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  • That is mental.

  • How many chicken legs are in there?

  • I think there genuinely might be a thousand chicken wings in that one bowl.

  • People want this in the morning.

  • 7am.

  • Fried chicken.

  • This is the future.

  • How do you like it?

  • This is the future of breakfast.

  • The future of breakfast?

  • I’m telling you!

  • This is much better than KFC.

  • So today were on our way to Hachinohe in Aomori to visit the biggest morning market

  • in all of Japan.

  • It’s got 350 stalls and it’s supposed to have just an amazing atmosphere.

  • I’m joined by Ryotaro and as per usual I don’t really know what were doing now

  • right now.

  • What are we doing?

  • Tonight we are actually staying at this Ryokan right - a traditional Japanese inn - with

  • lots of festivals actually happening in side.

  • Seeing as were getting up at silly o’clock tomorrow morning, we decide to stay nearby

  • at the local Hoshino Resort Aomoriya, a traditionally themed Japanese inn bursting with character.

  • And you know it’s going to be good, from the moment you meet your baggage handler in,

  • the resorts car park.

  • Oh wow.

  • I’m loving the hat.

  • He’s wearing the festival hat.

  • So for two hours everyday this pony will take your luggage from the car into the hotel.

  • He only has to work every second day.

  • Every other day this pony gets the job done.

  • The resort feels like a cross between a hotel and an amusement park - an amusement park

  • filled with apples.

  • Not surprising given Aomori region is Japan’s biggest producer of apples.

  • Come and look at this.

  • It’s going to come out here.

  • It’s a real apple isn't it.

  • I forget that were in a hotel or ryokan as it’s so damn big.

  • It’s more like being in a shopping centre or something.

  • Here weve got apples on tap, then youve got apple toys, a shop and then over there

  • you can actually catch real live scallops.

  • It’s not just apples that are the symbol of Aomori prefecture.

  • Gigantic, colourful and somewhat terrifying papier-mâché dolls called Neputa can be

  • found through the resort, with famous characters and warriors re-enacting scenes out of Japanese

  • folklore.

  • This looks like it’s come straight out of a child’s nightmare.

  • It’s supposed to be Genghis Khan vanquishing some kind of beat who’s half monkey, half

  • lion, half fuck knows.

  • But it’s terrifying. I dread to think how long it took to make.

  • Imagine if he knocked it and brought the whole thing down.

  • But it's in the evening during dinner when the resort comes alive with music

  • and performances from local festivals.

  • And when a big float gets waved infront of you and you sit there awkwardly not knowing how to respond.

  • And best of all there’s even a chance for you to witness your favourite musical instrument being played.

  • That’s right - the shovel.

  • Being played by local shovel champions.

  • And no I’m not making this up.

  • So that’s what the shovel sounds like.

  • Yes few things beat the sounds of the spade being played before bed time.

  • So it’s 6:42 in the morning but you wouldn’t know it, as it’s so damn busy this market!

  • But I can’t yet pronounce the name of the market.

  • What is it?

  • That’s the name of the market.

  • So apparently there about 350 shops on this street.

  • And this is open every Sunday and every Sunday there are about 10 to 20,000 people.

  • The market is nothing short of a culinary wonderland, and it wasn’t long before my

  • appetite got the better of me and tempted me into my first - and somewhat unconventional

  • - dish of the day.

  • This is surely the greatest breakfast of all.

  • This is grilled chicken, yakitori.

  • Ah fuck yeah.

  • This is my favourite dish in Japan.

  • But you don’t usually have it at 7 in the morning.

  • This is the first time I’ve had in the morning.

  • But it works, it’s fine.

  • The sound of the chicken sizzling and then watching it being marinated I love it.

  • The ultimate breakfast.

  • So my first dish of the day was Yakitori - grilled chicken.

  • Second dish of the day, fried Calamari.

  • And the batter is tempura, but it tastes a lot like British Fish and Chips.

  • I can’t eat elegantly this time in the morning.

  • Sorry.

  • You never do though.

  • No I never do though.

  • If you walk around the market for a few minutes, youll probably spot a not so subtle character

  • strolling around.

  • It turns out the market even has it’s own premium mascot.

  • This character is not certified.

  • What do you mean not certified?

  • Some characters are certified by the city, the city or prefecture, but he’s not certified.

  • It’s too early to talk to a person in a big squid suit - whilst eating squid.

  • There you go.

  • A business card of the uncertified squid character.

  • It’s got his address there!

  • Ah, there’s his address.

  • This says Jusho which means address and it just says sea.

  • See, uncertified mascots are always best.

  • You get a free giant business card.

  • Even the appearances of the stalls were just as unique and diverse as the produce and goods

  • themselves.

  • This like a grilled fish shop.

  • 15 kinds of fish that he’s grilling.

  • 15 kinds of fish!

  • Grilling in the back of his little truck.

  • I love the way he’s got this truck, he’s got a big grill in the back of it and he’s

  • just stuck a tent over it and that is his shop.

  • It looks really cool doesn’t it?

  • Yeah it looks really cool.

  • A mobile fish shop.

  • A mobile grilling shop!

  • Seriously I’m always amazed by the kinds of seafood Japanese people are able to eat.

  • In terms of diversity there’s some really unpleasant stuff.

  • Squid mouth?

  • Squid mouth!

  • Squid mouth - that’s not something you want to see this time of morning.

  • It actually sounds like some sort of Indy rock band - Squid mouth.

  • Some sort of trendy Indy rock band - who clearly need to put more thought into the name of

  • their band.

  • This place this is like a fried chicken place.

  • What’s happened is that since this is the most popular shop in the whole market, look

  • how many fryers theyve got over here.

  • 9 fryers and theyre simultaneously frying something.

  • This is how popular it is.

  • There’s a giant bowl in there, absolutely filled to the top with chicken wings.

  • I don’t know how many there are.

  • Maybe a thousand.

  • I genuinely think there might be a thousand chicken wings in that one bowl.

  • People want this in the morning.

  • 7am.

  • Fried chicken.

  • And youre eating it.

  • This is the future.

  • How do you like?

  • This is the future of breakfast.

  • I’m telling you.

  • This is much better than KFC.

  • It’s even better than Family Mart fried chicken.

  • And that’s saying something.

  • Theyre bloody selling a car here.

  • Theyre bloody selling a car here!

  • Look at that.

  • For 5 man - for $500 you can be become the proud owner of a Mitsubishirubbish.

  • I don’t know what model it is.

  • Mitsubishi mini car.

  • Mitsubishi mini car.

  • Why don’t you get it?

  • Youve always wanted to buy a car at a fish market.

  • I’ve got a really big car, it’s ok.

  • Bigger than this.

  • My car’s bigger than the Mitsubishi.

  • You know what.

  • This will fit you.

  • This will suit you.

  • It doesn’t suit my style.

  • But this is completely your style.

  • My car’s bigger than this.

  • I thought this car has always been your style though.

  • So give us a run down on what youve eaten for breakfast this morning.

  • I’ll try to remember.

  • Weve eaten so much.

  • We ate we tried deep fried something.

  • Deep fried something.

  • No - it was grilled chicken to start with.

  • And then deep fried calamari.

  • And then we went for deep fried mackerel.

  • And then deep fried chicken wings after that.

  • And then, what did we have?

  • I don’t know.

  • Just deep fried everything.

  • And so now I think we should try something that’s not deep fried.

  • Nah.

  • Ramen.