Rakugaki Senbei – Festival Food and Fun
Earlier this year as I visited the festival in Yoshiwara I was reminded of the rakugai senbei I saw at the Mishima festival (not far away at all) about a year earlier. They are a slightly rare sight at most festivals, but always fun to watch and very popular with kids! The senbei is a flat sweet rice cake, and the rakugaki means graffiti, or drawings. The kids draw their own designs on the flat cakes in gum syrup, very sweet, and when they are done the girl (it’s almost always a girl) will take them and add sweet and sour sparkly powder to the wet and sticky paint. Most kids love it! Absolutely not very healthy and not very cheap either, but what parents could resist giving their kid a chance to do this? You can see some of the expert example designs made before hand. Most kids aren’t quite there in their artistic ability yet!
If you visit a festival this summer, see if you can spot any rakugaki senbei! And if you give it a shot, please let us know and show us the results!
Yum…it reminds me of sugar cookies. It’s a wonderful memory for the little ones. And they look so adorable (CHIBIS, CHIBIS!!!!). I hope some of their parents find your their pictures on your blog. I know if I had a little one I would absolutely save it.
It is my dream that all the people in my photos will find themselves and love the photos! If someone doesn’t like it I would feel devastated and delete it at once… (^-^;)
I can’t think of a parent who wouldn’t enjoy these, and if you were devastated I would feel crushed. It would take a very damaged person not to love it, unless they don’t want their kid’s image on a blog. I know some parents can be protective like that. But I don’t personally see the harm (but then again I am not a parent).
Hi Tokyobling _ Just jumping in here with an interesting link for you to look at, feel free to delete this, as it just seems the more efficient way of giving you the heads up. fyi – really enjoy your amazing site + photography! =D http://www.geekologie.com/2012/06/more-japanese-woodblock-nintendo-charact.php
Hi! And thanks for the link! I had actually seen that just a couple of days earlier posted at some other blog, it really is amazing stuff! Thanks for your kind words too! (^-^)/
Fascinating! It looks so difficult to do. As if one faulty drop make you redo it all?
Haha… I don’t think anyone cares so much about it, but I agree there is a distinct lack of editing options! (^-^;)
They look lovely! If I was in their place, I wouldn’t wear such pretty clothing since I would get myself covered in paint
Hahaha… I am sure their parents are thinking just that! (^-^;)