A total of 12 special lessons will be held for fourth graders with the aim of helping them develop healthy bodies and rich minds and humanity. Rather than simply listening and memorizing, the content will be fun and educational through experience and fieldwork, including the Japanese food culture of "umami" and how to select ingredients.

The first class of the year was held on April 16, 2024. Over the next year, we will be learning about food through the five senses.

The first theme is "sense of smell."
First, the children were given a cup of vanilla beans, each with a lid covering the contents.
The children made small holes in the lid and used their sense of smell to smell the confections. "It's vanilla ice cream!" and "It tastes like cookies!" they exclaimed, delighted by the sweet aroma unique to vanilla beans.
At the same time, we also heard honest and open-minded opinions such as, "It smells like gasoline" and "It seems bitter."

The children seemed nervous at first as the atmosphere was different from usual classes, but from the very first lesson they were able to put into practice the most important aspect of food education - writing down what they felt in their own words.

The theme of the second session, held on April 22nd, was "sight, hearing, and touch."
This time we studied using bananas, crackers, and consomme soup.

Using unripe, blue-green bananas and the yellow bananas we are used to seeing, the children shared how they imagine their tastes based on their appearance, and the differences in the texture they feel in their hands and on their tongues.
The children looked worried at the blue-green bananas, saying, "They look bitter..." and their hunch was correct. As expected, the bananas were bitter and hard, but the children seemed to enjoy the new experience.

In the hearing experiment, the children focused on the sound of their friends eating crackers and distinguished the difference between the sound of the cracker being bitten and the sound of it being chewed.

Finally, we will taste consommé soup at different temperatures.
The children commented that the heated soup was "richer in flavor" and "more delicious!" than the room temperature soup, but in fact the flavor was the same.
I learned that the taste of food changes depending on the temperature.

The theme of the third event, held on May 13th, was "Rediscovering Taste."
This time, we studied using aqueous solutions that were seasoned with "salty," "sour," "bitter," and "sweet."

The four types of water provided are colorless, transparent, and odorless, and contain only small amounts of certain ingredients compared to the large amount of water, so it requires great concentration to distinguish them.
It is said that judgment can change depending on psychological states such as tension and physical condition, so the children closed their eyes while tasting the solution.
The children showed keen reactions to the salty and sour tastes, saying, "It's seawater!" and "It tastes like lemon water!", but when they saw the solution containing the unfamiliar "bittern," they frowned and said, "What's this?!"
Compared to adults who are accustomed to bitter tastes through the consumption of luxury items such as alcohol and coffee, children are more sensitive to bitter tastes than adults because their defense instinct is activated when they encounter bitterness.
At this time of year, when even subtle flavors can be fully appreciated, it is important to develop a good sense of taste.

The theme of the fourth session, held on June 6th, was "Things that interfere with your sense of taste."
This time, we will be experimenting using mineral water, carbonated water, and mixed juice.

Things that interfere with taste include stimuli from the food itself and external stimuli such as appearance and sound. First, they compared mineral water and carbonated water, and shared their impressions and the strength of the stimulation. This was the first time the children had tried pure carbonated water, not something with a flavor like cola. As soon as they took a sip, they looked displeased and exclaimed, "It's bitter!" and "It tingles!"

Next, we experienced interference from external stimuli (noise).
We shared the difference felt when tasting mixed juice while listening to noise through headphones, and when concentrating only on the taste without any distractions. When trying to guess which fruits were used in the mixed juice, the correct answer rate was higher when concentrating than when tasting while listening to noise, and we were able to experience the theme of "things that interfere with taste" firsthand.

The theme of the fifth session, held on July 8th, was "Table Manners."
We learned everything from basic etiquette such as not resting your elbows on the table while eating and not talking with your mouth full, to things to be careful of when eating at a buffet or a course meal.
I also learned that the greeting "Itadakimasu" is a phrase we use to express gratitude to the producers, the people who prepare our food, the people who deliver it to us, and above all, the lives they have given to us. At the same time, I was reminded of the gratitude I feel for being able to eat without any inconvenience.

In the practical session, participants practiced using chopsticks correctly by competing to pick up three white beans in a cup and transfer them to another cup. At the suggestion of Executive Chef Fukuda, a championship match was held, which created a lot of excitement.

The theme of the sixth event, held on September 9th, was "Japanese Food Culture: Umami."
The children seemed to enjoy themselves throughout the class, which was their first in about two months since the summer vacation ended.

This time, we will be welcoming Masayo Waki, a cooking researcher active in various media, to learn about Japanese food culture and umami.
"Umami" is the fifth basic taste after "sweet," "sour," "salty," and "bitter" in "washoku," a taste that has been registered as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. Since ancient times, the Japanese have been able to achieve a diet low in animal fats and oils by making good use of "umami," which, along with a meal style based on one soup and three side dishes, has helped to promote longevity and prevent obesity. To find out exactly what umami is, a taste that Japan is so proud of, we will actually taste some dashi soup.
The children were given three types of soup stock: kelp soup stock, and a combination of kelp and bonito flakes (with and without salt). The combination soup stock seasoned with salt was the most popular, with many saying it was the tastiest! However, the children enjoyed each of the "first soup stocks," which made the most of the flavors of the ingredients.

Finally, we sampled dried sardines, an ingredient packed with umami. The more you chew them, the more umami comes out, and the children adorable commented, "I want to eat it again as a snack!"

The theme of the seventh session, held on October 7th, was autumn sowing.
They spent about a month growing five kinds of vegetables - leaf lettuce, lettuce mix, mizuna, turnip, and arugula - and making them into salads in the cooking class in November. This time, they welcomed Kazuya Yui, representative of VEGRIA FARM, as their instructor, and learned how to sow and grow each seed, as well as their characteristics.

Placed in front of the children was potting soil that had been mixed with palm bark to promote air circulation and fertilizer. They touched the soil with their hands to check its condition, and carefully planted the seeds one by one.
One child was seen using a ruler to measure the size of the seeds, asking, "How big is the seed?" Other questions that the children asked enthusiastically included, "How long should I wait for the seeds to sprout?" and "What is the germination rate?"

The trick to watering is to water evenly so that puddles do not form. Also, suppress the urge to give lots of water to help the vegetables grow, and give the right amount of water according to the weather.
The key to their growth is to water them properly every day. The children listened to the explanation with serious expressions on their faces, knowing that they would be able to enjoy the delicious vegetables in the cooking class one month from now.

The eighth lesson, held on November 11th, was the long-awaited cooking class! The vegetable seeds planted in October have grown beautifully thanks to daily watering. There were some signs of insect bites, but this is also proof that the vegetables were grown without pesticides. The children enjoyed the taste of the vegetables they had worked so hard to grow by making them into a salad. The children carefully picked each one.

Once the harvest is over, it's time to start cooking. This time, in addition to making a salad using freshly harvested vegetables, we will also be making pork stew in cream.
First, Executive Chef Fukuda gave a demonstration, where the children learned the cooking process and developed an image of the finished product. Once the cooking began, the children were enthusiastic, encouraging each other as they worked in a friendly atmosphere. The creamed pork stew was flavored with the vanilla beans used in the first lesson, giving it a fragrant finish. The salad was simply seasoned to bring out the natural flavor of the vegetables.

When the children tasted the vegetables they had grown themselves, they exclaimed in amazement, "They're sweet!" and even children who are usually small eaters managed to finish them all.
Enjoying the vegetables that had been grown with so much love was a valuable experience that allowed us to once again feel grateful for food.