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Our days may be limited to indoor activities due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic; nevertheless, there are still a lot of things you can do at home: go on a virtual trip through Japan, read a good book about Tokyo, or even sign up for free online courses about Japan. But if you’re looking for something to keep your kids occupied, try this Japanese food-inspired colouring activity.
In collaboration with three illustrators, the Japan Anko Association has released seven kawaii colouring pages for you and your kids to enjoy. The sheets feature different anko-based desserts and other fanciful scenes, and are available for free download here. For those who aren’t familiar with Japanese snacks, anko is a sweet red bean paste that’s an essential ingredient in many traditional confectionery.
This super-cute image by illustrator Minatsuki shows a range of anko-based Japanese treats. There's the character Anko-chan hugging an ohagi (mochi rice ball wrapped in anko), crawling out of a dorayaki pancake, hiding inside a sakura mochi (rice cake with bean paste wrapped in a cherry leaf), and popping out of a monaka wafer.
Our favourite is this charming illustration depicting an anmitsu dessert, which is a bowl of fresh fruit topped with a scoop of anko, ice cream, small rice shiratama dumplings and cubes of jelly, all drenched in syrup.
More things to do at home
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