Let Kids be Kids

Credit: Upworthy, ideas.ted.com

Do you remember how life was like as a kindergartener? I do, vaguely. It was the most fancy-free time of my life to be honest, not having a care about the world, homework was minimal and in the form of colouring sheets if any; Friday was invariably play day so we were allowed to get up and down on slides and run around until tea time. I don’t think kids these days would believe what I say though, for they seem to be robbed of their childhood what with the pressure on their parents’ shoulders, which is passed on to these little humans who have only just managed to walk in a balanced manner.

I do not have kids. One of the gazillion reasons being the expectations schools and society have on children these days: from kindergarten onwards they are pushed beyond their limits to fare well academically, so much so that they are deprived of the right to be children – roll in the sand, chase after each other for no apparent reasons, and play according to their own schedule. Educators and parents alike seem to have lost sight on what is best for children.

Fortunately enough, there are educators behind the Fuji Kindergarten outside Tokyo, whose desire for children to be children materialised by the design executed by Tokyo-based firm Tezuka Architects. Put simply, the Fuji Kindergarten is an endless playground, with trees growing right through classrooms. The school is especially designed as a circle and the roof as a giant ring of playground to let kids run around literally forever, until they have had enough of it. With the light structure that is the kindergarten built around a big tree, kids are encouraged to climb up to the classroom if they wish. Oh, and there is a water sink in each classroom to foster the children version of water-cooler talk.

To quote the principal: “I don’t train them (children). We leave them on top of the roof, like sheep, and they will keep running.” And that is precisely the kind of school life a kindergartener deserves.

Rent an Uncle

Credit: RocketNews24

Japan is a country of intrigue and umpteen possibilities. I thought I’d seen it all upon knowing that you can actually rent a pet in Japan, and now the country surprises me with something even more puzzling: apparently you can rent a middle-aged man, colloquially called ‘ossan’, and it’s legit.

Nishimoto Takanobu is a 47-year-old fashion producer and stylist. When the girl sitting next to him on a train was once evidently grossed out by his ‘ossan-ness’, Nishimoto decided that instead of moaning, he should embrace this special quality in him. And so he started the Ossan Rental service, where you get to rent an ossan for JPN1,000 (approximately HKD64) per hour. The rationale of the service is patrons will be able to gain sagely wisdom over a cuppa with the ossan. Take Nishimoto himself, for instance. He has worked in Japan and the United States, from department store salons to major stylist company, and he has spent a short spell as an agony aunt. Quite a lot of stuff to learn from, no?

According to RocketNews 24, while Nishimoto was mostly rented to hang out with clients at a café or bar, drinking or getting life advice, there wasn’t a dearth of unusual requests either, such as visiting sick people in the hospital, announcing one woman’s marriage to her family after her father passed away, and many more. But with his ‘no touching’ policy, Nishimoto at least makes it clear that he and his business isn’t up to something fishy.

Think this business is daft? Well, Nishimoto has been rented out by 1,502 since the company’s establishment in 2012 – not bad, we’d say. And the good news is, the rental business has just hired two more ossans, handpicked by Nishimoto himself out of over 100 applicants! 

3D Daikon Art

Credit: RocketNews24

Forget 3D latte art. We know it’s adorable but forget about it, because the 3D daikon art is something that you can actually make at home.

Apparently the Japanese people have had enough of the 3D latte art that they’ve decided to create its savoury counterpart: the 3D daikon art. Traditionally an essential ingredient in the Japanese ‘nabe’, or hot pot, the daikon, or Japanese radish, has recently been given a makeover in its appearance in the nabe. By grating the daikon and squeezing water out of it, Japanese home cooks have been able to mould the grated daikon into shapes of cat, elephant, polar bear or Ghibli characters of their preference, such as Totoro. If you wish, use soy sauce for colouring, or nori for eyes and whiskers.

Yes, we know it’s still just daikon. But surely it doesn’t hurt to make the dining experience that bit more visually appetising?