Japanese Food Bites: Indulging in the Taste of Summer

Today marks the third free day of the trip. There was an optional excursion to Kiyomizu-dera Temple, which many of our classmates attended. They explored the shrines alongside several friends we’ve made during our time at Ryukoku University here in Kyoto. My friend Coco shared that from the temple, she had “an amazing view of the city” and remarked that a nearby burial site looked like a “city of graves” due to the overwhelming number of tombstones.After exploring, the group wandered the surrounding area, sampling various skewered street foods for lunch before returning to the hotel. As intriguing as the temple visit sounded, I chose not to join. Instead, a few of us ventured out on our own, exploring the countless stores along Shijo-Dori Street. They consisted of anything from high-end designer boutiques with more zeros on the price tags than I thought possible, to thrift shops smelling like worn leather with Japanese denim and vintage rock T-shirts filling it’s racks

Our meals for the day were simple, since we needed time to study for the upcoming biology quiz. This meant multiple visits to nearby convenience stores. In Japan, these are known as konbinis, including chains like 7-Eleven, Lawson, and Family Mart. While similar in concept to gas station stores in the U.S., the food at konbinis is on a completely different level.

First off, the prices are unbeatable. That night, I bought a bowl of pre-made pork udon, a pack of five pork gyoza, an egg-and-pork onigiri, and a bottle of water all for about 1,250 yen, or less than ten dollars. But it’s not just the price that impresses me, it’s the quality. The pork udon, heated in the store’s microwave, had one of the saltiest, most flavorful broths I’ve had in Kyoto, without any plasticky aftertaste you might expect. The noodles remained chewy and tender, not dry or tough as well. The gyoza were juicy on the inside with a delicate, moist outside that practically melted in my mouth, especially with some assistance from the soy and chili sauce provided in the packaging.As a snack for later in the night, I grabbed the egg-and-pork onigiri, which has quickly become a staple in my diet here. My classmates and I often race to the onigiri aisle to snag the last few of these one-dollar meals. Made with soy sauce–seasoned rice and bits of savory pork shaped like a hockey puck, the onigiri is topped with half a boiled egg above a dab of mayo. A thin strip of seaweed at the base holds it all together like a bow on a present.

All of these items came from 7-Eleven, which has become my favorite konbini by far. There always seems to be one within five minutes of wherever we are in the city, stocked with everything from savory meals and drinks to sweet treats. I have a feeling I won’t ever recover from the loss of these incredible stores when I leave Japan.