Sweet Potato Park (held January 24–26, 2020) ～ A wide variety of roasted sweet potatoes and sweet potato dishes come together

Roasted sweet potatoes~♪

It was late January, after both New Year’s and the coldest part of winter had passed, and the weather was so cold that going outside felt like a chore.

When you hear a roasted sweet potato vendor calling out from outside, it’s hard not to feel like having one, isn’t it?

On a cold day, a piping-hot roasted sweet potato warms not just your stomach, but your heart and body, too.

On Friday, January 24, 2020, I went to the Yakiimo Park event, where all kinds of roasted sweet potatoes and sweet potato dishes come together.

Kuratoco reporter “Mugicha” tells us what kinds of sweet potatoes I found, and what they tasted and felt like!

What Is Yakiimo Park?

Yakiimo Park is an event packed with roasted sweet potatoes and sweet potato dishes, organized by “imopro,” a special team of roasted sweet potato lovers active mainly in the Kansai region.

It was held at Kurashiki Mirai Park for three days, from Friday, January 24 to Sunday, January 26, 2020.

I visited at around 3 p.m. on Friday, January 24.

It was cloudy and windy, and the weather wasn’t very nice, but the venue was still bustling with visitors.

The Event

Here’s a look at Yakiimo Park.

Delicious-looking roasted sweet potatoes lined the long stall. Steam rose from the potatoes resting on hot stones, whetting my appetite.

Although January 24, 2020, was a weekday, there was a long line even in the middle of the day!

Everyone loves sweet potatoes, don’t they?

I waited about 10 minutes under the cold sky for my turn to choose sweet potatoes.

But waiting while thinking, “Which sweet potato should I try?” wasn’t a hardship at all.

The venue was playing a theme song about roasted sweet potatoes, and you could feel the “imopro” team’s love for them!

Highlights of Yakiimo Park

The highlight of Yakiimo Park was the unusual varieties of sweet potatoes lined up at the stall—ones I’d never seen or even heard of before.

There were all sorts of tempting options, from very sweet Annou-type sweet potatoes to the vivid purple “Purple Sweet Road,” as well as rare varieties like “Yamadai Kansho” and “Aoi Haruka.”

Types of Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Potato Dishes

The menu on sale at Yakiimo Park was as follows.

Also, if you bought the 400-yen sweet potatoes in the following combinations, each one worked out cheaper!

• Buy 3: 1,000 yen
• Buy 6: 2,000 yen

The board above the stall listed the prices and characteristics of the roasted sweet potatoes, so you could narrow down your choices before buying.

You could also try the “Six-variety bite-size roasted sweet potato tasting set” to compare different kinds and find your favorite before buying individual ones!

For reference, I bought the following:

• Hearty sweet potato potage soup
• Six-variety bite-size roasted sweet potato tasting set
• Yamadai Kansho
• Aoi Haruka
• Kuri Kogane

Once you specified which sweet potatoes you wanted, an event staff member put them in the basket they handed you.

The three varieties I chose individually qualified for the discounted “buy 3” price of 1,000 yen!

I paid at the end.

A Look at Comforting Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Potato Dishes

Here’s what the sweet potatoes and dishes I chose were like.

“Hearty Sweet Potato Potage Soup” with a Gentle Flavor

First, before it had a chance to cool, I tried the “Hearty Sweet Potato Potage Soup.”

The soup had a gentle flavor, with a hint of sweetness, the taste of sweet potato, and a savory bouillon flavor.

Inside the soup were sweet roasted potatoes with a strong Annou-like sweetness, adding a nice accent. The soup’s gentle flavor and the sweetness of the potatoes brought out the best in each other!

“Six-Variety Bite-Size Roasted Sweet Potato Tasting Set” to Enjoy Different Types

Although the product name says “bite-size,” each piece was about two bites for me.

If you can open your mouth wide, you might be able to gobble one down in a single bite!

The cut surfaces glistened with syrup, and they looked delicious.

I got so caught up taking photos that I lost track of time and they had completely cooled, but I could still taste their sweetness!

Since the sweetness levels were indicated, I decided to start with the potatoes with the fewest stars.

I thought that if I ate the sweetest potatoes first, the ones I tried afterward might taste less satisfying.

Here are my impressions of each sweet potato, in order.

Purple Sweet Road (fluffy: sweetness ★★★)

Despite its beautiful and unusual appearance, it had a simple sweetness and fluffy texture, with a nostalgic flavor.

Beni Haruka (moist: sweetness ★★★★)

I could really taste its sweetness.

As you’d expect from being classified as “moist,” it was truly moist.

Annou Beni (soft and sticky: sweetness ★★★★)

Even though it had the same four-star sweetness rating as Beni Haruka, its soft, sticky texture made it taste much sweeter.

Annou sweet potatoes can develop a strong, distinctive flavor if they’re even slightly damaged, but the potatoes themselves were such good quality that they were simply sweet and delicious. I was impressed.

Silk Sweet (moist: sweetness ★★★★)

Silk Sweet was sweet and moist.

I could also taste the syrupy flavor characteristic of sweet potatoes.

It had an even moister texture than Beni Haruka, which is also classified as “moist.”

Kuri Kogane (fluffy: sweetness ★★★★)

Just as its name suggests, it tasted like chestnuts.

Its crumbly, flaky texture was just like a chestnut!

However, it wasn’t as sweet as I expected, and its flavor was closer to boiled chestnuts.

Annou Kogane (soft and sticky: sweetness ★★★★★)

Just as its five-star sweetness rating suggested, it was very sweet and had a soft, sticky texture.

Its sweetness was concentrated in the abundant syrup.

Even without sugar or syrup added, this sweet potato was sweet enough to taste like a dessert.

Rare Sweet Potatoes: “Yamadai Kansho” and “Aoi Haruka”

Since I had the chance, I tried some rare sweet potatoes, too.

Yamadai Kansho (fluffy: sweetness ★★★)

The sign above the stall described it as “a fluffy sweet potato packed with minerals.”

It had not only sweetness but also a savory depth of flavor, and tasted good even after it had cooled.

Aoi Haruka (moist: sweetness ★★★★★)

Haruka Aoi took it home and ate it as is the next day, without reheating it.

Of everything I tried while reporting, this was by far the sweetest. The syrup had melted into the sweet potato, making it much moister than the others!

The skin was soft, too, so I could eat it along with the potato.

From the Writer

When you think of “yakiimo” (roasted sweet potatoes), you think of a simple, easy snack.

I had only ever tried the traditional fluffy kind and the standard varieties like Annou sweet potatoes.

At “Yakiimo Park,” they had as many as eight varieties of sweet potatoes, each with its own character and a range of textures and flavors to enjoy.

I was also really impressed by how thoroughly they focused on sweet potatoes at the event venue: yakiimo theme songs were playing, and the characteristics of each variety were clearly explained.

Kurashiki Mirai Park is next to JR Kurashiki Station, making it easy to get to and convenient to visit by train or car.

It seems there are events almost every week, so I’d like to keep an eye out and visit again.

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