Japan Night With Friends

Last weekend, I had a couple of friends over for a Japan themed evening of presentations, movies, food, and fun. We kicked off the evening with beverage and snack sampling from my trip to the Super G Mart. The seaweed snacks were a huge hit along with the sweet potato curls. I introduced the group to the Ramune drink and showed them how to pop the marble down. The Ramune flavored gummy candy were also very good and a nice addition to trying the carbonated drink. Some of my friends enjoyed the gummy over the actual drink due to the sweetness levels. We also tried some alcoholic beverages including Asahi, Sapporo, and a cucumber flavored sake.

Pocky, seaweed snack, ramune gummy, snack mix

seaweed snack, banana chips, ramune gummy, snack mix, shrimp crackers

After trying many different foods and drinks, I offered a sneak preview of my travel and culture tips for visiting Japan. It was also the first time I was able to wear my full kimono attire. While it was a little too hot to be in a full kimono, it was fun to wear for my friends. I am presenting again during a panel at the Queen City Anime Convention on August 26th at 2 p.m.  
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We capped the evening by watching the 2001 remastered version of Akira. Originally released in 1988, Akira is known as a groundbreaking movie that pushed anime into a new frontier. I  refer to it as the starting point of modern day anime. It is an intensive psychological thriller and an anime masterpiece. The movie is not for the faint of heart, but certainly one to add to your watch list.  

My full kimono outfit