Mogumogu Time is “Toraya’s Yokan”? Soul food brought by the Japanese women’s curling team to the World Championships

The women’s curling championships will start on March 18 in Sandviken, Sweden.

Representing Japan will be Rocco Solare, who won the Japanese championship last month. Along with hopes of winning their first gold medal at the World Championships, the team is expected to draw attention for their well-known “mogumogu time. At the Japan Championships, the local specialty, scallops marinated in soy sauce, which they handed out to their opponents, became the talk of the town. We asked Soichiro Takeda, a writer with a long history of curling coverage.

He said, “Scallops from Shinya, a specialty of Tsuneo. I think they will probably bring it with them. At the online press conference before departure, Yuko Suzuki said, “It’s our first time in Europe in a long time, so unforeseen circumstances may arise,” but I don’t think they will forget their soul food, as the team’s strength lies in their skill in creating an environment where they can always relax, no matter what happens. However, it seems that they take it not only to Sweden this time but also to most of their expeditions, eating it as a snack or using it as a supplementary food.

All the players seem to like our signature product, Scallops in Smoked Oil, but Yurika Yoshida likes Cheese Scallops, and Itsutsuki Fujisawa likes Scallops Grilled Mimi and Scallop Shellfish String.

One might expect to see the surreal sight of Izuki Fujisawa biting into a scallop shellfish string during halftime, but Takeda says, “As one would expect, the half is all about speed.

It seems that energy bars that can be recharged in a short time and cut fruits that can be eaten quickly are very popular these days. I have seen Fujisawa sometimes eating Toraya’s yokan, which he likes. As I recall, it was placed in the dining room set up by the JOC (Japanese Olympic Committee) and Ajinomoto at the Pyeongchang Olympics, and he has been eating it ever since.

On the other hand, as mentioned above, there is a custom in curling of giving souvenirs to one’s partner, and I wonder what kind of Nippon souvenirs Loco Solare will give to the representatives of each country in Sweden.

I think JCA pennants and pin paddles will be the official souvenirs, since Loco Solare will be representing Japan rather than Sweden. However, like Anna, who was mentioned in Chinami Yoshida’s story, “Anna and her friends gave me a lot of local information,” she may give personal souvenirs to teams and athletes with whom she is close.

Anna is Anna Hasselborg, a skip who will represent the host country Sweden in this year’s tournament. Yoshida Chichi revealed that she gave him advice on how to make his stay comfortable, including the location of the match venues and hotels. The souvenirs that caught their attention were “probably famous sweets from Hokkaido,” said Takeda.

It’s most likely the ‘red silo’ from ‘Seigetsu,’ one of their sponsors and a hot topic at the PyeongChang Olympics,” he said. Coach JD (Lind)’s family seems to love them, too, so I’m sure they’ll be able to make a big batch of them for the Canadian tourney. Jaga Pokkuru.”

In addition to the souvenirs, the team left Japan on the 13th, carrying rice and other items from Japan. It will be a long competition of up to 15 matches in 9 days, but soul foods such as scallops, jaga pokkuru, and yokan will help the team win its first gold medal at the World Championships. Go, Nippon!