WIT Life #32: Hisashiburi Hello

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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03).  Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations. I have been on a bit of a hiatus as I was traveling around Japan for the last 2 weeks!  It's always great to go back and experience what a wonderful, crazy, beautiful, amazing country it is.  This trip was particularly special as I had the chance to visit my JET hometown of Kumamoto where the sakura were in full bloom! The ones in Tokyo were just starting to bud, but I unfortunately wasn't able to see them in all their grandeur.  I was, however, able to complete my 3rd Tokyo Marathon, a large-scale event that rivals the New York one in size and genkiness! One of my favorite things to do in Japan is to wander the aisles of various conbini in search of new and seasonal products.  I found some interesting Kit Kats, some of which I taste-tested and others which I let myself remain curious about. The picture on the left is of the ones I ended up purchasing.  On the top are the kisetsu gentai (limited edition) yuzu-flavored Kit Kats, followed by jasmine tea and green tea flavors.

The yuzu ones packed less of a citrusy punch than I was hoping for, but they were decent.  I found the stronger taste of the maccha kind better than the subtler jasmine.On the top right are the green tea Kit Kats (a steal at 150 yen) and on the bottom are shoyu (yes, soy sauce!) Kit Kats which are apparently sold only in Tokyo (at 800 yen per box).  I'm pretty much willing to try anything, but those were a little too scary for me to sample. Speaking of scary samples, on my way home from Narita Airport I just couldn't resist snapping a shot of this recommended dish.  Gotta love Japanese English!