#osekihan

[meiieiri]

𝐢’𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 [toji fushiguro]

synopsis: in which toji hears the words “happy birthday” for the first time.

pairing: toji fushiguro x reader | song inspo: cliché | visuals: keychain | hidden inventory: the lost tapes series masterlist

warnings: brief mentions of physical and emotional abuse (toji’s painful past, really, i just wanna give him a big hug). inspired by the works of @/ddub1618 on twt!

He could get in trouble for this, now, normally, he doesn’t sneak out of training but Toji’s curiosity got the better of him this time. Being one of the taller kids, he stays close to the ground so his hair doesn’t stick up from the bushes. He holds his wooden katana close, peeking when he hears delighted laughter coming from the engawa of the estate, a sound that’s a little rare here in the Zenin estate.

“Happy birthday!”

Toji’s breath hitches in his throat when he hears the happy giggles of one of his younger cousins, and he stealthily sneaks over to a tree that’s just a few feet from one of the estate’s buildings, hiding behind the trunk, peeking from time to time to see what’s going on. He watches with a glittery look in his eyes when his aunt presents his third or fourth cousin, Toji doesn’t really know at this point, with a gift box, happily urging the little one to open it.

A thousand thoughts were running through his head as he inquisitively watched the toddler open their presents and have some of the sweet colorful mochi his parents must have requested from the estate kitchens for this special day. The sweet smell of osekihan lingered in the air, and Toji’s stomach growls at the decadent aroma of the slow-cooked red bean rice. He doesn’t get to have sweets often, so he is left wondering if his parents would allow such a thing for him on his own birthday.

“Toji, what are you doing here?”

Toji stiffens at the sound of his older brother’s voice. “Shh, I’m trying to watch.” He says, pressing an index finger to his lips, making a shushing sound. “Look there.”

Jinichi momentarily places his hands over his hips, indulging his younger brother. “It’s just a birthday. What’s so special about it?”

The younger Zenin huffs at the arid response. “I’ve never had one of those before.”

Toji looks down at the broken fingernails on his hands, worn out from the grueling training regimen today, he imagines what it would be like to hold a present and not sharp edged rocks for once. He can only imagine the excitement he’d feel as he slowly pulls the green gift wrapper off the box, being extra careful with it because it looked too pretty and expensive to haphazardly tear apart. As for the tooth-rotting mochi he’ll be receiving, he’ll do his best to only eat tiny pieces of it at a time, making sure to leave some of the sweet treat for later because who knows when he’ll ever get to eat such a luxury again?

“Say, why don’t I get a birthday? It’s always just you getting one every year.”

Jinichi rolls his eyes. “Everyone has a birthday, dimwit. But not everyone celebrates their birthday.” Toji scowls in displeasure at that, his bottom lip curling up in a pout. At his brother’s petulant silence, Jinichi taps out of the conversation, turning on his heel to go back to the training grounds. “I’m heading back, I’m not about to catch another beating because I went to go look for you.”

“Go do whatever you want. I’m staying.”

And with that, Toji turns his attention back to the joyous occasion, looking longingly as the little birthday celebrant receives a loving peck on the cheek from his mother. He doesn’t even notice the familiar ache in his heart that accompanied how his fingers touched his cheek longing for the day his own mother does that for him.

In a perfect world, all children are wanted; they’d have warm beds to snuggle in at night in place of a rundown storehouse’s cold hardwood floor, their cheeks would be showered with kisses and not harsh slaps, they’d be lulled to sleep by warm lullabies and not the sound of their parents arguing why their child turned out this way like they’re some factory defect, they’d be given toys and not weapons that they need to master.

In a perfect world, Toji would have spent his sixth birthday with a plate of nerikiri in front of him and not some random rocks he found in the garden and lined up in a neat row to make it resemble the white bean dessert. He’d be surrounded by the people he so painfully loves and not the sympathetic ants that crawled on the grass in a tucked away corner of the Zenin estate’s compound on the day he was born into this world.

In a perfect world, Toji wouldn’t have to sing himself a ‘happy birthday’ because no one else ever cared to do it for him.

“Happy birthday, Toji…”

“Toji!”

He must have been zoning out. You told him to meet you outside Shinjuku station today for your date and he doesn’t really know how long he’s been sitting in the waiting area, but it must have been long enough for his mind to wander to the agonizing recollections of his childhood. Toji looks up to see you hurrying to tap your train card on the turnstile with a tired smile that’s pretty hard to miss.

Toji stands up to meet you halfway and you giggle, launching yourself in his arms. Toji loves it when you do that, it shows how you trust him completely that in any and every given second, he’ll always catch you. Burying his face in your hair, he inhales the floral smell of your shampoo, the haze in his mind dissipating ever so slightly.

He frowns when you’re the first to pull away and he opens his mouth to whine about it, but he instantly drops it when he sees you holding up a little gift-wrapped box in front of him. Toji blinks. “This for me?” He almost couldn’t believe it. “You actually remembered?”

You’ve been casually pretending this entire week that you didn’t know what was coming up because you’ve been trying to keep your little surprise low-key until today. Nodding, you kiss the scar on his lips.

“Of course I did! That’s why I was late, I was looking for some…uh…well, never mind! Just open it!” You tap your toe against the floor shyly as his fingers nimbly and painstakingly unwrap the present.

As if he had stepped into a time machine, Toji pictures himself back in the Zenin estate, his knees pulled to his chest as he celebrates his birthday alone, a solitary tear streaming down his face. Except something’s different like the time-space continuum hit a snag or something. The difference being a miniature version of you, smiling adoringly at him, as you plop down next to him on the dirt ground, not caring if your little dress got soiled. In his hands, in this version of events gone by, is a half-opened present wrapped in a beautiful blue gift paper.

Oh, how it would have been nice had that been the case all those years ago when your gentle hands would cup both his cheeks, your thumbs gently rubbing his bruised cheeks. How you would have brightened his days with your warm sunshine.

After what seems like an eternity of gazing into your orbs, seeing his modified past play like a montage from the light reflecting off your eyes, Toji opens the gift and he picks up a crocheted keychain, his index finger flicking the metal hook.

“A frog.”

You chortle as he points out the obvious. “It was the easiest thing to crochet,” you said defensively. “I was late today because I was looking for these,” you point to the black beads serving as the little frog’s cute eyes.

“There’s a…” Toji trails off, his voice wavering. You know what he’s talking about, so you take his bigger hand in your delicate ones. The two of you gazing at your little masterpiece.

“Sorry, I kinda ripped it when I pulled the yarn a little too hard. Guess I was getting sleepy.” You rubbed the back of your head sheepishly. “Then, I kinda ran out of green yarn to fix it, so, I had to improvise. I’m sorry if it seems a little offensive—“

Toji cuts you off with an abrupt kiss, not caring if the two of you were attracting a crowd of commuters as the two of you kiss in the middle of a crowded train station. “It’s not half-bad, squirt. Don’t worry.” He ruffles your hair, eagerly suppressing his smile as he looks at the frog keychain that’s meant to resemble him with the tiny pink scar you knit on the corner of the frog’s smiley lips.

Your heart practically leaps out of your chest and you nudge him gently as he continues to stare at the keychain. “Don’t lose it now.”

“You kidding? I’m putting this in a damn safe.”

The two of you share a laugh at that, your fingers interlacing with one another as your lips brush against each other once more.

“Happy birthday, Toji.”

[softsoundingsea]

ブクブク茶 Bukubuku-cha

Bukubuku tea is a a type of furicha, a traditional Ryukyuan (Okinawan) tea. The tea was almost forced into extinction during-after the Battle of Okinawa. There were revival efforts in the 1950's and it was officially restored in the 1980's. The roots and origin of this tea are assumed to have begun around 1587 during the Ryukyu Kingdom.

My friend and I went to the Namin Matsuri at 波上宮 (Naminoue in JP/Nanmin meaning "Above the Waves" in Uchinaaguchi) and the Bukubuku Tea Preservation Society was there offering tea with chinsuko.

The photo on the left showcases the ingredients used 無洗米（むせんまい Musenmai）、炒り米（いりごめ Irigome）、お赤飯（おせきはん Osekihan）、じーまみ (Jiimami)、さんぴん茶 (Sanpin-cha).

[jp-cuconyan]

Bocchi the Rock! ep 5 | Farewell to Yukichi

Lend me your ears. My new song, "A Farewell to Yukichi." Bocchi the Rock! ep 5 | 0:41~

This is the first scene in episode 5 where she was excited to be paid for her part-time job. Shocked to hear that she needed to be collected for a live concert, she burst into a song of her sorrow, whose title was "Farewell to Yukichi."

Yukichi refers to 福沢 諭吉(Fukuzawa Yukichi), the man whose name appears on the Japanese 10,000-yen bill. It is also often used as a slang synonym for the 10,000-yen bill.

Here she had to part with 10,000 yen, so she sang farewell to Yukichi.

Incidentally, Japan plans to issue a new banknote in 2024, and it has been decided that the person on the 10,000-yen bill will be changed to a different person. However, since he has been the symbol for 40 years, Yukichi will remain the accepted slang for 10,000 yen for a while.

Bocchi (Mother…) Michiyo: I'll cook some red rice! Bocchi the Rock! ep 5 | 21:37~

This is an imaginary line from Bocchi's mother (Michiyo) at the end of episode 5, when Bocchi is thinking about assigning her family to the five-ticket quota.

"Red rice", called お赤飯[osekihan] in Japanese, is a traditional Japanese rice dish consisting of glutinous rice mixed with red beans called adzuki. As the name implies, the red bean broth soaks into the rice, giving it an overall red appearance.

Although it depends on the person, most Japanese people do not eat it in their daily lives. This is a special dish made and eaten on celebratory occasions and events. Therefore, the phrase "to cook some red rice" is an idiom that implies the meaning of celebration by cooking it. (It is a historical tradition, so not all Japanese necessarily cook red rice, but the expression "making red rice" is firmly rooted in the Japanese language to indicate celebration.)

So here, Bocchi imagined that if she invited her mother, she would be so happy that would cook some red rice to celebrate with her.

Convenience stores in Japan often sell sekihan onigiri (rice balls made of red rice), but personally, I am always reluctant to eat them on an uneventful day because they are a meal for celebration. People who simply like red rice as a dish would buy and eat it without concern.

[kije-magazine]

This autumn, Higashiya has launched its new “Oriben” obento series. Starting with “Shin” in the first photo, each variety is sheer perfection in a box, packed with flavors and goodness that varies by season. “Gyo” in the second photo comes with an optional separate box of brown rice, or can be combined with the sticky steamed rice bundles “chimaki” or “osekihan” red rice (third photo). And do not let the minimalistic look of the “Noriben” (fourth photo) deceive you; delightful surprises await beneath the layer of fragrant #nori #seaweed and fluffy #tamagoyaki egg omelette. The refined packaging alone has a presence all its own, so beautifully characteristic of #Higashiya. Oriben #bento is available in limited quantities at Higashiya Ginza and Higashiya man in Marunouchi (“Shin” available only by reservation 5 days beforehand). #obento #washoku #chimaki #osekihan #japanesefoods #deliciousjapan #lovejapan #higashiyaginza #ginza #marunouchi #銀座 #丸の内 #折弁 #お弁当 #海苔弁 #ちまき #お赤飯 https://www.instagram.com/p/CHzxuLplj6i/?igshid=pwuhg54382oy

[nishokuhydrangea]

Japanese red rice (お赤飯, osekihan)

Recipe below cut

Ingredients (yields 8 bowls of rice):

1 rice cooker cup of japanese red beans (小豆, adzuki)

3 rice cooker cups of japanese extra glutinous rice (餅米, mochikome)

1 rice cooker cup of japanese rice

1/2 tsp of salt

optional: japanese salt and sesame mix (胡麻塩, gomashio)

Method:

Soak adzuki beans over night.

When soaked enough, drain and put beans into a small pot. Cover with water and cook until easily smashed (about 30 mins.), then drain beans and save cooking liquid.

Meanwhile mix rice and wash 3 times to remove excess starch. Put into rice cooker and mix with bean cooking liquid, cooked beans and salt.

Fill rice cooker with water up to the “4″ cup marking. Let sit for half an hour.

Cook rice on standard setting and let sit for a good 15 mins. after it is done without opening the lid for perfectly steamed rice.

Serve hot or cold, preferably topped with gomashio.

[sohshunan]

osekihan rice ball; glutinous rice steamed with red beans celebrating someone or some events #santébonappétit #delish #eatingfortheinsta #riceball #osekihan https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ7ogRhF6jx/?utm_medium=tumblr

[visualness]

[utuwatokurashi]

#菊乃井 さんのお弁当 お祝いで、#お赤飯 と #おなます この器はテンションあがりますね。 #kikunoi #akasaka #tokyo #japan #osekihan #instagood

[visualkeifuckyeah]

弍斬琉, [じきる], Jikill. (チームお赤飯, Team Osekihan. ex-Enchante).

[nedsecondline]

Osekihan (Azuki Red Bean Sticky Rice)

Osekihan (Azuki Red Bean Sticky Rice)

[korokorogo]

made Osekihan (red beans and rice) for celebrating the new era. It will be a good era for everyone. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw6SkbMBLR00QkEJrBjnDX5gnkVgEIeI72rZVU0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1j2h8tf5ohxiv

[visualness]

[cremefraiiche]

Osekihan (Azuki Red Bean Rice) お赤飯の作り方

[visualkeifuckyeah]

弍斬琉, [じきる], Jikill. (チームお赤飯, Team Osekihan. ex-Enchante).