PYEONGCHANG -- The Japan women's curling team received nationwide attention during its dramatic run to the bronze medal at the Pyeongchang Olympics, with TV viewers impressed by both its heated battles on the ice and the curlers' smiles and cheer.
Many viewers especially liked the team's habitual practice during the fifth-end break -- the curlers sat in a circle and ate fruit and snacks while chatting, as if having a picnic.
Fans dubbed this their "mogumogu time" (snack time). When it was shown during a round-robin match, a confectionery shop that sells cheesecake in Kitami, Hokkaido -- the city where the curlers are based -- was flooded with orders from customers nationwide.
The curlers spoke about their mogumogu time at a press conference Sunday. Yumi Suzuki said her favorite food during the break was strawberries. "I was surprised at how delicious South Korean strawberries are. That was my favorite," she said.
Yurika Yoshida reminded everyone that eating food is part of their job. "My job is to sweep the ice, so I always take energy gels so I can sweep hard and avoid running out of gas," she said.
Alternate Mari Motohashi, a veteran curler who served as the emotional leader of the team, looked a bit puzzled by the unexpected popularity of the practice. "It would be wonderful if this becomes an opportunity for viewers to become interested in curling," she said.
"I hope people are also interested in our game strategy, because we've spent a lot of time working on it," Motohashi said.
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