Noodles in Japan: What To Eat (Part 3)

さぬきうどん (Sanuki Ramen)

Sanuki Udon

Soul food of Kagawa Prefecture. Resilient udon with Iriko soup. Soft and smooth sensation are just simply amazing.

徳島ラーメン (Tokushima Ramen)

Tokushima Ramen

Brown soup with tonkatsu soy sauce. Normally topped with pork belly, bean sprout, Welsh onion and raw egg. Thick and sweet taste.

ちゃんぽん (Chanpon)

 Chanpon

Soup made out of boiled pork ribs and chicken bones. Resilient thick noodles. What makes it special is the wide variety of ingredients used including pork, fish, seafood. Plenty of vegetables. A great healthy dish. Delicacy from the Nagasaki Prefecture.

博多ラーメン (Hakata Ramen)

Hakata Ramen

Straight and slim noodle in a milky white tonkatsu soup. Thick but refreshing taste preferred by many people. Delicacy from Fukouka Prefecture.

Acknowledgement

Special thanks to ご当地メシ for all the great delicious pictures.

Sharing

Share with us the delicious japanese noodles that you have tasted in the comment section below.
You can read related post about Noodles in Japan in below link:
Noodles in Japan: What to Eat (Part 1)
Noodles in Japan: What to Eat (Part 2)

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Noodles in Japan: What To Eat (Part 2)

味噌煮込みうどん (Miso Nikomi Udon)

Miso Nikomi Udon

Uses a miso called Hacchoumiso. Thick and strong taste. Spongy noodles simmered in a ceramic port. Served hot. Delicacy from Aichi Prefecture.

富士宮やきそば (Fujinomiya Yaki Soba)

Fujinomiya Yaki Soba

What makes it different from the normal soba is the sponginess of the noodle. Fried with lard. Mixed with meat and pickled ginger. Delicacy from Shizuoka Prefecture.

伊勢うどん (Ise Udon)

Ise Udon

Iriko and sea tangle soup stock blended with Tamari soy sauce. Gives out a dark and thick gravy sauce. Delicacy from the Mie Prefecture.

和歌山ラーメン (Wakayama Ramen)

Wakayama Ramen

Thin and straight noodles. Contains 2 soy sauce based soup. Delicacy from the Wakayama Prefecture.

出雲そば (Izumo Soba)

Izumo Soba

Local culinary specialties of Shimane Prefecture. The dark color is what makes it special. Sweet smelling taste. Excellent nutritional value.

瓦そば (Kawara Soba)

Kawara Soba

Kawara means tile. As the name suggests, roasted tea-buckwheat noodles are placed on top of a heated tile. Fried until there is a little burnt smell and crispy to bring out the best taste. The hissing sound of the noodles frying on top of the tile makes you crazy to grab a bite. Delicacy from the Yamaguchi Prefecture.

津山ホルモンうどん (Tsuyama Broiled Beef Udon)

Tsuyama Broiled Beef Udon

Udon grilling on a hot plate with broiled beef innards. Perfect combination of rich beef taste and spongy udon. Delicacy from Okayama Prefecture.

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Noodles in Japan: What to eat (Part 1)

Noodles is my favourite food in Japan. The taste, accompanying ingredients, size of noodles, and soup vary across the different regions in Japan. This post introduces some of the signature noodles across every prefecture in Japan.

喜多方ラーメン (Kitakata Ramen)

Kitakata Ramen

Local ramen from Kitakatashi, Fukushima Prefecture. Refreshing soy sauce flavor. Thick ramen texture. 

盛岡冷麺 (Morioka Reimen) 

Morioka Reimen

冷麺 reimen means cold noodles. Iwate prefecture delicacy. Noodles are bouncy. The soup is sweet with seasonal fruits such as apple, watermelon and pear. Although it is cold noodles, that does not mean the soup are all direct from the tap. :) It was all boiled and left to cool. Goes well with kimchi.

稲庭うどん (Inaniwa Udon)

Inaniwa Udon

Country-style dish from Akita. Thinner than the Kishimen (flat noodles famous in Nagoya) or Houtou noodles (flat noodels famous in Yamanashi). Smooth texture that glides on your tongue :).

へぎそば (Begi Soba)

Begi Soba

Famous in Uonuma, Niigata Prefecture. Noodles are made from a type of seaweed called Funori. The name begi comes from a kitchen tool that is used to make this noodle.

信州そば (Shin Shuu Soba)

Shin Shuu Soba

Normally noodles that are made of more than 25% of buckwheat flour are called shinshuu soba. Shinshuu comes from a highland where it is famous for where buckwheat are harvested. Delicacy from Nagano Prefecture.

越前おろしそば (Echizen Oroshi Soba)

Echizen Oroshi Soba

There are various ways people have this served. Some like the grated radish on top with the soup under (well segregated), while some like it to be all mixed up. Popular among the elderly as a healthy food. Delicacy from Fukui Prefecture.

ほうとう (Houtou)

Houtou

A mixture of wide-flattish noodle with pumpkin, mushrooms and potatoes simmered in miso soup. Thick soup base. Makes it a very good hot dish in the winter. Delicacy from Yamanashi.

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Honestly the best food in Japan

Before I judge, I want to come to agreement that we all have different aji no okonomi 
味のお好み tastebuds.
Whats nice to you, may not be nice to me.
What I like, may not be what you like.
Come on, take for the known fact, that we are all different.

While the recent Gotouchi: online voted best food in Japan falls to Ryugasaki Croquette. I beg to differ.

龍ケ崎コロッケ（Ryugasaki Croquette）

I think I already had too much potatoes in my shokuji 食事 meals: french fries, mashed potatoes and hash brownies.
Stuffing cream inside potatoes and dipping them among the spaghetti sauces isn't really miryoku teki 魅力的 attractive to me.

...And yet, here are my honest opinion of the best food in Japan.
I think it deserve some kind of justice - the Gyutan Yaki.

芯たん焼き (Gyutan Yaki)

Gyutan is cow`s shita舌 tongue.
Despite how eerie it sounds, it is the best ever Japanese food that I have tried. The first time I fell in love with it was in Sendai. (Read the post on Sendai trip).

And just in case you don't know, tongue is the strongest muscle of all body bu i 部位 parts.

So if you find some muscular chicken thigh to be very tasty, you are going to find this to be amazingly tender and delicious.

To cook it, it is often marinated and smoked. See video.

I really think the yuushou 優勝 winner badge should be on the Gyutan Yaki.

Well, everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
Share with us on what you think is the best food in Japan.

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Ryokou: Japanese Words You Must Know About Travelling

How to say travel in Japanese? Everything you need to know about traveling in japanese.

Picture: gdefon.com

旅行 ryokou traveling

Before you go traveling, you would want to check out on some of the packages that is offered by the  旅行会社 ryokou  gaisha traveling agency. In Japan, the top traveling agency that I have tried using was JTB and H.I.S. Of course there are some other agencies that you might want to research too. You can get information from the pamphlets outside the agencies and in most of the train stations.
Once you have decided on your trip, you can 旅行を予約する ryokou wo yoyaku suru book a trip, or 旅行を延ばす ryokou wo nobasu extend your trip. If you made a booking and regretted it, you can 旅行をやめる ryokou wo yameru give up on the trip or 旅行をキャンセルする ryokou wo kyanseru suru cancel the trip. It`s your money, decide what is best for your and most importantly is to 旅行を楽しむ ryokou wo tanoshimu enjoy your trip.

Before embarking on a trip, you will need to 旅行の準備をする ryokou no junbi wo suru make some preparations for the trip. That can be 旅行の荷物を詰める ryokou no nimotsu wo tsumeru packing up for the trip, 旅行の間犬を近所に預けてもらう ryokou no aida inu wo kinjo ni azukete morau entrusting your dogs to the neighbors during the trip, etc.

While packing up, you must never forget these 2 things.
Passport: License to 旅行に行く ryokou ni iku go traveling.
Money: You can forget to bring anything, but not your money. You forget your shirt, you buy. You forget your shoes, you buy. Perhaps most of the 旅行代 ryokou dai traveling cost is already paid up when you signed up for your trip, but things like souvenirs are not included.

When you 旅行に出かける ryokou ni dekakeru leave for a trip, inform your neighbors so that they can watch over your house for you. When you 旅行から帰る ryokou kara kaeru come back from a trip, remember to buy them souvenirs as a token of appreciation. Otherwise, they won`t be watching over your house for you anymore when you are away. :)

Remember, no matter where you go, there are 旅行制限 ryokou seigen travel restrictions, and be a good 旅行者 ryokou sha tourist. Enjoy your next trip and remember  旅行中にたくさんの写真を撮って ryokou chuu ni takusan no shashin wo totte to take a lot of pictures and 旅行中に体験を話してあげる ryokou chuu no taiken wo hanashite ageru share the stories of your journey.

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Beautiful Beaches: Redondo Beach Pier

Redondo Beach Pier has been one of the 最も奇麗なところ mottomo kirei na tokoro most beautiful places I have visited.
The breeze and ocean view was very welcoming.

It says, "Please keep your beach clean". I think it is already very きれい kirei clean.

食事、買い物、遊び shokuji kaimono asobi Food, shops and fun.

A nice place for relaxing and 散歩する sanpo suru taking a walk.

Lots of greats restaurants and shops. The restaurant sits on the pier that extend out into the sea. It feels as though you are 海の真ん中に食事を楽しんでいる umi no mannaka ni shokuji  wo tanoshindeiru enjoying your meal in  the middle of the sea. 

Boats on the other side of the pier.

こんにちは、私はロボットです！konnichiha watashi ga robotto desu. Hello! I am a robot.
It is a tower viewer or sometimes called binoculars.

おい、空間をくれよ、俺の足指を踏んでいるぞ！
oi, kuukan wo kure yo, ore no ashiyubi wo fundeiru zo.
Hey there, give me some space, you are stepping on my toes! 

Share this post to your friend, let`s explore and learn together.If you had been to this places, leave a comment and share with us your experience. :)

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Bernardo Winery: Day Tour in Rancho Bernardo

Great wine and great great wine.
味わう ajiwau taste it all at Bernardo Winery.

Bernardo Winery is said to be the oldest Winery in Southern California.
Well, the 環境 kankyo environment feels as though in the renaissance with the vintage structures.

It is not really about wines and お酒 osake alcohols only.
In fact, I find it more like a relaxing family recreational area for the family.

While お父さん otousan father can go for wine tasting at the tasting room.
$10 for 5 tastings.
I think the Burgundy and the Merlot are quite nice.

お母さん okaasan mum can go for shopping at the flea market.
There are various handmade items sold there.
Some are quite interesting and creative.

子供たち kodomotachi children can go play at the vast green area and enjoy themselves at the chocolate port.

The Bernardo Winery Museum tells the story of how the town and winery`s 由来 yurai origins.
Parents and children can discuss over history of the town. An interesting way to exchange thoughts.

A walk around the vicinity, you will find many interesting things to see.
Let`s see if you see anything interesting as what I saw.

If you had been to this places, leave a comment and share with us your experience. :)
Share this post to your friend, let`s explore and learn together.

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San Diego GasLamp Quarters

History of Gaslamp Quarters

It started in 1850, Mr William located this piece of land at the waterfront for development.
Due to the Great Depression, it failed.
This is when Gaslamp Quarters` location was decided.

Gaslamp Quarters Theatre

Until 17 years later, another guy name Mr Horton came to build the city.
This is when the buildings like theatres and residential blocks are built in Gaslamp Quarters.

Various entertainments in Gaslamp Quarters

10 year later, Mr Wyatt brought in gamblers and prostitutes.
This is when the entertainment was brought into Gaslamp Quarters.

Gaslamp Quarters Archway behind the Ammo

Gaslamp Quarters continued to develop gradually over the years.
In 1991, Gaslamp Quarters Archway was completed.

Now, Gaslamp Quarters is a premier shopping, dining and entertainment district with more than 200

レストラン resutoran restaurants

Fine dining in Gaslamp Quarters

バー ba- bars

Claimed to be the oldest bar in Gaslamp Quarters

ナイトクラブ naitokurabu nightclubs

Strip Club or Steak house?

ラウンジ raunji lounges

Food and beers in Gaslamp Quarters

ブティック butikku boutiques

Various boutiques for apparel and accessories

美術館 bijutsukan art galleries

The buildings itselt is an art

店 mise shops

Advertisements on the buildings

and alot of 美人 bijin pretty girls..:)

Pretty ladies

p/s: Hi folks in San Diego, feel free to leave a comment to share your experience in Gaslamp Quarters with us.

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