What do you put in your mouth?

Firstly, you'll have to forgive me for not posting any of the 800+ pictures I've taken from my travels ever since returning home, nor publishing any reflections. Lately I have been investing a lot of my free time in a "self-actualization" phase. This involves doing a lot of reading, thinking, and trying to decide how to spend my time while in Japan and what I want to do afterward. While I am a dreamer, it's rare for me to fully embrace this process - so I'm trying to milk it for all that I can.

I won't use this as an excuse to ignore updating the blog at all, I just wanted to fill you in. I won't detail my personal musings further, since it is beyond the scope of it anyhow. Have a mini-update as consolation:

The best part about the New Year in Japan is not only the time off, but when you get back to work, every employee offers omiyage (generally any type of souvenir, but in this case, snacks) from their respective hometowns. I've sampled many delicate flavors, from shrimp-cakes to rich chocolate - and not only from Japan, but Europe and the United States as well.

This reminds me of another oddity of observation: the holy trinity of flavor in Japan. I about wept with joy at seeing (in my local deli, no less!) some of the most surprising additions to otherwise "normal" foods combined into one edible treat. In case you never heard, Japan has an affinity for certain extras on food - unscrupulously added to just about anything. Some examples that stand out to me the most are corn (flavored snacks, or as a pizza topping) and mayonnaise (topping for salads, fried foods, in rice balls). Advertised in the deli was a tuna-flavored bread roll with corn and mayo toppings. .......wow.

No, I didn't try it.