Summer is here!
I'm Suzume.
I'm a maid who serves at a mansion in the UK.
However...
Due to various circumstances, said mansion has collapsed.
EEK
Until it's repaired,
I'll be staying here in Japan for the next year!
Done!
What shall I have today?
Hello!
Oh, Suzume, you're here!
Grandpa!
I hope I'm not interrupting your work.
No, I just wrapped up a few things.
It got a little chaotic this time.
I had to finish a novel and two essays.
But now I get to spend time with my darling granddaughter.
All the hard work paid off.
Darling! Suzume's here!
I can hear you just fine, you know?
Anyway, it's rare for you to be up this time of day, Grandpa.
Well, today's a special occasion.
What special occasion?
He's been waiting for this.
BAM
Hooray!
I know what this is.
Oh? Have you had it before?
It's a tamatebako, isn't it?
From that scary folk tale...
"Urashima Taro."
Long, long ago, Urashima was...
When he opens it, smoke comes out and turns him into an elderly man!
Now you know the secret behind my aged appearance.
Just go ahead and open it.
Doesn't it look delicious?
It's all yours.
Eat up.
Thank you!
It's the midsummer Day of the Ox, or "ushi,"
so in that spirit, you eat foods that start with "U," like eel, or "unagi."
The midsummer Day of the Ox?
He's been so looking forward to it.
I can't miss a rare opportunity to have eel, now can I?
You said "unagi," right? So this is eel?
That's right.
I've had it every year myself since moving here.
How wonderful!
What a special day to be in Japan.
It's true.
The tender eel with that sweet-and-salty sauce...
The rich flavor also carries the aroma of charcoal-grilled eel.
Each grain of rice is just glistening!
Is it good, Suzume?
Yes!
Good. Well then, let's enjoy ours too.
Let's eat.
Hey, you can't have any.
Chyun!
DAYS THE SEASONS CHANGE
RISSHUN START OF SPRING
RIKKA START OF SUMMER
RISSHU START OF AUTUMN
RITTO START OF WINTER
Chyun! Chyun!
DOG DAY IN SPRING
OX DAY IN SUMMER
DRAGON DAY IN AUTUMN
SHEEP DAY IN WINTER
Midsummer Ox Day falls during the time leading up
to the changing of the seasons in Japan's old calendar!
DOG DAY IN SPRING
OX DAY IN SUMMER
DRAGON DAY IN AUTUMN
SHEEP DAY IN WINTER
For the summer season, that's about 18 days before Rikka!
DOG DAY IN SPRING
OX DAY IN SUMMER
DRAGON DAY IN AUTUMN
SHEEP DAY IN WINTER
In that time, the day assigned to the Ox zodiac sign
OX
is called midsummer Ox Day!
This system is known as the sexagenary cycle.
THE SEXAGENARY CYCLE
Chyun!
On Ox Day, you're supposed to eat foods starting with "U" for "ushi."
So in spring, you do "I" for "inu," the Dog.
In autumn, "Ta" for "tatsu," the Dragon.
And in winter, "Hi" for "hitsuji," the Sheep!
That was delicious!
Not one grain of rice left!
If every tamatebako is like this one, I'd accept them all.
I can't agree enough.
Well then, maybe it's time I reveal to you a secret of Urashima Taro.
A secret?
Urashima Taro didn't return home alone.
Princess Otohime went back with him, too.
An alternative version?!
Then they opened a tamatebako together and lived happily ever after.
So that means...
Grandma, are you Princess Otohime?!
What are you talking about?
There.
Okay.
All right! It's time to clean!
Spray, spray!
Cleaning the shower!
The bubbles smell refreshing!
Shiny and polished!
TOTALLY
SOAKED
Guess I'll do the laundry next.
I chopped the green onions!
Grandpa's recipe is coming along nicely.
I'm one step closer to becoming a stellar maid!
You can make this easily just by chopping a few things!
Next up is...
I don't think I took it out of the bag yet. There you are!
Japanese ginger!
The gradient's just lovely.
Do I peel this?
P E E L P E E L P E E L
P E E L
Peel, peel, peel.
There's not much you can actually eat!
Oh, so you can eat the skin?
That's right! Chyun!
Chop it finely... Carefully...
It smells so good.
Then I soak the slices in water!
Up next, oba!
It's fragrant even before I chop it!
Wait, I feel like there was a similar kind of leaf called shiso.
I wonder what the difference is.
The leaves of green shiso are sold as "oba."
There are various theories as to why,
but apparently it's because shiso mainly used to be sold as sprouts,
so the name "oba," or "big leaf," was used to distinguish the leaves.
Chyun!
It's easy to chop finely when rolled up like this.
Okay, that's all the chopping!
The final step is...
grating the ginger!
You look like a strong potato!
The part near the skin is packed with aromatic compounds,
so you can grate it after just rinsing it thoroughly.
And today's featured ingredient is...
OKAME TOFU
SILKEN
MADE FROM SELECT BEANS
100% DOMESTICALLY GROWN SOY
Tofu!
I didn't know whether to get silken or firm, so I just got them both.
FIRM
100% DOMESTICALLY GROWN SOY
This one's the silken tofu.
And this one's the firm.
Now the cold tofu is ready!
A double feature of silken and firm!
Thanks, Grandpa!
Let's eat!
This one with the corners is the firm tofu.
CHEW
CRUNCH
CHEW
CRUNCH
The firm tofu with crunchy garnishes is delightful!
It's so satisfying to eat!
And this softer one is the silken tofu...
Let's try it!
MELT
CRUNCH
MELT
CRUNCH
The silken tofu gently coats everything,
making it smooth and easy to swallow.
The scent of the garnishes perks me right up!
Using the knife was so worth it.
It's the perfect cold dish to have on a hot day like this!
Cold tofu is "hiya-yakko" in Japanese...
"Hiya" means cold, but "yakko"?
I'll look it up after I finish eating.
That was delicious!
THAT WAS DELICIOUS!
Chyun!
The "yakko" in the name comes from the yakko servants of samurai families.
One theory is that the dish is so named because yakko servants used to eat it,
and another says it's because it resembles a pattern they'd use in their clothing!
Time to... transform!
Maid-yakko!
MAID-YAKKO
S
Could it be that Grandpa
gave me the recipe to teach me about this wonderful maid outfit?
NOT AT ALL
Not at all...
I should consult Master about it!
Don't even think about it.
Suzume's idea was shot down by Ricotta-chan.
Chyun!
festival
Welcome! How about some yakisoba?
We serve huge portions!
Come try our yakisoba!
Komatsu-san!
Whoa! Is that you, Suzume-san?!
I didn't expect you to not recognize me when I'm standing right in front of you!
Me either...
I mean, sorry. I just assumed you'd be in your usual maid outfit.
The yukata suits you too, though.
It suits you too, Komatsu-san.
Who helped you put yours on?
My cousin helped me with mine.
I borrowed one from Grandma, and Rico— my friend helped me put it on!
Ta-da! Look at me!
It looks great on you.
Suzume, look over here!
Let me take a picture, quick!
Your friend didn't come with you?
No, she had something else to do.
Stare...
Is your friend foreign?
Huh? How did you... Is that you, Ricotta-chan?!
Let me introduce you to each other.
This is Ricotta-chan, my friend who serves at the mansion with me!
It's nice to meet you.
And this is Komatsu-san, my neighbor and friend!
Hello.
She said she'd made a friend, so I was planning to keep watch today...
But my plan's been spoiled!
Friends of friends have a pretty low chance of hitting it off...
What am I supposed to talk about?
Are they both getting nervous?
It's my job to do something about that!
You can count on me!
You think that's what that scene means too?!
Yeah, for sure.
If that's the case, the ending...
Yeah, exactly! It was so exciting!
Chyun! Let's get you up to speed.
Ricotta-chan reacted to something Komatsu-san was carrying...
NO WAY! THAT MERCH...
No way! That merch...
HUH? YOU KNOW THIS?
Huh? Do you know this?
Of course I do!
Then are you keeping up with the sequel?
Instant besties! There you go.
I'm not sure what they're talking about, but what a relief!
Let's have a watch party at my place next time.
You come too, Suzume-san.
Hooray!
There are just so many! There are stalls everywhere!
Something smells great!
There's still time before the Bon dance, so let's eat first.
It's going to be tough to choose.
Yakisoba! I want to have yakisoba!
Maybe I'll do the same.
But I want okonomiyaki too! Oh no!
Hold it right there!
There's three of us, right? Let's help each other out.
Does that mean...
W-W-W-Was it okay to buy this much?!
Today's the festival, so let's live it up.
It's fun to try a variety of things, isn't it?
I get to try so many different dishes at once...
Let's eat!
The rich flavor is so good!
Let me try that one!
SUZUME: "ME TOO!"
Make sure to savor it!
It's said the origin of Japanese festivals
comes from the myth of Amaterasu hiding in a cave.
In order to draw out their deity who'd holed up,
the people sang and danced.
Seriously, you can't beat the taste of this sauce.
It's wonderful.
It makes me want to have a drink.
That was delicious.
Hey, it's almost time.
Let's head to the Bon dance area.
Yes! Thank you so much for the food!
Let's look for dessert on the way.
Sure!
That's a great idea.
I'm wearing different footwear than usual...
And a different outfit too.
I feel like a totally different person.
Komatsu-san? Ricotta-chan?
Oh no...
R-Ricotta-chan!
Komatsu-san!
Tachibana-san?
So it is you.
Um, is something wrong?
It's probably easier to spot your friends from outside the crowd.
I'm sure they're looking for you too.
YOU THERE ALREADY?
BUMPED INTO A FRIEND, SO GO ON W/O ME
YES, SIR!
I'm sorry about this.
I let my friend know know what's up, so I can stay with you.
Your friends are wearing green and striped yukatas, right?
Yes.
Having a phone is actually helpful in a situation like this, huh?
I...
I was so happy I got to try on a yukata...
Yet I can't help feeling I should've worn my usual maid outfit.
That way, I would've been more mindful about following closely,
and they would've been able to find me right away.
Then...
Hey, hang on!
I mean...
I was able to spot you.
I recognized that it was you, Tachibana-san, without your maid outfit.
So, uh... Well...
Wait, am I saying something really embarrassing right now?
Oh, r-right! I got these!
Do you want to try some?
They're baby castella.
Chyun!
These are said to have originated in Hyogo Prefecture around Taisho 10.
I like to buy them at the beginning and eat them bit by bit...
I don't know if you'd like them, though.
Thank you very much.
What the heck am I doing?
It's good.
Tachibana...
Th-That startled me.
It's time for the Bon dance now.
Komatsu-san was saying we should go see the Bon dance.
So maybe...
Ricotta-chan!
I just heard Suzume's voice.
Look, there she is.
What?!
Ricotta-chan! Komatsu-san!
Suzume!
You had me worried sick!
Where have you been?!
I-I'm sorry.
When we realized we got separated...
Komatsu-san, Suzume's gone!
Seriously?
Well, she knows we're headed to the Bon dance area, so we should wait there...
Suzume! Suzume!
I've got snacks! Suzume!
Are you listening to me?
Where are you, Suzume?
Suzume!
Here.
So sweet...
She pretty much lost it.
But I'll keep that to myself.
Are you Suzume's friend?
Y-Yeah. I just bumped into her earlier...
I see. Thanks so much. You were helping her find us, right?
Yes, well...
Thank you very much for your help.
Of course. I'm glad you're all together now.
I've gotta get going too. See you later.
U-Um!
Thank you so much for spotting me.
Well, let's be off too, yeah?
Yes, let's go.
Yes!
Suzume-san!
These are blurry...
CANDY APPLES
I'll take a picture of you too, Ricotta-chan!
Do you know how to use a phone?
Sure I do. Here we go!
Suzume, is something wrong?
Ricotta-chan.
Yes?
What kind of tea would you like?
Let me help you.
Oh, and let's take some baby castella to Komatsu-san, too.
Are you sure?
I'd love to thank her for yesterday.
All right! Let's go!
Suzume, be careful. Don't trip.
I wonder if she's home.
She said she had work off until today, so I'm pretty sure she is.
When I hear cicadas singing, my morning walks feel lively!
I'm really craving something cool and refreshing.
It's about time I want shaved ice!