As my adventure in Japan is coming to a close, I can't help but wish I could stay here just a little bit longer! The culture, the people, the places, the food; this place is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Since my last post I have tried a few more amazing street foods. In Ueno, I was lucky enough to catch a festival of Japanese and Filipino street foods. While there was so much to choose from, I ended up trying a delicious crab skewer. I was also able to visit a huge street market selling all kinds of crazy things, from raw fish to refrigerator magnets. This market was unlike anything I had seen before in Japan, so it was exciting for me to experience many of the cultural phenomena that Ueno had to offer.
Not surprisingly, I continue to find myself drawn to anything that has red bean paste in it. I just can’t get enough of that sweet and sticky treat! Sweet red bean buns could quite possibly be the food I’m going to miss the most when I get back to Canada. In Hakone, I had the opportunity to try a homemade sweet bean bun, hot out of the bamboo steamer. That’s not something you get to try everyday! It’s safe to say that one of the first things I’m going to do when I get back to Canada is learn how to make this delicious paste!
Speaking of red bean paste, I have noticed that the street food culture exists not only on the streets of Japan, but within popular attractions. I was able to visit the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka on Sunday, and noticed that there was a stand where you could but many popular street foods, including hot dogs, apple and milk ice cream, and of course, doughnuts filled with red bean paste and cream cheese. While the apple and milk ice cream was not my favourite treat, the doughnut filling was unbelievably delicious, and made me wonder why this hasn’t reached the Calgary Stampede yet! Another place where I noticed the culture of street food was inside of Tokyo Disney Sea. Although street food is something that can be found in every Disney Park around the world, the street food in Tokyo Disney Sea was much different from that of the Disneyland in California. There were many different popcorn flavours, including curry, black pepper, white chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel, and salted. As well, there were carts that sold grilled shrimp, ukiwah buns (buns filled with shrimp), and chicken curry with rice and naan, to name a few. I will be making my way to Tokyo Disneyland tomorrow, and I can’t wait to try the amazing street foods that it has to offer!
If there is one thing I know for sure, it’s that I most definitely want to come back to Japan in the future. I can’t wait to bring my new found inspiration from Japanese cuisine back into my own kitchen at home!
Until next time!
Francesca
Comments
Post a Comment