Nosaka (野さか) - Chichibu, Japan

Piggily Heaven
Hiking, onsen and pork: the holy trinity.  If you're ever in Tokyo and want to get away from the concrete, jump on a train and head west to Chichibu for some hiking, a hot soak and a heavenly dose of "rosu-don" which is a bowl of rice, topped with fatty slices of pork grilled over charcoal.  Nosaka does it about as well as anyone, anywhere.

Hokkyokusei - Osaka

Omelet Rice Ground Zero
Not far from the famous crab sign, out of the neon flicker, Hokkyokusei humbly awaits your discovery.  They invented "omuraisu", otherwise known as omelet rice, and they're proud of it.  It is as you might infer, an omelet stuffed with rice.

Canezees Donut - Fukuoka, Japan

"Healthy" Japanese Donuts from the Memory Bank
In the early days I'd blog immediately.  I find I'm getting slower and slower.  Take Canezees - I was there almost two months ago and am just posting.  It's not a comment on their donuts, more my laziness.  I remember being surprised by this funky donut shop, found along the railroad tracks in a forlorn section of Hakata.

Hisago - Kyoto

Going Against the Crowd (Us Usual)
Visiting the famous temples in Kyoto nourishes the spirit but not the body.  Using a Japanese food guide as our bible we made our way to Hisago (ひさご) to try their famous Oyakodon.  We, as in her.  I went against the norm - every single person there was ordering, waiting for or eating Oyakodon.  I thumbed my nose at them all and chose the cha soba, cold buckwheat noodles zapped with green tea.

Dohton Bori - Osaka

As You Like It, in Osaka
Okonomiyaki is Osakan soul food, they tell me.   It means "cooked the way you like it" (okonomi = as you like it and yaki=cooked or grilled.)  At Dohton Bori, they take your freedom seriously, giving you all kinds of crazy combo choices for what I'd describe as a savory pancake/omelette.  I kept it inside the ropes, adding ham, cheese, prawns, and eggs to a batter made of shredded yam, flour and water. On top were the usual accompaniments: a Worcestershire-like black sauce, mayo and bonito shavings.

Swindle Factory - Fukuoka, Japan

It Helps to Be Forgetful
"Who goes on vacation for two weeks and forgets their wallet?"  It was a fair question, one I'd asked myself before she gave voice to my inner thoughts.  I wasn't sure if she was mad or scared.  Is there a small tumor wriggling it's elbows inside my grey matter?  Or is it early onset alzheimers?  Or, was it a devious plot, she suggested, to keep from paying for her shopping?  At our hotel, after coffee at Swindle Factory, the debate was put to rest.  I couldn't find my camera - I'd left it behind.  We tracked back to fetch it and decided to stay for dinner.  Thanks to my creeping senility we filled up on Hayashi rice and pasta.