Gochiso Sama Deshita (it was quite a feast)

I should put this post in the adventures category because when it comes to eating I am a scaredy cat, so eating in Japan felt like adventure to me. The hotel we stayed at did not have a menu so when we sat down for dinner each night we had no idea what was coming. But, man it was good! The meals were very gourmet and made with fresh ingredients and they were all fantastic. After the trip I have resolved to be a braver eater. Some things they fed us: Fish stuffed with shrimp, spinach and mushrooms, incredible sashimi (including one with ahi and another type of fish cubed up and served with avocado and cucumber sauce) several types of seaweed (the sea grapes were our favorite) foie gras and roast duck, a de-boned chicken stuffed with mushrooms and goodies, escargot, the best crescent rolls I have ever had, miso soup, etc.


This sashimi was fantastic and it was served with crunchy purple noodles and a type of seaweed called sea grapes that had tiny balls that burst in your mouth when you bite them.


This may have been my favorite meal - fresh snapper adorned with shrimp and mushrooms on a bed of spinach.

I forgot what this was called. The huge platter came with all sorts of vegetables and thinly sliced pork. You cook it in the pot on the table, dip in sour sauce and eat it.

Chris' co-worker, Sung, loves Orion beer and his father-in-law is on the board of directors at the brewery in Nago. We thought it was great beer, too. When I left for Japan my dad gave me 1,000 yen that was given to him as a tip when he was a tour bus driver. The 1,000 yen, worth $12 USD, purchased these Orion Draft beers in frosty mugs. Thanks, dad!

Japanese take a lot of pride in their work. We purchased bentos from a boarding house each day and nicknamed the owner Mama-san. She took so much care in preparing our daily lunches, and this seemed typical of all the Japanese people we encountered.

A typical breakfast: bratwurst like sausage, toast, crescent rolls, soup, salad, spagehetti (but it didn't taste like the spaghetti we know) delicious melon or an apple cut up all fancy for dessert.