janikafer2009's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Yūbari King Melon
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Fruits & Vegetables

Yūbari King Melon

The most expensive melon in the world is a status symbol in Japan.
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Taro Stems
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Fruits & Vegetables

Taro Stems

These absorbent stalks make perfect flavor sponges in Vietnamese cuisine.
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Pocari Sweat
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Drinks

Pocari Sweat

A pharmaceutical company developed this beverage as drinkable IV solution.
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Nattō
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Prepared Foods

Nattō

These pungent fermented soybeans are coated in probiotic slime.
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Umeboshi
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Fruits & Vegetables

Umeboshi

These salted, pickled plums are an ancient Japanese hangover cure.
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Skal
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Drinks

Skal

Meet Japan's first milk soda.
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Mojie Apples
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Mojie Apples

Orchardists use sticky stencils and the power of the sun to turn apples into art.
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Okonomiyaki
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Prepared Foods

Okonomiyaki

A wartime rice scarcity made this versatile pancake a Japanese staple.
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Zunda
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Ingredients & Condiments

Zunda

Flavoring everything from dumplings to mochi, this sweet and salty paste shows another side to edamame.
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Omurice
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Prepared Foods

Omurice

Japanese cooks riff on American diner food with this rice-and-ketchup omelet.
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Ramune
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Drinks

Ramune

The Japanese soda still comes in a marble-stoppered bottle from the 19th century.
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Takoyaki
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Prepared Foods

Takoyaki

Osaka's most famous dish is an octopus-stuffed fried dough ball.
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Square Watermelons
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Fruits & Vegetables

Square Watermelons

They grow in boxes and can cost more than $100.
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Fruit Sando
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Sweets

Fruit Sando

Fresh fruit is the main feature of this sweet sandwich.
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Tebasaki Gyoza
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Prepared Foods

Tebasaki Gyoza

Proof that dumplings and chicken wings are not mutually exclusive categories.
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Goma Dofu
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Prepared Foods

Goma Dofu

This tofu alternative replaces soybeans with sesame and kudzu.
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Hoshigaki
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Fruits & Vegetables

Hoshigaki

These exquisite dried persimmons are massaged for weeks.
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Nagashi Somen
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Prepared Foods

Nagashi Somen

Catch these floating noodles before they flow by.
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Japanese Navy Curry
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Prepared Foods

Japanese Navy Curry

This curry celebrates Japan's maritime history.
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Wagashi
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Sweets

Wagashi

These Japanese sweets demonstrate the ephemeral beauty of the seasons.
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Amezaiku
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Amezaiku

This gorgeous sugar art is making a comeback.
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Sea Grapes
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Fruits & Vegetables

Sea Grapes

This "green caviar" is vegetarian friendly.
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Japanese Tea Ceremony
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Japanese Tea Ceremony

A ritual that showcases the beauty of the present moment.
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Honey Toast Box
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Sweets

Honey Toast Box

Many spoons are needed to demolish one of these ice cream-stuffed bread loaves.
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