Category: kit kat

I was going to call this last post from Japan (well technically not posted from Japan, but I am writing it as I wait for my plane and I am posting it from home) something like “Sayonara Japan”, or “Japan I Miss You Already”. But Japan really is the place that keeps on giving… right until I am about to board a plane outta here.

But let me start this morning.

Catching a late flight is both great and strange. Great in that you actually have another day that you might not normally have. But it is also strange in that you are kind of in limbo for the day too. I checked out of my hostel and said goodbye to Taka and the crew. As I have mentioned, what the guest house lacked in facilities it more than made up for in the location and especially the folk who run it. I couldn’t have asked for more.

I didn’t want to shop today, since my bag was packed and all I would do would be to buy more records. So I decided to visit what I think was the last place on my list, the Imperial Palace and surrounding gardens. You can only get into the palace on like 2 days a year, and no I wasn’t that lucky. But I did spend a couple of hours wandering the lush gardens.

It is crazy to think that only a couple of train stops away is the craziness of Akihabara when you are surrounded by beautiful gardens.

There is not much to report except that the gardens were as good as you would expect any royal gardens to be. It was a nice way to spend my last day really.

So once I had done my wander, I headed back to Shinagawa one last time to pick up my stuff and head to Narita. Being the expert Tokyo train user, I just grabbed the local train rather than the express. It is funny to think how spellbinding the train system is when you arrive, and a week later it becomes second nature. Melbourne… it is shameful we can’t have a working train network or swipe card system when Tokyo must manage 20 times the people each day and my Suica card never missed a beat. Get your act together.

If you have been playing count during my blog (assuming you are still reading!) you may ask “hey Matt, isn’t your blog called Man versus Kit Kat? There hasn’t been that much Kit Kat talk?”. Well, you would be right. But it is not for trying. When arriving in each city I would go into every store that looked like they may sell a Kit Kat and checked. But I wasn’t really having any luck. Well my dear readers, things changed today.

Things turned this morning actually. I popped into a convenience store (none special, just a regular one I go into a bit) near Tokyo Station and OMG. There was a new Kit Kat. I am not 100% sure what it is but it looks like Cola or Lemonade or some kind of soft drink flavoured one. I haven’t eaten yet, but bought two. A nice piece of Tokyo for when I get home.

But a couple of paragraphs ago I was arriving in Narita? What gives? Well, I heard rumour about this, but it turned out to be true. It seems Narita Airport was the home of the Kit Kat. Well, not crazy amounts, but enough for me to spend probably 50 bucks on Kit Kats. What did I find?

WASABI.

Yep, my holy grail was there. In big 12 packs. Oh yeah. I almost cried.

There with it was the same 12 pack but some other flavours…

Soy Sauce (the old favourite)

Intense Roast Soy Bean (their words, not mine)

and Strawberry Cheesecake. So which did I buy? All of them of course. 48 mini Kit Kats in total. I couldn’t see them and not buy them.

They also had some singles of the Cherry Blossom Green Tea (the one I found in Kyoto) so picked up another one. They had some Green Tea too but I have eaten tonnes of those so gave them a miss. So it was something like 3500 yen in Kit Kats. Worth every yen.

So I wandered the airport shops, looking for any final presents, but nothing jumped out. So parked myself for a minute and decided to sample some Wasabi Kit Kat.

OMG.

It was wasabi, in Kit Kat form! It tastes EXACTLY like that sounds! So what did I do? I went and bought another 12 pack of course. I figure you folk at home will want to sample, plus I had a 1000 yen note in my wallet, so why not spend it? I am about to leave Japan loaded up with Kit Kats and 200 yen in change in my pocket. Perfect end to an awesome trip.

(I will post a recap episode or two over the next few days, stay tuned… thanks for reading!)

If you have been reading each entry (?!) you are probably getting a bit tired of all the talk of temples and shrines and monuments. Well, I am probably hitting my limit too. But that is OK, as today is my last day before I head to the megalopolis that is Tokyo.

It was pretty much a chill out and wander day today. As I said yesterday, Takayama is a sleepy mountain-side town, built for wandering the historic streets and mountain paths. So that is what I decided to do.

First was visiting the morning markets where locals sell mainly fruit and veg, but also some handicrafts. This was kinda cool, but nothing really jumped out at me saying “I’m awesome! Buy me for someone!”. So off it was into the woods.

There is quite a nice guided walk along the east and south of Takayama. The east side takes in some temples, shrines and graveyards at the foot of the mountains. As I indicated before, while the stroll was actually quite cool, I felt as if I had run the gamut of religious places, so I was probably doing more strolling than looking. Although that said, this temple stood out, I think because it actually looked like it might have been built in the last 100 years.

When I hit the south, I ended up wandering aimlessly (a nice way to say “kinda lost”) in some woods. I knew there were some castle ruins, shrines, torii, and parks in there, but things didn’t really look like they did on my map. Meh, it didn’t matter.

Also when you made turns like this, I was just happy to be out walking…

I ended up finding something that looked familiar and before I knew it I was back in old town. Well, if I’m here, I thought, why not try some more sake? So that I did.

This seemed to be an entrance to a fermenting house. It didn’t seem you could really get inside any breweries, but samples were fine with me.

It is worth pointing out another seemingly traditional Takayama thing to go along with the sake and woodcrafts. These faceless monkeys called Sarubobo are EVERYWHERE. You can choose a colour to represent good fortune for different things. Red is the norm but other colours bring other luck. There is also a Hello Kitty variant, but I am not sure what it brings except cuteness really.

The only other thing on my agenda if I had time was a visit to a nearby historical village called the Hida Folk village. This is a collection of restored houses from a century or two ago, but together to highlight how things were back in the 1800’s.

It was pretty nice for a wander. Although it was done for preservation of cultural artifacts, it also acts as a bit of a touristy destination as well. But like this morning, it was good for a wander for a couple of hours (I was aiming to soak up as much woods before hitting the city again).

So as I type this I am just chilling out in my hostel room. I have a nice big room to myself, which is nice for emptying the backpack out and realising I packed twice as much stuff as I needed (when I swore to myself I would pack hardly anything). It seems Takayama is not that popular with the tourists right about now, because this kinda large hostel is kinda empty. I have only bumped into a half dozen others, none of who seem up for that much (not that there is much to get up to after 6pm anyway). That is cool though as I imagine from tomorrow night in Tokyo that my pattern might move to late morning starts and late night finishes.

Oh, today did present another gem though…

Behold another Kit Kat mail pack, what I believe is Soybean powder or something like that. There is only 5 Kit Kat minis in these packs, but don’t worry fans… I am only eating one and bring the other 4 from the pack home.

So what was this like? My favourite so far. Rather than the kinda odd but not really flavours I have had, this was more like the Japanese Kit Kat I know and love. It is a close cousin of the soy sauce Kit Kat I reckon. A white coloured chocolate that was delicious. I just worry that as it is so warm here that my kit kats I am lugging around will get a bit warped. I may just have to eat them all…

Over half way through my trip now. 8 nights in Tokyo left. Bring it on.

This morning I said goodbye to my home of the last 6 days and jumped on the Shinkansen again, this time to Hiroshima. I decided to get a fairly early start since 2 days is all I have planned to see Hiroshima as well as nearby Miyajima Island.

Today’s weather was in stark contrast to yesterday. Whereas yesterday was all sunshine, today was all clouds and constant rain. Oh well. At least it was still warm. I arrived into Hiroshima Station and legged it to my hostel to be for the next 2 nights. A bit smaller than Kyoto, but charming nonetheless.

All I did however was dump the backpack and head off into Hiroshima. The location of the hostel was literally 2 minues walk from the main reason people come to Hiroshima… the Peace Park and its associated sights. The rain only seemed to add to the atmosphere.

A number of memorials exist to 6th August 1945. The cenotaph and its flame house the names of all those that have died due to the events of that day, both at the time and also long after due to the lingering effects.

But the most compelling memorial in the park is that dedicated to Sadako Saskai and the children who perised. Sadako passed away of lieukemia almost a decade after the bombing, however during her sickness she folded over 1000 paper cranes, blessing each one with a wish for peace. Knowing that, and seeing the thousands more cranes that are continually left in her memory is moving to say the least.

The A-Bomb Dome is the most visual reminder of the impact. The city refused the urge to tear down the remains of this building to leave it as a permanent reminder of the horrors of the day, but also an urge to not let it happen again.

But all of this doesn’t prepare you for the Peace Memorial Museum. The first level explains in great detail the events leading up to the day, both from the Japanese and the Allied perspecitves. But as you work your way up to the next level of the museum you are well and truly confronted with the real horror. I can’t say I was really ready.

Many photos show the impact of the day on not just the landscape but the people. But what kicks you in the guts are all the artifcats… burnt clothing, even some minor human remains. It is hard to say too much about it that can really indicate the sheer gravity of it all.

So it was time to get some fresh air again! Off it was to wander some more. In my wander just near the park I came across the hypercentre of the bomb… the exact location under where it detonated. Amazingly this is afforded just a small stone memorial, but it is still adorned with the paper cranes that permeate the park.

Heading around the main streets of Hiroshima, I came across the city castle. This was always going to be an odd one given that I assumed it would have been leveled in the blast (I was right). But in the essence of preserving history it was recreated. As such, while it is certainly pretty cool, it lacks the history (and scale of course) of something like Himeji.

Which brings me to the title of the blog. I was hungry. Damn hungry. And I knew that while in Hiroshima I had to sample the local version of Okonomyaki. What’s the difference? Well, here in Hiroshima they have a layer of noodles as a base. So in one of the side streets near the hostel I chanced upon a very small place that looked homely and inviting so in I went. And man was it inviting!

Seated at the grill I watched as my host cooked up a HUGE local-style okonomyaki. I have never seen so much cabbage, bean shoot, pork, onion and noodle packed together. And how was it? Well, I can’t understand why noodles aren’t the standard. It was great! It took all my eating prowess to get through it. Which is where things got funny. There were a handful of others in the restaurant/pub, including a couple of older guys I said hello to when I arrived. They seemed to have limited english but asked where I was from, so I told them and told them I was very happy to be here and I was having a great time.

As I got close to the end of my okonomyaki the hostess asked if I liked oysters. It seemed as though Hiroshima has a specialty for oysters too and the two gentlemen wanted to treat me to a sample. Who was I to say no? So I then proceeded to enjoy half a dozen lightly coated and grilled oysters with bacon (Hiroshima style too I believe), which my new friends would not share. They wouldn’t even accept a drink in return. So by the end of this meal, I was in a divine place. So very very full.

Bidding my host and new friends farewell, I arrive back at the hostel ready for some sleep. But not before I enjoy one of these…

Mmmmm… orange. Yep, it tasted as you would expect it did. Tangy, orangy goodness. This was in a special “mail it” pack. It seems there are a few of these packs around Japan, so I have to keep my eyes peeled…

Today was all about Bamboo, Monkeys, Bling, and as good fortune would have it, finally some Booty. I will leave you to ponder this.

When I left you all last night I was about to go out wandering Kyoto. It was an interesting experience. I have spoken a little about the juxtaposition of old and new Kyoto. It is certainly on show at night too, although the new tends to overpower the old.

Just in case you are under the impression that Kyoto is all this…

or this…

then literally 5 minutes walk and you are here…

It seems that half of Kyoto is out in downtown, eating and shopping. It wasn’t a surprise, but quite a contrast to the days vibe, at least where I have been anyway.

Gion in particular seemed to be the “entertainment” district. And by “entertainment” I do mean to put it in quotes, if you know what I mean (nudge nudge wink wink). I finally was surrounded by drunken Japanese businessmen! I didn’t have the nerve however to wander into any place, having no idea what I would be in for. NOTHING was in english, so I will leave some mysteries in tact. While going into a place like this could be cool…

… sorry lads, not prepared to take the punt.

The rest of the night was more World Cup shenanigans with a bunch of folk from the hostel. We had a good array of nationalities last night and we were all happy to see South Africa win. Even the two French guys were resigned to the fact their team was crap.

So, to today. A low key kinda day. I had two main goals: the Arashiyama area and Kinkakuji Temple. Arashiyama is on the outskirts of Kyoto and is famed for one main thing… the bamboo forest. While in the area I visited Tenryuji Temple, which while very cool, I felt I was getting a bit templed out. So a respectful but quick wander led me to what I was after…

The bamboo forest is quite spectacular. Rather than being a massive forest, it is a relatively small patch with a nice short path through. It was pretty quiet while I was there, so I got to experience some gentle swaying bamboo to myself. Quite an experience actually.

My other main focus of Arashiyama was a bit more of a hike. Literally. I only found out just before coming that Arashiyama has its very own Monkey Park. Oh, yeah. Monkeys! Iwatayama Monkey Park is at the top of the main hill overlooking Arashiyama and has about 200 wild monkeys roaming around up top. Hanging out with wild monkeys? Forget temples!

But when I say the top, I mean the top. I wasn’t quite ready for the 20 min hike up, especially in some sweltering humidity. But it was monkeys. So up I went. What made feel some pangs of excitement was this…

Rules! Don’t stare at the monkeys? Ah, they are wild monkeys indeed. While they were clearly used to people, apparently they could still switch in the blink of an eye.

So on my arrival at the top, these two were waiting for me…

Now, there weren’t as many monkeys as I thought there might be. But monkeys in the wild are cool. I will have to follow Brett’s lead and go visit some serious monkey parks. What was cool about this was that you could feed the monkeys if you wanted. However feeding out in the open was a no-no, as on the whiff of food, you were likely to have a dozen monkeys tearing you apart. So it was all done from the safety of this…

I decided not to feed them, leaving that to the kids. So on I went back down the hill to catch a train back to downtown Kyoto. My destination was one of the last temples on my list. Another one you ask? Well, this was Kinkakuji, or the golden pavillion. Can you guess why it is called that?

Pretty freakin’ impressive. While it was certainly an assault on the eye, I didn’t find this temple as awesome overall as some of the others I had been to. Part of the reason was no doubt this…

This place was PACKED. It is clearly a temple for those on a limited time, maximum wow tour. It did make it a bit hard to slow down and enjoy however. But it did make you gasp then first laying eyes on it, no question.

So what is this booty I spoke of? Well, I had a bit of a walk back to the train station. Meandering along I passed a supermarket. Now, having had no luck in all kinds of convenience stores for kit kats, it was time to raid supermarkets. So in I wandered. And there they stared at me…

A bag of Aloe Yoghurt Kit Kats. A flavour I hadn’t eaten! Needless to say they were snapped up quick smart. And not having to savour each tiny morsel like the past, I tucked in to one.

It was defintely Aloe and defintely Yoghut flavoured. Having had aloe drinks before they were clearly related. Had quite an aloe aftertaste too. I would defintely rate it quite highly in the taste department. Not so high in the wacky factor, but it was a start.

* Note… I will probably do some separate entries for Kit Kat reviews. Yes, I’m that serious.

I also tried another couple of supermarkets, but to no avail. I did however find this one and only in a Lawsons along the walk too…

I think it is some kind of desert green tea thing, but can’t be sure. I haven’t eaten it yet. Since I have only found one, I might save it for a while. Can’t guarantee it will make it home though.

So that gets you all up to date. More World Cup tonight. But time to get some food. Keep your fingers crossed for more Kit Kats. Cheerio folks.