There seems to be a technical problem today over at Flickr affecting photo uploads, so instead of my bento photo backlog, I bring you a little children’s song in Japanese about bento boxes and counting that I learned in my son’s playgroup. It’s more of a little chant with hand motions alluding to the wordplay of food words that sound similar to numbers in Japanese. So children learn about counting and lunchbox food at the same time! I haven’t been able to locate video of the song on YouTube, please comment with a link if you know of one! (UPDATE: Here’s a quick little [1] video I made showing the bento box song with hand motions.)

Obento-bako (Bento Box Song)

[2] (Japanese version here)

Kore kurai no, obento bako ni (trace a rectangular bento box with both index fingers)

Onigiri, onigiri choitto tsumete (shape a rice ball in hands)

Kizami shouga ni, goma furikakete (right hand makes cutting then sprinkling motions)

Ninjin san (put up two fingers, then three fingers)

Sanshou san*, shiitake san, gobo san (put up 3 fingers, then 3 again, then 4, 3, 5, 3)

Ana no aita renkon san (make a hole with index finger and thumb, move hand left and right)

Suji no touta fuuki (run right hand up left arm from hand up to shoulder, then blow on your right hand’s fingers as if blowing a kiss)

*instead of “sansho” peppers, you also hear “sakuranbo” cherries

Translation:

In a bento box about this size

Put in a few rice balls

Minced ginger, sprinkle with sesame seeds, 3 carrots

3 peppers, 3 shiitake mushrooms, 3 burdock roots

3 lotus roots with holes in them,

and butter burs with the strings running through them

*instead of “sansho” peppers, you also hear “sakuranbo” cherries

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