Japanese Food Bites: Indulging in the Taste of Summer

Hi this is Doris again! And yes, seeing me writing again means this was another free day for us. We had actually planned this free day since April, so everyone had been excited about it for a really long time. After days of busy schedules, finally having one full day to explore Japan however we wanted felt amazing.

To start the day, the morning already felt rushed. I barely had enough time to eat breakfast, so I quickly grabbed a bottle of milk tea from 7-Eleven (セブンイレブン) before we started our journey at 8:15.

Honestly, Japanese convenience stores never disappoint. Even something as simple as bottled milk tea tastes smoother and creamier than expected. The tea flavor was rich but not too bitter, and the milk balanced it perfectly. There was a gentle sweetness at the beginning, followed by a slight bitterness from the tea leaves afterward, which actually made the drink feel refreshing instead of too sugary. The milk also gave a soft creamy flavor that stayed in my mouth. I basically finished the whole bottle before we even reached our first destination.

After waking ourselves up with milk tea, our first official stop was a chopstick workshop at 9:00. Originally, we planned to take the bus, but every bus that came was completely packed. The trains were also super crowded. Honestly, I think being packed into trains is somehow part of the culture here, especially during the morning, but personally I really do not like it haha. After waiting for a while in the heat and getting squeezed by crowds, we finally gave up and called an Uber instead.

Once we arrived at the workshop, we got to make our own chopsticks completely from scratch. I chose sakura wood because I loved the soft natural color and the meaning behind it. Sakura wood looked elegant and very Japanese, which made it feel special before I even started carving it.

The process was harder than I expected. First, we had to shave and shape the wood evenly into chopsticks with four clean sides. Trying to make both chopsticks the same size was honestly stressful because one small mistake could ruin the symmetry. After shaping them, we spent a long time sanding every surface until it became smooth enough to hold comfortably.

The most exciting part was using the laser machine to customize them. I engraved a sakura emoji onto my chopsticks, and it turned out so cute. Seeing my own design burned into the wood made the chopsticks feel personal instead of just a souvenir. It felt like I had made something I would actually keep for a long time.

After finishing our chopsticks, we headed to the kimono shop. The moment we entered, I was overwhelmed because there were so many beautiful choices everywhere. Every color and pattern looked stunning, and choosing only one felt impossible.

Eventually, I picked an orange floral summer kimono, which is officially called a yukata. The bright orange flowers felt very lively and matched the summer atmosphere perfectly. I paired it with a green belt that had snowflake patterns on it, and surprisingly the colors matched really well together.

Before wearing it, I was super excited because I thought yukatas looked elegant and graceful in pictures. But the second the staff tightened everything around me, I instantly regretted my decision.

It was so tight and so hot.

I suddenly understood why everyone in old Japanese dramas walks slowly. Breathing itself felt difficult. Still, despite the suffering, I have to admit the photos looked amazing.

After changing into our yukatas, we visited Yasaka Shrine (やさかじんじゃ) and Sensoji Temple (せんそうじ), and took a lot of pictures. The traditional buildings, lanterns, and crowded streets made everything feel like a movie scene. Even though there were tourists everywhere, the atmosphere still felt magical.

Unfortunately, the weather was absolutely brutal. The sun was directly attacking us, and after walking around in layers of fabric, we were basically melting. Because of that, food quickly became our next priority.

Luckily, we found a katsu beef restaurant nearby and immediately went inside to escape the heat. Honestly, this meal saved my life.

The restaurant smelled incredible the moment we entered. The smell of hot oil, grilled beef, and freshly cooked rice mixed together and made us hungry immediately. The cool air-conditioning also felt heavenly after walking outside under the burning sun.

I ordered beef katsu, and when the food arrived, it looked perfect. The outer layer was golden brown and crispy, while the inside stayed juicy and slightly pink. The first bite was honestly amazing. The crust made a crunchy sound immediately, but the beef inside stayed incredibly tender.

The flavor was much more complex than I expected. The beef itself had a deep umami taste that became richer the more I chewed. The sauce added a savory and slightly salty flavor, but there was also sweetness from the sauce that balanced everything perfectly. The cabbage on the side gave a fresh and slightly bitter taste that stopped the meal from feeling too heavy. Meanwhile, the pickles added a light sourness that refreshed my mouth after every few bites. Altogether, the meal somehow included all five tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami, which made every bite feel balanced instead of overwhelming.

The hot white rice also made everything better because it absorbed some of the sauce and softened the stronger flavors from the beef. After suffering in the heat for hours, eating something crispy, juicy, savory, and comforting inside a cool restaurant somehow healed us emotionally.

After lunch, we went to a nearby garden to take more pictures. The scenery was beautiful, especially with everyone wearing yukatas, but at this point the weather had completely destroyed our energy.

Eventually, we decided to end the kimono experience early and head back to the shop. The relief I felt after changing back into normal clothes cannot even be described properly. I finally understood how freedom feels.

Since the weather kept getting worse, we decided we deserved ice cream next.

My friends got matcha and vanilla mixed together. They said the flavors balanced each other perfectly because the vanilla softened the bitterness of the matcha while the matcha stopped the vanilla from becoming overly sweet.

I tried a bite, and honestly they were right. The matcha flavor was earthy and slightly bitter at first, but then the creamy vanilla sweetness slowly followed after. The milkiness also gave a soft and rich feeling that stayed in your mouth. Surprisingly, there was even a tiny salty taste from the dairy that made the sweetness stronger.

But personally, I still preferred mine, which was milk flavored ice cream. It tasted extra creamy and sweet, almost like frozen milk candy. The flavor was simple but comforting, and since I am definitely a sweet person, I liked it more than the matcha combination.

After cooling down a little, we decided to head to Fushimi Inari Shrine (ふしみいなりたいしゃ). However, we got completely distracted by the shopping streets on the way there.

The main reason was a Miffy store.

The entire shop was unbelievably cute. Even if you were not a Miffy fan before entering, you probably would become one after seeing everything inside. I bought a stamp book because I learned that temples usually write goshuin stamps into official stamp books instead of random notebooks.

Then I found something that made me unexpectedly nostalgic, handmade candy.

The candy immediately reminded me of the traditional Japanese sweet introduction we learned about at Shinshu University. I bought pink heart-shaped candy with peach soda flavor, and it tasted so good. The outside was hard and glossy, but once it melted in my mouth, the peach flavor became really fruity and sweet with a fizzy soda-like taste. There was also a tiny sourness that made it taste refreshing instead of overly sugary. The peach smell itself was also really strong, so even before eating it, the candy already smelled sweet and fruity. It somehow tasted playful and nostalgic at the same time.

Eventually, we finally made it to Fushimi Inari Shrine (ふしみいなりたいしゃ), but before entering the shrine area, we saw a Chiikawa shop.

If you have read my journals before, you already know I am a huge Chiikawa fan. Of course, we ended up buying a bunch of Chiikawa merchandise. While browsing, I found an omamori, which is a Japanese good-luck charm from temples and shrines. The funny part was that this charm supposedly blesses you to eat more.

Honestly, dangerous.

I hope it does not work too well.

After finally entering Fushimi Inari Shrine (ふしみいなりたいしゃ), I immediately understood why so many people love this place.

It was crowded, to the point we got lose to each other, but still unbelievably beautiful. The endless rows of red torii gates created this almost dream-like atmosphere. Everywhere we looked, there were fox statues, lanterns, and mountain paths disappearing into the forest.

At first, climbing sounded fun. But after a while, my legs were already dying, so I did not actually make it to the top. Emily said she would continue climbing though, so gambade Emily. Even without reaching the top, the scenery was already worth it. Looking through rows and rows of bright red torii gates stretching into the mountain felt surreal.

After leaving the shrine and heading back toward the station, I suddenly saw the famous apple cake being sold at a pop-up store. The cake is really popular in Japan because it is known for using a generous amount of apple filling instead of being mostly sponge cake. From the display, I could see layers of apple slices packed inside, and even from the line, the smell of butter and baked apples was really strong.

I immediately remembered that Amelia’s birthday was coming up, so I decided to buy a cake for her. The line was extremely long, and I ended up waiting for almost two hours. Honestly, my legs were already half dead from all the walking, so standing there for another two hours felt like torture. Still, I stayed because I really wanted to get something special for her.

Even though I did not taste the cake myself, it looked rich and delicate, and Amelia said she liked it a lot, so I felt really happy. It made the long wait feel completely worth it.

I also got Annika an apple jelly from Muji (むじ), because I remembered that she cannot eat gluten. I was glad I could still find something sweet for her too.

Finally, after taking the train back, I were exhausted, sweaty, and barely alive. Because of that, I meet up with Julianna again and decided to end the day with chicken ramen.

Honestly, it was the perfect ending.

The broth was rich and comforting without being too heavy. Compared to pork broth ramen, chicken broth tasted lighter and cleaner, but it still had a deep umami flavor from the slow-cooked chicken stock. The soup was savory and slightly salty, but there was also a natural sweetness from the chicken bones and vegetables cooked into the broth.

The noodles were chewy and soaked up the soup perfectly. The toppings added even more flavor. The seaweed brought a slight bitterness from the ocean taste, while the bamboo shoots added a light sourness and crunchiness. Everything balanced together surprisingly well, and once again the bowl somehow included all five tastes without making any flavor too overpowering. After an entire day of walking under the heat, eating a hot bowl of ramen somehow felt relaxing instead of tiring. The warmth of the soup made the whole day feel complete.

By the time we finished dinner, all of us were completely exhausted, but honestly this was probably one of my favorite free days in Japan so far.