Kyushoku! #1

Some of you may have heard things about Japan's kyushoku (school lunch).  I've mentioned it a bit in previous posts.  It's definitely healthier than the average lunch in US schools!  But what's in it?  Maybe you've seen something in one of those "isn't Japan wacky?" news reports.  School lunches differ according to area, as they usually try to use locally grown produce as much as possible. 


Here are a few samples:

You KNOW I'm gonna start of with curry and rice!  My favorite lunch of all time!  They usually pair it with a salad or fruit gelatin.  I mix my rice into the curry.  Kyushoku curry is just the right level of non-spiciness, but without falling into the "sweet" category.

Sorry, I should've rotated this one!  Anyway, it's "kokuto" bread (made with a darker sugar, but not Western style "brown sugar"), harusame (clear noodles) soup, and a piece of fried(?) chicken with lemon sauce. 

This is another favorite.  Tuna and potato salad, bread, cheese slice (to make a sandwich) and minestrone soup.  I love that soup!  So much better than any store bought one.

Pot-au-fu (forgive me if I spelled that wrong!), "American dog", and bread.   Wait, what??  American DOG?  That's what corn dogs are called here! 


Well, today's lunch photos are mostly Western style with bread.  I'll be posting more photos in the future, so stay tuned!  As long as I remember to snap a photo before I dig in...  LOL 


What's your favorite lunch from today's blog?

Tokyo vs. Osaka - Cost of living

The other day, I found an article listing the world's most expensive cities to live in for 2019.  I was shocked to find Osaka listed in the top 10, but NOT Tokyo!  What the hey?! 


I did some research and found that Tokyo was listed in both the 2017 and 2018 rankings, while Osaka was only in the 2017 ranking (just behind Tokyo).  I didn't check any further back, just wanted a bit of background reference.  Also, I found that some of the lists are different depending on who publishes them, though they usually aren't too crazily different.


Granted, I live in Osaka Prefecture, not the City, and I haven't lived in Tokyo or the Kanto area for a very long time...but I was under the impression that Tokyo is the more expensive place to live of the two.  Even if there's not much of a difference, how does Osaka end up in the top 10 and NOT Tokyo?!?


Any thoughts?  Maybe a mistake on the part of the list publisher?  Hey, isn't Japan all one big city?  >_<

You gonna eat that...?

The other day, I received a "lucky" school lunch!  What made my lunch so lucky? 

Yup, that's a piece of carrot cut into a heart shape.  Daycares and elementary schools often add some specially cut veggies (usually carrots) to soups as one way of getting kids excited about veggies.  In addition to hearts, sometimes there are stars or flower shapes.   


I haven't gotten a lucky lunch in so long, I'd forgotten about them!  But school lunch isn't the only place to find cute veggies.  Special veggie cutters are available in stores so parents can also encourage their kids to eat cute veggies in their boxed lunches too.


But I admit...Japanese kids are alot better with eating vegetables than I was as a kid.  American vegetable dishes are AWFUL.  Just plain boiled veggies in US school lunch!  Japanese school lunches are designed with kids' taste buds in mind, while still being healthy.  I think my favorite added flavoring is sesame dressing or oil.  The various soups, stews, and curries make veggies easy to eat!


More on school lunch to come!

Movies!

Being a single mother is tough.  Being a single mother of a special needs kid is even tougher.  BUT, I'm fortunate enough to have access to special daycare services that are open on weekends/national holidays so I can have some time off.  Sometimes I just get some extra sleep.  Usually I run errands.  But sometimes I get to go out and see a movie!  During this holiday time, I saw two movies - Avengers Endgame and Detective Pikachu. 

Thanos says "No spoilers!"

Japanese movie audiences are usually pretty quiet.  On one hand, you don't have the kind of loud, annoying people you might find in a theater back in the old country (what I call my birthplace).  On the other hand, it feels weird when people don't laugh or react to anything.  When I went to see Deadpool 2, the most anyone did was a light snort.  Endgame was different.  I don't know why, but people reacted.  There was some limited laughter, but at one point (no spoilers!) I think almost everyone gasped.

I can't recommend Detective Pikachu enough!  Good for kids, but with a suspenseful storyline that will draw in the grown-ups too.  I'll admit, I cried. 

Next movie I'm looking forward to is this guy:

Not Godzilla's actual size

Children's Day chimaki

One of the national holidays during the Golden Week period is Children's Day.  I always look forward to this because it's the only time I can get chimaki.

"What the heck is this?", you may be thinking.  This is chimaki.  It's soft, somewhat sweet, mochi wrapped in a leaf.  Being wrapped in a leaf seems to give it a fresh grassy smell and flavor.  Sounds weird, but it's good!

This is often included in the school lunch as a treat just before or after the Golden Week period, but because the holiday is extra long this year, we didn't get any (at least not in the city I work in).  I was talking to the teacher in charge of the school lunch about this last week and...she ordered some just for us teachers!  So, that's something to look forward to when I have to go back to work next week! 

Heisei -> Reiwa

As I'm sure everyone knows, the previous emperor has retired and from today his son has become the new emperor, thus beginning a new "era" with the name of Reiwa. 


Personally, I think the retired emperor and empress are great and I hope they will have many more years together.  And I also hope the new era will bring some much needed changes to our society...like the right for women to ascend to the throne.  Look at THIS article from the Mainichi.  To be honest, I had no idea how many princesses there are in the royal family (or that anyone from the Showa age was still alive!). 


But this kind of thing also makes me feel sad.  As a single mother with a special needs child, I feel like I miss out on so much of life.  Holidays, special events...  What am I doing today (other than writing this blog post)?  Sitting around the apartment, trying to keep my daughter from eating us out of house and home.  She eats ALOT.  I'd hoped to maybe take her to one of the local parks, but this week has been nothing but rain. 


I hope Reiwa is better for Japan in general, but also for me in particular!