As my other comrades have stated, our long but unforgettable journey will soon come to a close. As I John, Dragoon of Clan Uprising, writing this now my mind begins to replay many memories. From visiting the Daibutsu 「大仏」, to indulging myself in Japanese history at the open air folk museum, reliving a nostalgic life as a kindergarten student, and receiving the ever loving support from a host family. Honestly, our time has passed by so fast. Helpful RA’s (Masa, Hiro, Erena, Tomoko), 専修大学 staff, ヤン先生 a wonderful and knowledgeable teacher, and lastly the students, or so I should say friends, that were made during this trip made my stay here an enjoyable one. The 専修 program is an experience which will be engraved in my heart until eternity. But alas I must cease these tears from falling for a Dragoon must always show a face of bravery and portray unmatched valor. So let us begin the final entry of greatness.
This week’s entry is about each member’s own experiences. While knowing that our main purpose is for researching sweets I could not help myself but wanting to introduce individuals to what is now a fixed niche in Akihabara. It is none other than the Japanese girl group, AKB48. Seeing AKB48, it should be normal for one to raise an eyebrow of curiosity. AKB48 is an all-girls pop group which has respectively gained popularity world-wide and are now treated as one of Japan’s iconic music symbols. How I discovered them was through listening to a particular song, “RIVER”. It talks about how life will not always provide a straight path for success when there is a river in the way, but by pushing through with determination and cherishing the united bonds of friends anything is possible. Through them, not only has it made me a fan but it has also piqued my interest, which is why I visited the AKB48 café today.
While it may seem like a distraction from our topic of sweets, I went on ahead and began my journey inside the café. Upon browsing the café due to my curiosity I decided to see what they had to offer and to my surprise I found this particular item.
It may seem like a normal parfait but it is unique in a sense that each ingredient included on the parfait is chosen personally by the AKB48 members and other sub unit groups (SKE48, NMB48, HKT48, SNH48, JKT48) and not only is it chosen by them but the ingredients also portray the particular speciality of each region/country. From SKE48>Nagoya there is Anko bean toast 「餡子トスート」, a fried cake looking toast with Anko paste that stems on Nagoya’s love for fried foods. NMB48>Osaka, known as well for it fried/grilled food variety, comes a sweet takoyaki-donut ball. From JKT48>Jakarta/Indonesia comes a delicacy well known in the South Asian region, deep fried banana. SNH48>Shanghai/China brings frozen mango pieces while HKT48>Hakata/Fukuoka features a round, red, sweet, and delicious ice cream based on the designs of Hakata’s well known cakes Hakata Tourimon and Hakata no Hito. Finally AKB48>Akihabara presents a cheap and well known treat in Japan known as Okoshi which is a dried rice confectionary. Here is what the real thing looks like!
The combination of many different ingredients made this dessert enjoyable and unique in a sense that there was always something new to try when eating the parfait. Included with the standard yogurt and flakes, the collaboration of ice cream, deep fried banana/anko toast/Tako-donut can make the customer wonder what he/she is eating. Nevertheless I found it enjoyable, a bit expensive being at 700円 but worth the try!
As stated earlier AKB48 is a girl group based in Akihabara, it is no surprise seeing their faces posted on every shop, poster, vending machine etc. Inside the actual AKB48 café/shop were many souvenirs such as towels, t-shirts, hats, key chains, and most importantly their CD’s. Being in Japan I had to purchase them. It gives a fan a sense of novelty and pride buying something from its place of origin. What was also inside, a stage where 3-4 AKB workers would put on a small entertaining live performance of stand-up comedy/songs for customers who wished to dine in the live stage. All in all, the trip to the AKB48 café/shop was an eventful one for me and while it may not suit the interests of some, the journey is definitely worth it if you are curious. If one so wishes to learn more about the history of the group magazines, profile cards, and photos are provided at the cashier. To conclude my reasoning for choosing the AKB48 café/shop was to provide a helpful insight as to why they are Japan’s top icons. They are constantly exposed to advertisements, Television shows, and the like. It would not be wrong to call AKB48 one of Japan’s famous attractions.
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