Quoth the Raven.
Temperature = 34
Food eaten - Lawson port cutlet sando <3 all hail thee. Yakiniku - Saga Beef! the one and only!
Life here is gradually returning to a sense of normalcy. My work begins this coming week, make or break time! Generally, my bike rides to language classes included a stretch through the fields. I have grown accustomed to seeing the local heron taking off or turtles chilling on the cool water pipes.
My hometown is small and once upon a time, I was only 5 minutes from fields leading towards the local nature reserve. Sadly years later that was no longer the case as my town grew bigger. But Saga City has a small sense of nostalgia for me. I often hung out admiring the stars in those fields as we had little light pollution. I have yet to walk down that path in Saga in the dark, but my hunch is the stars would be very prominent.
I am noticing more wildlife past the horrors on 8 legs or more…. I am looking in your direction Mukade Chan. I have finally had an 8 legged horror drop onto my head, while I was in a fragile mood. It was going to happen eventually. But it did not make the muffled scream any less controlled. My letterbox has become a place of fear. There is currently quite a beast hanging from it.
Going back to 6 legs a slightly more acceptable amount… my bike ride to the convenience store was rudely interrupted when I glanced down. Crawling at speed towards my hand was none other than a Green Asian Mantis. Now; with 10 years of Pet Retail behind me and the fact I used to sell these ladies in the UK. This encounter was a rare one that did not result in a freak-out. It does happen… occasionally.
On the cuter side! Tanuki! I have seen the tail end of two now while being here. I am still hoping I will see a Saga Hare! They are very much spherical, after all … round is a shape! Forever my excuse for not shifting the weight I promised last year!
Ravens and Crows. The title wasn’t just clickbait, I just made you wait! These flappy guys have been causing general mischief and I love it. Every morning one of these guys sits on the telephone pole… waiting …just waiting for the moment to shout “Oi wake up your waifus trash”
I joke and put the pitchforks down.
These guys are very vocal. Alongside the chorus of cicadas, I hope I am painting a soundscape for you.
To end my blog tonight, I am sharing my first experience of the famous Saga Beef. A happy coincidence. We just so needed a place to grab food and by accident and most places not being open… we found heaven. Yakiniku Eito! I think most people have heard of either Japanese Wagyu or Kobe Beef, the big names in Japan. But did you know? Saga also has its own Saga Beef! Now it’s been said … I like steak… I miss you Flat Iron!
This is an experience I am excited to do again! They were very accommodating and we had the whole place to ourselves. I am an avid cook so being allowed to cook my own food was a treat. Some Yakiniku places will do that for you. But never fear! If you do go and they let you loose on the stove, grab your trusty block of Saga fat, and grease up the iron! trust the process. One positive is … steak can be eaten rare so you won’t poison yourself!
You can order sides and even desserts. Yakiniku can run a little pricey and yes I saw pricey options. But between three and with 2 rounds of Saga Beef, a side each, and a drink our meal was just over 6000 yen the equivalent of £30. Tell me you can feed three people a decent meal in the UK for that price… you can’t. I would spend that alone at times on my many food outings.
Stay tuned and don’t let Mukade Chan in!
