Aimee Weinstein, Tokyo Writer

My daughter, Sydney, has lived all but three of her eleven years in Tokyo and considers herself very Japanese. Almost daily this is reflected in the lunch she brings to school from home. Many days our wonderful nanny, Minnie, makes Sydney’s lunch, but over the years, the two of them have learned to create beautiful obento lunches together.  Here is yesterday’s example: It’s little sausages over rice, with each sausage cut to look like an octopus.  Proper Japanese mums would put seaweed “eyes” on each one, but I’m not that detailed.  The top box is full of finely sliced cucumbers. And it all fits together like a little puzzle in the little Japanese box. Tabemasho! Let’s eat!