I guess you have actually done 42 reviews, right?
8 Likes
194 200 (community total) + 25 (my reviews) = 194 225
11 Likes
194 225 (community total) + 79 (my reviews) = 194 304 
12 Likes
194 304 (community total) + 16 + 174 (my reviews from yesterday and today) = 194 494
11 Likes
194 494 (community total) + 18 (my reviews) = 194 512
12 Likes
We made it to Yamaguchi!
Yamaguchi Prefecture
Fugu 河豚
Yes, we finally got to fugu. I’m sure the majority of you have heard of this fish. If you eat even a tiny amount of the wrong part of it (liver, ovaries, etc.), your muscles all stop working and you die within minutes because you can’t breathe. You will also be fully conscious for the entirety of this experience! Ahem… the good news is that Japanese chefs must undergo at least three years of training before serving it and fatalities are unbelievably rare. It is a very aromatic fish when served as sashimi, and can also be served as nabemono (in a hot earthenware pot, with soup and vegetables).
Dassai 獺祭
Dassai is Yamaguchi’s famous sake. According to their web site, they all work as a team to get the perfect rice taste. In order to lock the natural moisture into the middle of the rice, they very carefully polish it for 60 to 80 hours. If it is done too quickly, the rice will crack and lose its taste. Put into context, when I make my dinner, I polish my rice for about 2 or 3 minutes…
Sea Urchin ウニ
You’ve probably realised by now that Yamaguchi is particularly famous for its seafood. Now… What I usually do in these articles is explain the taste of each food, but honestly, sea urchin is such a unique taste that I don’t think I can even begin to describe it. I just googled “What does sea urchin taste like?” and the result I got was an “umami-salty sweetness”. That’s fine, but it doesn’t do justice to the strength of the taste. If you haven’t eaten this before, start by having a tiny amount (half the size of a pea) on some sushi or some meat. The taste is so strong that it blows your head off. When I tried it, I couldn’t get the taste out of my mouth for hours. I have no idea how some people eat great big blobs of it on sushi, etc. Anyway, it’s very much an acquired taste, but maybe some of you will like it, so give it a go and let me know what you think.
18 Likes
OK, it’s time to get away from Honshu and jump on the train to Kyushu. Our next stop is Fukuoka, and our ticket costs 6,610 yen; so our next target is 200,780. Let’s go!
14 Likes
194 512 (community total) + 36 (my reviews) = 194 548
10 Likes
194 548 (community total) + 30 (my reviews) = 194 578
11 Likes
194 578 (community total) + 61 (my reviews) = 194 639
11 Likes
194 639 (community total) + 10 (my reviews) = 194 649
10 Likes
194649 (community total) + 12 (my reviews) = 194661
12 Likes
194 661 (community total) + 10 (昨日) + 4 (今日) = 194 675
11 Likes
194 675 (community total) + 11 (my reviews) = 194 686
10 Likes
ah, good catch. I did only do 12, just didn’t copy the right community value from Mannelito the day before! The total is still accurate though.
6 Likes
194 686 (community total) + 137 (my reviews) = 194 823
10 Likes
194 823 (community total) + 4 (my reviews) = 194 827
10 Likes
194 827 (community total) + 54 (my reviews) = 194 881
11 Likes
194 881 (community total) + 39 (my reviews) = 194 920
11 Likes
194 920 (community total) + 41 (my reviews) = 194 961
10 Likes