April 21: Nakatsu

Luke slept in again this morning and unfortunately we had to wake him up for breakfast. We went down for breakfast at 7 and everything was set up for us already and it was almost exactly the same spread we had the first night we stayed last time.

Breakfast

We had a lot of different things but they were all small portions so it didn't seem too heavy to me. I started with the miso soup.

Miso Soup

Then I ate the cha soba, which were green noodles and they are apparently named cha soba because they look have the same color as green tea. The dashi that was with it was very savory and moorish.

Cha Soba

Next I ate my tamagokake gohan, which is rice with a raw egg and soy sauce all mixed together. Then I had the salad, which had a nice soy based dressing on it.

Salad

Then I had the udofu. It was silken tofu with mizuna and konbu that was brought to a boil and then you scooped it out and dipped in a dashi to eat it.

Udofu

Next up was the ika somen with fresh wasabi and soy sauce. The squid was very tender and had a nice smooth texture.

Ika Somen

The okyuto dressed with soy sauce was good. Okyuto are basically noodles made from seaweed and they have very little flavor so the soy sauce was needed.

Okyuto

I started on the shiojake salmon, konbu kanten and maki tamago next. The salmon was very mild and well seasoned so it went with rice really well as did the konbu kanten. The maki tamago was soft and slightly sweet and I saved the last bite of it till the end.

Shiojake Salmon, Konbu Kanten & Maki Tamago w Shoga

There were some cooked greens dressed in a tofu and sesame dressing that were really good. The greens were slightly bitter, which went well with the nutty, sweet tofu and sesame dressing.

Greens w Tofu & Sesame Dressing

I ate me tsukemono next and hiding under the pickled daikon was some mentaiko, which was a nice surprise.

Tsukemono

I saved my satsuma age for last. It is basically a fried fish cake and this one had a very pleasant fishy flavor with a deep savoriness to it.

Satsuma Age

After we finished breakfast we went back to the room and got ready to leave. We had some extra time so Christal, Luke and I walked along the river downstream and upstream of the hotel and then came back right as Hiro-Ojichan arrived to pick us up.

Walking the River

We all drove to Nakatsu to visit their Aunts, Uncle and cousin and to see the Ogata clan's shrine. The Ogata clan is Ojiichan & Hiro-Ojichan's mother's side of the family. The drive took about an hour and a half and Luke and I both got in pretty good naps on the way.

Ogata Family Shrine

When we arrived they were all there and they showed us the shrines on their property. From what I understood from Christal's translations they can trace their ancestry back 600 years, which I thought was pretty impressive. Ojiichan was having fun reminiscing about his childhood when they would visit Nakatsu.

Ogata Family Property

Then we walked over to the house on the property, which is where Ojiichan's mother was born and where she was raised.

Where Hi-Obaachan was Born

After we had visited in the house for a few minutes Auntie Mikako took us to Nakatsu-jo, which is the castle that defended Nakatsu during the samurai era. The grounds were very impressive and would have been even more spectacular if we had been a week or two earlier when the sakura were blooming, but it was still pretty neat.

Nakatsu-Jo

Seeing some of the samurai armor and weapons was pretty cool and the view from the top floor was impressive. Once we had finished going through the castle we headed to lunch at Kitarou, which specializes in hamo, or conger eel.

A Few of the Suites of Samurai Armor

We had the hamo shabu gozen, which was the hamo shabu shabu teishoku or set menu. I was excited to try hamo because I remember seeing it on the original Iron Chef and haven't gotten to eat it until now. The lunch started off with three small dishes, the first of which was matsumaezuke. It was basically pickled konbu and carrot with a small piece of kazunoko and it was pretty slimy due to the konbu I think, but tasted good. Luke liked it so much he ate most of Christal's.

Matsumaezuke

The second dish was ume jellyfish. It had a bright red color and the jellyfish had a softer texture than I am used to. The ume was a nice strong flavor that the jellyfish absorbed well.

Ume Jellyfish

The third dish was a hotate (scallop) salad. The scallops were cooked and then roughly shredded to provide a unique texture and it included some of the scallop offal, which added a pleasant bitterness. The dressing looked very creamy, but it had a nice light, sweet flavor to it.

Hotate Salad

The sashimi course was hamo sashimi, which had a different texture. The conger eels have a lot of small bones so after they are filleted the meat is cut perpendicular to the length of the fillet to break down the bones and then they are consumed with the meat. The flavor of the hamo was very light, almost a cross between hirame and tai I thought.

Hamo Sashimi

The next course was hamo no yubikiri, which was poached hamo with sliced onions and a miso vinegar dressing. The hamo was delicious and had a nice chewy/crunchy texture due to the skin, the onions were very mild and didn't overpower the hamo at all. The miso vinegar dressing was really good. It gave the dish sweetness, acidity, richness and a depth of flavor that made it unforgettable.

Hamo No Yubikiri

They brought out a hamo chawan mushi next. The custard had a nice savory flavor to it and it was very silky. The hamo had a firmer texture than I was expecting and overall the chawan mushi was very good, but it wasn't the best I've ever had.

Hamo Chawan Mushi

Next was the main course, the hamo shabu shabu. They brought out the dashi to dip the hamo in first and it had leeks, Napa cabbage, carrot, konbu, tofu and shimeji mushrooms already in it along with part of the hamo spine for flavoring. Then came a plate with eight expertly cut pieces of hamo with some mizuna. The hamo had the same interesting texture as the hamo no ubikiri and when it was dipped in the soy based sauce they provided it was delicious. The meat was mild tasting and it didn't soak up too much of the sauce so it wasn't overpowered. It was excellent.

Hamo Shabu Shabu

The tempura course was brought out after we finished the shabu shabu and it had three pieces of hamo, sweet potato and eggplant. The batter was nice and thin with an excellent crunch to it and this tempura came with a dipping sauce instead of salt.

Hamo Tempura

Our last savory course was hamo dashi ozosui. It was basically a jook made with hamo stock with a side of tsukemono. It had a very nice flavor and was seasoned well and it was really easy to eat.

Hamo Dashi Ozosui

For dessert we had kinako ohagi with coconut milk. It was a mochi ball stuffed with adzuki beans and then rolled in kinako and it sat in a generous pool of sweet coconut milk. The toasted flavor of the kinako went well with the sweetness of the coconut milk and the adzuki beans were not too sweet. I enjoyed it quite a bit and had to stop from licking the bowl.

Kinako Ohagi w Coconut Milk

When we finished we drove by Yukichi Fukuzawa's childhood home to see it. He was a very famous philosopher, founder of Keio University, one of the founders of modern Japan and his image is on the 10,000 yen bill. Apparently when he was growing up he was good friends with Hi-Obaachan's great-great-great-grandfather because they were in the same kendo club.

Yukichi Fukuzawa's Home

After taking a quick look at the house we went to Uncle Kunizo and Auntie Kimiko's house for sweets, tea and conversation. Uncle Kunizo is Hi-Obaachan's youngest brother. Luke was especially outgoing at the house and seemed much more comfortable with everyone. Uncle Kunizo got some little pom-pom like things that are supposed to be used to drive away evil spirits and gave them to Luke who just loved them.

Uncle Kunizo & Auntie Kimiko's House

Eventually we had to leave to head back to the Munakata area. On the drive back everyone got to take naps while Hiro-Ojichan drove. We were a little bit ahead of schedule so we went by a sporting goods store and Hiro-Ojichan and Ojiichan bought a set of golf clubs to take back to Hawaii. From there we went to Eichan Udon for dinner. Since it was springtime I ordered sansai tempura udon. The tempura was very crispy and it included shimeji mushrooms, bamboo shoots and three different types of sansai shoots. Each one had a very different flavor. One was almost like cucumber, another was like a mix between green beans and asparagus and the third had a hint of a minty aroma with the flavor of slightly bitter spinach.

Sansai Tempura

The udon was just as good as I remembered it. The noodles had a nice chewy texture to them and the broth had a smoky flavor from all the katsuobushi used in the broth. When we finished dinner we drove back up to Nansuikaku where Hiro-Ojichan picked up his car. Christal, Luke and I went to the family onsen and then went to bed.

Udon

April 20: Okinawa to Fukuoka

Luke slept in a little bit this morning waking up at almost 7. Once he woke up we headed straight down for breakfast so that we would beat the line. Once we finished breakfast we packed up all our things, checked out and caught the bus to the airport. After checking in for our flight we met up with Uncle Kiyohito and Yukiko Obaachan and hung out with them for a bit. We went to one of the snack bars and got some soft serve to share.

Okinawan Black Sugar Soft Serve

As it got closer to our departure time we said our goodbyes and headed to the gate. When we were boarding Ojiichan noticed that the plane next to ours looked funny and it happened to be the C-3PO ANA plane. I had been hoping that we would see at least one of them on our trip since I saw an advertisement in the magazine on the flight to Japan.

It's C-3PO!

Our flight went smoothly even though we were delayed about an hour. Hiro-Ojichan picked us up at the airport and we went and visited Hi-Obaachan. Luke had literally just woken up from his nap when we got out of the car so at first he was avoiding Hi-Obaachan, but as he became more and more alert he started to interact with her a little bit.

Waving Goodbye to Hi-Obaachan

After hanging out with Hi-Obaachan for a while we dropped Hiro-Ojichan off at his home and then Ojiichan drove us up to our hotel Nansuikaku. We had stayed there last October and it is a traditional ryokan. After we checked in we headed to dinner and it was just as good as last time. We started with a hassun that included sazae, pickled sansai, stewed octopus, tamago, a sweet, vinegary sweet potato puree and silken tofu with radish and daikon. They were all really good, but the sazae had been cooked in a slightly sweet dashi that went well with the bitterness of the innards and the sweet potato puree was a completely unexpected bite that had me wanting more.

Hassun

The sashimi course consisted of sawara, tai and maguro with fresh wasabi and a seaweed jelly. The sawara had a very savory flavor to it that was not too fishy. The tai had a clean, crisp flavor with a slightly crunchy texture that makes it one of my favorites. The maguro was buttery soft and rich.

Sawara, Tai & Maguro Sashimi

Our next course was a soup that was heated at the table and had silken tofu, fried tofu, sansai and fresh sardine fish balls. The dashi was light colored and crystal clear, but had a surprising depth of flavor. Both of the tofus contrasted with each other nicely. The vegetables were very flavorful and the fish balls were much softer than I was expecting and the oiliness of the sardines added a nice richness to the soup.

Tofu, Sansai & Sardine Ball Soup

The next dish was a young bamboo shoot and sansai omelet with young daikon, crab and burdock, tsukushi shoots and sansho in a light dashi. Again the dashi was crystal clear, but this time almost colorless, and it still had lots of flavor. the bamboo shoots were very mild tasting and extremely tender and all the vegetables with it were very refreshing. The sansho added a citrusy punch to round it all out.

Bamboo Shoot & Sansai Omelet w Daikon, Crab, Burdock, Tsukushi Shoots, Sansho & Dashi

Then we had stewed anago with fish cake, satoimo, celery and goji berries. The anago had a nice mild flavor and was very tender. The fish cake was very soft and pleasantly chewy and went well with the slight sliminess of the satoimo.

Stewed Anago w Fish Cake, Satoimo, Celery & Goji Berries

They brought out a dish of grilled bamboo shoot, sansai wrapped with sawara and a kani ball. The bamboo was very tender and mild tasting. The grilled sawara had a milder flavor than the sashimi, but it also could have been tempered by the sansai. The crab ball had a crispy coating on the outside and was very flavorful.

Grilled Sawara stuffed w Sansai, Grilled Bamboo Shoot & Kani Ball

The tempura course had a fish cake with vegetables mixed in, two types of sansai (one young shoot and one fiddlehead fern), a shrimp and a fried noodle for garnish. There was no sauce, but there was a salt to dip the tempura in. Each piece had a nice thin coating of the batter and was very crispy. The shrimp had a nice sweet flavor and a soft, silky texture. The vegetables had a slight bitterness and sweetness to them and they were very good.

Tempura

The meat course was a Munakata beef roll stuffed with negi and sansai and wrapped in some kind of leaf with kabocha, tomato and a brussel sprout on the side. The beef had a very good flavor, but was slightly tough and the vegetables on the inside and outside of the roll went perfectly with it.

Munakata Beef Roll stuffed w Negi & Sansai

Our last savory course was takikomi gohan with tsukemono and miso soup. The miso soup I think was made with red miso because it had a much darker color and richer flavor than most miso soups.

Miso Soup

The takikomi gohan was made with fresh bamboo shoots and jako. The bamboo shoots were extremely tender and added a wonderful aroma to the rice and the jako had a very mild flavor.

Bamboo Shoot & Jako Takikomi Gohan

The tsukemono had a green leafy vegetable, carrot and daikon. The daikon had an orange color to it that made it look a lot like the carrot and it was pretty sweet. The green vegetable had a saltier flavor to it and the carrots were more vinegary.

Tsukemono

For dessert we had fruit with a sweet jelly and sakura mochi. The fruit was good, but the real standout was the sakura mochi. The texture was chewy and soft and it had a very pleasant floral aroma with a sweet flavor. It was a great end to a wonderful meal.

Fruit & Sakura Mochi

Once we finished eating Christal, Luke and I went to the private family onsen to bathe and relax a little. When we were done with that Christal put Luke down for bed and I worked on journaling some more.

Our Room

April 19: Okinawa

Today we had breakfast a little bit later than yesterday. It was a little after 7 by the time we got seated and when we finished there was a line waiting to get in. Auntie Tokimi came by at 9:30 to pick us up and we went up to Churaumi Aquarium.

Hi Mr. Turtle

Luke really enjoyed watching all the fish and was totally mesmerized by some. When we got to the whale shark tank the bleacher seats were fairly empty so we sat in them for a little while just watching all the fish swim around. For some reason there were only two whale sharks this time instead of three.

The Whale Shark Tank

At about 12:45 we left the building and headed to the dolphin stadium to watch the dolphin show. Luke was able to enjoy it more this time and seemed to like when the dolphins jumped.

Waiting for the Dolphin Show

After the show was over we walked around the surrounding park some more than we had in the past. It is quite extensive in how far it reaches and we barely saw any of it.

View From the Park

When we finished walking around the park Auntie Tokimi wanted to take us to a local fish restaurant, but unfortunately it was closed. We ended up going to a Cafe Gusto, which is a diner chain in Japan. I ordered a chicken katsu teishoku that came with miso soup, tsukemono, greens with jako and rice. It was actually better than what I was expecting, but then again, I probably shouldn't have been expecting the Japanese equivalent of Denny's.

Chicken Katsu Teishoku

From lunch Auntie Tokimi dropped us off at the Aeon Rycom mall for a couple of hours while she did some errands. I bought some pants at Uniqlo that were on sale and Christal bought some chinsuko for herself. When we finished we hung out at the aquarium to wait for Auntie Tokimi. Luke was again enthralled by all the fish and when he found some clownfish he started pointing to them and shouting Nemo. We tried to pull him away at one point when we saw Ojiichan, but he wouldn't have it. Eventually when Auntie Tokimi came he let us take him away from the tank.

Showing Us Nemo

Our next stop was a quick visit with step Hi-Ojiichan, who was at a nursing home very close to the mall. He was in good spirits when we arrived and he looked like he was in better health than the previous visits that we have seen him. His cheeks seemed more filled out and there was more color in his face. We took some pictures and then left to meet Uncle Dan, Makoto, Hayato and Manami for dinner.

With Step Hi-Ojiichan

Hayato had requested yakiniku earlier so Auntie Tokimi took us to a restaurant called Karubi Daioh. It was all you can eat that included an ice cream bar so we ate our fill. They had all different kinds of kalbi and they were all delicious and Luke especially like the corn on the cob.

Karubi Daioh

After we finished eating we said our goodbyes and Auntie Tokimi took us back to the hotel for the night. It was pretty late so Christal got Luke ready for bed and down for bed pretty quickly.

Almost Ready For Bed