Without intending to in any way disparage our esteemed colleague Masato's homeland, has anyone else had the (dis)pleasure of sampling Japanese candies? A co-worker brought several varieties back from an Okinawa trip a few years back and I must admit they were without exception the most god-awful things this old I'll-eat-anything junk-food-junky has ever tried. For the sake of their economy, the Japanese should be thankful that they have invested their energies in automobiles and electronics instead of confectionaries.

Bruce