Hi everyone!
I’m back from my trip to Kagoshima and I can tell you…there will be lots of posts coming. I took so many pictures, it was ridiculous. It’s going to take awhile to go through them all.
I was initially worried heading into this trip because about a week before my flight, I found mangoes on sale at the super market. And because I love mangoes, I jumped at the chance to buy one. Well, this ended up being a teeny tiny mistake.
Did you know that mangoes and hay fever are a dangerous combination?
I wasn’t feeling 100% from my hinoki allergies already but the day after I ate the mango, my lips started itching. And they started feeling like they were super swollen, like Angelina Jolie’s lips on steroids. Then the itching spread all over my face and neck, getting all red and puffy.
By this time, I’d figured out it was probably the mango so I went to the hospital to get medication. This was two days before flying to Kagoshima and I wasn’t feeling up to a trip at all.
But some how the swelling and itchiness was mildly better by the time I took off to Kagoshima and it got better as the days went on. You could say it was maybe due to the fresh air in Yakushima and all the onsen time I had in Kagoshima. Either way, I ended up having a great time!
Can’t wait to tell you all about it! x
Kaori Square Feet 
Sorry for the bad pun but the phrase occurred to me, “All swell that ends well.” So glad the allergic reaction faded as the days passed.
I am torn whether to post this. You love mangoes but there is that pesky, life-threatening allergy (anaphylactic shock anyone?). A friend showed me a good way to cut mangoes, like this. Warning! Visible mangoes in evidence.
Can’t wait to see more of Kagoshima (Hi Miyuki!) and Yakushima.
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Mangoes and hay fever? o.0 I'm trying to remember whether I've ever eaten mangoes in hay fever season, but I'm not really a mango fan, so probably not.
Kagoshima?! See what happens when work takes you away from the interwebs for long periods? Your interwebsing friends get up to all kinds of mischief, and you remain blissfully unaware.
So post those photos already! I hope ponytails and sandals will be in evidence, like Tall Gary's visible mangoes. 😀
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Glad you had a great trip. I'll also be aware that mangoes are bad for allergies. My allergies are really bad right now but I never knew what they were. Guess it is hinoki then. 😦 I like hinoki too.
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Yes, there is no other way to cut a mango…and also avocados (I sometimes also cut oranges that way)! 😀
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I'm going to wait until next year to try out the hay fever mango combination again. I'm hoping for a miracle because I love mangoes!
Why does it always get so busy all at once? I'm going through my Kagoshima photos as soon as I can because I want to post about it before I forget everything! Soon to come, I promise 😉
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Thanks Dru! I had an awesome time!
And yes, apparently fruits like peaches, pineapples, and mangoes don't mix well with allergies or anytime your immune system is weak. I'd get a little itchy around my mouth when I'd eat raw mangoes when I was tired but this was the first time anything like this outbreak happened. I'm going to be careful from now on, too.
I think the peak season for allergies in May is hinoki. It always comes after sugi and a lot of people are allergic to it, from what I hear. You could get tested with just a little blood sample 🙂
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Peaches, pineapples, and mangoes? Arg. Nothing fun and good is ever really good for you. Oh well, I can wait a few more weeks to have those fruits. 😉
Be careful with the mangoes. I'm probably not going to get tested. Not a fan of doctors and I tend to have bad luck with them.
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I know, right? How can something so good make us feel so bad?
But now that the rainy season has hit, you should be okay. Great thing about all this rain is that there definitely aren't any pollen flying around! Yay! ;D
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I just learned a new way to cut a mango. Using the aforementioned method can result in some… discomfort.
Note: The following video has some fun gore. 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcEN2t3tPhk
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I wonder if something like this would help with the skin reaction to mangoes. I noticed that the trees and leaves contain urushiol – the same stuff in lacquer (urushi) trees. I took a bunch of these as prevention before and maybe during a visit to a shakuhachi-maker friend who used skads of lacquer for the flute bores. Although I used to have really nasty reactions to poison oak I passed the visit, and ever since, for that matter, with nary a reaction, unlike another visitor whose feet and ankles broke out in ugly blisters from kneeling on the workshop floor.
I don't know if you would be interested in this but it occurred to me that it might help.
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Come to think of it, there is this that I have never tried.
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Oh, lacquer can be a highly potent allergen when it is still wet, and it stays that way until it spends some time in a high-humidity drying box. It is fine, of course once it is dry.
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It was my fault because I thought I was only allergic to Japanese cedar pollen and since the season was over I stopped taking my medication. Little did I know I'm allergic to hinoki as well. When things get bad, I usually just go by the clinic and get a prescription (because it's much cheaper and stronger than over the counter medicine). But I will keep your suggestions in mind, just in case! Thank you! 😀
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