By the way “shirasu” (sardine fry) and “shirako” (soft roe) are kind of like heteronyms（異音異議語） in that they share the same kanji (白子) but have different pronunciation and meaning.

しらす：カタクチイワシ・マイワシなどの稚魚。色は白く透明。食用。whitebait, sardine fry (fry as in young)

しらこ：魚の精巣。表面が滑らかで白色。食用となる。soft roe, the ripe testes of a male fish, especially when used as food.

Source: Concise Oxford English Dictionary and Daijirin (大辞林　第二版)

P.S. My wife really enjoys your bento pics. Any chance of passing along the recipe for that yummy-looking “furikake” adorning the gohan? It looks homemade.

Thanks for the kind words and info, Andy. Yes, the furikake (rice seasoning) is excellent, but I’m afraid that I can’t divulge the recipe, even to semi-anonymous single-named frequent commenters. It’s from a secret family recipe that has been in the family (Fumie’s side, obviously) for some 200 years, and in making it she works with master crasftsmen in the “jusco” branch of furikake culture. If you have a daughter and she ends up marrying Anthony, well, then you’d be part of the family….. —Jeffrey