Japan Theme Night
I’d mulled over the idea of having “theme nights” a few times before we scheduled our first one. We settled on Japan as our first country to research, probably because we were all curious about the local Asian market that caught our attention every time we drove through that intersection.
Asian Market
One day, I finally decided to swing by the Asian market and pick up some yakisoba noodles for a recipe I found online. The first thing I noticed was all the different types of people that were coming and going in the parking lot—this was a popular place!
I was not at all prepared for the second observation, which unexpectedly rushed my senses like a wave crashing on the sandy beach: the smell of fish. Yep, it was like being at a San Francisco pier or Mexican seaside market. I knew they were well stocked on at least one item!
Before we even entered the front doors, fresh fishy fumes swam into our nostrils as if we were touring an aquarium.
Locating Yakisoba Noodles
We walked into the store, and I was overwhelmed by the numerous aisles ahead of me. Thankfully, noodles were nearby, but there were TWO aisles with abundant noodle options. I guess I should have hopped on a foreign language app beforehand because most of the packages were in Japanese! I now felt highly unqualified for this excursion.
I asked a worker where to find the yakisoba noodles, and he pointed to the next aisle over. Talk about searching for a needle in a haystack...we scanned those plastic packages of Asian noodles up and down until we finally found a few yakisoba options. This leads me to my fourth observation: Asian noodles are packaged in VERY small portion sizes. I would have had to buy 10 of these to feed the whole family!
Being on a time limit and not understanding exactly which noodles I needed, we left empty-handed with more research in our future!
On the way out, I made my final observation: Hello Kitty. ”This place is authentic,” I thought to myself with a smile. :)
Asian Market Observations
Pleasantly multicultural
Smell of fresh fish
Many packages are identified in an Asian language
Packaged food is sold in very small amounts
Hello Kitty
Japan Theme Night Presentation
These are some of the highlights of our Japan Theme Night presentation:
Topics
Japan overview
Rice, meal and chopsticks etiquette
Popular foods and spices
Sakura tea
Traditional clothing and hairstyle
How to pronounce “Bon apetit” and “Thank you” in Japanese (video)
New to theme nights?
Read the article All About Theme Nights to begin planning your own trip around the world from your dining room!
Meal
Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)
The kids pitched in to hand roll the Japanese Rice Balls. You can cook sushi rice quickly in your Instant Pot just before rolling the balls.
Chicken Yakisoba
I followed Step 1 of this recipe to cook the chicken. I cooked the frozen Vegetable Yakisoba (from Costco) separately and then combined the two prior to serving. Get more tips on where to source authentic food.
Japanese Strawberry Shortcake
This recipe has become a favorite in our house and has been enjoyed beyond our theme night!
Bon appetit!
And what better way to end this Japan Theme Night article than by saying:
“It’s a ducky mouse!” (that’s bon appetit in Japanese)
and
“Goat cheese so summer desktop!” (thank you in Japanese)
Watch this video to learn more!