Mochi Party at the nearest community center for kids who will graduate from the school.

There was a rice cake party at the nearest community center that people in my area did for the 6th grade kids and their families this morning. We say "mochi" for a rice cake in Japanese.

A man explained about the difference of rices and how to cook mochi to them, neighbors let them to pound it with a wooden heavy millet in a mortar after it's almost finished.

My parents gathered relatives and made rice cakes together for the New Year etc, so I remember the smell and taste of mochi rice, very hot and soft touching, but 
I wonder the younger generation must think that " Mochi is that they buy instead of making".

I really appreciate those who teach children about traditional things and rice cakes.

They cooked so many kinds of seasonings of rice cakes, such as Abekawa mochi, Anko mochi, Daikon Oroshi mochi, Mentaiko mochi, Natto ochi, Ebimochi, Mikan Mochi. I didn't remember all.
Thanks for the neighbors to think and try many recipes.

Since I ate breakfast, I was too full to eat much... Too sad.

Teachers and kids enjoyed this event together.

今日は、地区の人が６年生を招待して、餅つきパーティを公民館でしてくれました。

最初に米と餅の作り方の説明などして頂き、大人がある程度餅をついた後、子供たちも一人ずつ重たい杵を持ってお餅をつかせて貰いました。

私の親世代は親戚が集まって正月などにお餅を作っていたので、もち米の匂いや味、つきたてホヤホヤの、むちゃくちゃ熱く、柔らかい感触など覚えているけれど、その下の代になると、「お餅は買うもの」と思っているんやろうなあ。

そんな中、お餅のこと、伝統のことを子供たちに教えて下さる地域の方に、本当に感謝です。

あべかわもち、あんこもち、大根おろしもち、明太子もち、納豆もち、エビもち、みかんもち…あと何があったかな？
朝ご飯をしっかり食べていったので、お腹が一杯で大根おろしと明太子しか食べれなかった～～残念！

みかんもちが興味ある～まるまるみかんを入れるらしい。

地域の人のアイデア一杯のお餅を沢山、子供たちは頂きました。ありがとうございました～～

Today's dinner is Takoyaki at home, which is famous in Osaka!

今日の我が家の晩御飯。美味しかった～

I went to a kimono wearing class / 袴着付け教室に行って来ました。

I went to a lesson to learn how to make my daughter put on the kimono named "hakama" for the graduation ceremony yesterday.
It has 3 lessons in a day and I was said I should take all, from the morning to 7:00pm. She joined me after school, in the 3rd one and I dressed her for real.

She is so tiny and thin that there are much extra clothes around her, which made me very hard to handle with.

Since both of us had the first experience and I couldn't afford to remember a lot of things at once and couldn't do well as I thought, she was trying to the best to help me by holding some clothes and telling what I should do next.
In the end, we could finish everything, but I'm worried it would come loose or I couldn't keep remembering how to do.

My kind friend gave me the very attracted suggestion that her grandma would come to dress her on the early morning of the ceremony, but I'd like to challenge together with my daughter again and will make one more memory between us if possible. 
But I'm still anxious...

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　


昨日は袴着付けの講習会に行って来ました。
それも１～３部と分かれていて、全部参加した方がいいと言われたので、朝から終わったのが夜の７時まで、少しの休憩を挟み、そして最後の２時間だけ娘も参加、実際に着せてみました。

娘は袴を着るにはすごく小さいし、細いし、いっぱい余分な布が余りまくって、それを処理するのがすっごい大変でした。

親子揃って初めての体験なので、私自身もキャパオーバーで覚えきれない、覚えていても思った通りにならない…そんな時、娘も自主的に布を持ってくれたり、次の動作を覚えて伝えてくれたり、二人で協力しあって、それなりの出来栄えになったけれど、歩き回って解けてきたり、またこれを一か月先まで覚えていれるか、とても不安です。

友だちのお祖母ちゃんを当日派遣してくれるって優しく非常に魅力的なお誘いをしてくれてるのですが、出来れば娘とまた共同作業をして、思い出を１つ多く作りたいなと思っています。 
でも不安…。