On the 5th May Children’s Day or ‘Kodomo no Hi’ is celebrated across Japan to symbolise the happiness of all children. Many families hang carp flags known as ‘koinobori’ out of their houses, apartments or another location so that when the wind blows the carp appear to be swimming and they look almost like kites! The largest carp is black and represents the father, the second largest is red or pink and represents the mother. Smaller carp of varying colours and sizes represent the children in a family.
Traditional food for Children’s Day include ‘kashiwa mochi’, rice cakes filled with sweet red bean paste and wrapped in a bamboo leaf or sometimes an iris flower.
I made some character sushi, which included carp onigiri shaped into large flat balls, and added pickled plum paste and rice seasoning. I shaped the carp’s eyes with vegetarian quorn ham and nori (seaweed). I also made rice bowls topped with nori shaped like waves to create the effect of the sea and tamagoyaki, a sweet tasting Japanese omelette, that I cut into a carp shape and then added nori and ham to decorate their faces and scales.
Happy Children’s Day from Alice SushiArt! Contact us to arrange your child’s or your own sushi or bento class, whether as a group, private class or party!
Japanese koi carp wind socks flag for boys day
Beautifully created using various foods for tiny detail. Will taste scrumptious !