*Oni are Japanese demons or ogres, often depicted with horns and carrying clubs. During Setsubun, a festival marking the transition from winter to spring (typically February 3, though the date can vary), oni are symbolically driven away through bean-throwing rituals, while shouting “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” (Demons out! Fortune in!) to ensure good luck for the coming year. Ooo, this is something! The oni who are normally kept at a distance with cries of “Demons out!”—here they are, lively with the brightest smiles, and their cheeks pressed together! The moment I saw it, I couldn’t help but wink back. The red of the red oni made of rice is colored with homemade pickled plum, and the blue (which can also mean green) of the blue oni with fragrant aonori (green nori flakes). What the oni are holding are teeny tiny ehomaki (a thick sushi roll eaten on Setsubun) carefully rolled with carrot, field mustard, hijiki and daikon radish. From their delighted expressions, you can almost hear their happy laughter. Mami-okusama shared that she created this treasure with the thought of making “a Setsubun bento that would lift spirits and bring joy.” And indeed, it does! The bento radiates a dazzling aura! The attention to detail can only be described as superhuman. The carrot horns with striped patterns meticulously depicted using nori. The red oni has a “blue” thunder drum made of daikon mochi, while the blue oni has a “red” thunder drum made of carrot mochi, each adorned with eye-catching, lovely heart picks. What’s more, the “lucky beans” (used to throw at oni) aren’t the usual roasted soybeans at all—they are steamed sweet potatoes rolled into a bean shape, one by one. And then these are placed in a super-tiny handmade “masu” (a traditional measuring box made of wood), this one made of parchment paper! From every perfected detail to Mami-okusama’s passion overflowing, I am simply left speechless with emotion. Regarding soybeans, Masaaki-sama gives us the following Sacred Word: “Soybeans contain a large amount of nitrogen (that is, protein), and place a heavy burden on the body and internal organs during digestion. For this reason, Japanese people have intuitively avoided eating unprocessed soybeans for a long time, instead consuming them in forms that have been aged for a prolonged period and easily absorbed by the body, such as soy sauce and miso. I believe Mami made these sweet potato beans for the “lucky bean” tradition so that the children wouldn’t eat whole soybeans.” Thank you, Masaaki-sama. These sweet potato beans themselves are Mami-okusama’s love for her children. We also learned that Mami-okusama carefully adjusts the salt concentrations in her side dish seasonings according to the ages of her children. As with the beans, I can’t help but think that her deep love that avoids burdening the children’s bodies is the secret to supreme deliciousness. Supporting this sense of joy that even dazzles the eyes is none other than the heart of the Japanese vegan diet: rice as the leading role. Not just the oni themselves, but underneath them too, is packed full of plump and tender 30% polished rice cooked in a clay pot. It is precisely because of this firm foundation that the world of love that Mami-okusama creates as if by magic radiates such strength and joy. Mami-okusama renders the diet of the world of Miroku—on which Masaaki-sama gives sacred guidance—through decorated bento made with the utmost sincerity. Mami-okusama, we are truly grateful to receive the contents of another precious bento. Let us draw nourishment from this bento of salvation and do our very best to follow her example! [Bento contents]• 30 percent polished rice cooked in a clay pot (250g)Part of the rice was spread on the bottom of the bento box. On the left is the red oni (pickled plum rice), on the right is the blue oni (green nori flakes rice). The oni are holding teeny tiny ehomaki rolled with carrot, field mustard, hijiki, and daikon radish. • Thunder drum designs (2 types)Red drum: Carrot mochi (salt-boiled carrot, kudzu starch, salt, black sesame)Blue drum: Daikon mochi (salt-boiled daikon, simmered daikon leaves (toza-ni style), hijiki, kudzu starch, salt, gold sesame) • “Lucky beans” made from steamed sweet potatoSteamed sweet potato mashed and rolled into bean shapes, placed in a mini-sized “masu” for holding lucky beans, made from parchment paper. • Other decorationsSalt-boiled carrot and nori were used to depict the oni’s horns, with nori and pickled plum creating their facial expressions. Salt-boiled field mustard, carrot, and daikon were also used while being mindful of the overall spatial design. So uplifting and joyful! Mami-okusama’s super cute vegan bento, No. 20Likes, saves and shares are most welcome! ✨ ***About Mami-okusama (Mami Okada)She was born in Aichi Prefecture and grew up in a farming household. She is also known as “Japan’s vegan beauty.” During her studies at University of Tsukuba, she became actively involved in volunteer activities such as refugee support. She was also repeatedly asked to participate in the “Miss Tsukuba” contest and was approached by many modeling agencies, but she declined all of these offers as she wanted to focus on refugee support activities. In recognition of her efforts in refugee support, she received the “University of Tsukuba President’s Award” in 2012. She holds a license to teach English to intermediate and high school students. After graduating from university, she began working for World Church of Messiah in 2013. In 2014, she married Masaaki Okada (Masaaki-sama), the great-grandson of the founder of World Church of Messiah, Mokichi Okada (Meishu-sama 1882-1955), and the representative and successor of Kyoshu-sama. Currently, while raising three children, she is single-mindedly walking the path of God, including working more energetically unlike anyone else on the Sacred Word of the founder, “In the world of Miroku, humanity will follow a vegan diet,” which was resurrected in our day by Masaaki-sama. She currently resides in Atami City.