Mentaiko! Spiced pollock roe, even when translated into English, isn't immediately familiar for many native speakers. "Spicy fish eggs" gets the meaning across clearly, but isn't likely to win any new converts. For either committed fans or the merely curious though, there are Mentai Parks that combine a large variety of mentai-flavored foods, a production line where Mentaiko is made, and a surprisingly expansive play area complete with games, slides, trick art and even a theater showing Mentaiko videos, all at no entry fee. Visitors can watch the magic happen with windows that offer a behind-the-scenes look at Mentaiko production, or hear about Mentaiko-related trivia from a cheerful Mentaiko professor character.

That there should be one such Mentai Park would be a curiosity, an idiosyncrasy of Japan, which can often be found celebrating things seen as oddities from a more global perspective, but in fact there are no less than a half dozen, spreading west to east from Kobe, Biwako, Tokoname, Izu, Gunma and Oarai. If you are in the area of one, you could do far worse than visit. The food court offers Mentaiko (of course) and very little else, but that can take the form of onigiri, noodle dishes, baguettes, or even ice cream. There is a free tea dispenser, which is a further nice gesture. You may find yourself coming home with a cuddly soft spiced pollock roe toy, or awaken a new love of mentaiko-flavored ice cream. Whatever the case, the price is right, and its sure to be a distinct and pleasant experience.