Mike's Visit! Second Stop: The Reclining Buddha and Jorakuzan Mantoku Temple

Next, we went to go see a giant reclining buddha statue. I had seen the SUPER RIDICULOUSLY big one in Thailand, but I was surprised to know that there was a similar statue in my own backyard.

Still, I wasn't really sure where it was, but I took Mike's visit as an opportunity to look it up!

I'm not really sure how you're supposed to pray, but the monk at the entrance told us there were incense sticks and lighters so we gave it a try!

Even Buddha needs his rest...

You definitely can't get this close to the one in Thailand!  You could practically climb on it (but there's clearly a sign that says not to do that.)

On our way out, the monk offered us warm tea and snacks, which we accepted gladly and ate on the patio that overlooks the area  (the buddha is on a hill).

Here are some views from the patio:

If it weren't so cloudy I'm sure the view would've been even better.  I definitely recommend this spot on any sightseeing tour of the area.  On the the next spot!

Liz

Mike's Visit! First Stop: Awa Shrine

This week my college friend Mike came from my hometown, Atlanta, to visit Japan for the first time.  We used to watch anime and read manga together in college (don't judge me, lol), so he really wanted to come and see what the country is really like.

Of course, we did the obligatory trip to Tokyo, but on Monday Mike came down to Minamiboso to see a different side of the country.  On Tuesday, I asked for permission to take off work, and showed Mike a few interesting places around here. (To be honest, most of them were places I had always wanted to visit, too.  Two birds, one stone!)

Our first stop was Awa Shrine.  It's really close to Shirahama, and most people I talk to say that's where they go to pray on New Year's Eve.

It's the entrance gate.  Exciting, I know.

This is just the office.

As with all shrines, you must purify yourself with water when you enter.

The main shrine.

A hobbit's nest?  I'm not sure what this is but it's small and cute.

This is next to the main shrine.  Look at the cute komainu!

This is the moss on that wall above.  It's so pretty!  I want a mossy rock wall at my future home someday.

There were duckies in the pond!

This is another smaller shrine.

How pretty!

Mike looked contemplative.

Looking at that last shot, I can just imagine how packed this place gets on New Year's Eve.  I'm glad I got my visit in on a weekday so I don't have to deal with the crowds.  This temple was quiet and peaceful - the perfect place to sit and reflect for a while.  There is also a rest lounge with free tea and large windows so you can see the grounds. If you come, pick up an English pamphlet (you can get them where they sell protective charms) and stay for a while.

As a first stop, Awa Shrine was great!  On to the reclining buddha...

Liz

Hiking in Wada: Kurotaki (waterfall) and Hanayome/Hanamuko trails

One Saturday when the weather was nice, my friend and I went hiking along the trails in Wada.  I think the hike was 7-8km, but since there was a lot of uphill walking, it took us about 4 hours.  The hills there are very highly wooded, so it looked like Fern Gully!

Well, all the same, a hike is a hike, so I'll just upload a few (un-steady, blurry) pictures!

Along the way, we found these flowers that look like candy.

I really wanted to eat them, but I'm too short.

The lookout treehouse (?) next to the waterfall.

It's Kurotaki!  Can't you just imagine some guy in white robes standing under it for some sort of Shinto purification ritual?

See?  Fern Gully.

At the top of the mini-mountain.

Burgers, Ice Cream, and Happiness at Hina-no-Sato

どうも、久しぶりです！
Long time no see!

今は職場での結構忙しい時期だから、周りの人はちょっとお疲れのようです。
Right now is a busy time at the office, so people are starting to look like they need a break.

幸いに、何回も延長したり組み直したりする末に、ようやくニャンコ先生とシュガーと一緒にビンゴバーガーを食べに雛の里に行きました！
Luckily, after a long wait and many reschedulings, Nyanko-Sensei, Sugar and I finally got over to Hina-no-Sato for some Bingo Burger!

(For reference, Bingo Burger is a burger stand in the parking lot of Hina-no-Sato in Miyoshi.)

ビンゴバーガーのハンバーガーはデカイからアボカドバーガーとフライドポテトをシュガーと分けて食べました。ビンゴバーガーは出来立てのサンドしか出さないから、車の中で電話で注文をして、着いたら私たちのオーダーが出来ていました。
Bingo Burger burgers are HUGE, so Sugar and I split an Avocado Burger and fries.  All Bingo Burger sandwiches are made fresh, so we ordered by phone in the car and that by the time we arrived our food was ready.

残念ながら、あの時はもう牛まる一匹が食べられるくらいお腹が空いていたから、写真を撮るのを覚えた時点ではもう自分のバーガーを半分ぐらい食べてしまいました。あの食べかけたバーガーはあまりきれいじゃなかったから、ビンゴバーガーのウェブサイトからの写真をどうそ！
Unfortunately, by then I was so hungry I could've eaten a whole cow, so I had gotten halfway through that burger before I remembered to take a photo. That half-eaten sandwich wasn't pretty,  but here's a photo from Bingo Burger's website:

実物は本当に写真にそっくりじゃなければ写真より美味しそうに見えます。でも、まぁ、私の言葉を信じるしかないですね。(^_^）
It really does look 100% like the picture, if not better.  But, you'll just have to take my word for it :-).

まず、本当のことを言うと：一番最初に食べたビンゴバーガーはそんなに好きではなかったです。懐かしい味を期待していたけど、ちょっとアメリカの定番的なバーガーと違って、期待を裏切ったというのかな？ケチャップが割と少なくて、マスタードは普通のイエローマスタードじゃなくて、レタスも普通の玉レタスよりおしゃれな物です。チーズも、見える通り、黄色いスライスチーズでもありません。でも、美味しいです、普通のビンゴバーガーも。だだ、定番のアメリカンバーガーとはちょっと違います。
First of all, let me go ahead and tell the truth: I didn't love the first Bingo Burger I ever had, the reason being that it's just a little different from your average American burger and I was looking for comfort food.  There is definitely less ketchup on this, the mustard isn't your typical yellow mustard, and the lettuce is much fancier than iceberg.  Also, the cheese, as you can see, is not American.  The standard Bingo Burger is good, but if you're looking for a no-frills standard American-style burger I can't say this fits the bill.

しかし、このアボカドバーガーは最高！
However, this Avocado Burger is THE BOMB!

多分、アボカドバーガーにはちょっとグルメ感があるからか、脳にも、お腹にも、このおしゃれな食材がより受け入れやすいです。肝心なのは、このビーフパティが厚くて、肉の味が強いけど脂濃くないです。バンはその当日の朝に焼かれたようにフワフワしていました。アボカドもぎっしり詰まっていたし。ビンゴバーガーはケチケチしません。バーガー自体は私の顔の大きさに近いけど、驚いたことに、このアボカドバーガーはもしかしたら私が今まで食べたバーガーの中でかなりアッサリしている方です。半分しか食べていないけど、一個を一人で問題なく完食できたと思います。
I think because it's an Avocado Burger, my brain (and my stomach) was more willing to accept the fancy ingredients because this has more of a gourmet-burger feel to it.  The bottom line is, the beef patty is thick and meaty but not oily, and the bun is puffy and soft like it was baked that day.  The sandwich is chock-full of creamy avocado, too - they don't skimp. This may be one of the lightest tasting burgers I've ever had, which is surprising because it's almost the size of my face.  I only had half but I'm pretty sure I could've eaten a whole thing with ease.

ポテトはいつも最高ですけど。ポテトの衣っぽい感じがたまらないです。それに、ポテトの塩加減は完璧です。
The fries are always the bomb, though.  They've got a batter-dipped thing going on that I love. Plus, the salt-level is perfect.

もう、ビンゴバーガーの改心者です。また雛の里に行く理由が出来ました。ちなみに、私の次の餌食はもう決まりました：
I am a total convert.  Now I have yet another reason to visit Hina-no-Sato.  By the way, I've already decided that this will be my next victim:

ちょっとヘルシーっぽく見えて、野菜もたっぷりあるから、食べても後悔しない(^_^)。
It looks healthy(-ish) and the greens are piled high so I won't feel bad about eating it :-).

しかも、雛の里のカフェには新しいアイスが出来ました。今月の味は。。。
Plus, there's a new ice cream flavor at Hina-no-Sato's cafe'.  This month's flavor is....drumroll please...

みかんヨーグルト！

mikan yogurt!

あなたの考えていることが分かるさ。あなたは「これ、マンゴよーグルトと変わらないじゃん！」と考えているでしょ？私もそう思ったの。でも、全然違う！

Ok, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "This looks just like the mango yogurt!"  I thought that, too, honestly, but it's totally different!

同じように、これもつぶつぶが沢山入っているけど、みかんの皮も入っていますよ．みかん濃さでビンタ！

This too, has a ton of mikan (like a tangerine or a clementine) pulp in it, but it also has little bits of peel in it, too.  The mikan-ness smacks you in the face!

言うまでもなく、シトラスとヨーグルトだから、マンゴヨーグルトより少し酸味がきいてます。日本ではみかんは秋冬のフルーツだと分かっているのね、これを食べたら、夏のオレンジ木立が思い浮かんできました。食べてみて下さい！

Obviously, because it's pairing citrus with yogurt, it's got a little more acidity than the mango.  I know that mikan is a winter fruit here, but this ice cream took my mind to summertime and orange groves!  Try it!

My Next Victim: Original Fried Squid Burger at Tomiura Biwa Club!

Who's hungry?  I love B-level gourmet!

Click on the title of this post to go to a page (in Japanese) about the sandwich.

Healthy Food Can Be Tasty, Too: Sora in Miyoshi

It was Wednesday, and that meant it was time to check out a new restaurant.  For about a month we've been trying to head over to Chikura for pizza, but alas fate is against us, because the shop was randomly closed this week, too.

So, Sugar threw out the suggestion to hit a cafe famous their coffee, and off we went.  It turns out it was in Miyoshi.  I swear this was not on purpose.

another restaurant you'd never find if you weren't looking for it 

The interior was bright and clean.  These chairs were actually made of some very large tree.  There are flowers, photos, and little nicknacks all over the place.  Around the far wall are 3 fish tanks containing the cutest goldfish I've ever seen.  They look like big orange bubbles - their bodies are really round and puffy and they have long, thin translucent fins that look like silk.  I want some!

They had a one-coin (500yen) lunch menu with fried rice, curry, noodles, and a couple of other things that looked yummy.  Sugar and I both ordered the original curry.

The menu boasted a 3:1(?)  ratio of vegetables to meat.  They simmer everything down and make a curry without using any added water, just the water from the veggies.  It seems to me that they might put it through a food processer, so the texture is like a very hearty meat sauce.

I am sold.

It's not one of those dishes that smacks you in the face with greatness with the first bite.  It's one of those dishes that, somehow, once you start eating, you don't want to stop.  I CLEANED that place.  I wish I had sprung for the full-size curry, but I'm not sure even that would be enough.   It's a very light tasting curry with almost no lingering aftertaste.  It comes, it's delicious, and then it's gone, leaving you wanting more.  If I could cook this, I'd probably make it every week. 

We decided to use the money (and calories) we saved on the one-coin lunch to buy a dessert set!  Choose one dessert and coffee or tea for 600 yen.  Since this place is big on coffee, we both chose that.  I had the molten chocolate cake.

The outside was moist but solid (I hate when these cakes fall apart)  and the inside was the texture of brownie batter. The cake was made of a slightly bitter chocolate, and therefore just sweet enough for adults, but the ice cream was rich and sweet so the two balanced each other well.

Sugar got the yogurt cheesecake.  I only had a bite, but you can taste a nice bit of acidity from the yogurt, and the cake was fluffy but moist, like a cross between a "baked cheesecake" and a "rare cheesecake".  It seemed like the kind of cheesecake that won't make you feel sick from one slice (which happens to me often because I don't do well with heavy, rich sweets).

We noticed a poster on the window saying that they offer classes at this restaurant.  For only 1500 yen, you can take a class on making easy, healthy cakes, cookies, breads, etc.  It includes the class materials, recipe, a drink, and a small gift.  What a steal, and what a fun way to spend the evening! I'm definitely calling the girls on this one!

Cafe Flottant in Chikura BLEW MY MIND 千倉のカフェ・フロッタン

After the Knife Festival, SR, our guests from the prefectural offices, and I went to Cafe Flottant for lunch.

SR said he was randomly choosing a restaurant and then we ended up at this SUPER AMAZING MIND-BOGGLINGLY DELICIOUS  restaurant.

They owners mainly run a restaurant in Shibuya (I think it's French food) but they come to Chikura for the warm parts of the year.  They have a course dinner menu (by reservation only) as well as curry, a burger platter, and 3 sets for lunch.

Set A:  chicken stewed in white wine

Set B:  pork stewed in black vinegar

Set B: Chicken hamburger steak with a mushroom demi-glace sauce

I got set B.  It was so good, I have had dreams about eating it multiple times ever since.

Here's the set.  On the left is a healthy multigrain rice.  The salad was a carrot-sesame salad, in the cup is potatoes au-gratin, and the meat was some kind of thick slice of stewed pork covered in sauteed peppers and the stewing sauce which seems to have included mushrooms and onions.

I picked up a pair of chopsticks because shredded salads are easier to eat with chopsticks.  Plus, I like to save the best dish (usually the meat) for last.

 So, first was the salad. I got the faint-essence of sesame oil, which I sometimes find overpowering in taste and for some reason tends to remind me of korean pickles.  However, this was a light and fruity sesame oil.  Oddly, I couldn't really place my finger on what the other ingredients in the salad, which I find is usually a good sign.  This salad had just enough seasoning to enhance the flavor of the sweet carrots without overpowering it.  I massacred it.

Next was the potatoes au-gratin.  I didn't have high hopes for this because a majority of readily available cheese in Japan is highly processed and mostly flavorless.  This, however, was completely different - a creamy, cheesy concoction with a depth of flavor, again, without being to salty or overpowering.  I could have easily polished off 3x as much.  I would have liked to, actually...

...that is, until I got to the meat.  Until now I had been eating with chopsticks, and thought "what the heck" and decided to put the meat to the test.  To my surprise, the thick, wooden wari-bashi cut through the meat like butter!  It was if the meat, in fear of  my chopsticks, fell apart on its own.

I put the meat in my mouth and nearly jumped out of my chair.  The waitress, surprised,  seemed to flinch for a moment, but then turned away with a chuckle.  It was divine...

The taste would play no second to the texture. Even though it was stewed in vinegar, there was absolutely no sourness in the least.  Plus, I could taste the lovely sweet-ish broth (we say dashi) from the veggies.  There was just enough fat left on the meat for the meat to really melt in your mouth (without feeling you're going to vomit on a bunch of jiggly stuff), a lot like the Satomi pork that Odori Kitchen used.

One section of the restaurant and our waitress.

Needless to say, I scraped my plate clean.  After lunch and before our drinks, the waitress brought out a tiny plate of alphabet block-shaped chocolates as a palate cleanser.  How cute!  My initial wasn't among the letters, so I convinced everyone to make up a name or a reason for choosing the letter they chose to eat.  It was kind of a fun ice-breaker!

There's a patio, too.  Too bad it wasn't sunny :-(

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, it seems this restaurant will close (perhaps for good) at the end of the month.  What's more unfortunate is that I probably won't get back over there before it does.

Don't make the same mistake!  Hurry over to Chikura for some mind-blowing today.

Liz