Inokashira Park Zoo, in the Tokyo area, is a really nice family-friendly zoo with a number of Japanese native species in it. We were especially excited to see tanuki (racoon-dog is the common English translation), the tiny local squirrels we had seen at a distance at the Daibutsu, and beautiful cranes and ducks.
We also learned about the leopard cat, which crossed over the ice to come to one of the islands, and the serow, an ungulate (think antelope) from northern Honshu. Both were super fuzzy and completely new to us!
If you get a chance, this zoo is worth a stop… and foreign passport holders get a discount on admission!
Monthly Archives: January 2015
An Omiyage from Kamakura
While reading about Kamakura, I learned that one of the favorite omiyage are a particular store’s rice crackers. I was interested, but didn’t believe the hype. (After all, it was a tourism magazine…) We went in and tried the samples – and I had to eat my hat. These were amazing!
I would have loved to buy out the store stock, but settled with three small bags. We chose the matcha, the mixed berry, and the tangerine. The three sweet ones we chose were all constructed in a similar manner, with a peanut in the center surrounded by crunchy airy rice cracker dipped in a flavored (yogurt?) coating and rolled in a powder of the same flavor.
The savory choices we tried at the store were completely different from the sweet options above and from other snacks I have had before (curry flavored toasted broad beans, for one). Overall, the Kamakura Mameya is really worth a stop. You should go with some room so you can try tasters!
Japanese Soft Serve
Today while visiting the Daibutsu (Giant Buddha) in Kamakura, Japan, we happened upon a shop that served some very interesting (and delicious) soft serve ice cream. One of our new favorite foods is the purple sweet potato and this shop had it as one of their flavors! Purple sweet potato, as an ice cream flavor, is much loved in the Kanagawa area. We knew we had to try it. We got it swirled with matcha green tea. It was a treat for the taste buds. We also tried a blue colored “soda” variety. It was sweet and reminiscient of cream soda. Chandra thought it tasted similar to bubble gum ice cream. I highly recommend any of these flavors if you visit this area of Japan.
Fugitive Pigeon: Update
The Fugitive Pigeon was sighted today. It was reportedly staking out an Omamori (amulet) shop near the Daibutsu (Great Buddha) in Kamakura, Japan. I hurried to the scene and was able to snap a photo of the pigeon. By the time I had alerted the authorities, it had escaped. The local shopkeeper said nothing was stolen, but I advised her to remain vigilant.
Candy Grapes!
Since it’s the New Year holiday here, there are street food vendors en masse near the larger temples. One of the tasty treats we tried was a candy covered grape. One person skewers a large grape, the other dips it into a vat of hot grape candy and sets it on a sheet of wax paper. It solidifies quickly; by the time you hand them your change and grab your grape, it is encased in a hard sugar shell. Japan does a much better job with artificial grape flavor than the US, and this is a treat you shouldn’t miss!
the mint tea drinkers society 