The London Olympics are going on right now, and throughout Japan fans are watching the drama of the games unfold. Japanese fans are cheering on their favorite athletes while companies use the event to pitch hundreds of products, from Toyota cars to Nisshin cooking oil to famous sports drinks. Even a local restaurant is getting into the spirit, making a limited edition dish called a Lon-Don (“don” being short for donburi, meaning “rice bowl,” a rather silly pun) that consists of battered fish n’ chips served over steamed white rice with five onion rings on top. (Don’t tell the IOC, I don’t want to get them in trouble.) While Japan has only bagged two gold medals, far fewer than the U.S., China or even South Korea, the athletes are competing well and doing their best. This year there’s been some anger over problems with referrees making errors, causing fans to nickname the games the “Goshin-pics” (goshin means “mistaken judgment by a referee”) in frustration.
All Japan is excited about the Olympics.
