Near one of the popular viewpoints at the beautiful Genbikei Gorge (厳美渓) in Ichinoseki, Iwate Prefecture (岩手県一関市) is a shop that specializes in “Dango,” which are sticky rice balls. You may have heard of “Mochi” – the main difference between Mochi and Dango is that Mochi is made from rice but Dango is made from rice flour (mochiko), and the texture is quite different between the two, even though both are sticky in nature.
The Dango shop is called “Kakko Dango” (かっこうだんご, aka “空とぶ団子”), which many foreigners call “Flying Dango.” The store itself is located across the gorge from where you actually place (and receive) your order. There’s a long rope connecting both locations, and there’s a basket that’s meant to be passed between the customer and the storekeeper. You simply place the money in the basket and send the signal to the store by banging a gong to alert the shop that you’ve paid them, and they will them pull the rope to receive the money in the basks.
Shortly afterwards, your Dango will fly across the gorge to you in the very same basket. It’s 500 yen per order and the Dango dessert comes in three flavors – Kurogoma (Black Sesame), Mitarashi (Sweet Soy Sauce) and Anko (Sweet Red Bean Paste.) It’s a heck of a bargain given the quality of the Dango (it’s awesome) and the quantity they give you. On top of that, each order even comes with two servings of tea.