It never fails: you’re just going along, minding your own business when suddenly Japan comes out of nowhere and surprises you with something weird. Maybe it’s hearing about the burglar suspected of more than 450 thefts who was apprehended when police followed the trail of the Hello Kitty sandals he wore when committing his crimes. Or attending your daughter’s Girl Scout campout and making “American” style s’mores (which are graham cracker sandwiches with chocolate and campfire-roasted marshmallows), but since Japan has no graham crackers they had substituted saltine crackers instead. Or zooming through the mountains of central Japan and finding scale replicas of the Statue of Liberty and the Sphinx (they were pachinko parlors). Products with names like CREAP (“creaming powder” for your coffee), or Crunky Ball Nude Chocolates, or the new Morinaga Hotcake Flavored Milk Beverage are also quite strange. The other day I went into a conbini (convenience store) and came face-to-face with a “Blueberry Whip Sand,” which is a sandwich consisting of blueberries and whipped cream. Naturally I had to pick one up — it was pretty good.
You never know when Japan will present you with something strange.
