🍎Newsletter #8: Oshiri Tantei, the Butt Detective & Edible Souvenirs from Japan

Hello readers!

I knowwww it’s been a while! October turned out to be a surprise month of new work assignments, and got even busier with my solo trip to Japan - a 9 day trip away from my NY family. So here I am, about 1 month late in sending out my newsletter. Ouch!

I was fortunate enough to experience Japan during the fall season, but was sad to miss Halloween in the city, where apparently the Halloween decorations were so intense that we had to change our normal walking route to get to our daycare. I came home to way too many chocolates than what my kids had ever seen in their lives and I am slowly eating them, one by one… 

We are staying in the city for the remainder of the year - which means I gotta start planning A LOT of excursions here in the city for the kids during their days off from school (sooo long…). Would love any and all suggestions!  

The Wonders of Butt Detective  ~おしりたんてい~

It’s November 2024 and all I want to surround myself with right now are children’s books. “Goodnight stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere…” IYKYK. 

My daughter’s favorite books to borrow from the NYPL are a series of books called おしりたんてい (Oshiri-Tantei, or ‘Butt Detective’).  Our neighborhood library only carries very few kids Japanese books (I go to the main branch to get the best selection of Japanese books), but for some reason they always have a copy of one of Oshiri-Tantei books. One day, I decided to borrow it, thinking that my daughter was a bit too young for its content (not about the ‘butt’ part, but the content itself centered around solving a mystery), but we were running low on our options so here I went and borrowed. 

Source: Butt Detective (おしりたんてい）

It was an instant hit! I don’t think she understood the plot (like, at all), but she definitely understood that this Butt Detective’s face is literally a butt and that he farts, big time. It’s technically for early elementary school aged kids, but my daughter appreciated finding hidden butts on every page and little puzzles and mazes along the way! 

I love the normalization of a body part that western society does not usually consider to put on the face of a children's book character. The detective is smart. He farts in your face. He loves his sweet potato sweets!  He helps people solve problems… with his farts (and smarts)! 

The librarian at the NYPL main branch on 42nd asked me about Oshiri Tantei as I was checking the book out and told me how she wished they would translate them into English. Would love to see this in English too! If you know of anyone who might be able to make it happen, let me know… until then, we can all appreciate the powers of a fart or a butt faced detective as we probably all need a laugh these days, right?

BENTO STUFF ~Souvenirs from Japan~

Since my memory is still very fresh from my solo trip back from Japan, I thought I’d list the best food souvenirs to bring home from Japan (it’s okay if you consume them all by yourself!) 

It’s rare to be stopped by the customs agent on your way out of the airport, but it does happen - it did happen to me last year on my way out when I had cardboard boxes full of food and I was traveling alone. I do think they target the ‘solo’ travelers more than families, because - you know -  solo travelers are likely smuggling something illegal, right? Anyway - luckily, I am pretty careful about not bringing back any meat (or any meat extract / or even ‘chicken powder’ things) or any restricted items back from Japan, thanks to our former TSA customs agent neighbor in LA who warned us about making sure to not ever get caught in customs.  I try to make sure that whatever I bring back to the U.S. does not contain any meat extract - and that’s actually really hard when you want to buy all the mix-ins for rice, the 20,000x types of curry pouches, and pre-made sauces for easy cooking (they almost always contain meat extracts). 

Here are my top 3 items that I always bring home and are a hit, especially amongst my kids:

1. Dorayaki

Dorayaki from Japan tastes so much better than the ones sold here. I don’t want to sound like a Dorayaki snob, but I truly think the department store quality dorayaki are just so much more wholesome tasting than the ones doused with preservatives. They also last more than a week, so you can buy a lot and just eat several a day as you try to get over jetlag (it has beans, so counts as a meal!) One time, I simply put an entire dorayaki and some broccoli for my kid’s bento box and no one complained!  … and of course, this is definitely a kid favorite item, and this time the Dorayaki with Doraemon imprints really brought the biggest smile in my oldest kid.  

2. Seasoned little fish (“Tsukudani”) 

If you can’t bring home meat, then you can certainly bring home fish! Because the ocean has no boundaries or borders, swimming freely in the ocean, you can bring home any fish product from Japan. My favorites are the browned little fishes that have been cooked and flavored to be eaten with rice. They last forever (esp the ones in airtight containers), and are great additions to bento / onigiri.  Perfect for when you want to add a bit of protein and lots of flavor in your kids' bento box.

3. Koya-Doufu 

Koya Doufu (Tofu) is freeze dried tofu that’s quite easy to make and provide nutritious meat-free protein for the family! My kids love fresh tofu too but they squeal every time they see this as part of the dinner ensemble. Its somewhat sweet broth and squishy texture make this a kid-favorite. I like to get them in Japan for the various different varieties - and they are super light (like a sponge) to bring home! 

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]  Masayo Ishigure & MIYABI Koto Shamisen Ensemble - Nov 24th @ Tenri Institute
  • From the website: “Join us for a mesmerizing evening of traditional Japanese music with Ishigure Masayo and the MIYABI Koto Shamisen Ensemble at the Tenri Cultural Institute. Experience the beautiful sounds of the koto and shamisen, played by talented musicians who will transport you to Japan with their captivating melodies. Don't miss this unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich cultural heritage of Japan!” 
• Family Storytime / Japanese Bilingual Storytime -  Dec 5, 12, 15, 19, 26 @ Chatham Square Library / SNFL 
  • As the weather gets colder, it’s the perfect time to snuggle up with books - and these reading sessions are just such a nice way to connect with other kids and families. The one at SNFL (Dec 15) requires advanced registration starting Dec 10th.
• [NEWLY ADDED]  Studio Ghibli Fest 2024 - TOTORO - Dec 7-11th @ various theaters
  • Studio Ghibli Fest continues, and this time it is our beloved TOTORO! There are specific screening days for Japanese or English versions - so grab your tickets now and enjoy with your family! 
• [NEWLY ADDED]  JAPAN Fes X Winter Night Market  - Dec 7th @ SOHO 
  • Another JAPAN Fes, this time, it’s the Winter Night Market in Soho. Let’s hope for a nice sunny day to enjoy all the yummy food. 

I am so weirdly excited for December!  Wishing all the families an amazing Thanksgiving holiday, wherever you are!

Best,

Eiko