#Oita style rice

[summary-cooking]

料理トリビアのまとめ #0026

[cooking256]

大分風おこわ 大分の料理

「大分風おこわ」は、大分県を中心に親しまれている炊き込みご飯の一種です。米を主な材料とし、秋に収穫される栗やキノコ、さつまいもなどを具材として使用します。 1. 秋の収穫物を活用 秋に収穫される栗やさつまいも、キノコなどを用いて作られます。これらの食材が旬の味わいを加えます。 2. 炊き込みご飯 米と具材を一緒に鍋で炊き込んで作ります。具材の風味が米と調和して、独特のおこわの風味を醸し出します。 3. 甘味と旨味のバランス 栗やさつまいもの甘味と、キノコなどの旨味が交じり合い、奥深い味わいを楽しめます。 4. お祝い���とに食されることが多い 祝い事や節句などの特別な場面で用いられることが多く、家族や親しい人々と一緒に楽しまれます。 大分風おこわは、季節の恵みを取り入れた炊き込みご飯で、大分県の特産品を活かした料理です。特別な日や家族団らんの場で、伝統的な味わいを楽しむことができます。

✄🔪🥄🍽✄🔪🥄🍽✄🔪🥄🍽✄🔪🥄🍽

Oita style rice Oita cuisine

``Oita-style okowa'' is a type of cooked rice that is popular mainly in Oita Prefecture. The main ingredient is rice, and the ingredients include chestnuts, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes that are harvested in the fall. 1. Utilize autumn harvest It is made using chestnuts, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, etc. that are harvested in the fall. These ingredients add seasonal flavor. 2. Takikomi rice It is made by cooking rice and ingredients together in a pot. The flavors of the ingredients harmonize with the rice, creating a unique okowa flavor. 3. Balance of sweetness and umami The sweetness of chestnuts and sweet potatoes mixes with the umami of mushrooms, allowing you to enjoy a deep flavor. 4. Often eaten on celebrations It is often used on special occasions such as celebrations and festivals, and is enjoyed with family and close friends. Oita-style okowa is a rice dish that incorporates seasonal ingredients and is a dish that makes use of Oita prefecture's special products. You can enjoy traditional flavors on special occasions and family gatherings.

[reysim]

Monday January 9/2023

Today, we crossed the central part of Kyushu island from Kumamoto to Oita on single-track rail via several old style trains with a stop at Aso volcano. The first train took us through the urban sprawl of the big city to the distant airport, where we changed to a second train that climbed steeply uphill, reversing on switchbacks, to reach the farming plain of the Aso caldera. This area is the flattened base of a giant crater left by a explosive eruption thousands of years ago. The fertile soil is farmed for rice and other crops. During winter everything is dead and brown.

We stopped at Aso Station and emerged for a view of the surrounding mountains at the edge of the caldera. Think crater lake in Oregon, but without the lake. In the middle of the crater, mountains rose another thousand metres and one was steaming wildly. We took two buses, one to the national park visitor centre and museum, then another to the summit. At the top, we walked around taking pictures and then we hiked on several side trails across the Ash Desert and back down to return on the first bus to the train station.

The last train of the day left the plains by tunnels under the surrounding mountains with frozen waterfalls and green forests of bamboo and evergreens. Passing through the occasional village, the train hit something on the tracks and we could feel and hear metal bouncing around underneath the carriage. After a long pause to inspect the damage, the trained limped into the next village station. After reassurances from the driver and multiple bowing apologies, we got going again, not certain of whether repairs were made or even necessary. However, at the next station our elderly driver was dishonourably discharged from his role after only one hour of driving. His young replacement attempted to make up for lost time during the final hour of our journey. He race down the mountain on twisting tracks, passing through dozens of tunnels at high speed, eventually following the course of a large river to bring us into Oita on time and in the dark. We saw lots of trains going in the opposite direction, as we passed them while they were temporally waiting on sidetracks.

Once in the city, we checked into our hotel and got dinner.

[fajitatacoplace]

What is Chicken Tempura?

If you are looking for a tasty dish that you can serve to your family and friends, you can try cooking chicken tempura. This delicious dish is made from chicken and batter, which is fried in a pan. It is also very easy to cook. Just make sure that you use a frying pan that can handle high heat.

Introduction

Chicken Tempura is a dish of fried chicken coated in tempura batter. The uniqueness of this dish lies in the crispy exterior and juicy interior meat. Often, it is served with a soy-ginger vinaigrette. This sauce cuts the greasy taste of the fried meat and complements the dish.

There are many variations to this delicious dish. You can choose to serve it with a side salad or a variety of dipping sauces. Besides chicken, other ingredients used in this dish include vegetables, such as carrots and onions. These are typically cut into thin strips.

To prepare, wash the chicken thoroughly. Cut the meat into two inch strips. Set the strips on a large platter and season them to your liking.

When the oil is hot, dip the strips in the tempura batter. Make sure to turn the strips frequently. They should be cooked through golden brown and reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

To serve, remove the strips from the heat and set them on a cooling rack. Drain the oil using paper towels.

What is chicken tempura?

Chicken Tempura is a Japanese specialty that was invented in Oita Prefecture, which is part of the Kyushu region of Japan. It is a unique dish that is typically eaten with a spicy mustard ponzu sauce. A good preparation of tempura results in a crispy, fluffy exterior that is accompanied by juicy meat inside.

To make this delicious treat, you need to start with a bowl of rice. Stir in some vinegar, salt, sugar, and soy sauce to create a tasty marinade. You can also add shrimp, fish, or vegetables to the mix.

Now you can cut your meat into strips. Next, you need to coat them in batter. This step will help ensure that the chicken will stay crispy during the cooking process.

If you want to make a healthier version of the tempura, you can use cauliflower. Brown rice can also be used as an alternative.

For best results, use a deep fryer. In addition, you should preheat the oil to 350 degrees F. However, if you don't have a deep fryer, you can use a non-stick pan.

How to make chicken tempura?

Chicken tempura is a delicious and easy to make dish. This Japanese style dish is made from batter, which is coated on chicken pieces and deep fried until golden brown. These crispy chicken pieces can be served as an appetizer or a main course.

Before starting, you'll need to prepare the chicken. Slice the chicken breast into thin strips, about three inches wide. If the breast is not very thick, you may need to use a meat tenderizer.

You'll also need cake flour and corn starch. Sift both of these into a mixing bowl. Be sure to mix well.

The first step in making chicken tempura is to marinate the chicken in the marinade. A good way to do this is to combine all of the ingredients in a zip-lock bag and leave it for at least fifteen minutes.

After the chicken has marinated, it's time to fry it. Oil should be heated to 180 degrees Celsius and should be used when frying.

You'll want to fry your chicken strips in batches. During each batch, the chicken should be dipped in the tempura batter and then dragged through the oil. It should take a few minutes for the chicken to be browned and crisp.

How long should chicken tempura be cooked for?

If you want to make a delicious chicken tempura, you need to know how to prepare it. Chicken tempura is a Japanese style dish. It can be eaten as an appetizer or a main course. You can serve it with your favorite dipping sauces.

Tempura is typically served hot. It is high in calories and sodium. Soy sauce, ginger and garlic are used to marinate the chicken. This makes it extra juicy and flavorful.

Chicken tempura is easy to prepare. You can either fry it in oil or bake it. Either way, you should cook it in small batches.

To fry chicken, you should use a deep fryer. The temperature of the oil should be at least 375degF. A digital thermometer can help you reach this temperature.

Alternatively, you can cook it in an air fryer. An air fryer can be a great option if you are planning to reheat leftover chicken. During reheating, you should turn the pieces over halfway through. Afterward, you should place them on a paper towel lined baking sheet.

Chicken Tempura Recipe

Chicken Tempura is a unique Japanese dish. Its crunchy tempura coating is paired with your favorite dipping sauce. Whether you're cooking for yourself or for a crowd, this recipe is easy to prepare.

In addition to being delicious, it's also healthy. You can add vegetables to your batter. This recipe uses corn starch to create extra crispiness. Also, using low-fat chicken breast will help keep the chicken tender.

Tempura is made from a mix of flour, egg, and water. The batter is thin enough to form a mesh-like texture, but not so thick that it gets stuck to the chicken. To avoid this, use chop sticks to stir the batter.

Next, a mixture of ice and water is added to the batter. Another way to keep the batter cold is to put it in an ice bath. Once the batter is chilled, you can now dip the fried chicken strips into it.

After frying, place the crispy fried chicken on a paper towel-lined plate. Let the excess grease drip off.

How to store chicken tempura?

One of the most popular Japanese dishes is chicken tempura. Chicken tempura is made using a batter that is then dipped in hot oil. The result is a crispy outer coating and tender, juicy meat inside.

Chicken tempura is easy to make and can be prepared in the oven or in the deep fryer. You can even use the air fryer to crisp up leftovers.

First, cut the chicken into strips. Then, marinate it with ginger, soy sauce, and garlic. Once the marinating is done, let the chicken cool for a couple of hours. After this, slice it into small pieces. Place them into a zip lock bag, and then store in the fridge.

When you are ready to eat the chicken, slather it with sauce. If you prefer, you can also serve it with rice. Make sure the sauce you choose is low fat and sugar free.

Tempura chicken is an easy-to-make party food. It is also a great appetizer for a crowded gathering. With a little preparation, you can enjoy delicious chicken tempura in just 10 minutes!

Frequently Asked Questions

Chicken tempura is a popular Japanese dish. It is made with batter and dipped in oil. The result is crispy chicken. This can be served as a main course or an appetizer. Some people serve it with rice or vegetables.

When making chicken tempura, it is important to keep the temperature of the oil consistent. You can keep the temperature of the oil as high as 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature of the oil drops, the result will be less-than-stellar.

Using an air fryer is a great way to crisp leftovers. Alternatively, you can deep fry. A deep fryer is a medium-sized pot that is filled with oil.

Tempura is a light food that is very easy to make. Although it is high in calories, it is still a healthy option. Unlike other fried foods, it does not contain bones.

It is recommended that you pound your chicken pieces before cooking. Pounding makes the chicken easier to cook. Once the chicken is cooked, set it aside on a cooling rack.

What does tempura chicken taste like?

The chicken tempura has a juicy and crunchy texture. The batter gives it a light and flavorful taste, while the chicken itself is tender and moist. It also has a slightly sweet flavor due to the addition of sugar in the batter.

Is chicken tempura good for you?

Yes, chicken tempura is a healthy option as it is low in fat and calories. It also contains healthy proteins which help keep you feeling full for longer. Additionally, the use of high-quality oil to fry the chicken minimizes unhealthy fats and makes the dish even more nutritious.

How do you serve chicken tempura?

Chicken tempura is usually served as an appetizer or an entree. You can also make it into a meal by adding sides like steamed vegetables, rice, and salad. However you choose to serve it, chicken tempura is sure to be a hit with your family and friends!

What is chicken tempura made of?

Chicken tempura is made with chicken, flour, egg, sugar, baking powder, and oil. The batter is created by mixing the dry ingredients together until a thick paste is formed. The chicken pieces are then added to the batter and fried until crispy. This dish can also be spiced up with different seasonings for extra flavor.

Is tempura the same as fried?

No, tempura is not the same as fried. Tempura is a Japanese cooking technique that involves coating ingredients with a batter consisting of flour, egg, and cold water before deep-frying them in oil. This results in a light and crunchy texture which makes it different from regular fried dishes.

Conclusion

There are many ways to make the ultimate fried chicken. Some of them involve the use of an air fryer. Other options include the use of a deep fryer. You can even cook it in the oven.

To get the perfect fried chicken, you'll need to follow some guidelines. The best way to go about it is to use a thermometer to ensure you are frying at the right temperature. While it may sound like a hassle, you'll thank yourself in the long run.

For the most part, the temperature of the oil will determine how crispy your tempura turns out. For optimal frying, you'll want to keep the temperature in the low to mid-180s, preferably between 180 and 170 degrees.

Another important factor in achieving the perfect tempura is the batter. To do this, you'll need to use a mixture of cake flour and corn starch. In fact, you can even use rice flour to achieve the same effect.

To make sure you get a crisp tempura, you'll also need to add a little oil and salt to the batter. It's also worth noting that the calorie content of a tempura may be a little higher than other fried dishes.

[astormyjet]

Winter of 2018 - Summer of 2021 TIME FILES WHEN YOU’RE IN YOUR 20s!!!!

OH BOY. It’s been three years (or more) since I updated this. “Time is a weird soup!” to quote a fave. I guess I quit tumblr around the time there was a purge of content and creators and a smack down on a lot of the fandom communities. Tumblr has always been something of a crapshow though so I’ve been more productive with my time than I was in some ways, but I’ve also found other ways to waste my time. *cough twitter/netflix/youtube/MTGArena cough*.

General Life Achievements since 2018 -JLPT N3 GET in 2019! -Blackbelt GET in 2018! -TESOL 120 Hour and BE 50 Hour Cert from online provider GET in 2021 -STUDENT LOAN BANISHED (Thank you grandparents) -Survived Apartment flooding in early 2020. -Mystery anxiety related illness and chronic pain in my left leg from early 2020 - Present. -A mythical 6th and 7th year on the JET Programme. -Started posting on Instagram a lot more about my wanderings around Matsuyama/Uwajima. Mainly old buildings and stray cats. @astormyknight -Surviving so far in Japan with old rona-chan.

2018 was rough. I was given an additional school in the first semester (March to July) as we had someone find a better job. I enjoyed it, but it was a bit of a rough go especially when I was transferred that August after three fantastic years at Tsubaki JHS and ES and only a semester there. I legit went through the five stages of grief - which I think is another reason I stopped blogging. I was given my current base school along with four other schools. Going from 2(3) to 5 schools was a bit of an adjustment. I still feel a bit spread out.

That said, I keep running into teachers and students who were at the Tsubaki’s. The teachers shuffle around every April, so it's always a lottery with which new faces are going to be old friends (or enemies…). A couple of kids moved and transferred into my current schools from Tsubaki too. So I have one kid I can say I've been teaching for 6 out of the 7 years I've been here!

One of the kids who was in JHS 3rd grade when I first got here (in 2015!) hangs out around one of my favorite cafes, so I got chatting with him recently. He's in his second year of nursing school - his class nearly broke me in the first year, it was really a trial by fire with those kids. I was 22 then, and he’s 20 now, so it was interesting chatting to him about that first year of teaching. His younger sister was one of my favorite students too, she was in the group of kids that graduated in the March of 2018, the year group that went through Tsubaki JHS with me - they’re newly minted University students now!

This Thursday morning when I was cycling in to work, a kid who was 2nd year JHS when I left  (so 2nd or 3rd year JHS now) pulled up with their Mum in a van and got their mamachari out of the back to bike to school. The franticness of it all was hilarious. Their Mum legit sat on the horn until I pulled over. I was so happy to run into this kid, even at social distance and both of us late to work/school - because we both remembered each other and as they were going around the corners they were yelling each time they turned and humming the old elementary school directions chant and pelting me with questions about what I’ve been up to.

I've had so many students and schools now, that everything is kind of running into a blur. I remember flashes of kids faces and voices, random memories of in class or out of class shenanigans out of the blue. Also, I now, more than ever, have issues remembering kids' names, but I still know their faces (even with their masks), whose homeroom class they were in, who their friends were and which club they were in. I get random flashbacks to past conversations with them when I see them on the street or we run into each other. I feel bad because the first thing former students ask is ‘Do you remember my name?’ and I always have to be like, ‘Honestly, no, but I remember you did this on x day, x month in x classroom’.

Socially in 2018 -2019 - a few of our friends went home and things shook up a little. Our DnD group changed a bit - one of our players stepped into the role forever DM (THANK YOU RALPH). From memory the newbies were great - some of them just went home at the start of last month and it’s weird not seeing them around (JESS DO YOUR BEST!). I think we only have one or two people left from that rotation. There’s no 6th year ALTs, and only two 5th years.

Aug 2018 - Aug 2019 was the year of Hiura - my mountain school. Dang man, they were so cool. The students of the JHS and the ES combined barely hit 30, so each class was between 3-10 students depending on the grade. It was easier to get to know the kids, their abilities and their goals than it has been for me at other schools. I miss it so bad, being in nature once a week did my country-kid heart so good! The bugs! The frogs! The river! The mountain! The monkeys! The lizards! The dilapidated houses and hidden shrines!!!! The random crabs in the English room...I forgot that there was such a thing as freshwater crabs, and being right next to a river, the invasion wasn’t as out of place as I first thought...  

The area is so picturesque and calming. Every week up there was a small adventure (after getting over my motion sickness from the bus ride up). The kids were constantly pranking either myself or the main English teacher. There was always some new weird bug or lizard in a tank to be educated about. There were chickens on the way to the JHS that used to escape from their cardboard box prisons to run riot on the gardens. There were old people to freak out with my youth and foreignness! The kids also got to do a lot of extra classes, sumiyakai (making charcoal the traditional way), planting and maintaining rice paddies, setting up vegetable gardens, raising fireflies, conserving a special breed of fire lily (only found in this particular mountain valley) and another rare flower, wilderness training ect.

I wish I could have stayed there a lot longer but SOMEONE (read...the BoE) decided that schools had to be shuffled again(thank goodness the dude who has it now was able to keep it from the 2021 shuffle, he's the best fit for the school). I had so many good memories from there, I wish I had been more consistent in writing it down. I do have a bunch of photos and videos from there though, so that's nice. The only thing I don’t miss is the bus trip up and down - not only was it motion sickness, there was a healthy dose of fear each ride as the driver brought us perilously close to the edge of the mountain drop…

2019 - 2020 was interesting. With the school I got given instead of the Hirua’s I was roped into more demonstration lessons which was a lot of pressure because I was also involved quite heavily with the JHS observation and training lessons too. They were somewhat rewarding, the third graders are now super smart 5th graders, but the teachers  who need to embrace the new curriculum and ways of teaching really haven’t taken on anything from the lessons....

Outside of work as well, I was given the chance, thanks to an ALT buddy of mine, to join in with the local festival. It's been one of the biggest highlights of my time here, and I am gutted it’s been cancelled for the last two years, but I understand the reason…. I was able to travel to Okinawa too during that summer for an international Karate seminar with the Dojo I train with. I met the head of the style I currently practice and a bunch of people from around the world. I also got to see Shuri castle before it burned down. So that was a stroke of luck. One of the places I want to go when/if we get out of this pandemic is Okinawa. I want to see more of those Islands so bad. Just before the whole pandemic thing too - I managed to see the Rugby World Cup, a Canada vs NZ match, I even ran into Tana Umanga in Oita city!!!

2019 - 2020 was supposed to be my last year on JET, so I was frantically Job hunting. I went to the Career Fair in Osaka in early Feb/Late January 2020. I applied and got interviewed for a position in Sendai in early Jan 2020. In the end though - the Rona hit. We started hearing whispers of it around the end of 2019, then the cruise boats happened, and then Japan refused to cancel the Olympics...every holiday season there is a new wave of infections, my nurse friends in Tokyo are struggling....my teacher friends in more populous areas of Japan are struggling…

JET couldn't get new ALTs for 2020-2021, I took the extra year when it was eventually offered, as the one job I had managed to get a serious offer for was hesitating because with the rona setting in, things were uncertain. There was a lot of time spent adjusting to the new rules surrounding what we could do in class with the kids as well as textbook change. Schools shut on and off during the spring months. 

I also got a reminder of my mortality mid May with an unrelated illness which is still smacking me around a bit - stress/age, it does things to the human body it has no right to. It's only been in the last three months I’ve been able to exercise like I used to, I’ve put on a bunch of weight I can't shrug off (one part medication, another part diet) My relationship with food needs to change, and I really need a kitchen that allows me for more than one pan meals. I also need to figure out what to do with a left leg that is in constant pain from the knee down and a heart that misses beats when stressed out (mentally and physically…). 

My apartment also got flooded by the guy upstairs at one point, I spent most of late February/early March living in a hotel while my walls and floor got redone - I think this was one of the things that really stressed me out and kicked my anxiety right up a notch, it was right when things were getting REALLY bad with rona-chan in Hokkaido and schools were shutting down here as it was filtering into the prefecture and so Japan closed schools for the first time…

Classes in covid times have been weird. We’ve been wearing facemasks full time since the early stages of the pandemic (March 2020) - so I admit that I get a bit pissed off seeing both Americans and New Zealanders back home bitching about just having to start wearing them full time in public. I have asthma and have been suffering with the things on during the 30*C plus with high 90s humidity summers. Teachers were offered vaccines late July 2021, just days before the Olympics were open - and I finished my two shots in the middle of August. But the overall distribution and take up of the jab has been slow.  As mentioned above, we can't play a lot of the games we used to play with kids in classes anymore, and a lot of the activities outlined in the textbook curriculum need to be adjusted too, so we’ve had to be creative. We use hand sanitizer a lot more too. One of the things I miss the most though, is eating lunch with the kids.

Socially from summer 2020 - now 2021 we played a lot of DnD and board games, both online and in person when we could. There were no new ALTs again for the 2021-2022 JET year, and those of us who were in 6th year were offered a 7th. Four out of six of us took it. As a whole we’re down from a peak of 38 ALTs for Junior High and Elementary school to 22 for now. We hopefully will get a new person at the end of September, and 4 more in November. Which will bring us to 27. This has led to ANOTHER round of school shuffles.

Summer vacation has been weird the last two years. With rona-chan, we haven’t really been able to travel. All the summer festivals (all the Autumn and Winter ones too!) have been cancelled, so the changing of seasons just feels, wrong. I dunno. There is so much we all miss from pre-rona-chan, and so much that doesn’t happen that makes this just feel like one long long unending year of sadness, coldness, raininess, unbearable heat and repeat. I’m tired. Time is going so fast, but so.dang.slow.

I lost my favorite school (AGAIN GDI!!!) and gained the school I taught a semester at in 2019....I had my first day there on Wednesday. Schools actually started back on September 1st so there was some drama as the BoE didn’t communicate fast enough about our school changes. We legit got told on the 27th of August (on a Friday) our schools were changing effective September 1st, but somehow some of our schools found out on the Monday 30th August. In July we were told we would be changing schools at the end of September, so.a lot of ALTs and schools were left short changed, not having opportunities to say goodbye to co-workers or students/having their planning for the semester more or less thrown out the window too. I love my job. I really dislike the way the BoE treats us, the Japanese assistant language teachers and our schools.

The new school I have is used to having an ALT there twice a week, who plans all the lessons and executes them. I’m at three elementary schools. I'm only at each once a week, I want to plan, but being that I miss an entire lesson in between visits, it's going to be difficult to do so. Not impossible, but being that I'm already doing it for two other schools, who are at two different places in the textbook ah…….. From what I have talked to my new supervisor about though, it sounds like the teachers have taken on more of the lesson planning and I'll be able to contribute ideas when I'm there. I just want to and wish I could do more without being confused all the time. (This is all usually done in my second language too, not in English so extra levels of confusion and miscommunication abound).

 I feel like this at my JHS too a lot of the time. I want to contribute more, but even with constant communication with my main in school supervisor (who is a badass and pretty much on the same page about everything with me) I still feel about as useful as tits on a bull. Especially now that classes have been cancelled and or shortened, there's less time to do stuff. Any game or activity I plan is usually cut in favor of making up time in the textbook. When I'm in class, I'm back to being a tape recorder, the fun police and general nuisance.　

Also in the last week...my two of my schools were  shut due to students testing positive for the rona. This is the second time my schools have had a scare in the last 8 months. And by shut, I mean the students were all at home, but the teachers  all had to come into the office. Because why not I guess….. I mean,  the cases increasing is really not unexpected with the amount of people who were travelling over obon and the increase of cases due to the Olympics/Japan being slow on vaccinating/delta being the dominant strain/Japan's leaders doing relatively little except asking shops and restaurants to limit people coming in at one time and closing before 8pm. I know my schools weren't the only one shut either - but still High Schools were having their sports days this week. I kept on seeing groups of kids hanging in the park after, so that was a little bit nerve wracking.

It's just frustrating - we’ve been on half days to “minimize the risk of infection” for kids and teachers, as if only being at school from 8am through to 1pm is going to reduce the risk.  My schools have only just started testing out Microsoft teams and Zoom lesson equipment. Thankfully our school’s run in this time was contained real quick, the family was super good about informing us when they got their results back, and the fact they needed to be tested. The homeroom teacher and the students from the same class were the only ones tested, and they all came back clear, which was nice. But the information came back so SLOW. 

I’m a little irritated because I found out on Wednesday night what was going on, and even if I am vaccinated, I am super worried that I will end up being the covid monkey due to being at different schools three days out of five. I think other than being worried that I will catch it myself and get real sick, my biggest fear is that I will be protected from bad symptoms from the vaccine, but still be able to pass it onto some of my more vulnerable friends and students. The whole thing is a mess.  

Other than Covid and BoE drama, life is good. I’ve had a couple of other big changes - both fantastic and not so great, but yeah.  I have my health (and health insurance!) for now. I have a job, for now. I have a sense of existential dread for the next 12 months, but we’ll see where we end up. Life post JET is going to be way less cushy and I am TERRIFIED. I mean, I have a BA in Eng/Ling and no idea what to do with it…..because I am NOT suited for academia.

TLDR: Love my job. Don’t like the system. What is life? Future scary. 

[crystal-in-nagasaki]

beppu and mt. aso

The weekend before last I went on a trip to Oita and Kumamoto prefectures in eastern Kyushu. Here’s a map for reference:

We first drove about two hours east across Saga and southern Fukuoka and made a stop in Hita, Oita prefecture on our way to Beppu. 

Hita is the hometown of the manga creator Hajime Isayama, who created the famous manga Attack on Titan. At Hita Station, you can find a statue of the character Levi as well as some other Attack on Titan figures. 

Hita station also had this cute sign where you can place yourself as the “I” in HITA. Behind the display it says “’I’ and ‘Love (Ai)’ is the same sound in Japanese. Your love makes HITA be completed.” It was so cute. 

Hita station was a really lovely station with a nice atmosphere. We got ice cream and cold drinks and enjoyed the shade before continuing on. 

Next we stopped by the Oyama Dam, which has a famous statue of Eren, Mikasa, and Armin from Attack on Titan. The statue shows them looking up in horror at the dam, referencing the show in which they stare up at a titan tearing down the walls of their city. It looks incredible and as a fan of the manga, it was really cool to experience the feeling they did looking upon that huge wall. We also went to the top and experienced the other perspective: looking down on the small humans from the towering wall. Some people were above while we were down below and we yelled greetings to each other and lines from the show like “I WILL KILL ALL TITANS!” It was really funny. 

From there we continued our road trip on to Beppu. The scenery of Oita was very lush and filled with mountains, so the drive was really beautiful. 

We arrived at our hotel in the city of Yufuin to the west of Beppu and checked in. The hotel was small and in traditional style, so all seven of us slept in the same room on futon mattresses. Our Japanese friend that came with us said it reminded her of school trips in middle school and high school. It was really fun and felt like a big sleepover. 

After this we grabbed dinner at a small local restaurant called Siesta. I ordered bibimbap, a Korean dish with rice and vegetables. I also ordered kabosu juice with honey. Oita is famous for kabosu, a kind of small lime. It was super refreshing. 

Here’s what a kabosu looks like for reference. 

Fun fact: I googled kabosu to find a picture and learned that the famous shiba inu dog from the doge meme was named Kabosu because of her round face. So kabosu. Much round. 

Anyway, we returned to the hotel and all headed down to the onsen, or hot spring. Beppu and Yufuin are famous hot spring destinations due to their geothermal activity. It was a small spring, but the water was hot and relaxing after a day on the road. The hotel also had free-to-use retro massage chairs, so we enjoyed a nice mechanical massage after our dip in the onsen. 

The next day we ate breakfast on the hotel’s back patio and enjoyed the view of Mt. Yufu. There were many frogs around the hotel and the hot springs, which were super cute. 

Next we loaded into the cars and headed to the Umitamago Aquarium in Beppu. Umitamago means “sea egg,” so they had a big sign out front of a large egg. 

We spent time looking at all the fish and watched dolphin and walrus shows. In between the dolphin shows we played with the dolphins a bit. One of the dolphins used its head to throw a basketball out of its tank and we threw the ball back in for her again. We continued on like this for an entertaining 30 minutes. 

Next we moved on to the Beppu Hells. Like Unzen, Beppu has geothermal pools called Hells which are famous tourist spots. There are seven Hells across Beppu, each with unique traits such as different colors or textures. Unfortunately we stayed at the aquarium a bit too long and were only able to visit two of the Hells before they closed for the day: Umi Jigoku and Chi no Ike Jigoku. 

Umi Jigoku, “Sea Hell,” was a bright blue pool named for its resemblance to the blue sea. 

There was a basket of eggs boiling in the water and you could buy them as a snack. It was super tasty. 

Behind Umi Jigoku was a small Inari Shrine, so we walked up and paid our respects there as well. 

Next, we went to Chi no Ike Jigoku, “Lake of Blood Hell.” This Hell was a red color, resembling a lake of blood. The chemical compounds of ferrous oxide, magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, and silicic acid give it its red color. The mineral-rich water from the pool can be used to make various ointments for treating skin diseases. It can also be used for dyeing cloth. It was definitely kind of spooky-looking, but very cool. 

After this, we went to a Round 1 arcade in Oita City for a night of fun and games. We played rhythm games, UFO catchers, and bowling. It was a ton of fun. The Round 1 was huge and you could look out onto the UFO catcher floor from the second level and watch everyone throw their money away in real time. I stayed away from the UFO catchers this time, remembering the $30 I blew getting my stuffed horse in Sasebo. I decided to stick to rhythm games this time. 

The final day we checked out of the hotel and loaded up the cars. One car split off to go home, and the remaining four of us drove another 2 hours southwest into Kumamoto prefecture to see Mt. Aso. 

On our way we saw very beautiful scenery of the mountains and plains of Kumamoto. We also passed a field of cows and stopped to say hello. Milk and beef is very common in Japan, but I have never seen cows anywhere so I had been wondering where they were keeping them. Kumamoto is also famous for dishes containing horse meat (a little hard to hear, I know), so there were some horses around as well. 

Next we continued on to Mt. Aso. Mt. Aso is the largest active volcano in Japan and one of the largest in the world. It’s peak stands 1592 meters tall and its largest caldera has a circumference of 71 miles. If you play Pokemon, it was the inspiration for Mt. Chimney in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. 

Unfortunately due to recent volcanic activity, we were unable to go up to the crater, and instead enjoyed the view of the volcano from below. There was a wide plain around the peak and we climbed up a small hill to admire the volcano. The wide plains reminded me of Howl’s Moving Castle and there were so beautiful and serene. Since Kumamoto is famous for horses, they had horse riding along the plain as well. 

We got lunch at a small shop near the visitor center. I was blasphemous and ordered a local dish served with Basashi (raw horse sashimi) on the side. I was curious about how it tasted and it was actually pretty good. I’m a horse girl at heart so I will never order it again, but I was curious about the experience and had to try it once. The soup served with the dish had local vegetables including a kind of mustard leaf and it was really tasty. 

After lunch we stopped for Aso Milk soft ice cream and it was some of the tastiest ice cream I’ve ever had. Aso cows make some tasty milk!

From there we decided to head home. It would be a bit far to drive north around the bay back to Nagasaki, so we decided to take the ferry across the bay to the Unzen peninsula to cut our driving down to just 2 hours. 

We drove onto the ferry boat with the other cars. Once we left port we were allowed to leave the cars and hang out in the main cabin or along the railing while we sailed. I’ve never taken a car on a ferry before, so it was a cool experience. 

After leaving the ferry it was only one hour more to return to Omura. This trip was really relaxing and a lot of fun! Summer vacation just started for schools in Omura and school is out for students. I still have to work at the Board of Education office during this next month, but I hope to make many more fun memories this summer before school starts again!

[benjaminsblog]

4.10.19 

I went with Charl for one of our patented ‘wanders’ which ended up taking us three hours, encompassing Oita Funai Park, Otomo ruins, and more than one photo opportunity!

We’d spotted the park on our commutes to/from the stadium, and we headed there first; it used to house a castle built about 500 years ago, but earthquakes and/or fires caused a lot of damage to the buildings within the bright white walls. I think calling it a ‘park’ is a bit of a stretch, but there are lots of pretty things to see - we even ran into a tour guide and translator, who evidently had nothing better to do than walk with us for a while and give us a detailed tour of the place! The castle is long gone but a skeletal structure now stands in its place to show where it once stood, and at night it’s lit up with blue/white lights, making it seem as if the castle’s ghost has come back to haunt the park!

While at the park, someone handed us a leaflet for the Otomo ruins, though I confess what caught our eyes was the mention of dressing up in samurai gear. We continued on the ruins, which are mostly still lying underground; the surrounding area is being painstakingly excavated, which includes what used to be one of the largest gardens in Japan back in the 16th century. A sliver of the garden has already been reconstructed and I’m gutted I won’t be here when the work is completed - I daresay it will look incredible.

There is a small building that houses a few artefacts, interactive moments, and some videos to better inform visitors; much like at our previous stop, I have a feeling the employees there were starved of customers and super-eager to show us everything on offer - we explored every inch of the mercifully-small museum and sat through a couple of videos, notable for the man playing the 16th century warlord and his extraordinary commitment to the role! We did the ‘dress up’ part of the experience last, and though the flyer wasn’t exactly a binding contract, our costumes were not what I was expecting at all! But it was a bit of fun, and the pair of us had a good chuckle about it despite being the least intimidating samurai you are ever likely to see.

Later in the evening I teamed up with the gang and we went for curry - as in, Indian-style curry, not katsu - it was delicious, and Ashraf (who hails from India) gave it his seal of approval. The rest of us all chose chicken masala, rice, and naan, and I’m not sure I’ve ever felt more British! We then went to the nearby fanzone to watch South Africa v Italy - a must-win for both sides, with a quarter final place likely to go the winner whilst simultaneously ending the loser’s hopes. A physical, feisty affair hit its peak when an Italian player lifted a South African off his feet and WWE’d him to the floor, earning himself a red card and effectively ending the match as a contest.

[tripstations]

Let’s visit Machu Picchu located in the mountains of USA, Japan!

Confused? We sure were.

Fresh from his expedition to the mysterious “Space Station” of Yamaguchi Prefecture, our traveling reporter Masanuki Sunakoma learned of another unexplained region in the hinterlands of Japan: The Machu Picchu of USA.

That might seem a little… no, completely wrong at first, but there is a partial explanation for it. USA is a town in Oita Prefecture that is actually pronounced “Oo-sah.” However, thanks to Japan’s laissez-faire attitude towards upper and lower case letters, it looks identical to the abbreviation of the United States of America.

Because of that, USA is fairly well-known around Japan, and it sometimes gets featured as a quirky news item on television programs. However, this is the first time Masanuki had ever heard that USA also contains Machu Picchu, the mysterious “city in the sky” built by the Incans 600 years ago.

So he hopped a train to USA to investigate.

When he arrived at USA Station, Masanuki found many subtle nods to the States. The signboard had a picture of Usa Jingu Shrine, but with a layout strikingly similar to the Stars and Stripes.

The station itself retained a rural Japanese style and had the name “USA” written in kanji characters, but still had a peculiar red, white, and blue color scheme.

It was all very nice, but there were mysteries afoot and Masanuki had to investigate them. He had heard dark rumors swirling about dark places, that USA’s Machu Picchu could be seen by journeying along Highway 387.

He drove along the brightly lit highway of mystery for about 30 minutes, when a sign appeared!

▼ Sign: “Machu Picchu of USA Lookout Spot”

Pulling over, Masanuki headed towards the lookout spot and found an enigmatic staircase to nowhere.

Having come too far to turn back, he ascended the staircase. These would be the final steps of his long journey.

At the top was a sign entitled “Machu Picchu Appears!?” It explained that the landscape, when seen from this location, looks just like the Machu Picchu in Peru.

Masunki looked up and instantly mumbled to himself, “Oh yeah, it does kinda look like it.” The cone-shaped mountain, which the sign had told him was Akibasama, stood over some terraced rice paddies and a farm house, giving a striking resemblance to the Incan ruins.

That being said, the low-lying farm didn’t really capture the same impressiveness of the real Machu Picchu’s mountaintop construction.

Masanuki would be lying if he said his hopes weren’t jacked up pretty high from all the traveling and buildup to this moment, but it was still a majestic mountain view in its own right.

He looked around at the other mountains and took a deep breath of the fresh air. Yes, this wasn’t the Machu Picchu, but it was the Machu Picchu of USA, Japan, and that’s not bad either.

All in all he felt better having come to this place. It was a refreshingly beautiful piece of nature and the slight resemblance to Machu Picchu was a nice touch.

It’s a pretty quick and easy trip too, so if you happen to be in the area, be sure to check out the Machu Picchu of USA in Oita Prefecture if for no other reason than the reactions when you tell people where you went.

Location Information Machu Picchu of USA / 宇佐のマチュピチュ Oita-ken, Usa-shi, Innai-cho, Nishishiiya 大分県宇佐市院内町西椎屋 Website

Photos: ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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