It’s funny how different senses can bring out different memories. With Easter approaching, my mother sent us a care package of Easter candy from the States, which I shared with the J-List staff. When Yasu smelled the jellybeans I gave him (they were the “spiced” kind) he said, “Wow, this is what shopping malls in America smell like.” Interesting, I’d never made this particular connection, but he might be right. Once I brought back some Mr. Bubble for my kids, and my son observed, “This smells like America.” One of the first things I did when I arrived in Japan was head to a Seven-Eleven, since that’s what Americans do, where I happened to buy a pack of gum called No Time, which brushes your teeth for you when you have no time to brush. Ever since then, I can’t chew this gum without becoming extremely natsukashii (nostalgic) about those bygone days.
