Being a rice cracker connoisseur, I come across all sorts of discoveries.
One experience that left a particularly strong impression on me was eating sweet-and-savory rice crackers. Flavored with both sugar and soy sauce, they have a distinctive balance of tastes. At first, you might wonder: Is it sweet or is it salty? But if you pay attention to what we call yoin — the lingering resonance that remains after an experience — something fascinating emerges.
Flavor isn’t something that exists only while you’re eating.
It begins before the first bite
Even the aroma when you pick up the cracker heightens your anticipation. It’s like a hint of the sweet-and-savory flavors to come, or the feeling that something pleasant is about to happen.
The moment it touches your tongue
Which comes first, the sweetness or the saltiness?
It’s interesting how differently people perceive it. In my case, sweetness usually arrives first, followed closely by the savory saltiness.
Everyone experiences flavor in their own way, and that’s part of the fun.
The changes as you chew
This is where things really become interesting.
With each bite, different flavors reveal themselves. The sweetness of sugar, the rich depth of soy sauce, and the gentle natural sweetness of the rice itself. It’s almost like listening to a conversation, with one flavor after another taking turns speaking.
A story that continues after the last bite
This is actually the part I find most intriguing.
Even after swallowing, the lingering flavors remain in your mouth. The aftertaste is subtly different from the sweet-and-savory notes you first noticed.
To me, those lingering moments feel wonderfully luxurious.
Why not try this with your favorite snacks?
This way of eating — paying attention to yoin — isn’t limited to rice crackers.
Try it with any food you love. Simply directing a bit of awareness toward the lingering flavors may reveal things you’ve never noticed before. Sweet things have their own kind of aftertaste, and salty ones have theirs. Each opens up a different world.
Taking time to truly taste
In the rush of everyday life, it’s easy to snack while doing something else. But perhaps there’s value in occasionally focusing on a single bite.
In Japan, there is an expression, ichigo ichie — “one encounter, one opportunity.” If you think about it, each encounter with food is much the same. Even the same rice cracker can taste different depending on your mood, for example.
Today’s bite belongs only to today.
If you visit Japan
If you ever have the chance to visit Japan, I encourage you to try rice crackers made from 100% domestically grown Japanese rice. You can find them in the specialty confectionery sections of department stores or at traditional Japanese sweet shops. And if you intentionally pay attention to the lingering aftertaste while enjoying them, you may catch a small glimpse of the depth of Japanese culinary tradition.
Within a single bite is a culture of flavor that has been cultivated patiently over generations.
