Japanese culture is fascinating to many Americans of European descent. We have found a love of all things Japanese, most especially the food! If you're looking for snack foods or party food with a Japanese flair, here are some great Japanese snack ideas.

Yakitori - A kabob that is quite popular as a snack, party food, or casual dinner item. (Goes well with Japanese beer and Saki.)

Begin by soaking your wooden skewers in water to prevent them from burning.

What you need: - 3 chicken breasts cut up into small chunks - 1 tablespoon of sugar - 2 tablespoons of sake - 3 tablespoons of mirin - 3 tablespoons of soy sauce

Skewer the chicken on the soaked skewers. Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl. Grill the skewered chicken, using the sauce as a baste.

Edamame - It's finally gotten easier to find edamame in the grocery stores now that Americans have taken a shine to this popular Japanese snack food.

It's easy to serve. You can have it out like a bowl of pretzels (complete with beer for football games), or toss it in a bag as if it were trail mix at eat it on the go. It's a good way to get kids to eat more vegetables. (But be careful if you're allergic to soy!)

Wash your edamame thoroughly. Boil a large pot of water. Add a Tablespoon of salt to the boiling water and boil the edamame for three to four minutes. Drain and sprinkle with a little more salt. Cool it and store in an airtight container.

Sunonomo (cucumber and Daikon salad) - This is an excellent side for just about any meal, though it's also great by itself as a refreshing afternoon snack.

What you need: - 1 daikan radish - 1 cucumber - 5 tbsp rice vinegar - 2 tbsp sugar - 1 tsp salt

First peel the radish, then slice it thinly. Cut the cucumber into equally thing slices.

Salt the sliced vegetables and allow ten minutes for the salt to soak in. Wash the slices, then drain them. Combine the sugar with the vinegar, then pour the mixture over the sliced veggies. Allow this to sit for at least 15 minutes before you serve.

You shouldn't have too much trouble finding Japanese snack foods, because the last few years have seen an expansion in Asian sections in grocery stores. Not to mention there are more Asian specialty stores than there used to be.