There are many sounds to indicate the changing of the seasons in Japan. The noisy rattling of the cicadas is replaced by the gentle sounds of the crickets chirping, the calls of the migrating ducks returning to their winter homes. For some people these are all subtle sounds that the hot humid days of summer are giving way to the cooler days of autumn, but for me its the harking of the "Potato Man" that rings in the season. To children in America, the sound of the "ice cream man" is the ultimate sign that summer has come. "ICE CREAM MAN, STOP!!" shout sweaty American children, running into the street, gripping money that their mothers gave them. In Japan, there is no "Ice cream man". In Japan there is the "Potato man". To be more precise; "the grilled sweet potato man". During the beginning of autumn, the calls of the "Potato man" can be heard from all around the neighborhood. "Yaki-imo, Yaki-imo, oishii da yo" which translates to " grilled sweet potato, grilled sweet potato, delicious".The children in Japan, gripping Yen that their mother gave them, run into the streets shouting "POTATO MAN, STOP!. Autumn has finally arrived here in Japan! The potatoes come in two sizes and are hot and delicious. Sorry, only one flavor.
