Meet the Yaki Imo Man

Today the yaki-imo man passed through my neighbourhood, with a gaggle of little girls dancing, running, and munching on their stone-cooked sweet potatoes.

This is a very common tradition in autumn/winter Japan...

Listen to the almost forlorn song they sing... and you can feel what it must have been like for the yaki-imo man as he tried to feed his family after the war, on a meagre sustenance of stone-cooked sweet potato.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• yaki
• imo
• japan
• japanese
• traditions
• sweet
• potato
• cam
• switzer
• food

[StanPomeray]

It sounds like all "westerners" are scared by the Yaki Imo man. First time I stayed in Tokyo I found the "Yaki Imo" song fairly creepy!  Being scared by a singing potato man! LOL pathetic really isnt it!

[camswitzer]

@StanPomeray Well, it does kind of sound like a death chant, I'll give you that much.

[norsehawk]

I was in Japan for a month in November-December of 2006, and I loved getting the occasional sweet potato, just the perfect taste on a cold night.

[camswitzer]

That is exactly it! And didn't you enjoy buying a hot coffee, or hot tea from the vending machine, and rolling it around in your cold hands, too? I love that aspect of winter here. Oh, and the hot "oshibori" or the cloths they give you at restaurants! Heaven!! Thanks for commenting and watching.

[Tekka]

Man, thats kinda creepy... o_O

[camswitzer]

Yes, I know. The music really is kind of creepy... but the sweet potatoes are great!

[norsehawk]

The little things like that are why I want to go back and live in Japan for a while. Some people are into the whole anime scene or the music scene, for me, it's enjoying the little things and going and cooking at a sento or onsen for a few hours.

[camswitzer]

Except it's hot!

[dagocleo]

so a bit like the ice-cream man japanese style ?

[Medracin]

lol yaki imo!