Oh! Those Japanese....

guido · Site Admin Joined: Oct 18, 2004 Posts: 377 Location: Italy

It's every child's dream: you find yourself in an abandoned sweet shop and can finally wolf down as many lollipops and marshmallows as you please.

Tokyo's all-you-can-eat "dagashi" or "cheap candy" bars make that childhood fantasy come true, giving stressed-out Japanese a chance to relive the good old days when their biggest problem was deciding between fizzy sticks and sour plums.

The dagashi bar in Tokyo's trendy Ebisu neighborhood is styled like an old corner shop with dark wooden walls lined with glass jars full of Japanese childhood favorites like chewy soybean candy and pickled squid on a stick.

Faded posters, a black-and-white TV and a menu that also offers pasta with ketchup evoke that special 1960s "natsukashii" or nostalgic feeling.

"This is good old Japan, something I haven't even seen myself because we've passed that era," said 24-year-old Natsuko Kohashi, a consultant, as she sat with a glass of beer and a basket of sugary goodies.

"People dream about this peaceful time, 20 years after the war, when things were kind of slow but people had hope," she said. "The economy started to recover and everyone got richer, but it wasn't as aggressive as the bubble economy."
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In vino veritas!

Kate · Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 5:57 am Post subject:

Pickled squid...ewwwwwwww, that's not my idea of a sweet treat.... Rolling Eyes

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A closed mouth gathers no feet.

paulamathers · Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 1:34 pm Post subject:

i work for a Japanese company, and every so often my boss has to go over on business. Last year he brought me back a Japanese "sweet", it was a packet of dried tiny little fish! They were awful! Apparently the Japanese love them and they're considered a delicasy! I think i'll stick to more normal things thanks Smile