09.10.2009
2nd Monday of October – Sport Day (Taiiku-no hi)

National Sport Day was introduced in Japan in 1966 in honor of the XVIII Summer Olympic Games that had taken place two years before in Tokyo. The main goal of the holiday is to enforce sport spirit of the country. On this day different events aimed at raising people's interest in physical training and sport are held with the help of authorities and private companies. For example, in some cities one can use some state and municipal sport facilities for free, which is not the case on ordinary days. In all schools sport competitions in which students, their parents and teachers take part, are held. The most popular ones are relay race and tag-of-war.
As the Japanese most often spend this day outside the main food for them is different dishes for picnics such as onigiri, karaage, takoshan uinna, ebifurai etc.

MISO ONIGIRI
Ingredients (for 2-3 balls):
Miso- 1,5 tbsp
Sugar - 1,5-2 tbsp
Sake- 1 tbsp
Cooked onigiri - 2-3 items
Ooba - 4-6 leaves

Preparation:
1. Mix miso, sugar and sake. You should add sugar to your taste.
2. Cook onigiri in advance. One of the means of onigiri preparation is here. Make metal grill red-hot then make fire smaller and put onigiri on the grill. Fry onigiri from one side then accurately turn them and fry from another side.
3. Put the mixture of miso, sake and sugar on rice balls and slightly fry once more.
4. Before turn onigiri to another side, put a large ooba leaf on it. Fry balls from another side the same way.
5. During fry-up ooba leaf becomes soft. Its smell mixes with miso smell and whets the appetite.
6. Serve miso onigiri with green tea.

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