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theex-otaku · 7 years

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Urban Exploring? Haikyo?

There’s something called Urban Exploration that seems to have taken off in popularity. No, it’s not the same as Urban Camping (a euphemism to refer to the homeless), Urbex involves traversing into abandoned buildings and other similar precarious places. Youtube has been a great help in creating a wonder behind this hobby. And I’m quite taken by it. Tokyo is just a cluster of buildings. Although…

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#Haikyo #Rooftopping #Tokyo #Urban Exploring #Urbex

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theex-otaku · 7 years

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My Bike Got Towed (And I Paid $20 To Get It Back)

The other day I was in a rush to run to the embassy, which was a good hour away by train. And so, like any other day, I biked to the station and left my bicycle leaning against the outer wall of the building just like dozens of other people on almost any given day. I didn’t think much of it. I didn’t think much of why people placed their bikes there in the first place. Follow the heard because it…

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#Bikes #Japan #Life #Tokyo

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theex-otaku · 7 years

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I Went to Korea

Before beginning, I’d like to apologize for the lack of pictures. I wasn’t exactly planning on writing this article, but I just couldn’t help myself. Some pictures included come from fellow MEXT student Marcelo Sarmiento Diaz. Special thanks to him for giving me permission to use them. I’ve had Seoul on my list of destinations to visit for a few years now. Out of the larger Asian countries, Korea…

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#Hongdae #Korea #Life #Seoul #Travel

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theex-otaku · 7 years

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I'm Back (And Wow Has It Been Fun)

I’m Back (And Wow Has It Been Fun)

Four months. It’s been four months since my last post, and I sincerely apologize for my impromptu hiatus. But please don’t think that I was lazing about, skimping out on time that should have been used for a flow of writing. No, the last four months have been an absolutely awesome period of change and self-discovery. Ask high school me if he thought he’d ever be able to experience this. He’d be…

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theex-otaku · 7 years

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Finally Being Behind the Wheel (Recap Diary #3)

Watch an American movie about teens and you’re bound to see the rite of driving. It’s a coming-of-age event that generally happens during the third or fourth year of high school (16-17 respectively; the legal age to drive starts at age 16). I never cared about driving, nor wanted to drive, while I was in high school. It wasn’t that I felt that it was an unnecessary skill, far from that. In the…

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#Driving #Life #Tokyo #Tokyo Trains #Travel

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theex-otaku · 7 years

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Blogger Recognition Award + 15 Awesome Blogs

My Substitute Trophy Just Because it’s Gold :3 Wow, it hasn’t been long since I’ve started my blog but I’ve already got a readership. To all you that have visited and/or followed, it’s not much but thanks! There’s been a Blogger’s Recognition Reward circulating and I’ve been nominated by The Six Foot Bonsai. Thank you so much for having an interest in my blog, and going so far as to think it’s…

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theex-otaku · 7 years

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MEXT: Study in Japan

I’m sure a lot of people have thought about studying abroad, but even before the anxiety of living in a new environment kicks in, we start by thinking about the cost. Let’s face it, an airline ticket is an expense many of us second-guess; we’re always searching for discounted red-eye flight or trying to book months in advance hoping that it’ll knock down that price tag by some significant…

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theex-otaku · 7 years

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"Go to Japan!" ordered the government (Recap Diary #2)

“Go to Japan!” ordered the government (Recap Diary #2)

The 17th marked an important milestone. Then again, “milestone” is probably the best way to put it. I’d personally call it “yaaaaaassssss”. For you see, the 17th marked the day of formalities before I officially became accepted into the MEXT undergraduate program. MEXT Undergraduate Program: 4 years of university with 1 year of language preparatory course paid for (in full) by the Monbugakusho of…

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theex-otaku · 7 years

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Back Home (Recap Diary #1)

Sorry about the delay in updates, I’ve recently returned back to America for a bit to visit the parents and renew my Japanese visa. Actually, I flew back on the 8th (the trash post was done from the airport, bless the free wifi). It’s been awfully hectic here with me trying to squeeze as much fun out of the limited time. Part of “job” here is to entertain the family, even my grandmother flew in…

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#Life #Relax #Tokyo Trains #Travel

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theex-otaku · 7 years

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Sodai Gomi: Please take away my bed

Nobody quite does trash like the Japanese do. Attribute it to their cleanliness or their lack of landfill real-estate, there’s a meticulous system that every Japanese person has ingrained into them from childhood. A foreigner will always find it a chore to remember all the rules. On an everyday basis, you get used to it. You get used to washing out milk cartons, laying them out to dry, and…

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theex-otaku · 7 years

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I absolutely adore sweets. Pastries, candies, cakes, you name it. If it’s sugar-packed and cutely crafted then I’m eating it, no exceptions, so maybe that’s the actual reason I came to Japan. I don’t know… I haven’t noticed.

Looking for snacks is one of the main reasons I browse convenience stores. Tonight was no exception. A trip to the local Lawson (30 seconds away, huzzah!) usually ends with a less than spectacular chocolate crepe or custard filled choe a la creme, but what awaited my late night hunger today was none other than a limited edition Hokkaido Sweet Potato.

“You’re such an old soul Mr. Ex-Otaku.” Yeah well, when in Rome do as the Romans do; since I’m in Japan I might as well indulge in some traditional Asian treats. Even if it is just from the local convenience store.

But don’t look down on these establishments. They might be small but they have exclusives that even high end shopping centers can’t stock. Such as this 窯焼きポテト（kamayakipotato) {Sweet potato roasted in an old style furnace}. Isn’t that a mouthful?

I must say, it wasn’t the type of dessert that caught my attention. It was the packaging. For starters, the wrapping is in the design of a newspaper article. The parts circled in red are specifically about the company of this product. Click the pictures for full view and captions.

Red encircles the specific articles.

Hokkaido Dosanko Newspaper

It appears that the date was April, 3 2010

The full wrapping laid out

Now that’s what I call effective advertising.

Inside is a succulent looking loaf of sweet potato. Nothing particularly interesting, but the texture kept me mesmerized. This isn’t fresh, it’s prepackaged with preservatives. Yet, it didn’t give off that icky sensation that some foods do (I’m looking at you Chef BoyArdee, but I love ravioli either way).

The plastic was surprisingly hard to open.

Texture is a large component of taste after all.

Just like ripping into a real sweet potato.

The inner filling hits you first. I’m sure it’s a condensed form of sweet potato extract, but it comes across as yellow custard, although slightly more viscous. In other words, sweet, smooth syrup cover the taste buds while the rough skin of the dessert massages it in.

And then you start chewing.

It honestly feels like eating a roasted sweet potato that’s been set out to chill. The outer layer resists with a bouncy sensation that gives into that creamy center. There’s a sheet of real sweet potato skin on the bottom (when I realized, more than half was gone robbing me of a photo) that basically melts in your mouth.

Its not overly sweet; its what you would expect from a Japanese dessert. Balanced taste that leaves you craving for more. However, I regret not coupling it with tea.

I do have to say that it lacks a strong sweet potato flavor. It might be sweet, but if it wasn’t for the texture I couldn’t be sure if it was actually a sweet potato. There’s 焼き芋 (yakiimo) ice cream that does surpasses this, and that only costs about a dollar. This specialty holds a price tag of 540 円 or 5 USD. Talk about branding.

This price hike isn’t uncommon in Japan. Just like how America goes fanatic over the idea of Napa valley wine, Japanese go crazy over anything made in Hokkaido. I call it the Hokkaido phenomenon, which we’ll revisit in another article.

Until then, enjoy your sweets. They’re healthier than smoking. Or cocaine.

Hokkaido Special: Roasted Sweet Potato I absolutely adore sweets. Pastries, candies, cakes, you name it. If it's sugar-packed and cutely crafted then I'm eating it, no exceptions, so maybe that's the actual reason I came to Japan.

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theex-otaku · 7 years

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Tokyo's Night Scene

Tokyo’s Night Scene

Let’s step away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo’s nightlife for a second. As fun as late night drinking is, you can’t always be downing liquid courage. Sometimes you just need a breather. Instead of Tokyo’s nightlife, we’re going to take at look at the Night Scene. (more…)

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theex-otaku · 7 years

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The Trouble of Order

Japan is organized. It’s hard to argue with that viewpoint, and it’s obvious why. If Japanese culture wasn’t based on systematization how could the country possibly crank out the likes of World Order? The beauty of top MMA fighters in business suits. And yet, I think Japan feels more like organized chaos. (more…)

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