Almost forgotten Wednesday bentos!

Another Halloween theme Obento. It was the obento for the sweet potatoes picking last month.

Inside:

Boiled broccoli

Ham and cheese butter roll sandwich

Boiled carrots

Bat: sliced cheese and nori

Ensoku (school trip) Obento. It was for Iki's school trip picnic bento by the end of October.

Inside:

Rice with kecap manis

Boiled broccoli and mayonnaise

Tempe goreng

Cut apple

"Ensoku" banner: sliced cheese and nori

Saturn Obento.

Iki loves Saturn and really wants to go there for holiday!

Inside:

Rice with dried small fish on top

Bear shaped croquettes

Roasted mini tomatoes

Ham and cheese rolls

Robot Obento.

I woke up late and only had 15 minutes to prepare bento that day (>.<). It was supposed to be robot, but Iki said it was just a purple doll (@_@)

Inside:

Rice with purple colored furikake and kombu

Niku jaga

Cut kaki (persimmon)

Sausage and cheese on picks

Pon-chan (???) Obento.

Not sure if it is the correct name. One of Pokemon character, Iki just showed me the picture and asked me to make it last week.

Inside:

Boiled broccoli

Rice onigiri with salted kombu filling

Sausage and processed cheese on picks

Cut apples

And this is today's obento. "Yochien's Bestfriend" obento.

Iki said that they were Iki and Isamu. Isamu is his classmate and Iki said that he likes him because they always play tatakai gokko (fighting game) :p. And they were wearing Yochien (kindergarten) hats as they always do! I think it was sweet :)

Inside:

Boiled broccoli

Rice balls with kombu fillings. Nori, sliced cheese and ham

Buri no teriyaki

quail sunny side up eggs

Cut appples

Next Wednesday's bento will be the last this year. Winter holiday is coming soon, Christmas is just around the corner.

So next week's obento....hopefully will be a christmas theme one! (^___^)

Autumn camping

We went camping again for two nights last weekend. Supposed to be three nights, but Hiro got sick so we decided to go back one day earlier...

We went to Nasu area again this time, in Maple Nasu campground, which has electricity plug and onsen (hotspring). We were ready with electric mat this time, and an onsen bath before sleeping was a luxury for such a cold weather!!

It's a nice place. The autumn view was beautiful, eventhough the maple leaves were almost all fallen off. Lots of activities to make us (and Iki) busy too!

We built the tent nearby the playground. Iki was very happy!!

Iki wanted to fish too so off he went to the pond with papa-chan. Well, he got bored waiting after few minutes and gave the fishing rod to papa-chan at last :p

They caught two fishes and we grilled them for lunch. Yummy!

And we of course had a good time walking around :)

It was our first camping with our first owned car in Japan too! Yeah...at last we bought a car for our adventure instead of borrowing parents in laws' car all the time. Which means Hiro planned to stay in Japan for a while to give Iki's childhood an unforgettable outdoor experience.

Feel sad because this might be our last camping experience. Might be!

But winter is so close now. We are getting ready for skiing now!

Sichi Go San (7-5-3)

Sichi Go San is one of Japan's important festival to celebrate the children's growth at the age of three (boys and girls), five (for boys), and seven (for girls). The festival itself actually is on November fifteen, but now parents can choose whatever date around November and early December to celebrate it.

Iki will turn 5 next month so we decided to celebrate his Sichi Go San this year. We don't know when will we be next Autumn and his grandparents really wanted to make it this year. So we had it last Sunday on November 14.

The festival have started from Heian Period (794-1185, when the Nobles celebrate their children growth in November. Now every parents can celebrate this festival to their children, by visiting the shrines and have prayers through small ceremonies by the priest. Don't you think that those priests are so young??

We went to a shrine nearby Iki's grandparents' house. Where Hiro also had his Sichi Go San festival when he was a little boy. At first I had no clue what is the difference between shrine and temple. It's the red gate. Shrine has this red gate!

It was believed that at the age of three children can start growing their hair, at the age of five the boys can wear hakama (Traditional cloth for boys) for the first time, and at the age of seven the girls can wear obi around the kimono for the first time. Parents and grandparents also dressed formally to visit the shrines. Most mothers wear Kimono but nowadays a lot of families just wear formal western style clothing, also the children celebrating the Sichi Go San. I guess it is more comfortable than the traditional clothes and less pricey! Iki wanted to take the hakama off already after three minutes he was dressed, and those hakama and kimono renting costed a fortune!!! trust me, it was a thousand dollar festival. Thanks God, we only have one boy. Girls would definitely cost more hahaha

After the ceremony Iki got a bag with chitose ame (thousand years candy), omamori (lucky charm) and a small sichi go san cup. The candy is in long stick shape and all came in a paper bag illustrated with turtle and cranes as a symbol of long live.

Iki's grandmother cooked Sekihan (red bean rice) to celebrate it, and we had a photo session in a studio too

Iki-chan sayang, Sichi Go San omedetou! (^___^)

(_ _o)

I'm in pieces now. I have no words to describe how i feel, I don't even know how to say goodbye. Simply because I can't. I don't want you to go. But I, We, all have to let you go....

I made this opor babi this afternoon in tears. I remember you used to make this comfort food back in our childhood. It doesn't look the same, it doesn't taste the same. It will never be. But I will never forget the taste, like I will never forget you.......

Memory about you will always be with me. May you rest in peace, Uma. I love you, I just realized I never said those words to you when you were alive :(

You have had enough 78 years of your life. I wished I could make it better for you....