Happy New Year!

Happy New Year.

We spent a very pleasant and far to brief new years break with Rika's family at her mum's place.

This was a chance to relax, eat good food and enjoy traditional japanese activities like watching 'kohaku' - the annual NHK (state television) new years eve bonanza of light entertainment. And an opportunity for Rika's family to play with Hanna.

Traditional foods for new years eve in Japan are satsumas, rice cakes (mochi) and new years eve noodles (toshikoshi soba). The latter were prepared from scratch.

Rice cakes are made by kneading boiled rice that has been shaken to make it super-stickey.



Sona noodles are made from a flour, water & egg mix that that is kneaded...



...rolled flat...


...cut into thin strips....


... arranged into noodle shapes...


then boiled and eaten fresh with a dipping sauce, spring onions and wasabi. Oishii!

Okuizome

To celebrate Hannahs frst new year, we had a small Okuizome ceremony for Hanna with Rika's family.



This is a symbolic first meal of auspicious foods which is designed to ensure that the baby will never go hungry. (Actually its normally done at 3 months so we were a bit late).

We fed Hanna with king prawn, red beans using the tray and set of bowls that was presented to Hanna for this purpose when we had the Omiyamairi ceremony at Meiji shrine.

Hannah at New Year

Another milestone. Rika has just starting feeding Hannah new foods. Starting with vegetable soup.


..building up to solids like cutlery.



Hanna's legs are getting stronger and she can stand with a bit of help and encouragement.



This is Hanna with her aunt Naomi and cousins Chiyaki and Masumi. They make quite a coven.



Masumi is a talented musician and recently won a national music competition playing saxophone.