Things I Love About Japan

 Random cute things. Everything in Japan is cute. The mascots are cute. The food is cute. Hell, even the little road-side construction signs are cute little animals telling you to drive safely, so it makes sense that public benches are cute too. These are squid benches, which might not ordinarily be the cutest animal ever, but Japan sure tried its best. These guys are in the train station in Hachinohe, the city about 40 minutes away from where I live, and one of the many products they're known for is... ta-dah... squid!

Things I Love About Japan

Random scenes of beauty. That is all. I wish I had a better camera at the time to capture this, unfortunately the picture doesn't do it justice.

Things I Love About Japan

Beautiful, simple, delicious cakes. Most of the cakes here are usually quite ornate, actually, but they are all delicious. This one is a simple chocolate loaf, garnished with a strawberry and some whipped cream, with a chocolate sauce rose drawn on the side. I admit I go to little cake shops here in Japan a lot, probably more often than I should, and enjoy a variety of cakes and some tea in a wonderfully cozy setting. I think it's my inner Englishman coming out.

Things I Love About Japan

Baskin Robbins here are awesome. They call them '31' actually, probably because the '31 Flavors' is most prominent on the sign, and actually saying Baskin Robbins is some sort of cruel torture on Japanese tongues. Regardless, Japanese Baskin Robbins > American Baskin Robbins. Why? Do American Baskin Robbins make my ice cream cup into a little snowman during Christmas time? I didn't think so.

Things I Love About Japan

Parfaits! This particular concoction is chocolate ice cream, whipped cream, shaved chocolate, a pineapple slice, a melon slice, orange slices, and the little red tower thingy is sliced apples which were then fitted together to make the impressive display before you. Parfaits are quite popular here, and the variety of them is astounding. Ice cream and fresh fruit is always a win in my book, so you can be sure I won't stop eating these anytime soon.

Things I Love About Japan

Cute bunny-shaped sweets! The outside is made out of mochi, which is pressed rice. Inside is filled with anko, a sweet paste made from red beans. I'm rather fond of mochi sweets, but I can only eat one or two at a time at most. They are incredibly filling, but too delicious for me to quit trying to eat.

Things I Love About Japan

Everything is cute, even the ice cream....

Things I Love About Japan

Kamepan! Turtle bread! I found this bread in the big mall we go to a lot, and they were so cute! All the turtles had different faces. Unfortunately, this one looks like it's sad I'm about to eat it. >.>

Things I Love About Japan

This is a Devil May Cry 3 slot machine. I have never found a cooler slot machine anywhere, although granted I don't exactly spend all my free time evaluating them. If you are wondering... Yes, I did play it. Quite a few times. I lost all the $3 I fed it, but it was well worth it.


The part around the wheels is actually a TV screen, which shows cinema from the game while you play. It was pretty awesome, and as I love my Devil May Cry something fierce, you know I had to take a video of it... So here it is. Enjoy!

Things I Love About Japan

Dragon Quest Slime Soda Pop. Oh yes, it does exist. And it tastes much, much better than the Final Fantasy Elixers, in case you were curious. The orange one is kind of fruit punch flavored, and the other one tastes kind of like bubblegum. They were too sweet for Aaron's taste, but I liked them well-enough. Regardless, we now have awesome empty slime bottles, so they were totally worth the couple bucks they cost us.

Things I Love About Japan

I can find Totoro photo opportunities at random summer festivals. Viva la Totoro!

Things I Love About Japan

They make Panzer Dragoon statues here. I never even knew they made these. This is posted for all my die-hard Sega fan friends. ^-^

Things I Love About Japan

Everything is cute. I won one of these things in a UFO catcher, also known as a claw game. I present to you, my beloved audience, square-frog and Arupakyaanan (from Alpaca, it's the actual name the company gave him...). They are narcoleptic Alpacas..... In the little card attached to him, there's a 4 panel cartoon where him and his Alpaca friends wake up at 6am, eat breakfast, start cleaning, and suddenly fall asleep by about 7:30am. Square-frog does not have a back story. He does not need one, he is awesome without it.

I also acquired this guy during my time in Japan. His name is Sannopi, named after Sannohe Town, since their mascot is a cute little owl. The Mario Hat and the red scarf came separately. We dressed him up for Christmas, he seemed like he was cold with all the snow falling outside.

Things I Love About Japan

Totoro pan. It's bread, filled with chocolate, shaped like my favorite animal character from one of my favorite movies. It's delicious and adorable. Enough said. (My supervisor Yasuko gave these to me when I caught Swine Flu and was stuck at home for a week, because she's amazing like that. ^-^ )

Things I love about Japan

This thing is considered a valid musical instrument.

Things I love about Japan

The Japanese word for bread is 'pan'. So, that would make the above 'Pandapan'! Also pictured: 'Koalapan' and 'Kumapan'. Kuma = bear. :) Seen in a store in Shimoda.

Things I love about Japan

There are Colonel statues outside of the KFCs here.