Crepes
Crepes are very common in Japan. It is just one of those sweet desserts that just became popular. There is little difference between a French crepe and a Japanese one. The best thing about the crepe is the accessibility to it. There were so many stands, small shops and restaurants that had this dessert. My friends and I were coming out of a game center when we noticed the long line for the crepe stand was gone and decided to get a crepe before the rush of people would see what we saw. As soon as we lined up more followed and the line was long again. The price of the crepe is reasonable ranging from 400 yen and up. There are also savory crepes available, but I’m a sweet tooth kind of person.
Mosquito Bite Medicine
There are somethings you do not expect to have or get while going to Japan. For me it was mosquito bites. Yes Japan is an island and it is to be expected, but come on it was going into fall season and I thought those little suckers would be dead by then. Anyways after practice I was heading back to school to meet up with friends until I felt an itch on my arm. That is when I noticed mosquito bites on my arms. When I met up with my friends I asked them if there is medicine for mosquito bites (蚊に刺された, ka ni sasareta) at the convenience store or something. They took me to the pharmacy and showed me the section for bug bites and what not. I chose the Pikachu character one as a reference to my childhood and as I applied the medicine I did say “Pikachu attack.” The medicine worked well for me by the way. My advice is to be aware of humid and warm weather because the mosquitoes will be around so bring some repellent, ointment, or any other remedy that will help.
Japanese Traditional Archery (弓道, Kyudo)
Kyudo is Japanese traditional archery that uses a simple long bow. Kyudo is meant to be a type of zen meditation with strict forms. It is said that if you master the forms then you will hit your desired target. The gear that you have are a bow (yumi), arrows (ya), glove (yugake) and chest guard (muneate) for women. There are 8 forms (Hassetsu) to master in Kyudo. First is placing you footing (Ashibumi), forming your body (Dozukuri), readying the bow (Yumagae), raising the bow (Uchiokoshi), drawing the bow (Hikiwake), full draw of the bow (kai), the release (Hanare) and keeping the release position as you come back from a concentrated state (Zanshin). The standard uniform consists of short sleeve keiko-gi, belt (obi), skirt like divided trousers (hakama) and split toed socks (tabi). Kyudo is a great way to meditate and practice shooting arrows.
Powdered Green Tea (Matcha 抹茶)
Powdered green tea or matcha (抹茶) is used in traditional tea ceremonies. It is also a type of flavoring for a variety of products. Even though the matcha flavor type is sweeter than the one used in a traditional setting. This tea is offered in some places, but you have a better chance of finding it in Kyoto. There you can try it without going through the whole ceremony. Powdered green tea is very bitter, which is why they serve it with a sweet snack to counter it. The tea is to be drunk when it is at room temperature and the snack consumed shortly after. When I drank this tea it had a strong after taste and the sweet really helped with making it go away.
Kiritanpo, Akita
Kiritanpo is a specialty of the Akita Prefecture. It is made up of mashed fresh rice that was formed on Japanese cedar skewers then toasted in front of a fireplace. In the picture it is on the left side of the dish. Kiritanpo is usually served in a soup based meal like nabe. When I was visiting a friend she asked what we wanted to eat prior to arrival through line. I told her anything is fine as long as it isn’t spicy. She asked if I had ever eaten kiritanpo and I said no. Next thing I know we are having it for dinner. I didn’t know what it was and she just told me that it is a specialty of Akita. When I ate the kiritanpo it was delicious and then she told me what it was made out of. If you are ever in the Akita area be sure to try this out because it is better to eat it there than anywhere else.