#i will be making ohagi today to celebrate

[lanymme]

EVERYBODY SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HER!!!

Source: Wada Arco’s twitter

[astrox]

Sanemi Shinazugawa x gn! reader tw//: short fluff! slight angst

authors note: I wanted to write something since it's my birthday today Imagine you're sitting alone on your birthday. With no family alive to celebrate your special day, you'd sit on the patio of your estate watching the sun drown your garden in its light. You had hoped that none of your fellow demon slayers was made aware of today—though there were times when you and your friends shared secrets. In your heart, you believed that they forgot after you became a hashira and focused on saving lives than living your own. That was the point of your life now so why celebrate?

Then again, you shouldn't expect less when a bag hovers in front of your face, blocking the view. You recognized the smell of ohagi coming from the bag and knew who stood behind you. Looking over your shoulder, you find your fellow pillar and the man you've been seeing, Sanemi Shinazugawa gazing down at you.

"Why are you here?" You asked.

The man doesn't answer. Instead, he steps down and parks it right next to you. Sanemi would open the ohagi bag, taking out one of the sweets only to place it in the palm of your hand. Somewhat confused, you glanced over at Sanemi, pulling out an ohagi for himself and chowing down without a care. With a shrug of your shoulders, you lean down, bringing the sweet to your lips then bite.

It taste so delicious. You would say internally, feeling your heart soothe inside your chest. However, what Sanemi did next would make your heart skip a beat. Catching your chin between his thumb and finger, Sanemi is quick to turn your head and press a kiss against your lips. A quick peck so gentle your eyes fluttered shut.

"Happy birthday, Y/n," A whisper escapes from his lips. Unknown to you, a fat tear rolls down your cheek and hits your ohagi. After a big smile appears on your face, you rest your head against Sanemi's shoulder and sat in silence alongside him.

"Thank you, Nemi,"

reblogs & likes are appreciated <3

[rngknsk]

The Aftermath

Chapter 2: Dinner

Sanemi Shinazugawa/Reader (F)

Three months have passed since you woke up at the Butterfly Estate beside your good friend Sanemi Shinazugawa. You have healed physically, but not emotionally. You take up an offer to spend some time by yourself at the Shinazugawa residence, hoping to finally find peace with yourself.

**THIS STORY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE END OF THE DEMON SLAYER MANGA. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T FINISHED THE MANGA.**

Tags/warnings: Shared trauma, angst, survivors guilt, slight tw, comfort, slight fluff, reader is a Hashira

Chapter 1 can be read here.

You can also read Chapter 2 here on Ao3. 

Enjoy! :)

A little over three months had passed since defeating Muzan Kibutsuji and the remaining Upper Moons. Your injuries, along with the others who had survived the fight, were just about fully healed. One week prior to today, the demon slayer corps had been disbanded. Sanemi Shinazugawa, Giyuu Tomioka, and yourself had attended the final meeting called by the late Kagaya Ubuyashiki’s only son and successor, Kiriya Ubuyashiki. The remaining Ubuyashiki children were very grateful to you three. As the only remaining Hashira, they were only able to verbally express their appreciation for your support, to that you three slayers returned as well. If it wasn’t for the Ubuyashiki family, Muzan would have never been defeated in the first place. It was due to their clever organizational skills that any of you were even alive.

Concluding the meeting, Kiriya went on to inform the three of you now-retired Hashira that they had planned for a glorious celebration dedicated to the demon slayers to celebrate humanity’s victory. The celebration would be held at the Ubuyashiki estate since the grounds were substantial enough to hold all sorts of people and activities. Crows were sent to villages and towns across the land to inform of the festival, welcoming those who wished to show their appreciation to the remaining retired demon slayers for risking their lives for such a noble cause, and to pay their respects to those who committed the ultimate sacrifice. Every single village that was visited by a crow had accepted the invitation, many planning to bring dishes, drinks, and desserts of all kinds. Another large town had offered to bring fireworks to light up the skies at dusk.

After you were released from the Butterfly Estate’s infirmary, Sanemi had allowed you to stay at his residence while he remained. You had grown up living at the Rengoku residence after Shinjuro Rengoku saved you after your family perished at the hands of demons. Even after you became a Hashira, you would return to their home after long missions; however, part of you wanted time to yourself after losing so many people in such a short time. You loved Shinjuro and Senjuro Rengoku like family, but a feeling deep down in your heart persuaded you to accept Sanemi’s kind offer. After spending three whole months at the Butterfly Estate, constantly being woken by the voices of others you shared your hospital room with, you thought this would be a perfect opportunity to allow yourself to mourn in a healthy fashion. You spent a week at the Shinazugawa residence, taking time to heal your mental state in solitude. Sanemi Shinazugawa was a very secluded man and claimed he did not need the aid of the Kakushi throughout his time as a Hashira, so his residence remained empty until you arrived. There, you took time strolling through his gardens, tending to his flowers and various plants he owned and raised. You were surprised he didn’t show you his gardens after spending so much time training with him in his courtyard. The idea of Sanemi watering flowers made you laugh to yourself; this tough, vicious man taking the time out of his violent days of slaying demons to water some plants. Through the garden ran a small creek surrounded by neatly placed stones on either side, depositing into a pond with koi fish which seemed to be rather well behaved. At the center of his garden was a great, majestic weeping willow tree. The leaves of the tree draped down magnificently, just several feet from the ground. Most of your week was spent meditating underneath this tree. You felt safe underneath it, almost as if it was protecting you from anything outside of its weeping branches. The faint running water of the stream aided your meditation, allowing yourself to find peace at last. You also made sure to frequently check on his rhinoceros beetle that he kept in a quaint tank. You had seen him once or twice when you had visited Sanemi in the past, the memory of his name resting at the tip of your tongue. Taichi? That sounded right. You had to admit though, he was pretty adorable for a bug, and quiet too. You didn’t exactly know what to feed him, so you tried giving him a mix of greens and fruit you had harvested from the garden outside. He seemed pretty happy with what you gave him because he just about finished whatever you gave him.

It was evening when Sanemi had returned to his home, as promised by the nurses of the Butterfly Estate. In honesty, Sanemi had recovered almost two weeks ago, however the nurses insisted he remain in their care until they knew for sure his injuries wouldn’t reopen. To your surprise, Sanemi didn’t argue like he typically would. Instead, he simply agreed to stay, while on the other hand, you were able to leave just a week later. He had sent his crow the day before, informing you of his anticipated arrival, so that morning you were sure to stop in a town nearby to purchase some ingredients for a hearty meal that you figured you two could share. He wasn’t a picky eater by no means. You picked out many ingredients, green onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, napa cabbage, fresh beef, and wheat flour for the noodles you planned to knead and cook yourself. You also made sure to purchase the ingredients you needed to make his favorite sweet, ohagi. The villagers had recognized you as one of the former Hashira, insisting that you did not need to pay them for your pickings, however you persuaded them to accept your money regardless of your status. It was a strange feeling; you didn’t like being treated as someone of such importance. After all, you weren’t a Hashira anymore since the demons were defeated.

Once you returned back to the Shinazugawa residence, you spent the entirety of the day preparing your dough for the sukiyaki dish that you planned to make and bounced back and forth between making that and the ohagi as well. You imagined how Sanemi would react to making such a large meal, although you were sure he would enjoy it just as much as he enjoyed the meals prepared at the Butterfly Estate. Admittedly, the Kakushi who prepared your meals were very talented with cooking, and you were pleased that they provided such a wide range of dishes during your stay. It was a nice change to be provided with a warm meal that you didn’t have to make yourself. While living with the Rengoku family, you were typically the one to cook the meals during your days off from slayer assignments, and while on the clock, you were the one to provide for yourself. However, out of all the years you knew Sanemi, you never cooked for him before, and that made you anxious. What if he didn’t like your cooking? What if the noodles were too tough, or the vegetables were undercooked? You took a deep inhale in through your nose for a moment, then exhaled through your mouth. There was no time for worrying. If you wanted to make these dishes perfect, then you needed complete concentration.

Just a few hours before the sun set, Sanemi arrived at home. You had finished setting the table, just gathering up the leftover dishes that you used to cook. The door slid open and you jumped at the sound, reflexively whipping your frame around to face where he stood. He no longer was covered in bandages; only extra scars added to the previous ones littered his exposed skin. His face held an expression of disbelief at the sight of the prepared table; he certainly wasn’t expecting a home cooked meal.

“Welcome home, Shinazugawa-san,” you chirped. “I made dinner for us, so I hope you’re hungry.”

“You made all of this?” He questioned, taking a few steps inside before sliding the door close behind him. “I smelled it a mile away, of course I’m hungry. It smells great, L/N-san.”

You let out a quiet sigh of relief. That was a good sign, he thought it smelled good! You removed your apron and neatly folded it, setting it down on the ground beside the table. Sanemi made his way towards the table, kneeling down in front of it before scooting himself forward. You followed, clapping your hands together in thanks.

“Thank you for the meal!” You said, drool practically leaking from the corners of your mouth as you hovered over the hot, steaming bowl of sukiyaki. Sanemi smiled at your gesture, putting his hands together as well.

“Yeah, thanks for the meal,” he agreed. “I really appreciate it.”

You only gawked at the man sitting across from you. Was this really the same guy you’ve spent the last few years training with? He’s always been so brash, even towards you. The Sanemi you know would have scoffed at you without even voicing any thanks and dug right into his meal. You didn’t really know how to feel about his recent alter in personality. To be honest, you started to notice the drastic change as soon as you woke up in the Butterfly Estate just a few months prior to today. Sure, he’s always has his moments when he was tired, or even for an hour or so on a day off that you both shared sparring, but ever since the day you woke up, ever since you saw him cry, he’s been incredibly passive and compliant towards everyone. You told yourself that it was most likely due to the defeat of Kibutsuji and all demons. He didn’t have to hold such an aggressive persona anymore now that humanity’s biggest threat was eliminated. He could let his guard down a bit and try to enjoy the new chance of life that he was given. You couldn’t complain though, as amusing as it was whenever he would yell at you or call you names while you two trained or were assigned on missions together, it was nice to be friends with somebody who treated you as their equal rather than their inferior. Somewhere deep down, you thought, Sanemi never meant the things he said that might have hurt your feelings in the past.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to start eating?” he mumbled through a mouth full of noodles and meat. His pale lavender eyes darted downwards toward the faintly steaming ohagi resting on a dish in the center of the table. “I see you also made ohagi. Hopefully you made it right.”

Your cheeks puffed up in a pout, swiping the chopsticks from beside your sukiyaki dish. “Of course I made it right, red bean, just how you like them!”

“That’s not what I meant,” Sanemi chuckled after he swallowed.

After you both finished your sukiyaki, you sat and chatted for a little bit while munching on your ohagi. He told you about how he was one of the last patients to leave the Butterfly Estate, and how annoying he thought this one Kakushi worker was.

“She would check up on me almost every thirty minutes, always asking if I was hungry or thirsty, or if I was in any pain,” Sanemi groaned, visibly becoming more irritated as he explained. He was certainly picky when it came to people. That certainly did sound annoying, however you knew that the Kakushi girl was most likely only doing her job to make sure Sanemi was as comfortable as possible. “It got to the point where I had to start telling her to screw off, but she never got the hint. It was almost like she kept bothering me on purpose.”

“It seems to me that she was just doing what she was told,” you reasoned as you picked up your tan ceramic mug of warm green tea, taking a sip before continuing. “I’m sure she wasn’t doing it on purpose, she probably had orders to keep an eye on you.”

“Well, I’m sure she didn’t have orders to check in on me that often, nobody else was checked on that much at the Estate, not even you or Giyuu. I bet if I had been more aggressive towards her then maybe she would have left me alone.”

You rolled your eyes at his last comment. That sounded more like the Sanemi you knew, trying to scare people away, especially people who tried to help him. You knew that all too well. He was the same way towards you when you both met for the first time. You became a Hashira after he did, so he initially saw you as his inferior. He tried to intimidate you before every Hashira meeting began, to which you will admit, you did end up becoming nervous around him during those gatherings.

A few years ago, shortly after you were just promoted to a Hashira, you both were assigned on a mission together. It was a several day-long mission, most of it consisting of travel time. He was very hostile towards you in the beginning of your journey, snapping at you over any small question you asked. You had always made the first move to question what he wanted for dinners, but it ended up becoming a chore to agree on meals with him. Whenever you suggested something, he would always shoot down your proposal before eventually insisting on what his tastebuds craved. You imagined that you both could have saved so much time on that mission if he had just answered you appropriately the first time. After several days of sticking together, you could tell he was starting to calm down around you. Sanemi could never be perfectly calm, so when you say he “calmed down,” he was just slightly less hostile towards you whenever you spoke to him. Regardless, you tried your best to stand your ground and remain friendly towards him after contemplating if this was just the way he was always going to be. Sanemi was your partner on this mission after all, so to make sure the mission was completed correctly you figured you’d at least stay on good terms until then.

Following the completion of that mission, Sanemi’s taunting seemed to die down during Hashira meetings, and you found yourself having neutral conversations with him from time to time. It wasn’t until after Kyojuro Rengoku’s untimely death that you found him approaching you outside of Hashira meetings.

You were truly heartbroken over the death of your closest friend, and you took it very hard. Admittedly, you were on the verge of giving up as a Hashira because of it. You stopped showing up to Hashira meetings and received many letters from the other Hashira and even Kagaya Ubuyashiki himself, but you ignored them all. The first person to approach you was Sanemi, who had traveled to the Rengoku residence where you lived. He had come to offer you a meal and some company, which was quite astonishing to you. The last time you had seen him was during Kyojuro’s funeral, but he had not interacted with you at all; none of the Hashira did, except Mitsuri Kanroji for a brief moment of mutual comfort.

Sanemi apologized that he didn’t offer his sympathies earlier. He also informed you that everyone was worried over your lack of participation, to which you scoffed.

“If they’re so worried, then maybe they should check up on me themselves,” you said.

“That’s why I came instead.”

You were taken aback by his quick response. That was the first day that you recalled his change in personality, at least towards you. He was easily able to persuade you to begin attending meetings again, and even went as far as to invite you to train with him at his residence. Slowly, you started to notice yourself becoming more and more comfortable around him, enjoying the time that you spent in his company. There were certainly still times that he insulted you for not being able to knock him down in a spar, but he didn’t come off as purposefully aggressive like he used to. Kagaya Ubuyashiki recognized how well you two regarded each other and sent you on many missions together. You eventually became confused over how you truly felt towards Sanemi.

You never wanted to admit it, but it was certain that you deeply admired your fellow Hashira. In any other case, you would have believed that you were in love with him, but there was no way that you would ever admit to something so ridiculous. Sanemi was the complete opposite of you, so self-assured and violent, he was discourteous to everyone he met, which would frankly only harm your reputation if you were to commit to him. But the biggest reason of all was that you were both demon slayers, Hashira particularly. Neither of you had time to devote to such a thing as a relationship, because any mission you could take on may well possibly be your last. Being a Hashira was a considerable obligation, to which you were entrusted to protecting the lives of those weaker than you.

For the time being, you pushed away your feelings for Sanemi. You figured that he was too focused on his work and didn’t have time for a romantic relationship anyway. That was, until you woke up after defeating the demons.

“L/N-san? What are you looking at? You’ve been staring at my shoulder for a while. Is there a bug or something?” You were pulled out of your reminiscing, focusing on the silver-haired man you were recalling from your memories once again. He dorkily brushed his shoulder with his hand. “Nothing’s there,” he murmured.

“Sorry, Shinazugawa-san, I guess I zoned out for a second there,” you stammered.

He raised a faint eyebrow towards you, almost as if in question. You tapped your fingernails on your cup of tea that was now room temperature before quickly pulling it up to your mouth to chug the rest of the herbal liquid in hopes to break this awkward tension. When you returned the cup to the table in front of you, Sanemi spoke up to change the subject.

“I received a letter from the Ubuyashiki family’s crow yesterday, it was a reminder about the celebration tomorrow night.”

You softly gasped, remembering the same letter you received the previous day as well. You were so focused on seeing Sanemi again today that you totally forgot that tomorrow was the celebration that was dedicated to the former demon slayers.

“Oh, yeah,” you began. “It is tomorrow, isn’t it? How time flies,” you chuckled to hide your uneasiness. It was no matter, Sanemi effortlessly picked up on the way your body tensed up.

“Did you have something in mind that you were going to wear?”

You pondered for a moment, trying to imagine the inside of your closet back at the Rengoku residence. You owned a few pretty kimonos, however you received them as gifts when you were still an early teenager. Now that you were almost a decade older, you had no doubt that they didn’t fit you anymore.

“Well, not exactly,” you started off. “I have some kimonos, but I don’t think they really fit me anymore. After I became a demon slayer, I typically only wore my uniforms while I outgrew the other clothes I had.”

Sanemi hummed at your response. He leaned forward onto the table, propping himself up with a forearm while grinning strangely at you. His gesture sent a chill up your spine, and you noticed your face feeling rather warm. “Huh, is that so? I guess that means that we’ll have to go to town tomorrow to find you something nice to wear. I’m not letting you go to the festival looking like a fool.”

You gaped at him, unable to articulate a response right away. Your heart fluttered at his words, feeling flattered, almost honored, to be his concern. He wanted you to look nice tomorrow is what he was trying to convey. Such a trivial thing to be concerned about, you thought, but he did have a point. You would be meeting many people the least you could do was try to look presentable. After all, this was a celebration in honor of your victory.

“You’ll go with me, Shinazugawa-san?” you questioned with wide eyes, just to be sure you heard him correctly.

“Of course I’m gonna go with you, did you even hear what I just said? You can spend the night here and we can leave at dawn, I have an extra futon you can use. We’ll have a while before the festival starts tomorrow afternoon, so maybe we can stop for lunch when we get there. My treat, since you made such a good dinner tonight,” Sanemi avoided eye contact when he complimented your cooking skills, almost as if he was too shy to actually admit it to your face.

Your face broke out in a wide smile, a wave of encouragement washing over you. He actually liked your cooking! After worrying all day over it, you actually succeeded in making a meal that Sanemi would enjoy! Not one bit of his meal was left you noticed, and he even finished two or three cups of the tea you brewed. That was a huge accomplishment in your book.

“That sounds like a great idea, thank you for coming along with me!” You bowed your head in appreciation. “I suppose it’s smart to have a second opinion on whatever I decide to wear.”

Sanemi scoffed, standing from the table and gathering your empty dishes and cups and walking away with both hands full. “I’m sure you’ll look fine in whatever you put on,” he mumbled as he strode off to the kitchen.

You were left alone at the table, looking down as you twiddled your fingers nervously. It was one thing after another that made your heart rate speed up, it seemed. You didn’t exactly know how to handle this new Sanemi, you figured he wouldn’t care what you intended to wear, or to even go as far to take you out to find a nice outfit. Typically, he would mock anything you wore that wasn’t your corps uniform, so that final compliment was what threw you off the most. You exhaled loudly and clapped your palms against your reddened cheeks, hoping to scare away the tingles that ran throughout your body. The only thing you could focus on right now was figuring out what Sanemi’s intentions were with you. Sure, they were harmless compliments and kind gestures, but it was a whole other level for this man. He didn’t regularly give out compliments. In fact, he didn’t give them out at all. But now…? No, you thought. He’s just your friend, he just has a funny way of showing it. There was no way that he felt anything romantic for you. Even if he did, you would know it by now. Sanemi was a very blunt person, and he was always honest with you… sometimes a little too honest. You bit your nail as scenarios raced through your mind. Being Sanemi’s friend was like being on a rollercoaster, sometimes you didn’t know what to expect. Sometimes it was disappointing, while other times it was a thrill.

Footsteps approached you again, tearing you from your ruminations. “It’s getting pretty late now; we’ve been talking for almost two hours. If we’re gonna be up early then we should at least get some decent sleep.”

Sanemi showed you to his room where he laid an extra futon just a few feet away from his own. You had been using his futon since you arrived at his residence a week ago and made sure to wash it before you first used it and after you last used it. He fluffed his extra futon up, asking you how you preferred to sleep, to which you insisted that you were pleased with any way your futon felt. You were just grateful that he even offered to have you spend another night.

He blew out the candle that sat between your futons that he originally lit to illuminate the room until you were both situated in your mattresses. You turned to your side to face away from his direction, taking a bundle of your heavy blanket into your embrace. You wondered to yourself if you should tell him good night or not. Would that be weird? You always said good night to Kyojuro and Senjuro. After a minute, you took in a deep breath and worked up the courage to speak, but were alas disrupted by a deep snore. Sanemi must be one of those people who fall asleep easily, you thought. It wasn’t very long before you followed, feeling an unfamiliar sense of comfort just before you fell into the unconscious world of sleep.

[rengokus-eyeliner]

Celebration

Sanemi x Fem!Reader

This is just a short little fic I wrote on a whim for Sanemi’s birthday. He’s truly a soft boy…I’m posting it a little early, I hope you enjoy!

Tags: fluff

Sanemi knew something was wrong. Everyone had been acting strangely to him today. Shinobu had restocked his entire medicine cabinet, Rengoku insisted on treating him to a meal, and that damned social outcast had given him a bag full of ohagi. The rest of the pillars and Oyakata-sama treated him well too. He hadn’t seen you the entire day.

“What the hell’s up with them?” He mumbled. On a typical day he would’ve at least run into you a couple of times as he went through his daily routine. But when he woke up this morning, you weren’t even there.

Had he done something wrong? Did he cross the line and say something that hurt you?

Sanemi knows that he isn’t the best lover one could ask for. He’s foul-mouthed, not as appreciative as he should be, and has more scars than he can count. Sometimes he wonders if you would be happier with someone else.

His thoughts trail off as he steps into your shared estate and notices a small package left on the doorstep. He picks up the note beside it which simply reads

From: Genya

To: Sanemi

Inside the package is an omamori charm for protection. What was the occasion? Sanemi tucks it into the pocket of his haori before he steps into the house. It’s empty.

Sighing, he resolves to retire to his room before he feels a pair of arms wrap around his waist and he instantly grabs onto the hilt of his sword.

“SURPRISE!” You yell, burying your face into his back, giggling. At the sight of you, the tension in Sanemi’s shoulders dissolve and he turns around to address you.

“What’s this about?” He grunts, frowning down at your confused expression. You tilt your head, until realisation strikes you.

“You forgot? Today is your birthday!”

No wonder. He remembers mentioning the date in passing when you asked him. You had probably told the rest of the pillars.

“So?”

“What do you mean? This is a cause for celebration!”

Sanemi shakes his head. He can’t remember what it’s like to celebrate his birthday. His family had been too poor to afford basic necessities, much less any gifts. To him, this day meant nothing.

“I prepared dinner for us. And I have a gift for you.” You said, beaming up at him and tugging him into the kitchen. Sanemi’s eyes widen when you reveal a spread of all of his favourite dishes on the dining table. How long did it take for you to make all of this? You press a pair of chopsticks into his hands and start to dig in.

“Is it good?” You’re a bit nervous. He’s quieter than usual. Does he not like it?

“Mmm.”

The food is delicious. And there’s a strange feeling growing in Sanemi’s chest. Something he hasn’t felt in a while.

“Come here.” You scoot closer to him and pat the ground in front of you. You hand him a large box with small holes on the sides, which is… moving.

“Did you hide a snake in here, woman? Are you trying to poison me?” You laugh and shake your head, urging him to open it up. He pulls the cover off the box. It’s a puppy. An adorable one, at that.

“Um… I wanted to thank you, Sanemi. I know that you’re not used to being in a relationship, but you’re trying your best. I think you’re the sweetest, most handsome man I know.” You’re blushing, fidgeting and refusing to meet his gaze. “I love you. Happy birthday!”

Sanemi runs his fingers through the sleeping puppy’s fur. A feeling so overwhelming is consuming him, and he can’t bear to hold himself back any longer. He feels so loved.

He gingerly places the box to his side and leans forward, embracing you. You stiffen up, the sudden gesture of affection surprises you. After a moment passes you soften up, and try to pull away.

“Stay…”

Hm?

“I want to stay like this for a little while longer.”

Sanemi buries his face into the crook of your neck. His arms around you cling onto you firmly, yet gently. You respond by pulling him closer, relishing in this rare moment.

[writertrust]

Mochi near me

Therefore, it’s best to keep some coating and reapply it right before serving.Mochi Shoes Online - Stylish Footwear for Men and Womenįirst opened in a famous shopping street in Bangalore, Mochi is a brand that has over 104 outlets spread over more than 50 cities throughout the country. This happens because the moisture in the rice is released to the coating. Within 10-15 minutes after you coat the rice balls with black sesame seeds and soybean flour, you will notice the color of those Ohagi (Botamochi) get darker and spotty. Save and Reapply Black Sesame and Soybean Flour I’ve tried using my bare hand instead of plastic wrap, but I think you need a lot of practices to make it look presentable. Plastic wrap helps tremendously when you need to spread a thin layer of red bean paste around the rice balls. Use Plastic Wrap to Thinly Spread the Red Bean Paste This half-pounding technique is called “ Hangoroshi“, literary a half kill (半殺し). Unlike other similar mochi sweets where fine rice flours are used, the rice is pounded partially, not mashed or knead all the way. One of the unique features of Ohagi (Botamochi) is the noticeable rice texture when you bite into it. If you pre-measure the paste and roll it into balls ahead of time, you can just grab the paste and stuff in the rice balls quickly. Once the cooked rice is pounded, it’s best to shape it while the rice is still warm. Mixing it with regular rice helps to keep the texture softer and chewier. However, I do not recommend using just glutinous rice as these sweet rice balls get cold or less “fresh”, the texture will become hard and not so chewy. Ohagi (Botacmochi) are often made with only glutinous rice (sweet rice). Regionally, people may grow up calling it just by one name, but they are essentially the name.ĥ Tips to Make Ohagi (Botamochi) 1. In spring, they are called Botamochi (ぼたもち), named after the spring flower, botan (牡丹 peony). In autumn, they are called Ohagi (おはぎ), named after the autumn flower, hagi (萩 bush clover). That’s because we call these rice balls differently in spring and autumn. You’ve probably noticed that I keep calling these sweet rice balls with two names – Ohagi and Botamochi. Is there a difference between Ohagi or Botamochi? They are commonly eaten during Ohigan (お彼岸), a Buddhist holiday during both spring and autumn equinoxes. There are also variations where the rice balls are coated with sweetened soybean flour or sweetened ground black sesame and stuffed with red bean paste on the inside. The rice balls are formed into the shape of a small cylinder and covered with red bean paste on the outside. These sweet rice balls are usually made with glutinous rice, sometimes rice, and red bean paste. Today, I’ll share little cultural tidbits of this traditional sweet along with the recipe! What is Ohagi (Botamochi)? They are sweet rice balls filled or coated with red bean paste. Ohagi or Botamochi is one of those special foods we enjoyed during spring and autumn equinoxes every year. Growing up in Japan, I remember we had a lot of cultural, seasonal, and sometimes religious celebrations that often come with specific foods.

[ryugu-rena]

how to celebrate watanagashi (inspired by higurashi / a.k.a. “the higurashi fanbase magically reappears today”)

hello hello! today is father’s day, but for higurashi fans, it is also watanagashi!

i’m not sure about you, but since i am a fan of the show/franchise, i figured i would ‘celebrate’ in my own way to have a fun time dedicated to higurashi. i have laid out a description for each item in this list of things you can do to celebrate below the cut! i bring to you, ‘rena’s magical list of fun higurashi watanagashi things!’ :

drift cotton down a river / mimicking the cotton drifting festival (without the.. deaths.. and without the violence, of course..)

higurashi inspired baking / recipes / etc. for meals

watching higurashi, reading higurashi manga / visual novel

playing club games

cosplaying / wearing an outfit inspired by a character

creating higurashi-related things

drifting cotton down a river / mimicking the cotton drifting festival

this one is quite simple, if you have a river near where you live, you can take some cotton balls (probably only one, to be safe on the environment..), and drift them down the river! if you want to ‘go the extra mile’ you can invision all of your past regrets and mistakes and things you wish you can be forgiven by the universe for to be able to move on in your life and become happier and let go drifting away with the cotton ball down the river!

if there is a carnival or fair nearby, you can visit there as well! (though i dont think there would be on a sunday, but oh well!) you can also visit any store or mall or farmer’s market.. pretty much just go somewhere and have a little fun!

recipes / baking inspired from higurashi

this part is my favorite!!! below are some food items that appear in higurashi that i plan to make or eat throughout the day:

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keiichi’s rushed breakfast

in the new english translation of the first visual novel for higurashi, keiichi puts together a rather interesting breakfast, and you can give it a try this morning if you would like!

he took a slice of bread, put jam on it ( i assumed strawberry, but you can use any jam) ; which is normal in itself, but then he sprinkled cocoa powder over top of the bread with jam. that is about it! sorry i do not have a screenshot as i am on a different computer right now!

in another translation, he has bread and jam with a cup of cocoa on the side (hot cocoa, the drink). you can choose either way of interpreting it! you can pick which one you want to eat ^.^

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hanyuu’s cream puffs

hanyuu is seen all over the internet with cream puffs and eating cream puffs; so today is the perfect day to make some!

here is a link to a video with a very nice recipe for some:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZySDgGAobdM

here is a link to a video to ensure you make them correctly / give tips if you are a first time cream puff baker, or if you always have trouble making them turn out right!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn1wqaTwpfE

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two choices for dinner! you can either pick keiichi’s ramen if you do not have much time to cook, or rena’s dinner if you do!

keiichi’s instant ramen

keiichi, in the visual novel, talks about getting his favorite instant ramen from the grocery store! his favorite flavor is ginger pork flavor, but if you do not like that flavor or are a vegetarian , you can opt for a different, non-meat flavor! or a seafood flavor if you are pescetarian. instant ramen is very simple to make, just follow the instructions on the package! ^.^ (also, if you are vegan, there is one brand of ramen in a certain flavor that has no beef extract and is vegan: top ramen oriental flavor. it is important to get the top ramen brand for this flavor , as maruchan and other brands’ oriental flavors are not vegan)

rena’s feast/dinner

this one is quite nice, and you can change it to fit the ingredients you have available / the ones you like! but put simply, you can make a miso soup with vegetables (specifically daikon, carrot, burdock, potato) and tofu! you can add or omit whatever veggies you wish to. for sides, you can also make some sticky rice , and have pickles with the rice as well! if you want to get really fancy you can make your own pickles, but a jar of store-bought pickles (i use dill) works just fine too! this is a delicious filling dinner! ^_^

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melon flavored water ice

in one of the club’s games, keiichi brings up that water ice’s most popular flavor is melon, but the other club members picked different flavors for the game (strawberry). you can get melon water ice if it is nearby, or you can get any flavor of water ice! for this, i would suggest getting the water ice if you are out and about at a rita’s or other water ice stand. if you are at home, you can try to make your own if you have a water ice maker / ice grinder, but i would not recommend it as it is more effort than it is worth most of the time ^.^

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rena+mion’s ohagi / mochi

in the anime, the food that rena and mion infamously leave for keiichi is ohagi, however, in the visual novel it is mochi. because of this, you can choose to make one or both. for inexperienced cooks this could be the hardest thing to make, but just know that not everybody is perfect and it will probably taste good anyhow!

* also, for the needle, in the answer arc it turns out it was not a needle, but just some cayenne pepper mixed in the anko to make it spicy; which keiichi misinterpreted as a needle d/t his paranoia. you can line up the mochi and put cayenne pepper in the filling of one of them, and play a game of ‘mochi roulette’ if you would like!

here is a recipe for anko:

http://www.justonecookbook.com/how_to/how-to-make-anko-red-bean-paste/

here is a recipe for ohagi:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VPK2qo0_Eg

here is a recipe for mochi (microwaveable to make it easier. you need mochiko sweet rice flour for this to work):

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/43486/microwave-mochi/

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rena’s tamagoyaki

in the atonement arc manga vol.1, rena makes tamagoyaki! i would suggest eating it for breakfast,brunch,or lunch, but you can eat it whenever you wish to! here is a link to how to make it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK3mN4M31z8

if you want, you can also draw a cute design, or cute little higurashi characters on your tamagoyaki with ketchup as well!

rena’s parfait

in the manga, rena’s mother lets her eat a fruit and yogurt parfait when she takes her to an amusement park in a flashback from before her mother broke the news of the divorce to her. you can make yourself a fruit parfait if you would like! specific fruits in the parfait were pineapple, oranges, strawberries, etc. you can make them look like the image above, or just make a parfait any way you would like!

of course there are many, many more foods featured in higurashi (such as the takoyaki, the tea keiichi’s father makes for him and rena, etc.), but for the sake of time these are some of them, but not all! if there was a food you saw in higurashi that was prominent, feel free to make your own rendition of the foods you see in the manga/visual novel/anime!

cosplaying / wearing an outfit inspired by a character

this goes without saying, but you can choose to wear casual outfits inspired by your favorite character (if you want a more wearable look to go out in public, so not many people would know you were cosplaying), or you can cosplay full-out if you wish! below are some character outfit references, but feel free to find more!:

playing club games

this is another one with endless possiblities! if you are hanging out with friends or siblings, you can play card games , or even some of the other games the club plays throughout the series.. you can even do your own form of punishment game if you really want to, but you dont have to. if your friends arent up to that, you can just as easily play games like old maid and go fish or games like tag/etc.. just have fun!

if you are home alone or not around anyone today, dont worry! you can also play card games and other games online with people, there are plenty of game sites that link you up with a random person, or you can play against a computer! its all up to you!!

watching higurashi, reading higurashi manga / visual novel

this is another obvious one, but above all else what you can do today is read or watch higurashi-related things! that can be the official visual novel or manga, watching the anime, or even watching youtube videos and parodies!

as far as the realm of parodies, here is one i wholeheartedly recommend if you haven’t seen it already:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UnFBtJD4x0

creating higurashi related things

this one is another obvious one, but you can also draw, write, sing/make music, make videos, or even just posts relating to higurashi! the possiblities are endless! ^.^

if anything, you can also just sit in a pile of all your higurashi-related things that you have (figures, books, pictures, etc......)

as for this post right now, that is all!!~

i hope you all like this list of fun things to do today and i hope you all have a wonderful day!!! happy watanagashi!! ^_^

~ rena ♡ ♡ ♡