What did you think of this?
KORE NANDATO OMOIMASUKA?
Did you think "What is this? NANJAKORYALa-"?
Well, it's an octopus-shaped sausage (TAKO SAN UINNA-) that all the Japanese know.
When I make this, I cuts sausage in half and makes a cut away several
portions and a foot opens when I bake it by a frying pan and
becomes the form that seems to be an octopus. KAWAII DESHO.
I used the black sesame for lovely octopus eyes.
The lunch for the child cannot miss this octopus-shaped sausage(TAKO SAN UINNA-).
We don't usually make this when just eating it at home, FUTSUU HA TSUKURIMASEN.
but I think that there are many parents who will make it for a side dish of the child lunch box.
Because I am suitable character, WATASHI HA, TEKITOU NA SEIKAKUNANODE,
there are only 6 when I originally make the foot
which should have eight of them. When the person who is good at cooking makes it carefully,
a foot rolls it up(KURUNTO NARIMASU.) more and,
comes with a japanese twisted headband.(nejiri-hachimaki)
Though it is very shameful, HAZUKASHINAGARA,
this is the lunch box for my daughter with octopus shaped sausage(TAKO SAN) in.
In the preschool where my daughter
of 4 years old goes to, I have to make lunch box 2 times a week.
School lunch (KYUUSHOKU) will be provided other than it.
It depend on a preschool （YOUCHIEN NI YOTTE CHIGAIMASU.)
about the lunch time, mommy have to make lunch box
every day for kids, or kids get school lunch every day, it is various by a preschool.
(By the way, in the elementary school, we eat schoollunch(GAKKOU KYUUSHOKU)
for six years in all over Japan.)
A character lunch which is called "Chara ben" are popular now in Japan.
TOTEMO HAYATTE IMASU.
The one of mimicking with food, make the face of the famous TV
animation character or Disney's famous characters with food, and packing it into lunchbox lovelily
. OBENTOUBAKO NI KAWAIKU TSUMEMASU.
For example, you can buy face of Winnie the Pooh shaped chicken nugget, or Hello Kitty shaped Cheese.
But, not only using such a ready-made article, cut the vegetables and ham into the shape, and the people who make chara-ben with oneself is increasing!! JIBUN DE TSUKURU HITO GA FUETEIMASU.
There is the tool which is convenient for making the "Cara ben" making of in various ways.
This is my personal opinion, KOREHA, WATASHI NO KOJINTEKI NA IKEN DESUGA,
I do not like play with food like this, I always think.
"Isn't it too much?"(CHOTTO YARISUGI JANAI?)
That is why I have not made it yet.
However,(SHIKASHINAGARA) I asked my daughter
of 4 years old "Do you see many of your friends come with these character lunch box?"
It seems to be it in a considerable ratio somehow.
It is not the preschool where my daughter goes to, but there is some preschool dose,
put them on their HP titled with "Today's Chara ben!!"
And uploading a photograph
of the 
good looking lunch box.
←
In Japan, an insert, ORIKOMICHIRASHI
(I also say a handbill) are in an arriving newspaper every morning.
In the yesterday's handbill,
how to make Chara ben appeared.
And a cooking book
was introduced, too.
← These are all edible lunch BENTOU.
KORE,ZENBU TABERARE MASU.
Can you believe it?
SHINJIRAREMASUKA?
In Japan, April is the season of the entrance to school.
NIHON DEHA, 4GATSU HA NYUUGAKU NO SI-ZUN DESU.
This book is for a parent having the child, who entered a preschool,
"It's gonna be hard making a lunch box.
OBENTOU WO TSUKURUNOHA TAIHEN DESU.
But I will do my best and make chara ben.DEMO GANBARUZO-!!
" And this lunch is for the child who does no eat much, mom want to see
the child is pleased with lunch with their favorite character
and hopefully they will eat more.
A child should be surely glad when I open a cover of the lunch, and an appetizing thing jumps into eyes.
Therefore I make "the octopus shaped sausage(TAKO SAN UINNA-) ", too and I also think to make the lunch to be colorfull
, use the food with color such as white, red, green, yellow, and the brown enters vividly.
← A cup and the pick to put a side dish of the lunch in are convenient.
TOTTEMO BENRI DESUYO.
By the way, TOKORODE, it is about the preschool of my daughter,
other than the time when she have soup or curry rice with lunch at school, she can not bring a spoon and a fork
to the preschool. Most children use the chopsticks, when they become 4 years old.
←
Small chopsticks for children.
It is length of approximately 17 centimeters.
You can improve how to use the chopsticks
when you pick the good length chopsticks for your hand.
My little son enters a preschool (YOUCHIEN) at the same time my daughter becomes
6 years old, and to enter the elementary school.(SHOUGAKKOU)
...It means the making of my kids lunch continues for five more years, too.
The boom of "Cara ben" just began.
I will report how this boom escalates during these five years again.
Hi Miko San,
Konichiwa, Kawaii no o bento. You know until now I do every school day a Chara Ben or decorated bento for my youngest daughter although she's already 13 yrs. old and in high school.During lunch time she don't want to go down stairs and go to the canteen to eat, she always eat inside the classroom. She said it's a waste of time to wait for your turn to buy some foods at the canteen because there's a lots of students lining up.
That's why I have to wake up early just to cook for her breakfast and bento. And take note, all of her lunch box, spoon and fork (I have the same as yours but since she's big now she's using the regular size now), water jug, plastic bag and hand towel are all in Hello Kitty design. You know I"m a Hello Kitty collector' too, he he he. It's so hard to find some HK product here in the Phils. So if I saw HK that still I don't have, I buy it right away even though it's expensive.
This one caught my attention. I never thought food for kids would be this crazy. And your culture really takes food very seriously. ;-)You really are a good Mom.
I have another friend in Tokyo - his son is also starting elementary school this year :) Maybe I should ask him if his wife is also making character bentou for him :P
hello miko san
very nice japan hot spring.
your site give me an idea of a japanese life.
thank you ....
Hi Miko-san!
I like your octopus-shaped sausage and I'd like to seek your permission for me to use it as an example for a kaizen low-cost idea.
I'm a college instructor on productivity and I spend much of my time searching for examples as you have shown in your blog.
Keep up the good work! I will visit your blog regularly for more ideas.
Rey