selenahoy's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Hakone, Japan
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Places visited in Mitaka, Japan
Okonomiyaki
Gastro Obscura
Story
Prepared Foods

Okonomiyaki

A wartime rice scarcity made this versatile pancake a Japanese staple.
Gastro Obscura
Colcannon
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Prepared Foods

Colcannon

A hearty Irish staple that can tell your fortune.
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Żubrówka
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Drinks

Żubrówka

The same grass that feeds massive European bison adds notes of vanilla and lavender to this unique Polish vodka.
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Amezaiku
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Amezaiku

This gorgeous sugar art is making a comeback.
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Beaujolais Nouveau
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Drinks

Beaujolais Nouveau

When the clock strikes midnight on the third Thursday of November, fans gather to celebrate the release of this fresh, fruity wine.
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Real Wasabi
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Ingredients & Condiments

Real Wasabi

Most sushi fans have never tried this rare rhizome.
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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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Shojin Ryori
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Shojin Ryori

Japan's traditional temple cuisine features meals that are nutritionally and visually balanced.
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Pu'er
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Drinks

Pu'er

Devoted fans pay thousands for bricks of this fermented tea.
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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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 Vernors Ginger Soda
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Drinks

Vernors Ginger Soda

The Detroit favorite is one of the oldest sodas in the United States.
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Matcha Chasen
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Matcha Chasen

To make the perfect matcha, start with the perfect whisk.
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Cornish Pasty
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Prepared Foods

Cornish Pasty

In the 19th century, tin miners ate these handheld pies and left their crusts to appease mischievous, mine-dwelling spirits.
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Jam Roly-Poly
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Sweets

Jam Roly-Poly

Once steamed in shirt sleeves and pant legs, this sweet roll took on the nickname “dead man's leg.”
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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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Hoppin' John
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Prepared Foods

Hoppin' John

This New Year's luck-bringer has a controversial contemporary taste.
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Sea Grapes
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Fruits & Vegetables

Sea Grapes

This "green caviar" is vegetarian friendly.
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Durian
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Fruits & Vegetables

Durian

The fruit so pungent it's banned from trains, hotels, and public places.
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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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Bitter Melon
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Fruits & Vegetables

Bitter Melon

This nightmarish-looking fruit has serious healing potential.
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Hoshigaki
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Fruits & Vegetables

Hoshigaki

These exquisite dried persimmons are massaged for weeks.
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Pure Kona Coffee
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Drinks

Pure Kona Coffee

Grown only on the volcanic soil of Hawaiʻi’s Big Island, this coffee is known for its subtle, rich flavor and hordes of unscrupulous imitators.
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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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Cajeta
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Sweets

Cajeta

In the city of Celaya, goat's milk caramel tops everything from ice cream to cereal.
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