My coworker had a friend visiting her from up North, so she wanted to show her around the area a bit this weekend. Some of us decided to go to Itoshima for the day. Itoshima is in the far south of Fukuoka (Fukuoka is a lot like LA in that it is very spread out and even if you drive for an hour away from downtown, it is still considered part of Fukuoka). It was very rural and coastal. Everything in Japan is done by seasons. So, this season is OYSTER TIME! MMM. I love love love love fresh seafood. So, we went to this area on the harbor that had tons of oyster shacks. We chose the one that made everyone wear bright orange jackets, yellow aprons, and white gloves (I was wondering where the goggles were??) mainly for fun. But the outfit, as ridiculous as it seemed was actually a little practical, because there was ash flying everywhere from the grill, the oysters squirted you when opened, and you need the gloves for opening the oysters, so it worked out OK.
Some of the oysters were HUGE (see above). We also grilled some prawns and this other shellfish. I was not sure what it was called in English (in Japanese-"Sazae"), so I googled it. Hmm it appears I ate sea snail! It's just one of those things to add to my list of adventurous things I have tried! But it had an interesting flavor--kind of bitter. It was fun to try though. Definitely a lot more appetizing in its shell though!
After we ate--by the way, the meal was so cheap. All this:
cost us around 10 bucks each!-- we took a walk on the harbor
(yes, Mom, that is the coat in all its glory).
After that, we went to a really nice cafe on the coastline, and ate some sweets.
This area reminded me a lot of PCH meets Hawaii but with more of a New England "wilderness" (and chill factor) feel. The cafe was really cool, and the view was fantastic! It was really nice to get out of the main city and see a little more of Fukuoka's coastal side. It is hard to do often, because you need a car to get there.
I don't know, this is how I kind of associate Christmas time: chilly beaches and Christmas trees. It all made for a good familiar holiday feeling, which I have kind of been lacking so far.
After our lovely excusion, we went back to Hakata and ate at a really good gyoza (pot sticker dumpling to you non Japanese understanding people hehe) restaurant that makes Kyushu style gyoza. And now I am sitting here very full, happy, and content. =)
*You know you are slowly turning Japanese when an entire day's events revolves around what you ate (and you document it!). ;)
After we ate--by the way, the meal was so cheap. All this:
cost us around 10 bucks each!-- we took a walk on the harbor(yes, Mom, that is the coat in all its glory).
After that, we went to a really nice cafe on the coastline, and ate some sweets.
This area reminded me a lot of PCH meets Hawaii but with more of a New England "wilderness" (and chill factor) feel. The cafe was really cool, and the view was fantastic! It was really nice to get out of the main city and see a little more of Fukuoka's coastal side. It is hard to do often, because you need a car to get there.
I don't know, this is how I kind of associate Christmas time: chilly beaches and Christmas trees. It all made for a good familiar holiday feeling, which I have kind of been lacking so far.After our lovely excusion, we went back to Hakata and ate at a really good gyoza (pot sticker dumpling to you non Japanese understanding people hehe) restaurant that makes Kyushu style gyoza. And now I am sitting here very full, happy, and content. =)
*You know you are slowly turning Japanese when an entire day's events revolves around what you ate (and you document it!). ;)
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