44 834 (community total) + 11 (my reviews) = 44 845
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44 845 + 17 = 44 862
Not much today strangely.
12 Likes
44862 (community total) + 27 (my reviews) = 44889
12 Likes
WE’RE IN MITO!!!
Welcome to Ibaraki Prefecture, everyone. I’m sure you’ll love it here. Now, I had a difficult time deciding on only three things to write about, but I came up with them in the end. Here we go…
Ibaraki Prefecture
Mito Natto 水戸納豆
Those of you who have been to Japan have probably tried natto before, and it’s true that most Westerners absolutely hate it on their first try, but it’s surprisingly easy to get used to. It is a kind of fermented soy bean served with soy sauce, mustard and often chopped onions. It is very sticky and is often eaten at breakfast with rice. Those of you who have eaten it before will have probably eaten it out of a polystyrene tub, but a characteristic of Mito’s natto is that it comes in a straw nest called a waratsuto.
Hoshi Imo 干し芋
Available in winter, these dried sweet potatoes are a wonderful snack. Sweet potatoes are harvested, peeled and cut, then steamed and finally dried. The whole process takes weeks but they come out sticky, chewy and sweet. They are usually just eaten as they are, but it’s also a nice idea to pop them under the grill to bring out a little crispiness too! Shameless plug: one of the teachers in my school lives on a hoshi imo farm and ships to anywhere in Japan, so pop me a message if you want to order some at the end of the year. They’re usually available from mid- to late-December.
Anko Nabe アンコウ鍋
Anko is a monkfish and it is famous in Ibaraki cooked in a Japanese-style hot pot (nabe). The fish is cut up and put in a soup with vegetables of your choice. An interesting fact about this fish is that every part of its body, excluding the skeleton, can be eaten. Nabe parties are also very popular, whereby friends sit around a table and cut meat, fish and vegetables, throwing them into the boiling pot in the middle of the table as and when they choose.
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It’s 3,170 yen to get to Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, so our next goal is 47,930. Let’s go!
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44889 (community total) + 127 (my reviews) = 45016
I love natto! The first time I had it I was like “This isn’t that bad, what was everyone talking about?” And now I have it at least once a week. Even tried making it myself, which turned out ok-ish 
19 Likes
45016 (community total) + 20 (my reviews) = 45036
14 Likes
45036 (community total)+47 (my reviews)= 45083
13 Likes
45083 (community total) + 54 (my reviews, 3 days) = 45137
13 Likes
45137 (community total) + 36 (my reviews) = 45173
15 Likes
45173 (community total) + 30 (my reviews) = 45203
14 Likes
45203 (community total) + 23 (my reviews) = 45226
13 Likes
45226 (community total) + 31 (my reviews) = 45257
14 Likes
45257 (community total) + 26 (my reviews) = 45283
15 Likes
45283 (Community total) + 85 (my reviews) = 45368
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We have a natto statue in Mito. It has an unfortunate nickname with the locals.
21 Likes
45 368 (community total) + 29 (my reviews) = 45 397
13 Likes
45 397 (community total) + 101 (my reviews, last two days) = 45 498
14 Likes
45 498 (community total) + 75 (my reviews) = 45 573
14 Likes
45 573(community total) + 25 (my reviews) = 45 598
having one of those “I can’t remember anything” crisis of confidence days
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