Japan has always been a very fascinating place – with a very interesting culture and irresistable food, because of the following reasons:

Japan is a fascinating place.
Photo Credit: feross.org

CLEANLINESS

The Japanese people are very particular about cleanliness. This means that for example, the toilets are always spick and span – and some olden-day Japanese public toilets had no toilet paper because they did not want you to create a mess inside. Instead you were supposed to have brought your own “hanky” for wiping!

In many Japanese homes, there are also two pairs of slippers – one pair of toilet slippers and another regular pair for walking around the rest of the house. As the name suggests, you must wear the toilet slippers whenever you go to the toilet and change out of it when you leave the toilet.

POLITENESS

Another thing that stands out about the Japanese too, is how polite the people are. Wherever you go, the people are so gracious and they always greet you with Konnichiwa, which is the Japanese word for hello.

This applies regardless of whether you are walking into a restaurant, or paying money at the checkout counter of the grocery store. Being greeted with the polite and soft-spoken manner, never fails to make customers feel good inside.

INTRICATE JAPANESE LANGUAGE

I find the intricate characters that make up each and every word in the Japanese language very intriguing.

While to the naked eye, Japanese characters may appear like Mandarin Chinese characters, on further inspection you will notice that they are a lot more refined and delicate, just like a fine Japanese porcelain doll.

HUMBLE MASTER CRAFTSMAN AT WORK

The humble Japanese master craftsman helming their roadside stalls, never ceases to amaze me. Wherever you walk, you will see these talented artists showcasing their wares, be it colourful Japanese calligraphy, delicate origami, toolmaking or woodworking. They are so talented and yet so humble, while working at their roadside stalls.

And who can forget those paper cranes, which represent a dying Japanese art. Just imagine folding 1,000 of those paper cranes? This is uniquely Japanese.

JAPANESE RAMEN AND UDON

Japanese ramen.

Oh, and who can forget the Japanese food too? I love ramen so much. There are so many different spices and flavours mixed together inside a bowl of authentic Japanese ramen.

The flavours completely arrest the senses and whenever I tuck into a bowl of Japanese ramen, I feel as though I am in total heaven.

RICE AND DONBURI

Other cooked dishes that are my favourites, include grilled teppanyaki meats, which are always fresh and succulent. These are traditionally served with Japanese sticky rice. As well, I also enjoy their Donburi rice dishes, which are typically prepared, using meat or protein such as salmon, chicken or tofu, served on top of a steaming hot bowl of authentic Japanese sticky rice. These definitely beat the flavours of other cuisines.

SASHIMI AND TEMPURA

Besides ramen, the Japanese also have some other completely awesome food items such as their sashimi. Who can forget the freshness of food items in this dish?

And not forgetting the authentic Japanese style tempura items – the batter is so light and crispy that it makes me salivate, by simply and merely thinking about tempura. Even though it is deep fried, the way the Japanese cook it, together with the small and delicately sized portions, actually makes you feel as though it is quite healthy!

Maybe that is why the Japanese people are known for their longevity in life.

BATTLE OF THE KFC WINGS

Credit: Google images

And a change of subject now!

Freshly breaded in-store with a special batter, these juicy wings are cooked to crispy perfection and coated in your choice of two bold flavours – choose between the Japanese-inspired tangy yet savoury Umadare and the Korean-inspired sweet and spicy Yang Yeum. Who will be crowned king of the wings? You decide.

Pick a side and be part of KFC’s greatest wing-off. Hashtag #kfcoishii to support Umadare or #kfcmashisoyo to support Yang Yeum on Instagram!

I vote for #kfcoishii.

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