36) Sashimi: another
compulsory item. After a big night
eating peculiar but tasty fried food (okonomiyake), I
thought we were heading out for dessert.
But no; uncooked chicken and octopus came first. The top picture shows raw chicken liver with
raw chicken hearts on either side. That
was not too bad, actually. (The
remaining photos show some of us giving it our best shot.) The octopus was unbelievably appalling. Thank whoever there are no photos. I feel sick even now just thinking about
it. Bleurgh (See #46 for the horror revealed.)
37) On my second-to-last
Saturday in
38) In the area were lots of little Jizo, Boddhisattva, whatever they're called: little statues of
dudes where people have left money and flowers.
These two were obviously tributes to some sort of spiritual messy
eater. The way I splattered ourselves
when I ate soba, we should've left a donation.
39) I spotted this sign
at Tsumago.
There was no need to ask a local to translate the Japanese. It obviously meant: watch out or Mimi
(indigenous Australian dreamtime spirits) will steal away with your horned
daughters.
40) Kim took a shine to the
giant straw horse in Tsumago. It creeped me out,
to be honest. Thanks, Susan Cooper, for
introducing me to the Mari Llwyd, the Welsh skeleton
horse of famine, in her classic novel Silver
on the Tree. Brr.
(more)