đNewsletter #4: Kid-Friendly Japanese Cafes in the City, Taro Gomi Books + Natsumatsuri!
Ah the Paris Olympics are over, and as I think about the next Summer Olympics in 2028 (in LA!!), I realize how much older my kids will be by then. Truly, the days are long but the years are short. Another summer is gone and we are about to start a new school year in September!
If you are looking for last minute summer-time fun, thereâs a NatsuMatsuri (Summer Festival) event at Industry City, that Iâve noted below in the list of events. Also, there's still time to get some delicious Japanese-style Kakigori in the city, in case the cover photo wasn't enticing enough :)
LETâS TALK ABOUT⊠Kid-Friendly Japanese Cafes in the City (Downtown Manhattan Edition)
HARBS - Soho
If youâre looking for: Japanese Style Cakes and Japanese Style pasta.
I grew up on HARBS. There was a HARBS in Osaka, there was a HARBS in Roppongi⊠and of course, now we have HARBS in NYC. I love the spaciousness of the cafe and how the cakes are exactly the same as the ones sold in Japan. Though the lunch set is not as attractive in price as the one in Japan (nothing ever is, anyway!), itâs still a good lunch option if you want to transport yourselves to Tokyo vibes in the middle of Manhattan.
BBF - Lower East Side
If youâre looking for: Japanese Style Onigiri, Hamburg, Sandoâs and KAKIGORI!
Disclaimer: BBF is one of my clients, and I am putting them on my list because I do like them :)
BBF is a cafe in the morning + afternoon and a sushi / tapas/ noodles restaurant at night. With a variety of Japanese style drinks, onigiri and lunch sets, you can spend hours here in the spacious back room with Wifi. They have an amazing selection of KAKIGORI (shaved ice!) that you can share with your kids - think Ichigo Milk (strawberry milk), Uji Kintoki (matcha, mochi, red bean paste), and more!
Davelle - Lower East Side
If youâre looking for: Japanese Style Toast + Cozy Cafe Ambience
Though seating is not as abundant as the other two options, the ambience makes up for it. They have the prettiest (=instagrammable) toasts, like the ones pictured above - perfect for a cute morning date with your kiddo to catch up on all things life while sipping on latte and marbling at the beauty of their toasts.
Letâs Talk About⊠Books My Kids (and I) are Loving
This is where I share books that weâve loved recently and are available at the NY Public Library to borrow.
We love Taro Gomi books. We have them in both English and Japanese, and while some Japanese translated books into English often lose the appeal in the translation, Taro Gomi books are still great in English. I believe the most famous Taro Gomi one is EVERYONE POOPS; below I've noted the others that we love.
My Friends ïŒăżăăȘăăăăăŠăăăŸăăïŒby Taro Gomi
My very good friend from college gifted us this book when my oldest was born. She is a young adult book author (New York Times bestseller!) who writes about brave young women, often of Asian descent (Iâll do more of a deep dive in her books at some point!). So when she gifted us this book, I knew it was something special. This book reminds me of the childrenâs capacity to learn from all things in life - and that every encounter is magical.
Little Truck ïŒăăă€ăăŠïŒby Taro Gomi
It drives us crazy when our toddlers want to do everything themselves, right? Well, the ending of this short and cute story is sure to make you smile. I love how universally appealing Taro Gomiâs books are, and this is not an exception. The bright colors and the thick black outlines make his work so timeless.
Watashi to Watashi (ăăăăšăăăïŒby Taro Gomi
Oh the duality of emotions and feelings of a child (and an adultâŠ!) Taro Gomi captures those conflicting emotions so well in this book. This book is definitely for older kids, maybe for those who are starting to read on their own. We get to revisit the inner-questioning days of our childhood where we werenât sure what was right but just went with the flow anyway. My daughter seemed a bit confused when we first read it to her but I think it will resonate with her much more when sheâs slightly older, and have begun to form relationships with schoolmates.
BENTO STUFF
I love my oven but I love my microwave even more! In the last newsletter, I talked about Satsumaimo roasted in the oven. This time, itâs Kabocha cooked in the microwave. Another 1-ingredient dish I love, that my kids love too!
I usually buy my kabocha from Dainobu, which comes in pre-cut portions that are around 1lb each. I just rinse it, keep the seeds on, put the whole thing in a microwave safe dish in the microwave for 5 minutes. Thatâs it. Let it cool, take out the seeds with a big spoon. I do not add anything to it - not even shoyu, mirin, sugar, etc! The natural flavor of kabocha is good enough to make it sweet.
This is great for both older toddlers and little akachan - for older kids, you can cut them up in 2cm cubes, and for the little ones, smash them up! Itâs full of nutrients, and so easy to make. There are frozen pre-cut ones as well sold at Dainobu, but I find them to be more watery than I like, so I tend to prefer the fresh ones. I also love the color - bright orange + hint of dark green - and as much as I could never be that âdeco benâ mom, I love seeing my kidsâ bento boxes stuffed with colorful, healthy food, that I know they like.
EVENTS + ACTIVITIES Iâm 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] Japan Village Summer Festival - August 31st @ Japan Village
- Enjoy the last day of August in Industry City with Matsuri vibes! Looks like a fantastic event to go with family and witness Bon Odori, Taiko, and put your jinbei / yukata to good use!
- From the organizers: âThe theme of this year is âIntroduction of Various Traditional Japanese Folk Dances from all over the Country and Local City Culturesâ. Japan Village will give New Yorkers an opportunity to learn about various Japanese local cities and cultures along with a wide range of traditional local folk dances from all over Japan.â
- Learn to Read Hiragana - Aug 23rd, zoom via Japan Society
- The class is intended for adults, but because itâs conducted over zoom, having your little ones nearby wonât be too disruptive (disruptive perhaps to you but not other participants :P) and they might even learn some hiragana along the way!
- 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 Tezukaâs BlackJack (he can cure any disease).
- From the website: âAnime NYC is New York Cityâs 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!â
- Japan Fes - various dates and locations https://www.japanfes.com/2024
- Iâve 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 18, Sept 7), to name a few
- 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 - itâs a simple call or in-person!
- Next one is coming up on September 15th!
Thatâs it for this week! Next week, I am off to vacation in my favorite place in the world (Hawaii), and hopefully to catch some much needed surf (if my body can take it).
Iâll be back in early September for additional updates! Until then, have a great rest of August! Back to School will be here in a minute :)
Best,
EO
