Yaki Imo

**Bob in Iowa** · Nov 25, 2004, 11:54

Some of my fondest food memories from living in Japan in the 70's relate to acquiring and eating street food.

When my wife and I first took up residence together, we lived in a 6 mat room on the second floor of a small apartment building near the Fussa train station in western Tokyo prefecture. On cold winter evenings, we would often hear the bell of the sweet potato man, pulling his cart down the street below, singing "yaaaakiimo YAKIIMO!"

Simultaneously, we would look at each other. Her beautiful dark eyes would sparkle as she grinned devilishly, immediately prompting a quick "jan ken pon", which I almost always lost, whereupon I would scramble to put on some clothes and run down to the street to catch up to the sweet potato ojisan.

He was a friendly old guy who would smile at me as I stood shivering in the street, warming my hands over his cart as I waited my turn to receive two hot baked sweet potatoes, each wrapped in newspaper.

It seems as though I remember that the colder the night, the better they tasted. We would eat every morsel, even the crispy skin.

Although I have always liked sweet potatoes, those were the best I have ever had.

-Bob

**TwistedMac** · Nov 25, 2004, 11:58

nice!

(This guy has the gift of tounge! make room at the fireplace for the storyteller)

**Bob in Iowa** · Nov 27, 2004, 00:22

Thank you for your kind comments, TwistedMac !!!

--Bob

**wintersweet** · Nov 27, 2004, 14:19

Ah, I wanted to try some when I was in Japan last New Year's, but I wasn't that lucky. They always have yaki imo at the Cherry Blossom Festival in April in San Francisco, but somehow I imagine they taste better in the snow.

**Apollo** · Nov 28, 2004, 01:07

I always smile when I think about it....haha...YAAKIIIIIIIMO!!!

I was never fond of sweet potatoes though..

**ffrost_nova622** · Nov 28, 2004, 01:41

everytime my ma buys sweet potato she wraps it and then wen i take it out its like all soggy *chucks away* oh yea and ur memory when i read it was really romantic

**Bob in Iowa** · Nov 28, 2004, 06:50

Originally Posted by wintersweet

I imagine they taste better in the snow.

In wintertime, there are a lot of street foods that seemed to taste better, or at least my memory of them seems to be more clearly associated with a cold winter night.

**ragedaddy** · Dec 5, 2004, 17:51

Yeah, I remember the cart going around, and blarring incredibly loud, "Yakkkimmoo," and though I wasn't the most fond of sweet potatoes, I would purchase some occasionally. I was more of a "Kuri" fan, that's right chestnuts roasting over an open fire......yum yum..... In the winter, that, yaki tori, and ama zaki is a killer combo...

**Bob in Iowa** · Dec 6, 2004, 10:01

Oh, the chestnuts -- yes those were great, and yakitori is one of my all time favorite street foods. Another favorite, especially in the wintertime is odin. I used to love eating hot odin from street vendor stands.

**bezz** · Dec 10, 2005, 06:57

drool.

Hmm the yakiimo cart guys... where are they hiding in summer?

**epigene** · Dec 10, 2005, 21:11

I don't know about now (considering that there are so many unemployed people these days), but "yaki-imo" peddling used to be winter "arubaito" for farmers.

**BigBossIchi** · Dec 11, 2005, 06:32

Originally Posted by bezz

drool.

Hmm the yakiimo cart guys... where are they hiding in summer?

Drool is right! I wish they had this here in Canada...all it is hotdog charts and french fries! I dear friend of mine is from South Korea and she made them from me once..very tasty indeed!

**Gaijinian** · Dec 13, 2005, 01:15

Mmmmmmmmm.... Just reading the title made my hungry!

**Dogen Z** · Oct 17, 2009, 09:53

Sweet potatoes are good for you! They have a higher fiber content and are more nutritious than regular potatoes. If you remember that the next time you go to McD for a bag of fries, you might just go to a street corner close to a train station and wait for the yaki imo man. (During autumn & winter) You might have to wait in line with a bunch of school girls in their sailor suit school uniform, but that makes the experience more kawaii...

Here's a vid of one guy who caught the yaki imo man. (But no girls in sailor suit uniform.)　

BTW, there's a certain method used by the yaki imo man to bake the sweet potatoes on hot stones to bring out more flavor. So you can't get same thing by nuking it in your micro-range.

If you discover that you don't care for yaki imo, try sweet potatoe sherbert - it's delicious. Unfortunately, I've only been able to find this in Kawagoe.