🍎Newsletter #3: Favorite City to Visit in Japan + Yummiest, Healthiest 1-Ingredient Side Dish

Hello The Big Ringo Readers!  The process of writing this newsletter weekly has become sorta therapeutic and sorta fun for me - also serving as a reminder that a week goes by so quickly! I love receiving feedback. One of the feedback I received was to enable commenting - which I never thought about initially but definitely trying this time! So, if you’re interested in commenting, please do so (you can do so directly on the post at www.thebigringo.org)  Feel free to introduce yourselves, too :) 

Life update: so, I started baking sourdough bread.  

Backstory: My awesome sister-in-law teaches sourdough baking, and her business is called SourDoha, located in Houston, Texas (you can read all about why it’s called Doha on her website - and tell your Houston friends to take her class!). When we visited a few months ago, she taught me how to feed the starter, make it happy (yes “happy”!), and do the whole bread thing - from letting it sit, knead, and then bake in the hot, hot oven. Kids devoured the bread in minutes. The next day, she introduced me to the world of “sourdough discard”, and made us the most amazing sourdough waffle, which was a huge hit. So when she gifted me the starter, I inherited a piece of this magic that I was soon about to conquer. 

Well, it took me nearly 3 months to actually get the starter out of the fridge. Yeah, life got busy. I reluctantly started “feeding” it again to make it happy. Since it was left neglected for those 3 long months, it was stubborn - it refused to "grow" for a few days. And then on the 4th day - boom - it doubled in size and told me it was ready for me and my baking journey. 

This whole process of feeding the starter, to me, was such a restorative process. I currently have a 1.5 year old (human, not the sourdough starter) who is so picky about eating and screams at every bite. Not this starter baby. This baby is patient, quiet, and responds to my feedings. Now I understand why people bake bread - it’s your baby who never complains and reacts (happily, with time!) to my positive reinforcements/feedings (of flour and water). So, if you ever need to find a baby (dough) who will be patient with you and cooperates, we can feed our starters together and dwell in the wonders of your quietly growing baby (dough). 

EVENTS + ACTIVITIES I’m CURIOUS ABOUT

This is where I share activities and events around NYC that are related to Japan and are family-friendly. 

[NEWLY ADDED] events indicated events that I added since the last newsletter! 

• [NEWLY ADDED] WAGASHI MAKING WORKSHOP Aug 10th at Resobox (91 E 3rd St in East Village)
  • Though not necessarily for kids, once you perfect this art, you might be tempted to teach it to your kids at home! I’ve only eaten wagashi, never made it - but perhaps by learning how to do it myself, I might be able to make that cute totoro wagashi! 
• [NEWLY ADDED] Japanese Textile × Modern Design Products & Sustainability - Aug 11th at Resobox  (91 E 3rd St in East Village)
  • From the website: “Join us for a unique pop-up event celebrating the beauty and craftsmanship of Japanese textiles. Discover an exquisite collection of handmade and vintage Japanese textile goods, including kimonos, modern accessories, and sustainable fashion pieces. This event is perfect for enthusiasts of Japanese culture, fashion, and craftsmanship.”
• [NEWLY ADDED] Learn to Read Hiragana - Aug 23rd, zoom via Japan Society
  • The class is intended for adults, but because it’s conducted over zoom, having your little ones nearby won’t be too disruptive (disruptive perhaps to you but not to the other participants :P) and they might even learn some hiragana along the way! 
• [NEWLY ADDED] ANIME NYC 2024 - Aug 23-25th @ Javitz Center
  • Someone told me the best way to teach your kids Japanese is to get them to like Anime. I fully trust this process. I grew up on anime and my favorite was Osamu Tezuka’s BlackJack (he can cure any disease). 
  • From the website: “Anime NYC is New York City’s anime convention! A showcase of the best of Japanese pop culture in the biggest city in America, Anime NYC brings anime fans together for three days of unique exhibits, exclusive screenings, and appearances by some of the biggest creators in Japan!”
• Japan Fes - various dates and locations https://www.japanfes.com/2024
  • I’ve attended a few of these in the past and they are so much fun, reminding me of Matsuri in Japan - delicious food, great energy to keep the summers going! 
  • There are various days throughout the summer in different parts of the city: East Village (Aug 24, 25), and UWS / UES (Aug 10, 18, Sept 7), to name a few
• Summer Thursdays Concert Series @ the NYPL “Japanese Family Concert”  - August 15th @ SNFL 
  • What a fun way to spend Thursday morning listening to Japanese songs with your kids! Nobuko Wilson, the NYPL librarian who I emailed back and forth with recently, shared this with me and encouraged me to share with the newsletter broadly. 
  • From the website: “Miwa Gemini is a Japanese born singer/songwriter who happily calls Brooklyn home. She has appeared in theatre productions as well as film productions and performs regularly in NYC. One of her favorite projects to date is collaborating with Steve Buscemi on his web series, Park Bench, where she wrote the theme song and appeared as the house band leader. Her dream is to advocate for all dreams through her songs. She believes even lost and forgotten dreams have an important place in all of our lives.”
• Family Storytime in Japanese - August 18th @ SNFL
  • Held every third Sunday, this is a great way to meet other parents interested in Japanese culture and for kids to listen to Japanese reading, participate in songs and on your way out, check out Japanese books that are abundant at SNFL. 
  • Make sure to register with the library - it’s a simple call or in-person! 
  • Next one is coming up on September 15th! 

LET’S TALK ABOUT… TRAVELING TO JAPAN WITH KIDS: WHY WE LOVE TAKAYAMA, GIFU 

This is where I talk about all things related to traveling to Japan, from the perspective of a New Yorker. I hope to touch on more topics like childcare, kid-friendly ryokans, etc in the future! 

I could probably write so much on just traveling to Japan with kids. Our traveling days started during Covid (when our older one was born), when flights out of JFK were so empty that almost everyone got a full row to themselves. Gone are those days, unfortunately (and fortunately, for not having to carry 20+ pages of entry documents required by the Japanese government). Now, EVERYONE is traveling to Japan. With all the covid restrictions lifted and the favorable forex, everyone’s now checking off their bucket list of visiting Japan.

If you’ve already done Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hokkaido, Okinawa, etc- all the usual suspects - I have something to share with you. HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU VISIT Takayama, Gifu.  

Trust me, if you are looking for your next city in Japan to visit, this is it. If you’ve already visited, I hope you share the same enthusiasm as I do for Takayama. 

This newsletter is not a travel blog, so I’ll keep it short in bullet points why we love Takayama and why we think it’s a great spot for families of all ages for a 2-3 day trip: 

• BEST COMBO OF HISTORY, NATURE + MODERNITY 
  • We go to Japan for many things, but we often forget to soak in nature as we are busy shopping, seeing relatives, and… eating. Nature is so beautiful in many places in Japan, but is often difficult to access with multiple train transfers and local buses. Takayama is very accessible from Tokyo or any major city, and even though it’s considered a sizable city, you are still surrounded by these beautiful mountains walking outside in Takayama. That’s considerably a different view than the skyscrapers in NYC and Tokyo! 
• GET LOST IN THE MORNING MARKETS. DAILY!
  • Often when traveling in Japan, you’ll find yourself trying to find ways to kill time in the morning (something I never understood why no coffee shops are open at 7am even in the middle of Tokyo). Well, in Takayama, morning markets are open daily, as soon as 7am, bustling with locals and tourists alike, with food, crafts, , and all the smiles you can find on this side of the earth. 
• MIYAGAWA RIVER WITH KOI, DUCKS, and GREY HERONS! 
  • You really don’t need much to entertain kids. The Miyagawa River that cuts across the city is the perfect spot for kids to feed ducks (they sell the food at the morning market and other stores nearby), watch the kois swim elegantly in the river, and a pair of grey herons at sundown enjoying bathing in the water. It’s truly magical to be able to witness this, and there are so many bridges that you can stand on and watch. There are also traditional kid parks along the river; though small compared to those found in New York, the view of the river makes up for it!  
• GO ANYTIME - ANY SEASON IS PERFECT 
  • Takayama is perfect to visit anytime of the year. Sakura in the spring. Cooler temp in the summer ("cooler" in relative terms...). Breathtaking foliage in the fall. Snow covered mountains in the winter (+skiing just 20 minutes from the city center, for a full day adult ticket costing less than $30/day!). 
• The PEOPLE
  • Takayama is definitely a tourist friendly city - you’ll find (very clean)  public bathrooms, clearly labeled, for visitors to use scattered throughout the city (which is such a plus for travelers, and esp during those potty training days) - and unlike that unnamed city now overrun by tourists, Takayama people enjoy interacting with tourists, foreign and domestic alike. They appreciate your presence, as long as you appreciate the locals. 

BENTO STUFF 

This is where I talk about…. bento. 

I love a ONE INGREDIENT SIDE DISH. Do you? I hope you do, because I’m about to talk about it. 

Oven-roasted Satsumaimo (Japanese Sweet Potato, usually purple skin) is my go-to one ingredient side dish. It does not require any additional sweeteners, which I love. It is full of nutrients and fiber. It stands up well in bento boxes, or pretty much anywhere. So economical, which is what we need in 2024. What’s most important is that my kids love them and eat without telling me “this is not their most favorite” (which means she does not like it - I think she’s trying to be respectful when she says this)! 

How to Roast Satsumaimo in the Oven: Go to Trader Joe's, get their $1.29/piece “Murasaki (purple) Sweet Potato”. The fat ones take longer to cook, so try to find the one that’s not too fat. Go home, wash it under water, and do NOT towel off the water.  Wrap it in aluminum foil - yes, it’s ok if it’s dripping with water - that’s what makes the steaming process work. Pop it in your oven. Turn on your oven, to 425F. Turn your timer on for 60 minutes (when doing multiple pieces, I usually do 70 minutes; for skinnier ones, you can get away with 50 min). Basically you’re trying to use the preheating time to also get the potato started heating. Do not take it out even when your timer goes off - leave it in there. Your potato will ultimately be in the oven for ~3 hours total. Which is totally fine! You don't’ need to check in - trust the process. Unwrap the aluminum foil, and feed your kids - and yourself, because this is probably the most nutritious, healthiest thing you’ll eat that day. 

That’s it for this week. The next newsletter will be published Aug 16th, where I’ll do more NYPL book intros, introduce my favorite kid-friendly Japanese cafes in NYC, along with any updates to events!

Have a great weekend, everybody! I’ll be watching the Olympics marathon this weekend, from my couch, eating sourdough bread.

EO