ibaraki

Ask a Japanese grandmother about sweet potatoes and she won’t shrug. She’ll have an opinion. Japan grows dozens of named satsumaimo varieties, each with its own texture, sweetness level, and hometown pride — and the country has turned roasting them into something close to an art form. Street vendors still push carts through winter neighborhoods calling out “yaki-imoooo,” and specialty shops sell a single sweet potato the way a bakery sells a croissant: individually, warm, and worth the wait. We built this guide around four regions where the sweet potato isn’t a side dish — it’s the whole point of the trip — plus a Tokyo-only section for anyone who […]