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potato

Hash browns disappear from McDonald’s Japan branches as country’s potato shortage continues

Supply line troubles between Japan and North America rob fans of breakfast bliss.

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American businessman promises urgent flights of potatoes to Japan to ease French fry shortage

A golden ray of salty hope shines from across the Pacific.

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Mos Burger’s new release takes raw onions to the extreme

Celebrating local produce with some very Japanese condiments.

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Mos Burger releases new teriyaki burger-flavored snack fries with a slight identity crisis

Is it a burger, fries, or something else entirely? We may have stumbled upon the first recognized case of burger-ception. 

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Natural grown peace-sign-shaped potato in Japan is the good omen we all need right now

The first good thing to grow out of 2020.

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Japanese Twitter is in peels of laughter over this ghastly, grinning potato【Video】

That starchy smile will haunt us forever, especially after all these incredible edits.

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Japanese train stopped in its tracks after elderly resident leaves vegetables in its path

Passengers were surprised to hear the announcement: “The train will be delayed due to vegetables on the tracks“.

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We try McDonald’s Japan’s new, as-yet-unnamed, Hokkaido hot potato burger

We got a sneak peek at McDonald’s Japan’s upcoming menu item: a burger topped with Hokkaido-grown mashed potato, cheese, and onion soy sauce.

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Imoni-kai: A hidden, delicious cultural gem of northern Japan

Hop on a train to off-the-beaten-path Yamagata Prefecture any weekend from September through November, and you’re bound to see crowds of people congregating and cooking pots of something delicious by the local river. Yup, imoni-kai season is in full swing!

Imoni (芋煮) is the name given to a taro root stew native to the Tohoku region of northern Japan. Apart from its delicious taste, imoni is also famous for the social aspects of its creation. Families traditionally congregate on a riverbank (the practice of which is known as imoni-kai, literally, “imoni gathering”) and cook the stew from scratch over a fire pit. In that sense, you can think of it a bit like an autumn version of o-hanami, the popular Japanese tradition of viewing cherry blossoms in the spring.

Join us after the jump for a glimpse at a unique cultural tradition of northern Japan which many Japanese people in other parts of the country have never even heard of!

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North Koreans unsure how to handle 560 kg of potatoes in sudden ration flip-flop

North Korean potato farmers breathed a sigh of relief this month when they found out their monthly ration of the crop would be restored and not canceled as earlier reported. The announcement was soon met with confusion however when the workers in the northern Ryanggang Province found out that each of them would receive 560 kg—eight monthly rations-worth—of potatoes at once. Even a notorious eater like North Korean leader Kim Jong Un might find it difficult to stomach that many carbs.

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French fries, or “furaido potato”, as they are called here in Japan, are the standard side order to all kinds of fast food.  Which fast food shop has the best tasting fries in Japan? My Navi News  decided to find out by canvassing 1000 working men and women from the ages of 22 to 32 on Japanese social networking service Mixi.

The results show the top fast food shops ranked by their french fries along with a few select comments from those polled. Their occupations and genders are also shown and although there may not be any direct correlation in occupation to french fry tastes, their education does suggest a discerning taste in french fry eating.  The gender of the people taking the survey appears to have absolutely no significance except that ‘gender role-happy’ Japan cares about such information.

The survey was conducted by simply asking, “Which fast food restaurant makes the best french fries?”

And the winners are… Read More