Misokatsu, Yabaton, Nagoya

Sept 10, 2008
So this is the first place I went to the night before, got there nice and early in time for opening. There was a line before it opened, and it filled up fast, so good thing I got there early. Simply put, it was the same kind of taste as the misokushkatsu, except not on a stick. I really like this red miso sauce that they have in Nagoya.

As a side note, Nagoya was the first time that I encountered locals who could speak English since Tokyo. The first was the lady that helped me the night before, and the second was one of the chefs (seemed like the boss) behind the counter. Very friendly, told me to come by anytime I was in town, very proud of his product. He inadvertently called my manhood into question, though ; when I was debating which to get, the normal or the fatty kind, he said, "I think if you are a man, you get the fatty kind".

Tebasaki and Misokushkatsu, Yamachan, Nagoya

Sept 9, 2008
So I've got two restaurants I'm looking for in Nagoya, one misokatsu (miso pork cutlet) place and one udon place. I leave my capsule hotel at around 8:30, walk to the misokatsu place by 9, and its closed. Then I consult my map and see the udon place nearby, go there, and its closed. So I consult the map again, find a new place, need to ask a local to help me find it, and its closed. Gah.

The local very nicely suggests this place, kind of a drinking place, with Nagoya snacks like tebasaki (the chicken wings, with some special spices) and misokushkatsu, basically misokatsu on a stick =P. I go in, it's open (yay!) but full, so I just get takeout. Go back to the hotel, I'm told no food in the hotel. So I go to a mcdonald's, buy a drink, sit down, and am told its closing....

SO, I finally sit down on the metal steps in front of my hotel, and eat there at around 11:30. The tebasaki was ok, I wasn't a big fan of the spices they used. The misokushkatsu, on the other hand, was the most amazing taste ever, I was blown away, probably cause I was so dang hungry at the time. Don't even know how to describe it... like regular pork cutlet, but smothered in some sort of miso-msg concoction (not that there was msg, that's just the best comparison I can think of).

Miso Soft Serve, Suyakame, Nagano

Sept 9, 2008
Miso Soft Serve. Kinda salty, but sweet at the same time. Weird =P

Thanks to Grace for helping me figure out the name of this place

Temprura Sarashina Soba, Daimaru, Nagano

Sept 9, 2008
Fresh buckwheat soba in Nagano. This store had someone making soba in the store window out front, so that was pretty cool to watch too. I never really got into the cold soba noodles before coming to Japan, but it was solid, and definitely something I'll consider more at restaurants back home. The dry seaweed on top was a nice touch.

Butter Corn Ramen, Ezokko Ramen, Sapporo

Sept 8, 2008

Late at night, before I boarded an overnight train back to Tokyo, thus ending the northern Japan portion of my trip, I managed to get to eat Sapporo specialty butter corn ramen. Not much to say, other than the soup already looks kinda greasy, and that's before the butter is melted in. Heart-stopping goodness.

Oh yeah.. Jonny would like this a LOT.

Soup Curry, L☆Voice, Asahikawa

Sept 8, 2008
Was supposed to have some ramen, since Asahikawa is known for its ramen. Also stopped by a Ghengis Khan bbq place, but ultimately decided to take the plunge at this place, even though soup curry is better known in other parts of Hokkaido. The curry was a strong taste, pretty decent, but tastebud-killing kind of spice. Ended up being the only person in the restaurant the whole time, served by a young-ish women. Kind of akward. When I left, though, she saw me to the door and held a deep bowed position while I went down the stairs and left (I turned around at the bottom and saw her still bowing). Maybe this wasn't the best place to try soup curry, but at the end of it all, I was glad I ate there. Hardcore experience.

Asahikawa, btw, was the first to earn "Dang, I wish I lived here/I wanna live here some day" status. It's also supposed to be the coldest city in Japan =P

Squid Ramen, Shesheke, Hakodate

Sept 8, 2008
Hakodate, known for its squid, and more importantly its squid ramen made with squid stock. Had to walk around for a bit looking for a specific restaurant, but couldn't find it, so had to stop in at the first place that offered it. Was ok, I guess, not a big fan of squid though, and the soup didn't taste anything special. Then when I was walking back to the station, I found the restaurant I was originally looking for. It was a small thing on the other side of the street, so I didn't bother looking. Grr.

Hakodate, btw, a southern port city in Hokkaido. Spent a total of less than 24 hours in Hokkaido, but I still managed to get to 3 cities, as far up as the middle of the island.