Showing posts sorted by relevance for query kit]. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query kit]. Sort by date Show all posts

Monday, 8 March 2010

Kit Kats, Kitto Katsu, You'll pass for sure

Japan has a myriad of varieties of Kit Kats. Not only the regular milk chocolate kit kats, but also green tea, black tea, strawberry, orange, raspberry passionfruit, chestnut, ginger ale, mocha, creme caramel, coffee, mixed vegetable.  Regular kit kat are always available. Some like green tea and mocha are available from time to time but at upredictable intervals; some appear seasonally like chestnut in autumn others  like mixed vegies come and go, never to be seen again (and perhaps that's not such a bad thing...).

Usually only a couple of special varieties are available at any one time, and there's always the anticipation of what flavour can they think of next... kind of like Willy Wonka.... I was in Shinjuku on Friday and came across a tantalising collection that'd I'd not seen before: kinako (soy bean flour - often used with Japanese sweets). sweet potato, soy sauce, and WASABI!!  It's kit kat season! The post office even had cherry blossom kit kats ready packaged for sending on their counter.

A nation fascinated by chocolate, novelty and seasons?

Yes on all counts, though chocolate would be last on the list.  More than that,  is a country captivated by word play and auspicious signs.  The novelty value of Kit Kats is greatly assisted by its auspicious name.  Kit Kats  in Japanese sounds like Kitto Katsu.  "You'll win / pass / succeed for sure! "  Giving a Kit Kat at exam time is akin to a giving a good luck charm.  
Late Feb - March is exam season;  in April the new school year begins and in Japanese imagery there is a strong association with the new school year and cherry blossoms.  Sakura  saku - cherry blossoms bloom, is a euphemistic way to express passing. Sakura ochiru... is the opposite... cherry blossoms falling = failing.
There are all sorts of words with positive and negative connotations for exam seasons which marketers try to capitalise on e.g.  - katsudon (deep fried pork on rice  - katsu = win) and  ka-ru (curl), a snack made by Meiji a bit like cheezels markets itself as ukaru (to pass).   (see picture)
Words like ochiru (fall), suberu (slip)  are considered by many to be a jinx and should be totally avoided in the presence of someone doing exams!                                                                                                                                                             



 
                                Ginger Ale

                                     Strawberry

                    Green tea cherry blossom

Milk coffee
(kitto sakura saku yo  - you'll definitely pass is the message written over the cherry blossom on the LHS)

Salted caramel kitkat balls


Kobe Pudding flavour - creme caramel

                                  Wasabi

                Sweet potato (satsuma imo)

                                  Kinako


                                    Soy sauce   .........


I am waiting for dried bonito fish flakes ones to appear now.......

Saturday, 21 March 2015

Easter - ii starto


It's long puzzled me why ever seasonally attuned Japan, which has so readily taken up Christmas, Halloween and Valentine's day, has never got onto the Easter bandwagon.  I assumed that Easter is a bit too complex...  Mixed metaphors with Easter rabbits laying eggs...
Nestle has emerged this year with a stroke of genius Japanese word play.
Kit Kats have established themselves in Japan as a good luck gift. "Kitto Katsu" sounds like the Japanese for "You'll pass / win for sure!"  And Kit Kats get given for good luck wishes.
This year they've excelled themselves with Easter kit-kats. "Ea-su-ta  ii su-ta-to."
Easter - ii start. ii = good.
So as the new academic year starts across Japan and Easter is a fortnight away so ... wishing you all Happy Easter and a good start to new things.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Monday, 8 September 2014

Up in Akita: Hanaoka, Yuze Gorge, Goshogake


The summer in Akita was rather sedately spent. I did go somewhere new a short walk along Yuze Gorge but for the most part we went to places I know reasonably well.  Lots of grave visiting... 3 graves in Odate and 4 in Kita Akita city.  It takes up the best part of a day. Other than that we took Hiro's nieces to Hanaoka to the Peace museum - it seemed apt considering the end of the war anniversary.  We also took Hiro's aunt from Tochigi to Goshogake and Yuze.
Next year Dakigaeri Gorge, which I haven't been to, and Kosaka, which I haven't been to for years are on my to do list.

Yaki-kit kats - kit kats designed to be cooked!
It followed the great yaki-niku cook off.
Hiro, who has Japanese, Aus, and perhaps US meat grading
qualificications,  likes putting on a taste test to compare
various types of meat. I didn't take a picture of the meat...
zannen..

The Hanaoka Peace Memorial

A shrine near Yuze gorge

Hiro's aunt drinking water from the spring near the gorge

Beware Bears and Bees...
In this area, I'd take take a bear sign seriously.

The walking path marked with fireflies.

Walking to Hachimantai station -
a short and very easy walk

Yuze Gorge and the Yoneshiro River which
runs through Hiro's uncle's rice farm much further downstream
... stunningly beautiful, though there are a few houses around.

Goshogake.  We went last year as well, but I love it.
Hiro's aunt from Tochigi was up & hadn't been there for
decades.

Appreciating Goshogake



Thursday, 29 March 2012

Local train lines of Tohoku



 At the best of times it has been difficult to get information in English on the local trainlines in Tohoku, and probably to be fair for the whole of Japan.  There is a distinct preference for providing information on the well travelled, more frequent and more profitable Shinkansen lines.  Since the earthquake it has been much worse - which lines are open, which are not, which are going to be repaired, which are being written off.
In Itoku supermarket in Takanosu the other day they were having an exhibition of photos from trainlines in the north of Tohoku. There was a big map of the local lines which was instructive.
The blue on the map show private / non JR lines.
The red lines on the map show lines that have not been reconstructed.
The black lines are the JR lines.
The situation continues to improve. The Hachinohe line was re-opened between Hachinohe and Kuji on 17 March.   Kit Kat are now selling packets of Kit Kats promoting the Sanriku rail lines. JR is promoting the coast as a destination again.   There is much to be done still, particularly at the human level, but in terms of infrastructure, JR is doing very well.
The map below is quite helpful for planning a seishun 18 kippu.
There will probably be another post to follow.

Local trains of Tohoku - this will need to be opened in a new tab to get the writing big enough.

A clean copy without my scribblings...