“Poop Kanji Town” opens in Tokyo with excrement-shaped items on the menu

The new collaboration combines Japanese-language learning with poop-shaped edible items.

Ever since Japanese publisher Bunkyosha released a series of six elementary-school grade kanji textbooks called Unko Kanji Drill (Poop Kanji Drills) at the end of March, the learning-by-poop series has become hugely popular with kanji students of all ages, selling out in stores across the country.

Image: Unko Kanji Drill

The bespectacled, moustached teacher, or sensei, that stars in the series has a poop-shaped head that makes study time fun and entertaining for everyone, and now the unusual yellow character is being honoured in an equally surprising way, with a tie-up cafe and menu devoted to him for a limited time.

The “Unko Kanji Drill x Namja Town Assemble! Unko Kanji Town” has taken over Namja Town in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district, and our food-loving reporter Mr Sato was there to cover the event at a media preview before its 20 July opening.

As soon as he arrived, he was greeted by an interesting yellow road sign that read “Watch out for poop” and “It’s all filled with poop ahead so please be careful”. Next to that was a picture of the yellow character from the Unko Kanji Drill series, greeting visitors with a crown, a poop-tipped pointer, and a description that read “Assemble! Unko Kanji Town“.

Proceeding with caution into the poop-filled area, Mr Sato came across the character again, this time sitting pretty at the top of a tree in the middle of the event space.

The warning sign at the entrance wasn’t lying about what lay ahead, as all sorts of poop could be found around the main area. There were mounds of poo in cages…

▼ Royal-looking doodies proudly sitting atop silk cushions…

▼ Towering piles of shiny excrement set against poo cloud skies…

▼ And the Unko Kanji Drill Sensei himself, appearing with the mascot character for Namjatown.

What really caught Mr Sato’s eye was the food on offer, which – you guessed it! – came with various poop-shaped features.

▼ The Unko Sensei Curry can be ordered for 980 yen (US$8.84).

Swimming in a sea of star-flecked brown curry, the dish includes a mound of rice carefully shaped to perfectly resemble the Poop Teacher’s head.

The steaming pile of yellow rice might be a challenge for some diners to eat, but for our food king Mr Sato, this paled in comparison to some of his more daring dining adventures.

Just as Mr Sato was about to exit the dining area, he stumbled upon a tiny Wata-ame Wagon (Fairy Floss Wagon), decorated with a number of cute frills and images.

He decided to order one as a palate cleanser for the Poo Teacher’s curry, and it wasn’t long before he noticed an intricate shape being styled before him in cotton candy form.

After a few seconds, the long rod of spun sugar took on a conical shape, which grew quickly in size.

▼ Then the candy became flatter and rounder…

And suddenly, the Poo Sensei was back to assault Mr Sato’s senses once again with another three-tiered mound of yellow goodness.

This candy treat was a fine specimen to look at, and Mr Sato wasted no time in snapping a photo for posterity before biting into the sugary mound, sending him down the chute to fulfil his destiny.

Priced at 700 yen each, the Poop Sensei Cotton Candy is a bit of a rare treat, as it can only be purchased from 11 a.m.-6:00 p.m. from Wednesday to Monday.

According to Mr Sato, the poop-themed venue and menu make this a fun place to visit for people of all ages. Scatologists and kanji lovers alike will want to stop by before the event ends on 31 August, which, strangely, is also the date that the unrelated animal poo exhibit ends at Tokuyama Zoo in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Here’s to the summer of poo!

Informaton
Namja Town / ナンジャタウン
Address: Tokyo-to, Toshima-ku, Higashi Ikebukuro 3-1-3 World Import Mart Building 2nd floor
東京都豊島区 東池袋3丁目1−3 ワールドインポートマートビル2階
Open 10:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. (20 July-31 August)
Admission: 500 yen (adults); 300 yen (children)
Website

Photos © SoraNews24

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