In Epiosde 83 of the Just Japan Podcast, host Kevin O’Shea chats with Jason from napajapan.com about Japanese snacks. Japan is known for its amazing selection of wonderful and sometimes strange snack foods and flavors. Tomato sauce and spaghetti ice cream, sweet bean Pepsi and Eggs Benedict potato chips…all realities in Japan! No one knows more about snacks in Japan than Jason, a Canadian based out of Hokkaido who provides snacks to people all around the world via his online store, NapaJapan.
Kevin and Jason also announce a Just Japan Podcast/NapaJapan free snack pack giveaway contest!
Listen to the Just Japan Podcast:
Just Japan Podcast and NapaJapan contest!
Details:
Leave a comment on the shownotes/ THIS blog post telling me and Jason WHY you deserve one of the two free snack packs from NapaJapan.com! Make sure to leave the “secret word” in your post. Be creative! Stand out and make me laugh! that’s how You’ll win!
This week’s guest:
Jason from NapaJapan.com a great place to buy Japanese snacks wherever you are!
Contact Jason on the site or on Twitter: @napaJapan
Check out the NapaJapan Facebook page!
Check out “Luck of Japan” on Etsy! It’s my new shop and there are a lot of great Japanese products there. More are added each and every week!
Contact the Just Japan Podcast:
Check out the Facebook page and JOIN the awesome Just Japan Podcast community.
Follow me on Twitter: @jlandkev
Email the podcast at: justjapanpodcast@gmail.com
Check out my YouTube channels (BusanKevin) and (jlandkev)
2 lucky Just Japan Podcast listeners will win this EXACT prize pack from NapaJapan if you simply leave a funny/creative/entertaining comment below telling me why you should win the contest! You MUST add the secret word to your response and have until October 9th, 2015 (JST) to enter the contest!
Winners will be announced on October 10th!
Just Japan Stuff 
I should win the contest because I am personally addicted to candy and snacks and only slightly less addicted to Japan. Yes, it’s horrible and I’ve gotten much better at not eating like a 10 year old locked in a candy store overnight but I’m still somewhat famous for melting several candy bars and eating it with a spoon and eating olives straight out of the jar. My son loves ‘bragging’ about the one and only time I bought him Doritos for the house and we polished off the whole bag in one sitting. Plus, my birthday is October 23rd which I HATED as a child since it was always all about Halloween. I still hold my parents personally responsible for getting me a pumpkin-shaped ice cream birthday cake one year and making me cry(the cake was delicious though). Now as an adult with a kid (who also has an October birthday!) who is indifferent about her own birthday but SUPER EXCITED ABOUT ALL THE HOLIDAYS! I love Halloween. Rest assured that if I win I will gladly eat every single snack, even the weird flavors, with joy in my little heart. So I hope I’ve made my case and if not, here’s a very badly put together song that I spent exactly 23 minutes of company time thinking of. Enjoy!
Sung to the tune of Fresh Prince of Bel Air:
In Southeast America
Born but not raised
A bilingual Dominican who moved to PA
Chillin’ out, watching Degrassi after school
When Spinner ate poutine and it made me want to drool
Then I stayed up real late, saw my first anime
Learned a little more about the culture, eh?
I got a little bit older and the internet arrived
So I thought, ‘I want to travel, let’s take to the skies!’
So I didn’t have to money to travel and explore
But the internet gave me BusanKevin and more!
Listening to the podcast makes me feel like I’m there
While I sit at my job and dream of all the snacks there.
LikeLike
A new restaurant opened up near us recently, called “F.A.T.: Fried And Tasty”, and today I decided to try it.
I was listening to the Just Japan podcast, and just as your instructions for this competition were announced, my poutine arrived:
Surely that’s an omen? I’m definitely going to win the prize.
LikeLike
Excellenct episode. I love trying all sorts of foreign snacks. In Canada my favourite snack/hangover food was poutine. Sounded so wrong but was awesome. On honeymoon we had awesome weird and wonderful snacks including dango and different types of mochi. Would love to try those eggs benedict pringles! It will be a long time before I get back to japan due to my husband being made redundant but I love hearing about life in Japan and would love some snacks that would remind me of our honeymoon. Keep up the good work.
LikeLike
German listener and poutine virgin here.
Omg I can’t believe how much food I’m missing out on. Everything looks delicious!! Never tried it before!! Unfortunately poutine would be difficult to ship but I would also love to win the Japanese snacks. 😀
My last semester at university has just started and I could need something for my nerves when I’ll write my bachelor thesis. That would be awesome.
Arigatou Gozaimasu for the contest and keep up the good work. 🙂
LikeLike
Making my first trip to Japan in December this year. Didn’t really think through the northern hemisphere winter thing and already pondering how much confectionery I’ll need to consume to maintain my “portly” physique and be insulated against the cold.
I can’t read/write a single Kanji character, so having a Japanese snack food education BEFORE I arrive as a bewildered tourist would be very helpful indeed. I don’t want to make the mistake of buying a red bean filled creation when I really wanted something stuffed with sugar-laden fake cream.
(Thanks for this podcast series, BTW. Learning heaps about Japanese culture).
Derek (@OzDJ)
Sydney, NSW, Australia
LikeLike
Probably should tell you why I should win.
Overall Japanese snacks are the best.
Uhh, do I even need a better answer?
That Halloween day is almost here.
I’m too old for trick or treating so I need a treat.
Now I followed the rules.
Even added the secret word.
LikeLike
I’d like to win because it’s my mother’s and sister’s birthday this week and I would like to surprise them with Japanese snacks. Japanese snacks are something we all find exciting and that would be a perfect surprise. Japan’s snacks are a signature “dish”, just like “Curry Wurst” in Germany, “Poutine” from Canada, or Spanish “Paella”.
LikeLike
Morning All! A big beautiful one from the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Home of beaches, sand, lots of sun and hurricane survivors of all kinds. I’ll tell you a little story of how important Japanese snacks are to me. When Katrina was on it’s way, it was time to bug out and leave the coast. My newly arrived box of Japanese snacks were the first thing to go in the car. How important is that! I love all my Japanese yummies and they certainly helped in the dark days after Katrina. A little bit here, a little bit there, we were all happy to have them. So I truly deserve that box of goodies!! Oh yeah, the secret word is poutine. I’ve never had actual poutine, but have had Americanized versions of it . I hope someday to get the read thing. Joy all!
LikeLike
Hello! I’m Misha and I should be chosen as a winner because as long as I can remember I’ve loved experiencing different cultures through food. Being lucking enough to be born and raised where the food palate is so diverse helped introduce me to a broader view of the world. I think it may have been that one episode of Pokemon I watched as a kid where team rocket are all eating onigiri that prompted my curiosity/obsession into Japanese food. Discovering and trying out new foods to me is like a mini vacation on your plate. The history of the cuisine and the art of it and even the novelty just entranced me as a kid, sticking with me to this day. I’m known at work as the “dealer” because I get my coworkers hooked on so many different Japanese snacks and candies. It’s also fun for me to order weird novelties and use my family members as guinea pigs or punish my husband with smoked salmon flavored puccho for eating my last Sasha chocolate. All in all it won’t just be me winning but all my “willing” loved ones and friends. I’m very big on sharing and pulling people out of their comfort zones or assumptions about Japanese snacks. And it would be a perfect birthday gift for me since I no longer live in my hometown so the International food section is well… none existent here. Again I’m Misha, and thank you so much for considering my entry!
LikeLike
I just discovered your podcast, and I’m so excited! The snack episode definitely got my attention, and now I’m gonna go back an listen to everything!
I’ve just started studying Japanese, but going to Japan… That won’t happen in a while. *poor student*. So I think a box of Japanese snacks could really boost my studies, and give me a good opportunity to learn new snack related words!! That will impress the teachers, right? Maybe i’ll share some with her as well. I’m feeling some A’s coming my way! Unless she happens to prefer poutine over Pringles ala eggs benedict… Anyway, I’m SUPER EXCITED about bringing these crazy cool snacks to the library, making all the geeks jealous!!
Ps. Please keep the delivery subtle, I don’t want to share with my boyfriend
( ^ω^ )
LikeLike
I just discovered your podcast! The snack episode really got my attention, and now I’ll listen to everything!
I just started studying Japanese this semester, but going to Japan.. That won’t happen in a while *poor student*. But I thing a huge box of Japanese snacks could really boost my studies (and my spirit) and hive me an awesome opportunist to learn some new snack related words. That Will i press the teacher, right? Maybe I’ll even share some stuff with her. I’m really feeling some A’s coming up!!! Unless she prefers poutine over Pringles ala eggs benedict… Anyway, I’m super excited about bringing crazy cool snacks to the library, making all the geeks jealous!
Ps. Please make delivery subtle. I don’t want to share with my boyfriend ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆
LikeLike
Snacks, Snacks, Snacks, oh how I low me some Japanese Snacks. Love the podcast and loved this episode, I’ve always wanted to try napajapan just never had the extra income, so it would be awesome to win this, and wouldn’t it be cool if they came out with poutine Pringles lol. Thanks keep it up and good luck everybody
LikeLike
Why do I deserve this box of candy? I’ll tell you why. You’re not going to believe this, but it turns out you stop getting to go trick-or-treat at Halloween once you hit high school! What’s the deal with that!? I say, if you can still manage to squeeze into that child-size Spongebob costume, you’re still eligible to stuff your face with free Kit Kats (and the occasional poutine dinner… Grandma’s house at Halloween always was a strange experience.) Anyway, you can help me keep that dream alive by giving ME free candy. (Coming to your house in a two-sizes-too-small Batman suit to obtain my prize is optional, but preferred.)
BTW, something to pass on to Jason. I bought some Ebeeza crackers from napaJapan about two years ago, and they are by far the NASTIEST thing I have ever tasted in my life. It was like eating charcoal whilst simultaneously being assaulted by the pungent odor of expired seafood. However… they are probably the greatest purchase I ever made. Hours of fun were had tricking various friends and family members into eating one and then watching their inevitable reaction. Sadly it only works as a one-time gag since it’s a taste (and smell) you never forget, but I just wanted to say thanks for the amazing laughs.
LikeLike
Long time podcast listener here from the land of Poutine (Montreal, Qc). I love listening to Kevin’s podcast and when I saw the topic for the latest episode I was pumped. I am addicted to snack foods, more specifically snack foods from abroad. I love discovering a bit about a country thru their food. I have been able to try some japanese snacks in the past and love not only eating them but more importantly the experience. I love sharing these snacks with my brother who is disabled, he doesn’t get to go out or travel a lot so exposing him to foreign snacks is a cool way to find out about places. I also love spending time with my niece while we make a diy candy kit. Watching her make something and then seeing her reaction to the sometimes odd candies is priceless.
Keep up the brilliant work Kevin your efforts and info are much appreciated.
LikeLike
The name is “Hannah” and like “Napajapan”, it’s a palindrome.
Eating snacks makes me chubby and cute like a garden gnome.
Kevin has a “salt tooth” and enjoys studying bugs and craft beer,
I enjoy knitting and like to have salty and sweet snacks near.
While Jason is in Hokkaido eating caramel flavored with lamb (also known as chilver),
I’m in South Dakota learning Japanese on Skype with Jenny Silver.
Although I’ve never tried Poutine,
Gobbling up Hi Chews is a frequent routine.
I’m not saying I should win because I’m good at rhyming,
but with Halloween around the corner it would be great timing.
LikeLike
Howdy there Kevin! I am a huge fan of your podcast. My name is Hunter and I am an American living in Taiwan. Although I grew up in America, I lived for many years right near the border of Canada (Maine and Vermont), so I was able to enjoy plenty of poutine (Plenty of Poutine, that should be my next band name).
I am actually appearing on Taiwanese TV show/YouTube series later today to talk about Taiwanese snack food, so I like to consider myself somewhat of an expert on the snack scene in Taiwan. However, I haven’t had the chance to enjoy many Japanese snacks, especially not ones as cool as the snacks in the box you posted. If I win, I promise that I will write a blog post comparing Taiwanese and Japanese snacks 🙂
In order to show my appreciation for your podcast, I would like to create a series of acrostic poem showing how much I love your podcast. The first one is made up of different episodes that I enjoyed, and the second one is made up of the things about your podcast that make me happy.
Putting Down Roots
Opening a School in Japan (with Gimmeabreakman)
Under the Knife
Typhoons
Ice Hockey in Japan
Not So Common Questions about Japan
English Education in Japan
Plenty of interesting info about Japan
Okinawa information, which is quite hard to find elsewhere!
University teaching job information
The infectious laughter of our lovely host
Interesting comparisons of life in Canada, Korea and Japan
Never enough discussions about food
Endearing stories about Kevin’s family
LikeLike
Howdy there Kevin! I am a huge fan of your podcast. My name is Hunter and I am an American living in Taiwan. Although I grew up in America, I lived for many years right near the border of Canada (Maine and Vermont), so I was able to enjoy plenty of poutine (Plenty of Poutine, that should be my next band name).
I am actually appearing on Taiwanese TV show/YouTube series later today to talk about Taiwanese snack food, so I like to consider myself somewhat of an expert on the snack scene in Taiwan. However, I haven’t had the chance to enjoy many Japanese snacks, especially not ones as cool as the snacks in the box you posted. If I win, I promise that I will write a blog post comparing Taiwanese and Japanese snacks 🙂
In order to show my appreciation for your podcast, I would like to create a series of acrostic poem showing how much I love your podcast. The first one is made up of different episodes that I enjoyed, and the second one is made up of the things about your podcast that make me happy.
Putting Down Roots
Opening a School in Japan (with Gimmeabreakman)
Under the Knife
Typhoons
Ice Hockey in Japan
Not So Common Questions about Japan
English Education in Japan
Plenty of interesting info about Japan
Okinawa information, which is quite hard to find elsewhere!
University teaching job information
The infectious laughter of our lovely host
Interesting comparisons of life in Canada, Korea and Japan
Never enough discussions about food
Endearing stories about Kevin’s family
P.S.-I live in Taiwan, so shipping will be much cheaper.
LikeLike
I would love to win the NapaJapan box, as a lack of awesome Japanese snacks is really poutine me in a bad mood!
– Jason, UK
LikeLike