Imo is a generic Japanese word for “tuber.”
It can be used to refer to potatoes (“jyaga imo”), sweet potatoes (“satsuma imo”), yams (“yama imo”) or taro (“sato imo”).
History Notes
Both potatoes and sweet potatoes in Japan are originally from the Americas, though many Japanese cultivars have been developed.
Language Notes
“Sato-imo”, means “starch root of the homeland” (“sato” meaning “homeland”) — even though Taro actually originated in South-East Asia, not Japan.