Yaki-Imo Have you ever eaten Yaki-Imo ? Yaki-Imo ( baked…

Japan Diary of Culture	mirai

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Posted by: mirai33 Original: 12/13/2006 9:12 PM Views: 298 Comments: 13 eProps: 10 Read Comments Post a Comment Back to Your Xanga Site

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2 eProps from: SakataMon FifthDream claytoniantomb rrtideman Kurenai_kaishin

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Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Yaki-Imo

Have you ever eaten Yaki-Imo ? Yaki-Imo ( baked sweet potato ) is one of the most popular winter snacks in Japan.

Sweet potato ( Satsuma-Imo ) is called Yam in the US, but I am not sure if US Yam is just the same as Japanese Satsuma-imo or not.

Since sweet potatoes were transffered via Okinawa from China in 1605, it has saved lots of people from suffering of their hunger, especially after the war. Now sweet potato is a key ingredient in variety of Shochu ( distilled spirits). Over 40% of sweet potato of Japan is produced in Kagoshima prefecture !

You can cook Yaki-Imo with an oven at home, but here are Yaki-imo men! They are selling Yaki-Imo with a small truck carrying burning wood. Their Yaki-Imo has a special name called Ishi-Yaki-Imo. Ishi means stone. They make a very distictive announcement. The potatoes are baked on hot pebbles and the fire.

It seems that the Yaki-Imo man thing is one of the quirkiest things for foreigners in Japan. In this modern society, the Yaki-Imo vendor seems to look quite backwards. When they drive around your place, you can hear weird announcement of theirs. " Yaki-imo~~~ Ishi-Yaki~~~~Imo~~~~, Yaki-imo~~~ " Can you hear it ?

When you want to buy it, just go out of your house and stop the truck by waving or calling him. I guess it is the same way you stop an ice cream man !

One more, digging sweet potatoes is a big and enjoyable event for Japanese children, which is called Imo-Hori.

You can do Imo-hori in this season here !

Posted 12/13/2006 9:12 PM - 298 Views - 10 eProps - 13 comments

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13 Comments

Those trucks are so noisy!!!! :(

I don't eat sweet potato so much....just potatoes!!

Posted 12/14/2006 10:13 AM by SakataMon

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I've always loved baked sweet potatoes. They're one of my favorite foods. I eat them all the time. When i visit Japan someday, one of the things i'll have to do is buy one from a vendor. I wish they had men selling baked sweet potatoes on the street here.

Posted 12/14/2006 12:25 PM by FifthDream - reply

Japan is noisy! There is even a commercial admitting it. 日本人はうるさい！

Posted 12/14/2006 3:54 PM by claytoniantomb - reply

lol ! Cho~funny! Japanese might think Americans are noisy. lol. Well, I should admit that Japan is noisy because of the sound of sweet potato men, bamboo pole men and election trucks ! They all are very noisy especially I am dozing off.

Sakatamon , please try eating sweet potatoes from Kagoshima, you will like it ! The ones from Tanegashima Island are devastatingly delicious. See~Fifthdream likes it.

Posted 12/14/2006 8:46 PM by mirai33 - reply

Americans are loud speakers, but we like our background noise quiet. In America, loud politicians may get arrested without special permits and things.

Posted 12/15/2006 12:03 AM by claytoniantomb - reply

Yeah~ I guessed so ! Americans like living in a quiet backgroud, don't they. What do you think about Japanese? Are they reserved or shy for you?

Posted 12/15/2006 12:56 AM by mirai33 - reply

Well it seems that Japanese are industrious in all respects. They always seem to find a way to get products to the consumer and alert the consumer to their presence. You cannot help but admire that.

Here the only thing that comes by is the ice cream van. They don't seem to be annoying to anyone. I find it to be a pleasant experience since it plays funny music. If I am outside I always wave at the driver and he waves back.

As far as mobile political loudspeakers, I don’t recall seeing any of those since I was a child (I am 50 now).

Actually I can think of nothing that would be more of an incentive to vote against someone than a loudspeaker rolling through the neighborhood at anytime spewing propaganda for any candidate or party. I would make sure that I showed up at the polling place to vote against them.

Here we like baked sweet potatoes with just a little butter.

Posted 12/15/2006 3:28 AM by rrtideman - reply

薩摩芋が嫌いだよ！

Posted 12/15/2006 4:37 AM by Kurenai_kaishin - reply

eee~ M‚¶‚ç‚ê‚È‚¢`@You dislike Satsuma imo ... kaishin.

rridemon, Thank you for your comment. I think you are right. I had not noticed that we were living in those kinds of sounds including political loudspeakers since some Americans pointed it out. I did not meet ice cream men when I went to America. I want to see them to see if they are like Japanese yaki-imo men when I go there next time!

Posted 12/15/2006 8:24 AM by mirai33 - reply

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Posted 12/16/2006 7:00 AM by Kurenai_kaishin - reply

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Posted 12/16/2006 7:04 AM by Kurenai_kaishin - reply

lol ! Definitely you do!

Posted 12/16/2006 10:45 AM by mirai33 - reply

At least those trucks and announcements aren't rude. Unlike some really loud and rude ethnocentric Americans. The firetrucks and loud speaking drunk Americans always kept me awake at night when I lived in San Francisco. I'd rather hear the sound of ice cream trucks anytime. How can anyone generalize an entire country as being noisy based on experiences in the big cities? I can't say that the USA is noisy just because of my experience in San Francisco. I say, If you don't want background noise, move back to the Ozarks.

Posted 11/20/2007 10:57 AM by cat - reply

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