Sweet Dango

Dango!

I took this picture of Amae-Miso Dango while visiting Fukuroda Falls with my host family. Dango is made of rice flour, mochi, boiled or fried, skewered, and then drizzled with a sweet miso sauce. These were the first dango I have ever eaten! They were absolute perfection, warm and full of flavor! Ever since, that day I had an insatiable craving for dango, but as I later realized some dango can be undercooked and unpleasant. I have yet to find a dango that has matched my "first love".

Silliness aside, dango is a very special treat in Japan! It's most often found during festivals and is served alongside hot green tea. Festivals and dango go together like our American carnivals and funnel cakes. Fresh skewered pineapple, candied bananas, glazed sweet potatoes, and the delicious takoyaki, another favorite of mine, are among other traditional festival foods I found during the festival in Chiba!

Purikura

Purikura~!!
Purikura is a huge sensation in Japan! It allows you to take a series of pictures in a photobooth and then offers a generous amount of options to creatively personalize your photos. They cost around 400 yen or more depending on the brand of the machine. As you can see from the photo above, my friends and I had a great time playing with customization. By default, the purikura machine makes your eyes appear really big and bright. In Japan, large, bright eyes are considered attractive.
In American, we do have photobooths that print out print stickers. However, they don't allow for much personalization. Then again, this is how purikura started! Originally in 1995, you would only find them at festivals to capture the fun moment. They were called プリント倶楽部 = purinto kurabu. Since they were introduced in 1995, the quality and stylized options have developed and changed over time. Now, since the emergence of "image models", or famous models featured on fashion magazines, Purikura gives you a picture perfect makeover. Recently, they included the option to send your purikura pictures directly to your phone or blog.
Hopefully, our print clubs will evolve into what Purikura is today! :)