Will Miss #200 - Okashi no Machioka

After you've lived in Japan for awhile, all of the big things tend to fade into the background and it's the little daily things that bring you the most pleasure. Since I write a Japanese snack review blog, finding someplace like Okashi no Machioka has brought me a wealth of pleasure. It is a chain of snack shops which carries a rich variety of snack foods from sembei to cookies to hard candies to chocolate bars (and beyond). About once a week, I'll pop into one of the two branches of this store that are located in my neighborhood and peruse their current stock. Sometimes I'll find a known treat for an irresistible price and sometimes I'll find some new delight that I'll happily review.

I'll really miss Okashi no Machioka's shops.

Will Miss #137 - Yaki Imo Men

One of my earliest experiences with Japanese cart food was hearing a recording of someone half singing the words "yaki imo" (roasted sweet potato) as a man in a cart roamed my neighborhood. I'd have my husband run out and flag down the yaki imo man and he'd buy me a fresh, perfectly cooked over wood chips sweet potato. The experience of buying one of these potatoes right from the men themselves really can't be duplicated as they prepare them in a particular way and you can't get them nearly as fresh from stores that sell them from under heat lamps.

I'll miss getting a fresh, perfectly roasted sweet potato from the yaki imo men.