Sayonara, Part II

And a later date it is. The whole point of my story is now moot. I was trying to explain how my return tickets were for different days. I was to fly out of Miyazaki on August 13 and then out of Nagoya on the 16th. But, as it turns out, I was able to get a flight back to the states right away, so no dillydallying in Nagoya for me – thank goodness!

I suppose that wraps up my trip to Japan. My last week was spent hanging out in Miyakonojo and taking some daytrips with Luke. This adventure culminated in the biggest festival of the year, the Bonchi Matsuri (they must have known I was leaving!). For such an occasion, Luke and I decided to wear traditional Japanese clothing – a yukata, or summer kimono, for me, and a jimbe for Luke.

I was fitted for a yukata at a local kimono shop with some help from Yasue. After trying on a few different patterns, I settled on a dark red robe covered in sakura, or cherry blossoms, and a marigold obi belt.

In preparation for the festival, I put my hair up, as you’re traditionally supposed to do, and left plenty of time to get dressed. I thought it would take me a while to arrange the yukata and conquer the challenge of tying the obi belt, but I managed fine, and we were off to the matsuri.

Luke arranged for us to dance in the parade with the Miyakonojo International Association. We had about 10 minutes to learn the two dances, which no one in the group was really able to pick up. It involved a fan, fancy footwork and a bunch of clapping. I wasn’t too worried, though, as we were in a sea of people, so no one would notice if we were out of step.

I attempted to dance for a little while, but eventually resorted to just sort of walking in the back while fanning myself, running off to the side, every now and then, to snap a photo of Luke looking totally perplexed as he tried to follow the dance leader.

After the parade, we sampled all the festival food and watched performances and drumming in the streets. It was a fantastic way to cap off my trip.

On Sunday, I bought a few last minute souvenirs and packed up before heading out for my last taste of real Japanese sushi – for a while anyway.

But no worries, I think there is more Japan in my future – hopefully sooner than later.

Sushi Tora

As of last Wednesday, I still had not had any sushi – sacrilege, I know! But in all truth, there are many other equally important national dishes that have nothing to do with raw fish. Pork and beef are huge, and many places serve fish that has been grilled or baked. So, while sushi is an important part of the Japanese diet, it is not the be-all-end-all of culture and cuisine here.

Nonetheless, I still love it and I was dying to have some. So, Luke and I hopped on our bikes and went to Sushi Tora. I know, same name as our favorite sushi restaurant in Boulder – totally different experience!

First off, all the seating is right up next to the sushi bar. That’s because sushi in this part of Japan is almost always served “kaiten,” or on a conveyor belt. That is, all the little plates rotate around the restaurant and you just pull off whatever looks good. Check out my pictures to see how fast these guys make the sushi – they keep the belt pretty much full at all times.

And of course the other major, and most important difference, is the quality of the fish. That’s not to say that Sushi Tora in Boulder doesn’t serve up some excellent sashimi, but when you’re this close to many major fishing ports, the grade is much higher.

We snapped up plates of tuna, eel, salmon and even fried chicken (they LOVE fried chicken here – I’d say it’s as common, if not more, than fish!). I stayed away from the raw chicken, but other than that, we sampled most of what they had to offer. And when it’s all said and done, they calculate your bill based on how many plates you have in front of you and what design they are (plates are design/color-coded to reflect the price of the item).

Not only was this sushi experience second-to-none in terms of taste and quality, but it was extremely efficient as well. Very Japanese, it seems.