Japan Adventure

This photo does not do justice to the beauty of the different colors and patterns of these woven bamboo & washi paper lacquered items. This is mostly what is sold in this shop, and mostly the reason I wanted to come back to Tsuwano.


Yikes! A BIG tour bus makes a sharp turn around this corner building - but drivers here are all professionals, so no problem. Most tourists come here by bus.


In the lobby of our hotel. Don't these 2 look alike? We couldn't check in until 4 PM, so we're tired and chilled & ready to rest!


Sign at the front desk - this is the only dinner option at our hotel - nabe (NAH beh), which is "hot pot stew" that looks & sounds perfect & it's only about $12 (the yen is very strong right now).


Close view of all the goodies in this stew that we will cook at our table: pork, chicken, leeks (large green onions), potatoes, cabbage, mushrooms, greens & more fresh stuff I can't remember. It's advertised as containing "local mountain vegetables" - yum! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, but you can read & see more about Japanese nabe RIGHT HERE! and you'll even find a recipe . . . (interested Steph?)

Needless to say, it was delicious & way too big for the two of us to eat! (although the men eating near us EACH ate a whole pot!) After it's cooked (very fast because the burner is high) you serve yourself out of the pot into a bowl & turn down the heat. Then when all the "big stuff" is eaten, you add your bowl of rice and an egg into the pot. Viola! soup! But we were too full, so we dropped in our eggs & fished them out to eat before all the veggies were finished & I ate my rice separately. Japanese eggs are too good to waste! I sure hated to leave that yummy soup though . . .