August Edition

Issue #8

Hey there buns!! It’s August and you know what that means~ FESTIVALS IN JAPAN! Not just any festivals though, we have matsuris and obon week!! Even though it gets pretty hot out and even sometimes rainy, that doesn’t stop these festivals! We wanted to talk about what the two festivals mean in Japanese culture~ First, a matsuri is a Japanese festival held to honor the Shinto deities, express gratitude to nature, and to bring communities together. The most important things you may see in a matsuri are portable shrines, decorated floats for parading, and of course, STREET FOOD!

There are different types of matsuri held across Japan and all have their own unique ways of celebrating, but the most common traits you’ll see are mikoshi: portable wooden shrines hoisted and carried by the shoulders of people who parade the streets to transport local deities around the neighborhood, yatai: street foods such as yakitori, takoyaki, and cotton candy stands, and hanabi: which are the REALLY pretty firework shows that you may have seen showcased in animes! Although matsuris are fun, BE CAREFUL OF ALL THE SUMMER INSECTS (trust me on this…)

And then we have obon festivals~ An obon is an annual buddhist event for commemorating one’s ancestors, whose spirits are believed to temporarily return to this world in order to visit their relatives during Obon.

Most families will often leave offerings for their ancestors or hang lanterns to lead them home. To make a comparison, it’s kind of similar to Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead where both honor the dead. A big event that is held during Obon festivals are the big Bon Odori dances in the middle grounds of the festival during the night. It starts off with someone leading the music and dance on a square platform and participants dance to the beat of the taiko drums. It’s so fun to watch people of all ages participate in the dance and sometimes you see people dressed in costumes and cosplay!

It’s almost like an early Halloween for them!(except they don’t really celebrate actual halloween) Japanese festivals just have such a different vibe to them. It’s something worth experiencing at least a few times in your life because everything feels so communal and everyone is there to have fun! If you’re ever in Japan during these times, do your research and attend a festival!! (godhehe get it because deities I wanna rent a yukata and go to a summer festival so bad…)

From: Ari

What’s Butter Baking? Butter’s Kakigori

Hi bun buns! Butter here and today I’m going to share something different with you! Since we were talking about summer festivals in Japan, why not share the different types of kakigori I’ve made! And yes even though it’s August, it’s still hot as BUNS so eating kakigori really helps cool down the body during the hot weather~ Kakigori is essentially shaved ice with syrups and topics and it’s usually served during summer festivals! They’re suuuper easy to make, but i do recommend finding a kakigori machine because the texture is SLIGHTLY different. I’ll teach you how to make a strawberry and milk kakigori as well as a matcha one too!

For the strawberry and milk one, you want to prepare a strawberry sauce by simmering chopped strawberries with sugar and lemon. Let it come to a boil for about 3 minutes and strain it into a separate container. You can use the strawberry chunks leftover as extra toppings! Let the syrup completely cool before serving it over the the shaved ice you would prep and add some condensed milk and your done! Easy right? Same goes for the matcha kakigori~ All you need for the matcha syrup is matcha powder, sugar, and boiling water.

Put the matcha and the sugar in a bowl and add boiling water to mix and dissolve the two, then set it aside to cool. For toppings, I like to add some red bean paste and dango on top. This one is my favorite one I like to make especially because of the dango~ It’s so chewy and yummy~ Yes, getting the machine might be hard to get, but I promise you it’s worth it in the end especially on hot days! I can’t wait to go back to Japan during the summer just to experience the festivals with all the other buns~

Kumi’s Yokai Class: Infamous Oni

Hello everybun. Welcome to Kumi’s Yokai Class. It is your godly and amazing Kumi again. Obon is approaching soon. It typically falls around mid August. It is a Japanese Buddhist festival honoring ancestral sprits. It’s a major holiday and the reason why summer is considered spooky season in Japan. One of the most talked about Yokai are the Oni.

They’re considered one of the greatest icons, but they’re really ugly so I don’t really care for them. They are born when evil humans die. They end up in “hell” and are transformed in to an Oni. I’ve seen some awful humans tranform in to Oni while they’re still alive. It’s brutal. I enjoy watching Yokai prank humans from time to time, but the oni are pretty nasty.

Back when I was at my peak strength, there were some Oni trying to prey on my loyal followers. Big mistake. I burnt them to a crisp with no remorse. Any one that tries to mess with my precious worshippers will face my wrath!!!

Tomaki’s Mixology Class: Bomb Pop Drink

What’s up buns? It’s your bunboy Tomaki here! I’ve really been honing my craft into the arts of mixology soooooo can you guess what I have in store for you this issue? ANOTHER NON-ALCOHOLIC MIXED DRINK WOOOO! Since it’s festival season in Japan, my first thought of what kind of mixed drink I can make that represents something celebratory was a bomb pop drink! It reminds me of fireworks and come on, who doesn’t like a yummy bomb pop? We’re going to need five ingredients for this drink. We’re gonna need some grenadine for that red layer, ice cubes(obviously) or crushed ice depending on your preference, either blue gatorade, blue punch, or blue berry juice for the blue layer, lemonade for the white layer, and of course, a bomb pop!

To start we’re gonna prep a tall glass and add the ice cubes. You’re gonna pour the grenadine slowly so it reaches the bottom of the cup. To get the middle layer, pour some lemonade over the back of the spoon on top the ice. And finally, to get the blue layer, pour any blue liquid of choice over the back of a spoon and slowly pour. Place the bomb pop upside down in the drink as a garnish and serve with a straw.

I personally think this is such a good drink to serve in honor of the celebrations during this time. It always just feels so festive for any occasion and the buns love it! It’s a bit tedious because of the amount of layering you have to do, but it makes the drink really pretty and aesthetically pleasing! I hope the next time we go to Japan, we can find a drink equivalent to what I made and possibly learn more variants of the recipe.

Fall Down the Rabbit Hole with Pongo

Hello everybun. Pongo here. Since everyone so far has been talking about summer festivals in Japan, I wanted to share some information about the history of fireworks. The technology of fireworks started in the 16th century, but didn’t get popularized until the 18th century in the middle of the Edo period(1603-1868). The first public display of fireworks was held in the Ryogoku era in the Edo Period and was known as “Ryogoku Hanabi”. (Fun fact, Ryogoku is what Tokyo was originally called during the Edo period) Originally fireworks were only enjoyed by those with power such as the shogun and feudal lords. The displays were meant to appease the spirits of people killed by famine and infectious diseases. Also, did you know that the first color for fireworks was a subdued orange?

They were known as “wabi”, which translates to “harmonius fire and was made from charcoal. By the time the 19th century rolled around, that’s when potassium chlorate was introduced to the formula of fireworks and it allowed for more various colors like the ones we get to witness in today’s world.

There is also a reason why there are so many fireworks displays during the Obon period. It is said that the souls of ancestors return home during Obon, and there is a custom of lighting “okuribi” (sending off fires) and “mukaebi” (welcoming fires) at the entrance of houses as landmarks to help the ancestors find their way home without getting lost. I always found it so remarkable with how many ways Japan finds to respect the past spirits of their ancestors and lead them home.

Anyway, I could go on and on about the history about fireworks in Japan, but I’m afraid I would take up about 5 pages worth of information, so I shall leave it on this note. I hope you guys enjoyed my little deep dive into the making of fireworks and what they represent.

Purin’s Cafe Review

Hello everybun. Purin here with a new cafe review! I’m going to be honest, I forgot what the cafe was called because I got so distracted by the menu they showcased at the window. They had so many yummy looking desserts and entrees…I wanted to get them all, but I know I would have been scolded if I had asked Butter to pick me up from eating so much and not being able to move anymore. So all I got was a BLT sandwich, hotcakes, and a really yummy mango and coconut shake.

I wish I took pictures to remember the moment of when I first tasted everything, but I got too excited and ate everything before I realized. I want to give you buns my reviews on everything I got. The BLT was so yummy. You can’t really mess up a BLT and for some reason, this one was extraordinary. Maybe I was also just really hungry, but it was good anyway. Then, I moved onto the hotcakes. I only got syrup with them and I had to take a picture for Butter when I texted her I ordered them.

Really fluffy and warm 10/10. And lastly, the oreo shake. All I’m going to say is that I think I’m going to be dreaming about it until I get to try it again. It was so chocolatey and had little bits of oreo in it. I’m so happy I have a sweet tooth. I hope I can go back to that cafe soon and possibly bring the bun family with me~

Monthly Faves!

Pongo’s Digital Camera

Pongo found a digital camera from the thrift store and surprisingly it’s still in pretty good condition! He likes taking candid pictures of the buns(even tho sometimes Butter hates it when he does lol). Pongo’s been meaning to take pictures, have them printed, and put in a scrapbook of some sorts to hold all the memories~ The next time the buns prepare an outing, he’ll be camera ready to capture all sorts of fun things!

Tomaki’s Supplement Chews

Tomaki was shopping around one day looking for some supplements and some protein powder to keep in tip top shape and he came across something really interesting. He found multivitamin chews that kind of resembled this candy he had tried from their last trip to Japan. When he got home, he tried them and found them to be really yummy! They tasted of a mixture between lemon and orange. Not too sweet and didn’t have any weird textures either, so it was perfect for him as a little everyday treat.

Purin’s Bunny Shaped Sticky Notes

You’d think that being a hardcore gamer means that you’re able to memorize patterns, ingredients, abilities, etc. right? Wellllll for Purin, he definitely still has trouble with all that… In order to solve this problem of his, he likes to use these new sticky notes he got from the stationary store to jot down anything he needs while he games. Whether it’s puzzle solutions or important notes for certain characters, he has sticky notes posted all over his gaming set up hehe.

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