Japan is a seasonal country. The Japanese people are very proud to have four seasons and when I first arrived here I was amazed at (and eventually sick of) how many times people proudly told me, "Japan has four seasons, how many does your country have?" But I've live through all four now and can completely understand why they are so proud. This place changes drastically and beautifully. With amazing leaf colours in autumn, tonnes of snow in winter, cherry blossoms in spring and sunny days mixed with typhoons and terrential downpours in summer. It blows me away. 
Anyway, I'm waffling. Back to the point. I went to the Community Centre on Saturday morning ot hang out with my Elementary School kids. They had a yaki-imo party. A great autumnal idea to use up the dead leaves lying everywhere and eat some delicious new sweet potatoes. The staff made a little bonfire. While the cinders were getting nice and hot, each student wrapped his or her own sweet potato. First in wet newspaper and then in tin-foil. Next all the spuds are put in with the hot cinders. Then a bunch of leaves are piled on top and left to burn slowly while the kids play games.
After about an hour of agonising waiting (I didn(t have breakfast), the spuds are taken out and leaft to cool on the grass for a while. Then everyone got a little carton of green tea and a potato. They were delicous. Absolutely, mouth-wateringly, scrumdidlyuptiously delicious. If you know what I mean.
Oh, and sorry, I didn't get a photo of the final product. I was too busy stuffing myself.
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