God Bless Japan!

We enjoyed our trip to Japan, Nippon, the land of the rising sun. 

My nephew uses his chopsticks to drum his plate as we prepare for our Japanese feast.

Origami, chopsticks, geta (Japanese wooden platform shoes) on a beautiful red tablecloth (we'll ignore that it's our Christmas tablecloth) set the tone.

This chicken stew, called torisuki, was delicious and included scallions, mushrooms and bamboo shoots. We served it over rice.

Sesame broccoli called for just four ingredients: broccoli, soy sauce, sesame seeds and a little bit of sugar. Historian threw it together for us and it was quite tasty.

We intentionally waited until my sister-in-law, a true Japanophile, and family could come to visit to put together this feast. My sister-in-law, who lived in Japan for two years, was a big help with the cooking.

The first course, miso soup, has been served. You start with cold noodles, pour hot miso broth over it, and top with shredded chicken. Our miso paste was a bit strong for us, but we enjoyed the experience.

My in-laws headed to a Japanese food store to pick up mochi for dessert. It came in three flavors: plain, strawberry and green tea.

This ichthyoid dessert was also contributed by my in-laws.

Our fish didn't have bones; rather, it was filled with red bean paste, not a dessert filling typically found in the U.S. It lacked sweetness, but it wasn't bad at all.

My sister-in-law eats natto, fermented soy beans. I tried a spoonful and it looks much worse than it tastes.

We were delighted to celebrate the nation of Japan and pray for its people. Perhaps some day we'll get to visit in person, but for now, we must say, "Sayonara."