Sachi's mom had a day off today, so she said she wanted to take a little drive. We drove to Awaji Island to visit her In-Laws and give them a New Year's gift. Narrow roads, quiet houses, and tiny shops were all sandwiched between boundless ocean and massive mountains.
We stopped at a rest stop and took a ride on a ferris wheel. I couldn't help thinking of San Francisco as I watched the birds swirl around above us and the bridge below us. Sachi's mom was too scared to go, so she waited on the ground.
After the relaxing ride, we drove to meet Sachi's Mom's In-Laws. They lived in a tiny house with a big garden. Grandpa was out tending to the garden and Grandma was inside. She was shorter than Sachi. When she saw me, she mistook me for Sachi's brother and commented on how tall I had gotten. Sachi told me that Grandpa was still mad at the Americans cause they dropped a bomb near where he lived.
Sorry.
A quick visit and we went to see the Sister-In-Law. She owns a small sushi bar that stays open until 2 or 3 in the morning. They were just opening as we arrived.
There was a tank, and inside these guys were crawling around.
This is an Abalone. In Japanese that's "awabi."
Pretty gross, but pretty awesome. She said that they were delicious. I was thinking that it must be a pain to prepare.
We were invited inside and the chef prepared us sushi. The store we went to is usually expensive, because they live so close to the ocean, and can get the freshest fish.
What all my Japanese friends in America said is true. The taste is immeasurably different. The tuna was sweet and melted in your mouth. You could taste the sea. The stuff they sell at American supermarkets is trash.
Sachi also told me that they manufacture imitation "ikura." Those are the red fish eggs eaten on sushi for cheap restaurants like Sushi-Ro or Kappa Zushi, where one can get a plate of sushi for just a dollar.
You just can't beat the real deal.
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