While I was browsing Hakone town in Japan, I came across this little shop selling senbei – Japanese rice crackers. They sold mostly traditional rice crackers, plain or with sesame or seaweed and I bought lots of little packets as gifts for friends.

It was delicious! Crispy, not too salty and overall yum! But what really caught my eye was the senbei in the window.

The rice crackers were made in the shape of a large heart and lightly toasted. When you buy 1 piece, the man will dip the large rice cracker in some soy sauce and then toast it over coals until it is hot and crispy.

Then, he lightly toasts a slice of seaweed which he then wraps around the senbei for you to hold it.

This piece of rice cracker set me back JPY250 (about RM10).

If this isn’t the most expensive rice cracker I’ve ever eaten I don’t know what is!

But it was good I ate it sitting outside the shop in the darkening twilight, savouring the cold autumn air while I watched the friendly man at work. Many young girls were taken by the “kawaii” senbei – yes they do say “kawaiiiii” in real life and they do buy a lot of cute things