Sakura ebi/桜海老/Cherry Shrimps are the most famous seafood of Shizuoka Prefecture, a region already blessed with the richest bay in Japan, namely Suruga Bay/駿河湾.
Although we are not in season they are available frozen, good enough for a bento!
In season they become a real treat, cheap here but at steep prices elsewhere if fresh!
The Missus first steamed rice with finely cut ginger root and the cherry shrimps, and once cooked, mixed the whole lot with boiled edamame (green soy beans).
It certainly makes for great design, colors and balance.
It also gives an extra satisfactory “bite” to the rice!
The side box consisted of ingredients both from the land and the sea!
Those tubes are called “chikuwa/竹輪 in Japanese. They are made of fish paste first steamed then grilled around a stick.
They can be bought in any supermarket in Japan. If you cut them and push cheese or cucumber sticks inside them like the Missus did they for great design (and snacks, too!).
Chicken patties are called “tsukune/つくね in Japanese. They consist of minced chicken and spices (the Missus wouldn’t tell me!).
The Missus wrapped them in shiso leaves before pan-frying them for extra taste.
She added fresh shiso leaves, mini tomatoes and “himesoba/姫蕎麦/buckwheat sprouts for vitamins and fibers.
The dessert was blackberries from our balcony!
Very much a summer bento!
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SHIZUOKA GOURMET 
I think that shiso leaves are one of the most underestimated vegetable herbs, they are so versatile. May I suggest them for a future article?
We have loads growing on the riverbank opposite our house, you can have a bucketfull anytime!!
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I am impressed: you grow blackberries on your balcony???? And me, who boasted of chili peppers from mine… I feel totally defeated!
I think I will put the chicken patties+shiso leaves idea into practice this weekend. I have once tried making beef patties with a piece of nori, but nori burnt and they were raw inside… I think I should have wrapped them after frying or at the end… Has your wife put the shiso leaves at the beginning? If it’s not a secret of course!
(Looking at the bigger version of your photo I think there is some Indian curry powder inside…).
I have recently discovered edamame beans (they are sold here in Japanese shops frozen and not even expensive!). They are addictive. Unfortunately, I have never seen such cute shrimp anywhere, but… I have seen a frozen saury in my Japanese shop! I will never buy it, since a whole fish, frozen, is usually not very good, but it was funny to remember it from your blog.
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You are right, there was some curry powder! LOL
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