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While out shopping last week, I chance upon some interesting rice that was colored in red. I went home and googled it and found out that it was called “Sekihan” 赤飯, so for Today’s Japan Photo we shall take a look at this interesting Red Bean Rice.

This yummy shot of a Sekihan bento which was taken by flickr user Snowy****. Here’s a description taken off Wikipedia:

Red Bean Rice (赤飯) is a Japanese traditional dish. It is sticky rice steamed with azuki beans, which give a reddish color to the rice, hence its name.

Red Bean Rice is often served on special occasions throughout the year in Japan, for example, birthdays, weddings and some holidays, such as Shichi-Go-San. Red Bean Rice is so strongly connected with celebration that the phrase “Let’s have sekihan” has acquired the meaning “Let’s celebrate.” It is believed that Red Bean Rice is used for celebrations because of its red color, symbolic of happiness in Japan. In some areas, it is made when a young woman has her menarche, suggesting another source of the tradition.

It is usually eaten immediately after cooking but it may also be eaten at room temperature, such as in a celebratory bento (boxed lunch). Red Bean Rice is traditionally eaten with gomashio (a mixture of lightly toasted sesame and salt).