How to Get Your Kid to Eat

A piece of broccoli is never as appetizing as when it’s smiling at you. That’s why when a Japanese mom needs to feed a stubborn kid, she starts by making faces. That is, she cuts out a pair of eyes and a mouth from cheese slices and puts them over a mound of vegetables. Food tastes best when it’s grinning from ear to ear.

Japanese people call it ‘kyara-ben’ (character bentos), a lunch box filled with happy kids and chirping animals. Poke your chopsticks around and, lo and behold, it’s a bed of rice and chicken nuggets!

Of course, to make this pile of cuteness, you’ll need the proper tools. Here’s a few:

Face-cutter

The only choices here are happy, happier and happiest! But it’s always good to mix it up a bit, so choose wisely!

Food Stylus

Fill this pen up with ketchup, mustard, chocolate, or whatever else sits in your fridge. Use it to write down your kid’s name so that he’s the coolest student on campus.

Frying Pan for Eggs

One of the most specialized cooking tools, this frying pan will make a thin sheet of egg you can use to cover a rice ball or clothe a quail egg. The best part is that it’s tasty, too!

If you’d like to see cool bento creations, check out Anna the Red’s Bento Factory.

Himawari

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I *Heart* Chocolate

It’s that time of year when Japanese women contemplate what to get for the men in their life. So what do they give? CHOCOLATE!

Valentine’s Day is yet another occasion to sell, sell, sell. Jumping on V-Day fever, chocolate shops get inventive with their creations. Think animal-shaped cakes, multi-colored ganache cubes, and creamy morsels sprinkled with matcha green tea powder. Even if you’re not a fan of cacao, your taste buds will force you to take a bite

For those extra-special men, most women forgo store-bought treats and work their magic in the kitchen, melting chocolate chips over a double-pot boiler and cooling it in a heart-shaped frame. I saw a flyer on Don Quijote’s site that offers deals on hand-mixers, fondue sets, chocolate fountains and food scales. Just looking at it made me want to get in on the action and whip up a bowl of velvety ganache. Though I’d probably eat it myself instead of giving it away. ^^

A box of homemade chocolates is far more precious than store chocolates because it takes time and effort to make. “Kokoro wo komete” (‘from the heart’) is the phrase often used. A while back, I was playing this one dating sim for Nintendo DS, Tokimeki Memorial, where I could either buy the boy I liked a box of chocolates or make it. If I made it myself, I was nearly guaranteed he’d ask me out. Haha! My stylus pen got a good workout stirring that virtual bowl of chocolate! \(^o^)/

Himawari

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Clean-eatin’ Ramen

Here’s a new one for you: the ramen fork!

It’s great for people who can’t hold two sticks between their fingers. All you do is jab and twirl.

Of course you’re wondering, why would Japanese people need this if they already know how to use chopsticks? Well, the other advantage to using the $8 fork is that you can eat noodles in a gentle, lady-like way. In other words, no slurping!

We’ve all heard that inhaling your noodles shows you really like what you’re eating. But when you’re coming from the office wearing your favorite white button-up, you gotta worry what sort of nasty stains you’ll be taking back to work.

Fuji TV’s “Mezamashi Terebi” (a morning info-tainment show) conducted an experiment showing how fewer stains you get with the fork. First, they had a man slurp up a bowl of noodles with a pair of chopsticks. With a slow-cam to document the process, you can see the noodles flicking the oil-based soup all over the place. Then he switched to the fork. The ramen soup ended up splashing less than half the time!

The other benefit is that it could help Japan with its wooden chopstick crisis. With rapid deforestation going on in China, picking up metal instead of wooden will do the world a lot of good.

I’d imagine people would be happy using this tool on spaghetti, too. I think it’s safe to say most people have a hard time not slurping the last noodle or two. It’s a skill most people have yet to acquire. To them I say RAMEN FORK! \(^O^)/

Himawari

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Curry in a Hurry

Only in Japan can you look at a brown puddle and say, “Hey, that looks yummy!” Though in this case, the brown puddle is a bag of curry sauce. An adorably packaged bag of curry at that:

The concept is simple: Curry on-the-go. The packets are slim enough to fit in your pocket, and you don’t have to heat it in a microwave; i.e., it tastes good at room temperature. You can pour it onto rice, bread, hot dogs, and just about anything that needs a flavor kick.

Ranging from baby-lovin’ mild to manly-man spicy, each packet contains bits of vegetable and meat, so it’s like eating the real-deal only you don’t need a stove.

This product comes from the brains at Glico, the same company that brought the world Pocky. In fact, most of Glico’s products come in candy or snack form, so it’s interesting that they’d venture into savory dishes.

I suppose that’s a sign of innovation. \(^o^)/

Himawari

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Self-Heating Bento at Your Service

You can find my favorite bento — a lunch in a box — at the train station.

Believe it or not, it’s the best place to get a tasty meal. With so many people snatching boxes before a trip out of town, the lunchbox competition gets pretty heavy here. Bentos featuring cooked seasonal vegetables are some of my favorites.

And now there’s a newfangled box that makes me want to fly out to Japan just to try it. It’s the self-heating lunch! Just pull a string and the box heats up like an oven. You’ll even see hot steam coming out!

Here’s how it works: Underneath the food is a container of tiny white coals (calcium oxide). Pulling the string releases water which mixes with the coal, causing a chemical reaction. Specifically, CaO＋Ｈ2Ｏ→Ca(OH)2.

Youtube has a bunch of home videos of tourists trying out these hot bentos, most containing slices of beef or cow tongue (it’s a delicacy!) over a bed of rice. Yum!

Your usual bento box is strategically prepared to be eated in room temperature, and it actually tastes great at the end of the day. So to me, it’s more of a novelty that you can now get a hot bento. Next time I’m in Japan, I’d love to see a cold bento. Pull a string and your food turns to ice! haha~! \(^o^)/

Himawari

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Hi-Tech Cookers

In Japan, rice cookers are no joke. Some people spend upwards of $500 for their ultra high-tech electric cooker, obsessing over the moisture, texture and taste of what is endearingly called “gohan.”

I’ve had dreams of the perfect bowl of rice. The best I’ve come across was one made in an iron pot over a hot flame. That’s how they used to cook it in the olden days and it doesn’t get better than that. A decent pot of rice can last days without developing a lingering odor, which I suppose means that even bacteria respect it enough to stay away!

But in 2009, we don’t have time to kindle a fire and spend three hours to cook rice. Instead we have our trusty rice cooker to do all the work. Just wash, place it in the cooker, set your timer and you’ll have your hot bowl on the table for tomorrow’s breakfast.

So what would drive someone to buy a $500 cooker? Here are some thoughts:

• They chime a Disney song when you start cooking.
• They come with a fancy hi-tech LCD panel that makes any
kitchen look cool.
• “Superior induction heating evenly distributes heat for excellent
results,” according to Amazon.
• Spatula holder and retractable cord!
• Open/close lid sensor.
• The option to cook rice porridge, sushi rice, cakes, curry, and more.

Though I think the most compelling reason to invest in an expensive cooker is the idea that a single machine can miraculously take you back the best meal of your life. But does it ever really? Probably not. But it looks pretty neat at least, right?

Himawari

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Grilled to Perfection

So long summer! Thanks for the good times on the beach. I’ll miss you. Sniff.

If you’re like me, living along the breezy California coast, you spent most of this summer playing in the sand and cooking chicken over a toasty grill. Ah yes, the great Japanese charcoal grill, a.k.a., shichirin.

It’s much smaller than your typical American grill — about the size of your two hands spread wide — and so is the wire mesh. So instead of hamburgers and hot dogs, Japanese people like to throw down chopped raw vegetables (peppers, onions, corn, etc.) sliced beef, and shellfish. None of it is usually seasoned, so they’ll dip it into a soy sauce-based marinade and pop it in their mouth.

The neat thing about the Japanese grill is that you can use it virtually anywhere. It weighs a mere ten pounds and can fit under a grown man’s armpit. When I used to live in a Tokyo dorm back in the day, we’d have one on the stairwell in case somebody returned with a half-off special from the butcher’s.

Personally, I think Japanese grilling tastes much better than its American counterpart. What’s the secret?: The charcoal. It’s made of high-quality oak that burns slowly and releases a rustic flavor so good you’ll be smacking your lips for more. Forget Kingsford — whenever I go to Japan I’m sure to bring home a couple dozen charcoal sticks.

I recently found a grill at my local Japanese market in Southern California. It cost me $50. But it was definitely worth it. Now I can cook all my favorites: yakitori, soy sauce-basted corn, Korean BBQ, oysters. Oh, who says grilling can only be done in the summertime?!

Himawari

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Want Smooth Skin? No Need to Inject Collagen – Just Eat It

As kids we’re told that eating too much chocolate or potato chips will give us breakouts. But is it possible to eat your way to better skin?

Japanese organic cosmetics company Fancl seems to think so. That’s why they’ve partnered with Ito-Yokado, the ubiquitous grocery superstore, to create a series of collagen-infused foods. Yes, collagen – the lip plumper and wrinkle reducer normally available only at a plastic surgeon’s or dermatologist’s office.

Fancl’s food line is also enhanced with kale extract, known for reducing weight.

The whole thing reminds me of Jamba Juice and their boosts. I never know which supplement to add to my smoothie: Protein? Vitamin C to fight off a cold? How about calcium or fiber? It’s probably a placebo effect – just knowing that I’m eating fruit, lowfat yogurt and vitamins tends to make me feel great. (Let’s not discuss the sugar.)

But back to botox. Japanese women really value perfect skin, so it makes sense that they pop supplement pills or drink collagen elixirs. Fancl has simply taken the ball and run with it, infusing bread and sweets with life-enhancing additives.

Do people really believe that eating make-up can make them over from the inside out?

Apparently yes – who am I to argue with Oprah?

Sarah S.

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Tokyo Chills with Fro-Yo

Trends can take a couple years to traverse the Pacific. So as frozen yogurt wanes in the U.S., Japan is just starting to take its first bite.

This year, three shops have moved into the scattered cubbyholes of Tokyo, each offering its own addicting blend of dairy goodness.

At Pure Berry in Shibuya, it’s all about accessorizing. Customers can fashion their cup of yogurt with over 20 different toppings, including chocolate sprinkles, jelly beans, gummy bears and Teddy Grahams. Piled high, it’s either a monstrosity or a work of art. As an special bonus, this fro-yo is collagen-infused.

Not to be undersold, Golden Spoon dishes out over 15 original flavors like peanut butter and chocolate coconut. It’s part of a west coast U.S. chain that claims to be as tasty as ice cream. Just like with lipstick — Maybelline, CoverGirl, and the like — American brands have a certain aura of coolness that Japanese don’t mind dishing a few extra cents for. In three years, they plan to open 100 branches across the country.

And then there’s PinkSweetBerry, which sounds suspiciously similar to U.S.-born chain. (Hmmm~) Here it’s all about fresh fruit — kiwis, strawberries, pineapples, bananas, mangoes. If you’ve ever lived in Japan you know what a rare commodity fruits are. A three-topping cup is about $5; the price of a large cup at Pinkberry. Not bad if you ask me.

Japanese people seem to take to the palate-cleansing treat especially after a night of hard drinking. And especially after a heavy dinner of Korean grilled beef. Heart burn can be a real buzz-killer.
Frozen yogurt might be old news in the U.S. but thanks to new franchises like these, it’s become the coolest scene in Tokyo. (^o^)

Himawari

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What to Do with Your $600 Tax Rebate

During these shaky times when airline companies are folding by the minute, travel companies have to really think of enticing reasons to get you packing. One of my friends just signed up for a hiking tour through Croatia. For two weeks, she’ll be scaling mountains and inhaling nature in the company of strangers. Another friend just got a ticket to Italy where he’s dishing out $100 to sit in on a family dinner. At that price I’m sure they’ll tell him to stay for dessert.

If Japan is your preferred destination, a pop culture tour is the way to go. I found one called Intermixi that takes you to Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo for $2,300. Hotel and airfare are included in this seven-day excursion. And aside from the traditional temple sightseeing they take you to cool hangouts like Harajuku (as in Gwen Stefani’s Mecca) and Akihabara, where geeks go to shower in electronics and anime.

I read on their site that they also visit some of Japan’s vast collection of odd-themed restaurants. The one I’ve been to was inspired by purgatory. Customers dine within the confines of a jail cell and must walk through dark corridors to get relieve themselves in hell (the bathroom). There’s also a J-Pop cafe, a ninja restaurant, and one where the waiters look like mortuary attendants and you eat your dinner in silence. Believe me, it got awkward quickly. Not recommended for first-dates.

If I were to go on one of these Japan tours I’d ruin it for everyone by unloading too much of my better judgment. My friend who went to Japan recently for the first time decided to try different rice balls at the convenience store. When she bit into one stuffed with a sour pickled plum (ume), she gasped and patooeyed it in her hand. I’m sure she’ll always remember that day. Imagine what a party pooper I’d be if I was there to warn her.

But if you’ve ever wanted to visit Japan and hoped for more than just temple-hopping I recommend one of these alternative tours. They seem like a lot of fun and, heck, it’ll help stimulate our staggering world economy.

Himawari

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Thinking of doing business in Japan? We can make it easy for you!
JPBizDirect, a Los Angeles based company, provides practical solutions for U.S. ? Japan business projects. Our experienced Japanese staff will support all phases of your business project to seize business opportunities and turn your vision into a reality. >> Learn more
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