Last year I met a French friend in Japan for dinner. Enjoying one of many delightful meals with surprises, I told him, “I have absolutely no idea what that is, but it’s utterly delicious!” “Tell me about it! This happens to me all the time here,” was his enthusiastic reply. That evening we enjoyed a special kind of edible fern that is only served in and around the month of May. And as I had never been in Japan at that time before, it was a new experience. Japan was and still is the land of a thousand unknown foods for me and every time I come here, I eat something I have never eaten before.
While the regional cuisine is amazing and every prefecture and most cities have specialties, many of these are seasonally specific and contribute to Japan's renowned culinary status. Of course around the world you'll get more fruits during harvest or you can eat more heavy and hot dishes when it's cold. But in Japan there is so much more. I doubt that you could try all the regional and seasonal delicacies even if you traveled throughout Japan for a full year.
My next visit was in October and I was curious from the start about what autumn delicacies I would find. It wasn't long before I discovered one of the seasonal specialties: maron (chestnuts). Now, when I think about chestnuts, I think of my childhood and the ones I couldn’t eat. I collected them and drove my parents crazy because after a while they would start attracting mold in my room but I would refuse to throw them away. And there were also the edible chestnuts at fairs that were roasted and sold in paper bags. But other than that I had no idea what you could make out of chestnuts.
Obviously, I was in the right place at the right time for chestnuts. I saw them everywhere and immediately got obsessed with the idea to find as many chestnut foods and drinks as I could. I found chestnuts even at every convenience store, peeled and ready to eat. Very delicious, but there was more. Over the next few weeks I found chestnut latte at a café, a chestnut danish, chestnut milk, chestnut cheese cake and even my favorite coffee drink has a chestnut edition! Whenever I could, I tried each of these and indulged in the sweet taste.
Another seasonal specialty is the sweet potato, though many dishes with that flavor can be bought all year round. Nevertheless, in autumn there is even more, like chocolate specials with sweet potato or even desserts! I found it simply amazing that potatoes go in desserts, so of course I had to try these as well. And they were all really delicious. A common sweet dish you can buy all year round is glacéed sweet potato with black sesame. So even if you’re not here in autumn, you can try these! But being in Japan when it’s not autumn means you’re here in another season, and for sure there are other marvellous seasonal dishes you can try. If you think that sakura (cherry blossoms) are just flowers on trees, come here in spring and try the seasonal cuisine then!
