, but it is not the end.

Soon I want the next challenge.

Once I start the puzzle, I play at least 3 times.



It is interesting that my second son, 3 years old, likes this puzzle.

It is surprising for me that he sometimes completes the puzzle by himself, without the textbook.

Amazing!

School's Reading Time

I sometimes visit my son's elementary school and read a book for kids.

I enjoyed this activity.



Today, I read "Dajare Suizokukan" written by Hirotake Nakagawa.

Dajare is a cheap joke.

For example,

"Same(a shark)" says "Fuyu wa sameeeee!";(it's cold in winter)".

"Karei(a flatfish)" eats curry and rice and says "Kareeeee!(very hot)."



I read this book for the children in the Year 2 class.

Some jokes are a little difficult to be understood by small kids,

but the kids seemed to enjoy the book and laughed at those jokes.


You need imagination and vocaburary to understand and enjoy Dajares.

Some sound just silly, but it's OK.

Dajare is simple and it is very easy to memorise.

You can enjoy them again and again, every time you recall the phrases.

I think Dajare can make people happy.

Nikujaga

I made Nikujaga for my family today.



Nikujaga is a very popular meal in Japan.

My Nikujyaga, it contains sliced pork, onions, potatoes and konｊac noodles.

Many people use beef instead of pork.

Some put carrots, green beans.

My mother's Nikujaga has a lot of soup, and my mother-in-low, her Nikujaga has less soup.

It seasoned with sugar, soy sauce and sweet sake which is called mirin.

My mother uses some ginger, too.

Each family has different Nikujaga.



Many Japanese men like women to make Nikujaga.

Women can show how domestic or homely they are with Nikujaga.

I used to read cooking books to make Nikujaga, but now I can make it without any instruction.

Pit soy sauce, sugar and mirin in the proportion of 2:1:1.



This is the picture of my Nikujaga.

(I put pieces of carrot and green beans today, because it looked nicer with colors.)



My son enjoys rice poring salty-sweet Nikujaga soup.

I like it too.