Setsubun Wishes

Ushering in a Japanese flavored New Year

Is there anything better than curling up with a big, beautiful book? I’ll admit, at the moment, it is an absolute Japanese feast in my book pile- and I thought I’d share some with you!

The books above are some that I am going through at the moment; what is it about winter that makes you want to cook and dream of all the vegetables you’re going to grow (then my “July self’ will be wondering what on earth I was thinking!)

But no matter! “Winter self” has lots of grand ideas, many inspired by watching Maigo Mika on Youtube, living life in her Akiya with her husband and dog, growing and cooking amazing Japanese food while renovating an abandoned Japanese country house!

It was through her videos that I heard about the book “Japanese Farm Food”, which is written by American author Nancy Singleton Hachisu, who is married to a Japanese organic farmer and raises her family and runs an English-imersion school on their farm. The book is a tome and it is amazing. It’s practically a textbook and I’m taking it slow so I can learn the very basic of Japanese cooking (so, there’s you’re answer to why I currently have a sheet of seaweed steeping in water in my kitchen! Gotta make that dashi!)

I am also going through an absolutely gorgeous book called “Japanese Home Cooking” by Sonoko Sakai, which is almost like an art book about things you can eat. The photos are gorgeous— so peaceful and interesting, using Japanese design elements showcasing simplicity and beauty to lure you into making a big ol’ mess in your kitchen. The wabi-sabi of it all just makes my heart ache with joy! I doubt I’ll ever get to the point where I’m making my own noodles….but a girl can dream and admire the aesthetic!

I’m also still sighing with joy over the sashiko book “Sashiko for Making and Mending” by Saki Iiduka that I shared with you last summer….isn’t that pot holder gorgeous? I think I’d really like to make that. The indigo blue is amazing, and I have some still from past indigo dye projects. I’ve dyed with indigo a few times with my good friend Natasha from House Sparrow Fine Nesting, and you can even order indigo kits from her (and the dye) if you get inspired! She even sells seeds to grow your own Japanese indigo! I did it last year and I’m hoping to plant some again in the spring….

All this Japanese handmade and home cooked goodness had been so inspiring…. and like many things in my life, it seems to dovetail with my love of Tasha Tudor, who is also greatly admired in Japan.

I have a few Japanese books about Tasha, and I’d like to collect more. There’s even been a tv series in Japan about Tasha and her family that aired in Japan, but as far as I know it’s never been released to an international audience outside of that country.

Tasha was such an appreciator of the old and lovely, the traditional and finding joy and beauty in the seasons and everyday life. Her life definitely had a Japanese lilt to it, if you look for it!

And so, on the Japanese holiday of Setsubun (a holiday where you, in a sense, throw out the negativity of last year and welcome in luck and fortune) I’m planning some little Japanese-inspired projects for myself! I just got the book “Inside your Japanese Garden” to inspire me for spring planting, I’d love to make a place of contemplation and peace in a corner of my yard. I’m honestly thinking of the place where I keep my rabbits, I’m actually mulling over how to make their hutch look Japanese, ha!

I’d also like to try growing more vegetables, inspired by Japanese dishes. The only flaw I’ve found in the Japanese diet is the lack of chocolate….but I imagine if we make growing more veggies part of a fun project, my son and I (who is growing at an alarming rate this year!) will at least widen our dietary horizons!

And so, I will leave you with a Setsubun declaration as we go forward in this year—

鬼は外！福は内！

“Oni wa soto, fuki wa uchi!”

(bad luck, out! Good luck, in!)

and of course…

喜びを感じる

Yorokobi o kanjiru

(Take Joy!)

~H