After Kyoto it was on to Hiroshima. I again didn’t have any
time to write. This time, I clocked the train at running up to184 mph in
between stations. That may not be entirely accurate, though, since the app on
my cell phone was having a problem maintaining a signal, which interfered with
its operation. While running at top speed, I really didn’t seem to have a cell
signal, either. It seemed like that train was running so damn fast that my cell
phone couldn’t keep up a stable signal.
While here, I of course hit the historical monuments and museum to the atomic bomb dropping. I then took a day trip outside the city to Miyajima island in Hiroshima bay. This was a pretty neat place as it had lots of interesting shrines and temples, the most notable of which is the floating Torii they have out in the bay (which I think became the picture of the trip). It also had a nice hike up at the top of the mountain.
The very best thing about Hiroshima, though, was the okomiyake. At first I almost didn’t get this for lunch, since I had just had one in Nara a few days earlier. I’m certainly glad I changed my mind. This one was less omelety, with less of an egg batter. The other notable difference is that it included fried noodles right in it, and went a lot heavier on the vegetables (cabbage and sprouts). In essence, it was a bunch of stir-fried veg and noodles, which a batter-based crepe top and an egg-based crepe bottom. This guy only applied a single sauce, and then you could apply your own mayonnaise and bonito flakes. While the okonomiyake in Nara was good, this one blew it away. It cost $7, was a massive pile of food, and was likely the single best thing I had eaten the whole trip.
One of my suspicions was also confirmed in Hiroshima. I went to an izakaya for dinner the first night, and towards the end of the night got into conversations which the two chefs. We eventually got around to talking about food, and they started asking what I liked and didn’t. As part of this, I realized they had all kinds of things in stock that didn’t appear on the English menu. This is something I had expected for a long time, that the English menu (if they have one) is just standard items that they always have in stock, and that the specials and possibly some of the more interesting stuff they presume a gaijin won’t ever be interested in doesn’t even make it into the menu. I can’t say I blame them for this. It appears that outside of Tokyo and Kyoto, even that places that are recommended in Lonely Planted often will only get 1-3 foreigners a night, so it’s probably not even worth investing the time to have to translate and update the foreign menu every time it changes.
I also have figured out why so often I have such a hard time finding specific places. Many of the restaurants from my guidebook, and most all the places I get sent to on personal recommendation, have neither English signage nor have the name of the place spelled in romaji (that’s Japanese written with that Latin alphabet). More often than not, it’s just all Kanji, Katakana, and Hirigana chicken-scratches. (Yes, the Japanese have four different writing systems including romaji. I’m amazed kinds here are able to read before they get into high school.) Usually Google Maps will get me to wherever I’m going when I travel. It must be said, though, that Google Maps definitely does not function as well in Japan as it does in all the other foreign countries I’ve been to in the last four years. It can usually get me within a block of the place, but after that, if there no English or romaji signage, I’m left going sign by sign and comparing chicken-scratches until I find what I’m looking for. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, maybe not so much. Do these two sets of characters look that same to you?
Me neither. I can see the resemblance, but I certainly wouldn't recognize these as being the same. I asked the guys in the izakaya about this, and they said it was because they are in different fonts. Uh-huh.
The last night in Hiroshima was probably the best, though. I went to a yakitori place and ended up meeting a local and his lady-friend visiting from Vietnam. Afterwards, they brought me to one of these small, hidden bars on the 4th floor of an office building nearby where the proprietor made me some local “Hiroshima food”, which was essentially a sea-urchin and spinach bruschetta. With lots of sake. Good times.
I wrapped the trip up in Fukuoka. There’s not as much to see here in terms of big-ticket cultural sights, but it’s a large and very cosmopolitan city with great food, shopping, and good-looking women (or so I read). There’s some credibility there regarding the shopping, as I did pick myself up a nice new pair of shoes, which is something I’ve been looking for for quite some time now. The local specialty of tonkotsu ramen was pretty good, too, although neither of the two versions I had topped the ramen with pork belly I got in Tokyo.
I was only there a single evening, but it was certainly an eventful one. I went to a yakitori place on my last night, and as usual made some new Japanese friends and drank a little too much. After that, I checked out a local salsa club that wasn’t too far from my hotel. Not a bad scene, although it was pretty small, despite the fact that it was a Saturday night. Some of the dancers were pretty good, although the music was a little lame, and during the 5 songs they played while I was there they never played anything other than salsa.
Not feeling particularly motived to dance, I split. I did meet an American and an Italian expat on the way out. We struck up a conversation, and they took me out to a couple gaijin clubs in the area, which was kind of interesting. Both places were dives, and had your standard mix of meat-heads and drunk hos, just with a very international flavor. (I actually wasn’t aware Sweden had meat-heads.) Not being too particularly inspired by this place, either, I decided to pack it in and head back to the hotel at around 2:00 so I could get at least a little sleep, and maybe one last bowl of ramen, before my long flight they next day.
Overall, I have to say Japan has been one of the very best trips I’ve taken. It doesn’t have as much in the way of important historical sights or art as places like Italy, Spain, France, or England, and much of what is historical, such as the temples or shrines, are somewhat obtuse to me. However, this place is, bar none, the absolute greatest place in the world to go out and eat, drink, and be merry. I’ve never been to any place where the people are so friendly, and it’s what really makes the country special.
While here, I of course hit the historical monuments and museum to the atomic bomb dropping. I then took a day trip outside the city to Miyajima island in Hiroshima bay. This was a pretty neat place as it had lots of interesting shrines and temples, the most notable of which is the floating Torii they have out in the bay (which I think became the picture of the trip). It also had a nice hike up at the top of the mountain.
The very best thing about Hiroshima, though, was the okomiyake. At first I almost didn’t get this for lunch, since I had just had one in Nara a few days earlier. I’m certainly glad I changed my mind. This one was less omelety, with less of an egg batter. The other notable difference is that it included fried noodles right in it, and went a lot heavier on the vegetables (cabbage and sprouts). In essence, it was a bunch of stir-fried veg and noodles, which a batter-based crepe top and an egg-based crepe bottom. This guy only applied a single sauce, and then you could apply your own mayonnaise and bonito flakes. While the okonomiyake in Nara was good, this one blew it away. It cost $7, was a massive pile of food, and was likely the single best thing I had eaten the whole trip.
One of my suspicions was also confirmed in Hiroshima. I went to an izakaya for dinner the first night, and towards the end of the night got into conversations which the two chefs. We eventually got around to talking about food, and they started asking what I liked and didn’t. As part of this, I realized they had all kinds of things in stock that didn’t appear on the English menu. This is something I had expected for a long time, that the English menu (if they have one) is just standard items that they always have in stock, and that the specials and possibly some of the more interesting stuff they presume a gaijin won’t ever be interested in doesn’t even make it into the menu. I can’t say I blame them for this. It appears that outside of Tokyo and Kyoto, even that places that are recommended in Lonely Planted often will only get 1-3 foreigners a night, so it’s probably not even worth investing the time to have to translate and update the foreign menu every time it changes.
I also have figured out why so often I have such a hard time finding specific places. Many of the restaurants from my guidebook, and most all the places I get sent to on personal recommendation, have neither English signage nor have the name of the place spelled in romaji (that’s Japanese written with that Latin alphabet). More often than not, it’s just all Kanji, Katakana, and Hirigana chicken-scratches. (Yes, the Japanese have four different writing systems including romaji. I’m amazed kinds here are able to read before they get into high school.) Usually Google Maps will get me to wherever I’m going when I travel. It must be said, though, that Google Maps definitely does not function as well in Japan as it does in all the other foreign countries I’ve been to in the last four years. It can usually get me within a block of the place, but after that, if there no English or romaji signage, I’m left going sign by sign and comparing chicken-scratches until I find what I’m looking for. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, maybe not so much. Do these two sets of characters look that same to you?
Me neither. I can see the resemblance, but I certainly wouldn't recognize these as being the same. I asked the guys in the izakaya about this, and they said it was because they are in different fonts. Uh-huh.
The last night in Hiroshima was probably the best, though. I went to a yakitori place and ended up meeting a local and his lady-friend visiting from Vietnam. Afterwards, they brought me to one of these small, hidden bars on the 4th floor of an office building nearby where the proprietor made me some local “Hiroshima food”, which was essentially a sea-urchin and spinach bruschetta. With lots of sake. Good times.
I wrapped the trip up in Fukuoka. There’s not as much to see here in terms of big-ticket cultural sights, but it’s a large and very cosmopolitan city with great food, shopping, and good-looking women (or so I read). There’s some credibility there regarding the shopping, as I did pick myself up a nice new pair of shoes, which is something I’ve been looking for for quite some time now. The local specialty of tonkotsu ramen was pretty good, too, although neither of the two versions I had topped the ramen with pork belly I got in Tokyo.
I was only there a single evening, but it was certainly an eventful one. I went to a yakitori place on my last night, and as usual made some new Japanese friends and drank a little too much. After that, I checked out a local salsa club that wasn’t too far from my hotel. Not a bad scene, although it was pretty small, despite the fact that it was a Saturday night. Some of the dancers were pretty good, although the music was a little lame, and during the 5 songs they played while I was there they never played anything other than salsa.
Not feeling particularly motived to dance, I split. I did meet an American and an Italian expat on the way out. We struck up a conversation, and they took me out to a couple gaijin clubs in the area, which was kind of interesting. Both places were dives, and had your standard mix of meat-heads and drunk hos, just with a very international flavor. (I actually wasn’t aware Sweden had meat-heads.) Not being too particularly inspired by this place, either, I decided to pack it in and head back to the hotel at around 2:00 so I could get at least a little sleep, and maybe one last bowl of ramen, before my long flight they next day.
Overall, I have to say Japan has been one of the very best trips I’ve taken. It doesn’t have as much in the way of important historical sights or art as places like Italy, Spain, France, or England, and much of what is historical, such as the temples or shrines, are somewhat obtuse to me. However, this place is, bar none, the absolute greatest place in the world to go out and eat, drink, and be merry. I’ve never been to any place where the people are so friendly, and it’s what really makes the country special.
