Tip 230: Shichi-Go-San Studio Photo

Shichi-Go-San simply means Seven-Five-Three and is a rite of passage celebration for children in Japan observed around November 15. The ceremony is to celebrate the growth of children into healthy, strong children since in the past around the Heian period (794-1185) , there were young children who faced various health hurdles in their growth. Girls who are three and seven years old, and boys who are three and five years old would dress up. In the past, children in Japan were only allowed to let their hair grow at age 3 years old onwards and thus this celebration to mark their age. It is customary in Japan to take studio photos and then offer prayers in a shrine, but we only resorted to a photo package of SGD240. I am sure this wonderful experience is a good addition to Haruka's childhood memories.

Haruka followed various steps in wearing a kimono, did her first make up and was treated like a princess for a day. The process started when Tomomi saw an advertisement in the weekly Japanese magazine she read. We then went to the home of the Japanese who own the wardrobe of Japanese kimono for kids to try the ones we like (and asked Haruka for her opinion as well). She tried various kimono and even Western dress. But daddy decided that we will just select a minimal photo package and not need to have too many varieties of dresses at this stage. We can have that when we later do a family package when Haruka is close to seven years old and her baby sister is past 3 years old. We decided on the photo taking date and time and waited anxiously for Haruka's "big day".















That day came and it was a very exciting day not only for us, but a few other families who waited in line for their kids at the make up queue. This Japanese business started 10 years ago and have established a good system. They were very precise in the time that we should arrive. We came a little early and had to wait for Haruka's turn to curl her hair and put the Japanese hair clips. Then, an elderly Japanese lady (obaachan) dressed Haruka up with care and praised Haruka in Japanese. I think this was a meaningful Japanse tradition. It is akin to having a relaxing soothing Indian barber hair cut for men in Singapore/Malaysia/ India. The dressing up starts with the under kimono (jubam). Then the outer kimono and little padded jacket without sleeves will be worn on top. Haruka also wore the split toed socks (tabi) and the Japanese platform sandals (zori).














After dressing up, Haruka had her first lip stick and blush on her cheeks. Then, she was ushered to the photo taking studio and the staff praised Haruka for her photogenic ability requiring very little coaxing unlike other kids her age. I think this is partly due to daddy's camera practice with her and her various experiences across the globe having people praise her for candid shots. When she was young, strangers would come up to Haruka and ask for a photo of her to be taken. The grin of Haruka on the day she tried out the different dresses and the day of actual photo taking was priceless.

Check out another blog I write: http://lifenewcreation.blogspot.sg/ to find about keeping your family healthy.














(Photos show Haruka trying out the various dresses. Photos of her make up and step by step kimono wearing process is on the next blogpost).

Tip 181: Festivities at Japan's night markets

There is actually no night market in Japan and according to Wikipedia, the most well known of it all is at Taiwan (yet to try it). In Malaysia's Petaling Street, Singapore's new Bugis Street or Hong Kong's Temple Street, they are a lively community of vendors or the public looking for an opportunity at flea markets or 'pasar malam' (as called in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia) to sell cheap merchandise and food items. These vendors do it as a part time job, some after their day jobs to earn an extra income.












In Japan, this happens only during the Japanese festivities as the Japanese vendors do it as a celebration and as an opportunity to share their food culture. Most of them are restaurant/food business owners who take a day off from their business to participate in the festivities. Some of the festivities include the local masturi, tanabata, summer fireworks viewing, different dance or season festivities. Most of them happen in summer or autumn. This weblink list a complete calendar of festivities all over Japan. They can be major crowd pullers and you need to head out early to book a nice space to enjoy the food.












I was looking forward to the Sumida river fireworks which is the greatest of all fireworks, having a display of 20,000 fireworks over 1.5 hour duration. This tradition dates back to the Edo period, though which much more grandeur currently. It attracts 1 million people annually and we realized that too late. Police and volunteers were already blocking the roads to the prime spots 1 hour in advanced and we could only settle for 2nd or 3rd class viewing spots.












Another lesson learnt was never bring a stroller to these places as the crowd moves on and on, with little patience for a daddy with a stroller needing to negotiate the different pavements. Interestingly, being a daddy changes how an outing will turn out. I used to be able to get all the good spots, by squeezing or talking my way through. I think this will be a challenge especially if I have more kids in the future. I guess having just 1 kid does not provide a good definition of what parenting is.












(Photos show the food vendors at the Bettara ichi (Japanese pickle fair selling bettarazuke) at Kodenmacho, and Haruka in her Okinawan jinbei posing with dancers at the Awa-odori dance festival at Kagurazaka street, Tokyo. Food shown are grilled fish/ajinoshioyaki, yakitori, takoyaki, candy apple/ringo ame, okonomiyaki, bettarazuke, oden and obanyaki).

Tip 171: Unagi Day for stamina to withstand summer

Today is "unagi うなぎ (fresh water eel) day" or in Japanese it's called "doyou-no ushi-no hi 土用の丑の日" or midsummer day of the Ox. On this day, you may see many advertisements of eel products at supermarkets and convenience stores. Japanese restaurants may also add eel as one of their lunch menus to choose from.

This tradition had its origins in the Edo period 200 years ago. Before 1873, instead of the Gregorian calendar, the Japanese calendar was used and is based on the lunisolar calendar adapted from the Chinese. Each season has its doyou which last 18 days. During this 18 days, each day is represented by one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. Hence, within the 18 days, for certain years, there could be more than 1 day of the Ox. The midsummer or summer doyou is especially important to the Japanese where they would send presents and greeting cards to friends and relatives. Yet, an eel restaurant owner then, had poor business and consulted a Japanese scholar, Hiraga Gennai who was also a pharmacologist and a multi-talented genius who invented many items. Gennai suggested the restaurant owner to put up an advertisement "doyou-no ushi-no hi" as the people would think of eating dishes that had the letter "u" on this Ox day (ushi-no hi). It is funny that other food for instance, udon could face the same fate, but somehow unagi caught on with popularity since then. It was interesting that eel restaurant owners had a superstition carried through from the Edo period as well, that broiling eels on other days such as on a Rat or Tiger day, would not taste as good as broiling them on an Ox day.

It does make sense to eat eel during the hot summer season as unagi contains many nutrients such as vitamins A, B1, B2, D and E, which are effective agents for rejuvenating the body. It also contains high quantities of unsaturated fatty acids such as DHA and EPA which decreases cholestrol, lowers blood pressure, prevents vascular diseases and promotes normal brain development, nervous system functions and good eyesight. Gotta not miss the next unagi day. The summer doyou usually happens between middle of July to first week of August and differs each year due to the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun.

From now till 2011, unagi day falls on:

2009: 19 July, 31 July.

2010: 26 July.

2011: 21 July, 2 August.

(Photos show Tomomi cooking unagi at home for dinner, plus we also ate unagi on the same day at a Japanese restaurant near to Tokyo Baptist Church during lunch with our Malaysian church mates, Alex and Angela. Other food photos feature an Italian buffet with chocolate fondue at Odaiba Decks Sunset Beach Brewing Company during their summer promotion of 1300 yen and a Niigata type wappameshi dish at a restaurant called Echigo along Kagurazaka dori. The photo on the left shows a Japanese bento set with well decorated shrimps, duck meat, fish meat, sushi and konnyaku at a hidden restaurant called WaRaku with beautiful garden view from the dining table at Tsukudo-hachimancho, close to Kagurazaka-dori).

Tip 160: Steamy hot freshness hoka-hoka (ホカホカ)

Another Japanese phrase that I am introducing is again that which stimulate the senses. The aroma of fresh food cooked at just the right temperature, its hot steam rising to touch the face or fingers. This could be rice out of the rice cooker or hot baked sweet potatoes (焼き芋/yakiimo). For instance, during cold evenings, the Japanese have this iconic traditional street vendor who pushes a cart called ishi yakiimo (stone roasted sweet potato). The vendor uses the loud speaker and begins to chant,"yaki-imo, ishi yaki-imo, hoka hoka dayo" (It is steaming hot). People would come out to the cold to trade their coins for a paper wrapped sweet potato that will burn their fingers, and rush back to their homes. The irresistible smelling steam warms the room and awakens the senses, bringing a reminder of the cold season and the simple freshness of food from the ground, cooked in its simplest form providing the basic sustenance needed.

That is the Japan that celebrates simplicity and fresh natural food, bland they may be but offers sweetness from the ground. The presence of steamy hot food during cold winter seems like a ritual no different from watching the sakura at the start of spring, cooling down with shave ice at the beach in summer or queing up to see autumn leaves along the Irohazaka slopes of Nikko. The hot steam is temporal, yet is appreciated and celebrated for its purpose, role and meaning. Another example of the wabi-sabi concept.

Not tried this with Haruka, though she loves sweet potato and yam. What about other street vendors you miss and hope to introduce to your kids?

(Photos show Haruka playing at the amusement park at Hong Kong's Ocean Park).

Tip 156: Tsuru tsuru (ツルツル) art of slurping

I decided to start a series of blogpost probably twice a week, on interesting Japanese phrases that speak of its culture. This would brush up my Japanese as well. Plus, many of these phrases are picked up from my toddler, Haruka. Though, not the next phrase as she has not mastered the art of eating noodles the Japanese way, as she needs us to slice the noodles before feeding her. Slurping slippery smooth noodles is called tsuru tsuru (ツルツル). As you pronounce this, notice your lips in lip-o-suction position. The first sylable sucks the noodle together with more soup based sauce. The second sylable exhales to cool it, yet gaining enough momentum to complete sucking a second time.

That explains how a Japanese could finish a bowl of noodles in 5 minutes. Some actually argue that the taste of the noodle is to be felt in the throat, not the tongue. By swallowing them whole, the texture and taste of the noodle is complete. This can be performed on ramen or udon with its hot soup, or cold soba or cold somen with its light flavoured dipping sauce. You are actually less likely to burn your mouth when slurping, as opposed to having spoonfuls of hot noodles in your mouth. For cold soba, slurping is part of the ritual to get the full experience of the simple healthy goodness of soba. First, watch the preparation of the soba, smell it, while holding the bowl of dipping sauce, dunk only half the soba noodles and slurp. The flavor of the soba is experienced with all senses.

The key to slurping is to loosen your lips for a short decisive slurp. Though, if you are in a ramen shop with other hungry Japanese, slurp all you want. Most importantly, you enjoy it and it shows from your slurping. Of course, the performance in slurping depends in part on the smoothness of the noodles, yet it takes two to tsuru tsuru. Or one if you have became one with the smoothness of the noodles. :)

Check out another blog I write: http://lifenewcreation.blogspot.sg/2013/05/how-resveratrol-and-red-wine-activate.html to find about a new opportunity to do business anywhere besides building your family's health and wellbeing.

(Photos show more of Blenheim Palace).

Tip 146: Caring for hermit crabs

Its a rare creature for a pet indeed. But watch how it chooses its shell and changes it to fit its personality, then you see a Transformer in the making. I am not an expert like some in USA keeping dozens, since a craze started there with huge imports from Ecuador. But in total, I have reared different hermit crabs for 2 years. My longest record is keeping one for more than a year. And these are crabs not bought from pet shops, but handpicked by me in the multitudes available at the beach in Malaysia and Japan. Yet, there are tips necessary to ensure they stay happy and healthy to keep you intrigued when you are bored. Hermit crabs are very low maintenance pets - just 1 hour care a week is needed. I don't adore them as pets and I do not think they make good companions. But, they can be as fascinating as the Transformers you place on your bedroom shelf. Yet, this one moves and chirps! This tip today is not a daddy tip, but I thought of just rambling on something unique. The Japanese call this otaku (オタク), when you are a fan of a hobby and become a subject matter expert on it to the extent that what you write or say sounds like foreign language. Here goes... so now you know hermit crabs chirp through a vibration from their body.

First tip, pick the survivors. Do not pick those at the sea water, but pick active ones near the edge of the beach, near to rocks and trees. Those near sea water may be species that need a lot of sea water and you need to have an eye to differentiate the species. Next, pick another 4-5 crabs of compatible sizes. In fact, pick its friends. Hermit crabs unlike its name, does not live alone like a hermit. They play in groups as a safety net that if there are no new shells in the area, then they can switch each others' shells. Also, accumulate some of the local sand the hermit crab you picked is used to, and ensure there is sufficient coral sand as that forms part of its calcium intake. Do not forget a few nice empty shells almost similar to the one your crab has or slightly larger. The survivors if you pick them correctly, would survive 8 hour car rides or even 5 hour plane rides. After that, unpack them into an acquarium and put a shell of mineral/distilled water that is free of chlorine for them to play or sip a drink from. The crab only eats once a week and anything works. Their favorites are popcorns, coconut, banana, papaya, sweet potato, cereal, seeds and the list grows. Watching them eat is next best to watching them change shells. You can even hold food on your finger near them, be still and see closeup how they sniff and eat of you. The other way, a crab locates food is by seeing other crabs eat. Once a week, clean the acquarium of remaining food and put them on a nice platter of water at their shell level, so they can play in a new area and bath themselves and try to climb out and run away. This exercise makes them active and happy. Oh yea, and I don't give them names. They hardly get my attention unless I am real bored and that's quite rare. So not such an otaku after all.

Anyone else have wild crabs as pets? Do share your tips as well. Notice how Transformers eyes the vehicle they are fond of based on the size of its body before it transforms. Same goes for the hermy, though it transforms for a newer shell more frequently.

(Photos show 4 hermit crabs I picked from a beach at Ishigaki island and 2 of them wrestling to switch shells. After 4 long days, one determined crab succeeded and the other realized the other shell was to its liking anyway. That's a crab's life - they have goals, you know. Also, showing them feeding on corn and having their weekly bath. Others show the Palace of Versailles in France).