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	<title>Comments on: Japan&#8230;or at Least the Airport</title>
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	<link>http://theprofessionalhobo.com/2008/05/japanor-at-least-the-airport/</link>
	<description>Adventures of a Girl with No Fixed Address</description>
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		<title>By: Yamabushi</title>
		<link>http://theprofessionalhobo.com/2008/05/japanor-at-least-the-airport/comment-page-1/#comment-114</link>
		<dc:creator>Yamabushi</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 May 2008 16:19:00 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description>The Japanese sweet you purchased is &quot;yatsuhashi,&quot; a traditional sweet from Kyoto, now found in airport and train station gift shops throughout the country.  The literal meaning of the kanji (Chinese characters) used in the name mean &quot;eight bridges,&quot; possible the name of the area where it was invented.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;It&#039;s wrapper is made from rice flour and filling is usually red bean paste (anko) with sugar.  Many flavours are available but the most traditional are probably red or white bean paste, cinnamon, white or black sesame, and powdered green tea (matcha).  I notice your package had a sticker saying &quot;choco&quot; (chocolate). &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;You may have notice that the sweets where wrapped like a present.  That&#039;s because they&#039;re usually purchased by Japanese people when they travel as &quot;omiyage&quot; (meaning souvenir) for their family, friends, and most importantly coworkers.  Whether traveling for business or pleasure purchasing &quot;omiyage&quot; is usually obligatory and often expensive, but also a beautiful tradition that Japanese delight in and it means there is always a pile of snacks beside the office coffeemaker.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Japanese sweet you purchased is &#8220;yatsuhashi,&#8221; a traditional sweet from Kyoto, now found in airport and train station gift shops throughout the country.  The literal meaning of the kanji (Chinese characters) used in the name mean &#8220;eight bridges,&#8221; possible the name of the area where it was invented.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s wrapper is made from rice flour and filling is usually red bean paste (anko) with sugar.  Many flavours are available but the most traditional are probably red or white bean paste, cinnamon, white or black sesame, and powdered green tea (matcha).  I notice your package had a sticker saying &#8220;choco&#8221; (chocolate). </p>
<p>You may have notice that the sweets where wrapped like a present.  That&#8217;s because they&#8217;re usually purchased by Japanese people when they travel as &#8220;omiyage&#8221; (meaning souvenir) for their family, friends, and most importantly coworkers.  Whether traveling for business or pleasure purchasing &#8220;omiyage&#8221; is usually obligatory and often expensive, but also a beautiful tradition that Japanese delight in and it means there is always a pile of snacks beside the office coffeemaker.</p>
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