Anime and Okonomiyaki

Kon'banwa! Kate Davis here. Two-time CIEE Program Leader and self-diagnosed Japan-ophile. I've had a blast here in Tokyo these past few days with this crew of CIEE HSSA kids and am here to share some of our recent adventures!

There's a good chance you know what at least ONE of the words in my title is, but for the uninitiated: "anime" = cartoons and "okonomiyaki" = one of the BEST dishes of the Japanese cuisine, if I may say so myself. We had opportunities to experience both of these cultural icons over the last few days.

On Friday, June 15, we headed off to an area outside Tokyo to visit the Suginami Animation Musuem. If you know ANYTHING about Japan, you probably know what a big influence cartoons (anime) and comics (manga) have had on the visual arts here. At the museum, we were introduced to some of the history of anime and were able to explore some of the processes animators have used in the past, as well as try our hand at lightboard drawing. (The kids were real champs, too, as we had to drudge through ANOTHER Japanese cultural icon.... tsuyu = the rainy season!)

Another recent highlight was our adventure today, Sunday, June 17. The CIEE students were broken up into small groups and paired with one or two students from a local college. The Japanese students led our kids through Yoyogi Park (right next to the Olyimpic Center campus) into Harajuku and to our lunch destination: Sakura-tei. There, we were able to not just EAT but also MAKE one of my very favorite Japanese dishes: okonomiyaki (oh-koh-no-me-ya-key). Imagine a savory pancake filled with cabbage, bacon, cheese, mushrooms... whatevere you like! (Which is actually where it gets its name: cook what you like!) The fun part about okonomiyaki restaurants is that the tables have griddles on them for you to make them yourselves! The college students taught our kids how to mix, pour, flip and then eat their okonomiyaki. As you can see from their faces, they really enjoyed it! Everyone was telling me, "Oishii! Oishii!" (If you aren't sure what it means, ask your kid! ^_^ )

Thanks for reading along with our adventures! We'll have more to share soon!
Mata ne! (Later!)
Kate