Shiso juice /赤紫蘇ジュース

Recently I found this Japanese herb called Shiso is growing in the house Josh's grandma used to live.  It called Perilla frutescens in America. Here is a link to Wikipedia. There are two kinds of  Shiso leaves. One is this red one use for making plum pickles, seasoning for rice, etc, but more for color than just eat. The other one is green leave. I actually have green one in my garden. We use with whatever from noodle to sushi, sashimi, with chicken, pork, tofu, even in a spaghetti in this season. And we all love it. And it is very good for your health. It used as natural medicine.  
先日ジョッシュのおばあちゃんが昔住んでた家の庭に赤紫蘇が大量に生えているのを発見！青紫蘇とゴマの葉はアメリカでも食べたいを庭に植えて、そのうちにわさわさと毎年でるようになってほしいと思っているのですが、あまりに世話をしないのでぼちぼち食べれるくらい。その発見した赤紫蘇は群生!しかも誰もなぜそこに生えているのかわからない。

So I was so excited when I found this. And it reminds me of my childhood. When I went to my friends house in this season, everybody have this Mom made Shiso juice in there refrigerator. My mother didn't have a time to make things like this. So this was a drink I only can have in my friends house. 
発見してから夜な夜な、子供のときに友達の家に遊びに行ったら割とどこの家にもおいてある「お母さんの紫蘇ジュース」の味が頭の中をぐるぐるして寝付けない。



So I made this Shiso juice.
Put washed 200 Shiso leaves in 1.5L of boiling water. After 10 minutes or so this red leaves all turned to green. Pick all the leaves out, and continue boiling for 20 more minutes. Then add about half cup of honey and about 150ml of lemon juice. And done! You mix with sparkling water, or just water, or with liquor when you drink.
ということでついにお母さんになった私が紫蘇ジュースを作ることにしました。
コジコジは大好き！ジョッシュは青紫蘇が嫌いですがムリヤリ少し飲ませて、うむ、思いのほか悪くないということでした！

Kid's day / こどもの日

Here comes May 5th, Kid's day again! I wrote about this tradition last year. Here is the link for Kid's Day / Kodomo no hi. Last year it was only for our son. This year where is all these Japanese kids coming from!? Well, we found each other! Surprisingly they all live around here! Hope they could help each other to learn Japanese and Japanese culture.

今年も５月５日、こどもの日がやってきました。去年は初めてのこどもの日、うちの息子に鯉のぼりをあげてみせるだけでした。今年はどこから湧いてでたのか、こんなに日本人の子供達が！最近つながったこの辺りに住む日本人達です。ピクニックにして何とも楽しいこどもの日が送れました！！この調子で、一緒に楽しく日本語や日本の文化を学べたらな〜。日本には楽しい行事がいっぱいだから。  

Japanese tradition: Koinobori 鯉のぼり

In Japan, May 5th is a holiday called "Tango no sekku", also it's a Children's day. We celebrate both boys and girls nowadays, but actually it's a day for boys. The girls day is March 3ed called "Hinamatsuri". My parents in Japan sent this Koinobori" to our son last year. Finally we got them up.

去年、息子の生まれた年に両親から送られてきた大きな鯉のぼり、５月も後半になり、やっと挙げることができました。日本では鯉のぼり用のポールが簡単に手に入るのですが、こっちではあるものでなんとかするしかない。この辺りは風力発電の多いところ。強風でも大丈夫で経済的な旗竿を探しまくって、結局だめならだめでしょうがない、もうこれでいいわと購入したもの。旗竿の先につける粗い作りの金の玉はついてきたものの、つけたいのはやっぱり矢車。旗竿と矢車のチューブの幅の差が合わせるだけでいいと思ったものの、旗竿に水が入ったりするのも嫌なので、滑車は旗竿についてきたのを使うことに。ホームセンターで滑車の先っぽに合う大きなコーティングされたねじを探して、矢車をつける方法を考える。結局、屋外用の木片をいくつかチューブに合う形に抜いて、ねじとチューブをシリコンで固めて出来上がり。矢車も鯉のぼりもみたことのないみんなは、旗竿を立て、矢車が回りだしてワクワク、鯉のぼりがふわっと泳ぎだして、歓声を上げたのでした。

Josh says Japanese have meanings for everything. Yes, we do.
日本人は何にでも意味をつけたがると、いつもジョッシュは言うのですが、その通り。日本人は知っているけれど、こっちの人用にちょっと説明。

This fishes on flagpole swimming in the sky is called "Koinobori". This is from an old Chinese story about fishes tried to climb up the big waterfall in the Yellow River, and only carp had succeeded and became a dragon. People let these carp kite up in the sky hoping their son would have great success in his life by trying hard like the carp did in the story. Black carp is a father carp. Red carp is a mother carp. The blue carp is  a boy carp.

The one on the top is called "Fukinagashi". Five colors represent Five elements, earth, water, fire, wind, and sky. In old Japan, samurai era, people put this up after the war ended to hope a war would never ever happen again. …Well, so you can say this doesn't work, but it's the thought that counts…. This is as a protection for children in a well balanced peaceful world. The top windmill charm are shapes of arrow quill that has a same meaning to protect children.

So this should protect our son, we hope.

Most of our house in Japan don't have a space like we do here. So only the place that have big Koinobori are schools and in some festivals. I would like to see this thousand of koinobori swimming in the sky someday with my boys. 

日本では学校の鯉のぼり以外は、ベランダ用の鯉のぼりしか見たことがない。いつかうちの男の子達、ジョッシュと虹児を鯉のぼりフェスティバルに連れて行きたいな。

We also display samurai helmet, and eat rice cake covered with oak leaf called "Kashiwa-mochi". Cerebrate the generation continues in your family as old oak leaf doesn't fall off until the new buds come out. Maybe I will try make Kashiwamochi (like thing) next year. 

この小さな兜はおばあちゃんが虹児にと、送ってくれたもの。私たちの小さな家にぴったりのサイズです。ありがとう。庭に柏の木があるので、来年は柏餅もどきでも作ってみようかしら。

We got a shrine!

　It's a holiday season. Thanks giving and Christmas is over there. In America, this two are important family holidays.  In Japan, we don't cerebrate thanks giving. Christmas is for department stores and lovers. Instead, our most important holiday of the year is "Oshougatsu", which is cerebration for the new years. Actually, it is not only January 1st. Osyougatsu starts from end of the year, around December  28 to January 3 for sure, some people don't need to go to work till 5th.  End of year, mother and grand mother stand in the kitchen whole day preparing for Osechi. During Oshogatsu we keep eating this osechi so mothers don't need to work in the kitchen. So whole family could stay in Kotatsu and drink sake and get lazy.  

こちらアメリカはホリデーシーズン到来です。サンクスギビングとクリスマスはすぐそこ。アメリカではこの二つは一年で最も重要な家族行事のうちの二つ。日本ではほとんどの人はサンクスギビングは関係ないし、クリスマスはデパートとカップルのためにあるような物。こっちで家族行事のその二つを経験するたびに日本のお正月が恋しくなる。

Midnight, right before the year changes, we eat buckwheat soup noodle, and listen the bell ring 108 times. Then, end of the bell is the new year! And then, lots of people go out to go shrine. My family... we just go to bed. Tired from drinking. 

Next morning, Conversation starts from "Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu", the new years greeting. Then we talk about how off our dream were from "Ichi taka, Ni fuji, San nasubi" which is best 3 icons that  you would like to have in your first dream. First hawk, Second mount Fuji, Third eggplant. Then, eat Osechi, and drink sake. This sake is special. We prepare it in a special sake bottle with some herbs. The oldest person get to drink it first, and the youngest the last. Yes, kids get to  drink little bit of it this day.   Then, we go out for shrine for "Hatsumoude". We get "Omiki" which is holy sake from god master there. This is the Japanese tradition. This is what I did every year till I moved to America. And I miss that. 

と言っても、簡単にすまそうと、重箱にお惣菜を買って入れとこう、というお惣菜を買えるところがないし、自分で作ろうと、手伝ってくれる人もいない。しかも作ったところで頭付きの海鮮物、豆が甘いというのが苦手な家族達。結局一週間かけて一人で食べ尽さなければならないということになりかねないので、おせちは却下。なんとかお正月気分が出ない物か。。。

So I made my own shrine! Well, in Japan every place where it looks special, or old, or a place where you feel spiritual have a shrine. Shinto is like animism. Any animal spirits, and land itself could be a god. So I found a special place in our land. 

ということで、今年はせめて初詣で正月気分を味わおうと自分で作ってしまいました。自分達の土地で祠の似合うところを見つけました。

 My shrine just got first visitors! We had Omiki, well I would just say Momo sake for the first time!

お正月前に初の参拝者！お神酒、、、とは言えないので、桃子の酒をいただきました。

It's really pretty around here again this year with colorful leaves. I think it could have a little shrine without any doubt. 

この辺りは今年も葉っぱが色づいてきれいです。密かに祠があっても不思議はない。

July 4th and July 7th

This year July 4th, we went to Mazingo lake to see fire works. Unlike other fire works I've ever been, it was not crowded at all.  Maybe because it has been very hot these days, and was really hot July 4th. But it turned out very nice comfy evening. To be honest I didn't have a big expectation, but fire works was nice too. 

７月４日はアメリカの独立記念日。至る所で大きな花火があがる。一週間ほど前から町には大きな簡易のテントがいくつも建てられ、この期間だけ花火を買うことができる。この時期しか買えないというのは残念だが、こんなん個人で買っていいの？という大きな花火も買える。それはともかく、今年は近くのマジンゴ湖にいった。ここ最近ヒートアドバイザリーが出るほど気温が高く、７月４日も日中はかなり暑かったためか、今までいったどの花火大会よりも空いていて、夜は気温も下がりなかなかよかった。花火自体も思いの他華やかなのがいっぱい打ち上げられてなかなか満足した夜だった。花火が終わった後はみんな一斉に国歌を熱唱していた。そのうち国歌も覚えないといけないんやろうな〜一応。

July 7th is the day called Tanabata in Japan. This is the only day Magpie (Cygnus) in the sky can make a bridge over the Milky Way with its wings, and Orihime (vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair) can meet up there. There are various stories of this day. In one of the story, Orihime is called Momoko-hime( peach child princess) which is my name! Usually you decorate bamboo tree with papers, and write wishes. In some reason Orihime and Hikoboshi can make our wishes come true. Maybe because they are so happy to meet each other. 

そして７月７日には、無理矢理ジョッシュにも参加させ、七夕祭りをした。今までは笹の代用にパイナップルを使ったりと無理矢理も無理矢理だったけど、今年は庭の木に飾った。昔はもっといろんな飾り付けが作れてたと思ったけど、何種類かしか思い出せない。知らなかったけど、織り姫は別名桃子姫ってのもあったことが発覚。これは毎年続けなくては。

 This is also a fun day to do Nagashi Somen. Cut bamboo in half, and float thin cold noodle there. Of course this is for eat. Everybody stand in position with little bowl of soup, and pick them up, dip them, and eat them as much as you want. Hmmm yam. Someday I would like to do Nagashi Somen here.
本当は流しそうめんもしたかったけど、今年は断念。ちょっといつもより豪華な冷やしそうめんで我慢。強引にやっても一人が流して、一人が食べるだけになってしまうしな。こういうがんばらなあかんことはもう少し人数が増えてからにしよう。でもこっちの人はきもちわると思うか？！