Terry Ito Column Vol.27 Do you know what Summerstollen is?

At my favorite bakery in Kamakura, PINY, I saw a display of "Stollen," a popular Christmas treat, labeled "Summer Stollen" even though it was midsummer. Since it's one of my favorite baked goods, I couldn't help but buy one. Stollen is a German-originated baked good that apparently means "mine tunnel" in Japanese. The tunnel-shaped cake is topped with raisins, lemon peel, and orange peel, and topped with pure white powdered sugar, creating the perfect winter mountain hut atmosphere. It's customary to buy it a month before Christmas and eat it little by little. Stollen has become increasingly popular in Japan in recent years, with famous cake shops competing to sell it. Now, this mid-summer idol has made an appearance in Shonan! It seems the strategy was a great success.

I've been thinking about foods that are out of season. "Chilled oden" has become so popular that it's even sold in vending machines. So maybe "chilled ozōni" would be good too. It would be a shame to limit ozōni to New Year's. If you think about it, even the now commonplace "chilled Chinese noodles," "chilled tanuki," and "chilled kitsune" originally only came from warm udon and soba noodles. Until recently, "iced coffee" didn't exist overseas. Speaking of which, Tabasco is a standard with pizza, but honey seems to be popular among women these days. My imagination is running wild.

So how about a "chilled sauna"? A freezing-cold sauna for all those working under the scorching sun. After 10 minutes in the sauna, your chilled body will be chilled, and then you can splash into a bathtub at just the right temperature. A piping hot sunken kotatsu will be placed in a chilled break room, allowing you to enjoy a meal. You won't know if your body is warm or cold, but there is a wide variety of menu items. There are plenty of attractions on the menu, including chilled dishes like "chilled yakitori," "cold meat buns," and "chilled curry rice," as well as "boiling water chocolate" and "hot popcorn" that pops when you open the lid. How about that?

I've gotten off track, but I wonder if new products are developed like this. Even though I love Christmas, I want to meet Santa Claus, who I can only see in December, more often. You can see Mickey Mouse all year round at Disneyland, but you can't meet Summer Santa Claus. It'd be a shame to see him in a Hawaiian shirt, so I'd love to meet him. But I don't think there's a situation where Santa would actually appear. Waterskiing in the ocean is pretty common, after all. Since Santa is a global idol, I wonder if someone could create a great "Dream Santa Claus Land"! Maybe in Okinawa. I hope Prime Minister Kishida will come up with a plan! It would become a new tourist attraction for Okinawa. I hope this dream becomes a reality.

Terry Ito (director)

Born in Tsukiji, Tokyo in 1949. After attending Waseda Jitsugyo Junior and Senior High School, he graduated from Nihon University's School of Economics.
In March 2023, he completed the Master's program at the Graduate School of Media and Governance at Keio University.
He joined the television production company IVS Television, where he worked on variety shows such as "Tensai Takeshi's Genki ga Deru TV" and "Neruton Benikujidan."
He then went independent and worked on planning and directing a number of television programs, including TV Tokyo's "Asakusabashi Young Clothing Store."
His book "Comedy North Korea" became a bestseller, and he subsequently made numerous media appearances under the name Terry Ito.
In addition to his work as a director, he is also active in a variety of fields as a producer, entertainer, and commentator.
YouTube channelTerry Ito's Comedy Backdrop'
Currently writing a column in LALALA USA
https://lalalausa.com/archives/category/column/terry