{"id":10949,"date":"2016-03-22T09:30:13","date_gmt":"2016-03-22T09:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.insidejapantours.com\/?p=10949"},"modified":"2026-02-27T10:03:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T10:03:37","slug":"introducing-kakipi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2016\/03\/22\/introducing-kakipi\/","title":{"rendered":"Any hour can be happy hour: Introducing <i>kakipi<\/i>"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10949&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10949\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10949&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10949&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10949%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10949\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10949\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p>In my opinion, one of the most enjoyable parts of travelling (and, dare I say, living) is eating. Whether you\u2019re standing in line at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/experience-japan\/i-ta002-14\/disneyland-and-disneysea\/\">Tokyo Disneyland<\/a> or whiling away the hours on a train across <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/japanese-regions\/hokkaido\/\">Hokkaido<\/a>, you\u2019ll undoubtedly need to keep your energy (and spirits) up with some snacks. For your consideration, I\u2019d like to recommend <em>kakipi<\/em>: a craveable mixture of (mildly) spicy rice crackers and peanuts. Though usually associated with beer or other alcoholic drink, I think these are appropriate even outside of happy hour.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10950\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10950\" style=\"width: 423px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10950 size-rss-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0743-423x564.jpg\" alt=\"Kakipi\" width=\"423\" height=\"564\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0743-423x564.jpg 423w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0743-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0743-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0743-1200x1600.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0743-900x1200.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0743-720x960.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0743-390x520.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0743-780x1040.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0743-510x680.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0743.jpg 1350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 423px) 100vw, 423px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10950\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The <em>kaki<\/em> in <em>kakipi<\/em> is actually a shortening of <em>kaki no tane<\/em> (persimmon seed).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Across the Japan, from mid to late autumn, you\u2019ll find trees that are bare of any leaves, but festively decked with orange fruit. This is the <em>kaki<\/em> &#8211; or persimmon tree. If you were to slice open one of these orange globes (depending on the variety), you\u2019d find some dark brown, crescent-shaped seeds nestled in the sweet flesh of the fruit. The shape of these seeds is the namesake of the rice cracker. However, as with many great discoveries, these crackers were born of mishap and good fortune.<\/p>\n<p>The story goes that in 1923, the late Mr. Yosaburo Imai, an employee at the Naniwa Confectionary Company, accidentally stepped on a metal cutter that was being used to make oval-shaped rice crackers. As a result, the oval cutter was deformed into a crescent-shaped one, but rather than repair it, Mr. Imai went on using it as it was. Due to its shape, it\u2019s not too hard to imagine how the <em>kaki no tane<\/em> (persimmon seed) name caught on.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10961\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10961\" style=\"width: 512px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10961 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/\u67ff\u306e\u7a2e-1.jpg\" alt=\"Persimmon seeds\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/\u67ff\u306e\u7a2e-1.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/\u67ff\u306e\u7a2e-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/\u67ff\u306e\u7a2e-1-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/\u67ff\u306e\u7a2e-1-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10961\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Persimmon seeds (image: kamezo.cc)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As for the <em>pi<\/em> part of this mixture, that would be <em>piinatsu<\/em> (peanuts).<\/p>\n<p>The most popular story surrounding the combination of the two belongs to the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, which was used by the occupying forces for the duration of the post-World War II Allied Occupation of Japan. It was at this time the hotel bar decided to add a little Japanese flair to their complimentary bar snacks by adding rice crackers, specifically <em>kaki no tane<\/em>, to their peanuts. To this day you can still visit the bar, which is now called the Old Imperial Bar, and enjoy the same mix with your drink.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10963 size-rss-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0738-3-564x423.jpg\" alt=\"Kakipi for sale\" width=\"564\" height=\"423\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0738-3-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0738-3-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0738-3-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0738-3-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0738-3-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0738-3-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0738-3-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0738-3-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0738-3-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0738-3-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_0738-3-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 564px) 100vw, 564px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Over the years, the popularity of <em>kakipi<\/em> grew, and still retains a special place in the hearts and stomachs of the population. These days, you can easily find a wide variety of <em>kakipi,<\/em> ranging from the classic mix, to salt and pepper, preserved plum with <em>shiso <\/em>(perilla leaf), and even wasabi.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s even more enticing (to me at least), are the speciality flavors limited to certain regions of the country. If you\u2019re on the island of Kyushu, be sure to keep an eye out for the <em>mentai<\/em> (spicy cod roe) flavour!<\/p>\n<p>High in protein, packed with flavour, and rich in history, <em>kakipi<\/em> deserves a place in your daypack!<\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10949&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10949\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10949&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10949&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10949%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10949\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10949\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like this post? Help us by sharing it! In my opinion, one of the most enjoyable parts of travelling (and, dare I say, living) is eating. Whether you\u2019re standing in line at Tokyo Disneyland or whiling away the hours on a train across Hokkaido, you\u2019ll undoubtedly need to keep your energy (and spirits) up with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":10957,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2366],"tags":[1751,2375,2675,2676,2677],"class_list":["post-10949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-japanese-food-and-drink","tag-japanese-snacks","tag-food-drink","tag-kakipi","tag-mark-fujishige","tag-bar-snacks"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10949"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10949\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36370,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10949\/revisions\/36370"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}