Favorite Things - sukimono (好き物）

Hopefully like my Engrish section, this will be an ongoing thing. I realize that once I leave Japan. There will be a lot of things that I will miss. So I want to document them visually so I can reminisce about them later. Also the Mary Poppins song "These are some of my favorite things..." got suck in my head so I thought it would be a good idea to add this section to my blog. Starting with the first five...in no particular order. These are the simple things in Japan that make me happy.

Number 1: Curry Udon (カーレウドン）

Curry Udon was a surprise to me. The lady just cooked udon, put some soup, and then some curry in it. It looks gross but is actually quite tasty. For some reason I can't finish things like Katsudon or Donburi. Its too much rice for me but noodles like Ramen, Soba, and Udon I can finish. For a while I was eating plain udon but in line with a friend I decided to try something new. Now i'm happy that I did. Oishikatta! By the way, the dessert on the right is also addictive. It is a cream puff donut that is filled with whipped cream and bananas. This is Kansai Gaidai cafe food by the way. It costs around $4.00 for the entire meal.

Number 2: Bandai Anizo Charms (アニゾ）

Once I got a phone, I realized how sad and unadorned it was. So I decided to find some cute charm to go with it. While I was in a shopping mall, I was looking at the vending machines. I saw this (look at picture above) and thought this looked very cute. When I showed Japanese people my charms they made funny faces at me and started to smile. Apparently, these charms I are like Happy Bunny. They look cute but say horribly mean things. The photo could not get the kanji or the face right. On the left the figure has two faces (evil and happy one) and the kanji in the front is kakushinhan (確信犯）which means something along the lines of "I didn't do it." The purple one has one face but it is fading away fast because of abuse. The kanji on the front says kitaihazure (期待はずれ） and in one word it means disappointment. On the back it has a printed note that says "anata ni wa gakkari desu" which translate to "you let me down." Don't know why but these make me smile. Since my kanji conprehension is terrible I will always forget how mean the words are.

Number 3: Panda Cookies(さくさくぱんだ）

Everyday in Kansai Gaidai, I always like to try new snacks to munch on. On this particular day I was craving chocolate cookies and once I saw this I could not pass this up. Too cute for words. If anyone is curious the box reads in big letters "saku saku panda." It just means "crunchy panda." My only complaint was that there were only so few cookies.

Number 4: Sweet Potato Snacks (いもけんぽ）


I had this at least twice but I know that if I was given an industrial size of this I would sit there and eat it all day. Its called imokenpo (芋けんぽ.）It is sweet potato chips glazed in something sweet. It tastes like McDonalds french fries dipped in honey. Its is a combination of sour and sweet plus its crunchy. I really liked this flavor it as a child. I'm trying not to eat this too much or else I will rot my teeth.


Number 5: Aloe Flavored Yogurt (アロエ　ヨーグルト)


I don't think I will ever get tired from eating this. Aloe yogurt has one of the most refreshing and calming tastes I have ever had. Truely one of the things that I will miss the most from Japan and from the continent of Asia. My okaasan gave me this for breaksfast and now I am addicted.