Twentythree

Hello Kitty and friends’ tour of the country comes to its last stop in downtown Tokyo with a look back on 60 years of cuteness, Japanese-style.

Many would say that Sanrio is the first and last word in kawaii culture, creating enough of Japan’s cuteness to fill an entire exhibition tracing their 60-year history. Sanrio Exhibition: The Beginning of Kawaii has been touring around the country for the past five years, and as of this month it’s come to Tokyo for its grand finale.

The Final Version of the exhibition opened on April 9 in downtown Tokyo’s Roppongi neighborhood. The Mori Art Center gallery is serving as the venue for this event celebrating the house that Hello Kitty built…except that, as we saw on our visit, not only did Sanrio start off without Kitty-chan, the company actually didn’t have any character merchandise at all in the beginning. The commitment to cute designs that put smiles on people’s faces was always there, though, with Sanrio’s first big hit being its line of strawberry-motif drinkware.

Even once Sanrio got into the character merch biz, their first offerings used characters licensed from other companies and outside illustrators, including even Snoopy.

Eventually, though, Sanrio realized that designing its own characters would allow them to reach unprecedented heights of cuteness, and the exhibition gives visitors a look at some of the earliest concepts sketches for characters who’d later go on to become pop cultural icons.

An incredible amount of vintage character merch is on display, and any Sanrio fan who looks through it is sure to end up squealing with nostalgic delight at they spot pieces they used to own, long for, or otherwise have emotional childhood memories attached to.

The range of items on display really is amazing. Our Japanese-language reporter Puniko Ninoude had her fond but fuzzy recollections of the Marron Cream toothbrush set and Pochoacco stationery that she loved as a kid snap back into sharp focus upon seeing them once again.

There’s even a whole section of the exhibition devoted to “Premium Mascots,” the charms that Sanrio specialty shop staff would attach to gift-wrapped purchases as a little extra freebie.

You’ll find plenty of places for making new memories too, though, with photo spots featuring murals and statue-size plushies, plus a replica of Lady Gaga’s Hello Kitty Dress.

Since we stopped by on opening day, Hello Kitty herself, and Cinnamoroll too, were on hand to greet us.

And yes, naturally the event itself has a gift shop filled with adorable trinkets…

…and an attached cafe where you’ll want to thoroughly photograph your food before taking the first bite.

Sanrio Exhibition: The Beginning of Kawaii Final Version runs until June 21, with tickets available through the event’s official website here.

Related: Sanrio Exhibition: The Beginning of Kawaii Final Version official website
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Luckily, the shoes themselves will stay comfortably and cleanly on your feet thanks to a traditional fabric-making technique.

Nara, Japan-based shoe company Yamatokobo specializes in traditionally crafted zori sandals for everyday life. Its newest pair of setta, a type of low-soled zori, was just released on April 7 and is already whipping up excitement among footwear enthusiasts.

The Matcha Setta are dyed using real Kyoto-produced Uji matcha that results in a strikingly rich green color. The fabric parts of the shoes are made from mixed cotton and hemp fibers while the soles are a mix of cork and synthetic rubber.

Not only will your feet stroll around in style, but they’ll also have a heightened cleanliness factor. Review from a third-party examiner determined that the tea dye results in a natural antibacterial property that protects against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, with a final antibacterial rating of 3.1 (a 2.0 or over indicates antibacterial properties on this scale).

Furthermore, the sandal straps are crafted using Ojiya Chijimi fabric, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage representative summer kimono material made using 100-percent high-quality ramie produced in the area of Ojiya, Niigata Prefecture. The fabric’s tightly woven fibers are treated to a hot water bath as part of the production process that creates creases to prevent it from sticking to the skin of your feet for a pleasant, cooling feeling.

Men’s Matcha Setta sandals are 12,980 yen (US$82) and are available in three sizes: medium (25-25.5 centimeters/9.8-10 inches), large (26-26.5 centimeters), and extra large (27-27.5 centimeters).

Meanwhile, ladies’ Matcha Setta sandals are 12,650 yen and come in two sizes: medium (23-23.5 centimeters) and large (24.5-25 centimeters). They also feature a slight wedge with a heel height of 3.5 centimeters.

Both the men’s and the ladies’ versions of the Matcha Setta can be purchased on Yamatokobo’s official website here and here respectively. If you’re one of the millions that are head over heels for matcha around the world, you’ll be sure to make others green with envy when they see this novel use for tea.

Source, images: PR Times
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You won’t find food in Japan much cheaper than this. 

“Freshly fried! Croquettes for 20 yen.”

That was the sign that made us do a double-take when we were strolling the streets of Sagamihara City in Tokyo’s neighbouring Kanagawa Prefecture the other day. In this era of ever-rising prices, a croquette for 20 yen (US$0.13) sounded like the thing of dreams – an unbelievable price that, when you think about it, is even cheaper than cheap candy.

Needless to say, we immediately stopped for a closer look, joining the queue that had formed outside “Kogane Bento“, the store where the sign was displayed.

▼ The shop is located about a 15-minute walk from Sagami-Ono Station on the Odakyu Line.

Taking a look at the menu reveals that croquettes really are on the menu for 20 yen, and that’s with tax included too. Upon closer inspection, we found there were other cheap eats on offer as well, and everything was very reasonably priced.

As it was lunchtime, we were hungry and in the mood for a bento boxed lunch, but the only problem was…

▼ …there were so many to choose from!

The options covered Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisine and there was such a wide variety that we began to feel overwhelmed by it all.

▼ The store sells 135 different kinds of bento, and that’s not even including all the limited-time specials.

▼ Finally, we spotted a bento that stood out from all the others.

▼ The “Maji Honki de Umai Bento“, which incorporates slang and roughly translates as “A No-joke Seriously Delicious Bento“.

Reduced in price from 650 yen to 500 yen until 31 March, this bento won us over with its charismatic nature so we ordered it. We also couldn’t resist trying some sides, as well as the super-cheap croquette, and after paying for it all we headed over to a nearby park to enjoy everything we’d purchased.

First up, the Seriously Delicious Bento, which, according to the store, was created in collaboration with a nearby elementary school, so it’s said to be a dream-like meal devised by the children.

▼ So what do the children love?

▼ Japanese curry!

Curry is always a guaranteed win, beloved by people of all ages, and this one looked seriously delicious. The extra surprises here, though, were takoyaki (fried octopus balls), fried chicken, and a small sausage, rather unusual partners for curry but all great in their own right, with a floret of broccoli adding colour and vitamins to the indulgent meal.

Upon tasting the curry, we found it to be delicious, with a sophisticated and deep flavour, kind of like a curry served in a first-class hotel restaurant.

▼ This meal may have been devised by children, but there’s nothing child-like about the taste.

▼ When eaten with fried chicken, the curry became even more seriously delicious.

After devouring the bento, we were filled with food…and a serious admiration for the children behind its creation.

▼ Now it was time to try the insanely cheap 20-yen croquette.

Splitting it in two to view its contents, we found that this was a simple croquette with no fancy fillings other than a creamy potato mash. Biting into it revealed a delicious flavour that you’d expect from a more expensive croquette, and the fact that it was freshly fried made it even more impressive.

▼ An excellent side dish for a super delicious bento box.

Personally, we felt it was way too good for the 20-yen price point, and if we lived close to the store, we’d be devouring these fried morsels every day.

▼ Those with more expensive tastes can opt for the cream croquettes, which are still a steal at 80 yen.

▼ The kushikatsu (170 yen) is also superb.

▼ Inside is  a delicious filling of pork and tender onions.

Kogane Bento is an amazing store that defies time with its super-low prices. It’s not just the prices but the flavour and value-for-money that keeps people coming back for more, and although it’s incredibly popular, especially around lunchtimes, the food here is worth lining up for.

Store information

Kogane Bento / コガネ弁当
Address: Kanagawa-ken, Sagamihara-shi, Minami-ku, Sagami-Ono 5-13-1
神奈川県相模原市南区相模大野5-13-1
Hours: 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. / 4:00 p.m.-8:00p.m. every day

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Giant gobo is shocking to look at, but how does it taste?

Japanese supermarkets often have their own in-house bakeries, so when our Japanese-language reporter Ikuna Kamezawa walked into her local branch of grocery store chain Ozeki, for a moment she thought she might be looking at an enticing loaf of crusty French bread.

Actually, make than an enticing and gigantic loaf of crusty French bread.

But actually this isn’t a baguette at all. As a mater of fact, it’s not even a kind of baked good. It’s a type of root vegetable called gobo.

Gobo, or burdock root, to use its English name, is used in a variety of traditional Japanese recipes for stewed, simmered, or stir-fried dishes. However, gobo is usually a lot smaller in size, typically about as thick as your thumb.

For comparison, here’s another photo of the gobo the jumbo gobo that Ikuna found next to a regular-sized version of it.

It turns out that what Ikuna found is a special version of the vegetable called Oura gobo, which gets its name from being most prominently grown in the Oura district of the town of Sosa, in Chiba Prefecture, Tokyo’s neighbor to the east. There are Oura gobo growers in other parts of northern Kanto (east Japan) too, though, and Ikuna’s was from Ibaraki Prefecture, a ways north of Tokyo.

The size isn’t the only difference between Oura and regular gobo, either. Whereas the standard variety has a smooth surface, Oura gobo has such a craggy texture that up-close it looks like the trunk or branch of a tree.

But while it may look like part of a tree, Oura gobo isn’t wood-hard. After washing it, Ikuna grabbed a kitchen knife to slice the root in half, and it came apart with a crunching noise as she pushed the blade through.

This led to another surprise, when she found out that Oura gobo is hollow at its center!

Regular gobo is solid throughout its cylindrical shape, but with Oura you have a jagged, shadow cavity inside, whose shape reminded Ikuna of a limestone cave.

The skin of gobo isn’t eaten, so Ikuna peeled that off while considering her cooking options. Gobo can be used in various nimono (simmered dish) and soup recipes, but one of the most popular ways to eat it, and one of the easiest to make, is kinpira gobo, a stir-fry of sliced gobo and carrots. Different households make their kinpira gobo a little differently from each other, but the basic concept is to slice the gobo, soak it in water, then stir fry it in a frying pan or wok with mirin (cooking sake), soy sauce, sesame, ad rep pepper flakes, adding sliced carrot part-way through the process, since the carrot takes less time to cook.

Taking a bite of the finished product, Ikuna found that Oura gobo is a little softer in texture than standard burdock root is. While still firm, the comparatively softer texture allowed more of the seasonings to seep in, with flavorful results. Since gobo itself has only a rather subdued, slightly bitter taste, the more absorbent quality of the Oura gobo is a plus.

If you find yourself wanting some extra crispiness, though, it’s easy to achieve by chilling the finished kinpira gobo in the fridge after you’re done cooking it, since the dish can be enjoyed either hot or cold.

Gobo isn’t an expensive ingredient, with normal versions available for about 100 yen in Japanese grocery stores. Ikuna’s Oura one obviously was more expensive, at 539 yen (US$3.50), but it was so big that she has quite a lot left over for other cooking projects (maybe she’ll even pair it with a fresh batch of igisu).

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