OUR BIGGEST RACE YET! A Gourmet Race Around Japan

Yash · March 7, 2023, 2:38pm

252 577 (community total) + 109 = 252686

674 reviews to go

TolgaB · March 7, 2023, 4:27pm

252 686 (community total) + 22 + 22 + 12 (my reviews) = 252 742

Daru · March 7, 2023, 6:42pm

It sure smells like a new badge is cooking here.

Just another 618 more reviews to go!!

atsui · March 7, 2023, 6:44pm

Review counts from February 10 to today,
41 + 36 + 36 + 16 + 0 + 36 + 8 + 22 + 27 + 0+ 21 + 5 + 32 + 14 + 5 + 0 + 5 + 0 + 10 + 31 + 24 + 16 + 34 + 0+ 3 + 1 + 0 + 1 + 24 = 448

252 742 + 448 = 253 190

Also, the badge is looking pretty nice!

Mannelito · March 7, 2023, 8:32pm

253 190 + 40 = 253 230

bunnypro · March 7, 2023, 8:33pm

253 230 + 142 = 253 372

Mannelito · March 7, 2023, 8:34pm

Whoooo we made it !!!

Dango_o_hanashimasu · March 7, 2023, 8:36pm

Let’s gooooo

is0ph · March 7, 2023, 8:47pm

皆んなさん、お疲れ様でした！

Neon_Kitsune · March 7, 2023, 9:33pm

Yahoo!!!

mrnoone · March 7, 2023, 9:40pm

Congrats everybody!

kush · March 8, 2023, 12:27am

Great job doing all of those reviews everyone!

matt_in_mito · March 8, 2023, 12:37am

Well done, everyone. We finally made it to Okinawa!

Okinawa Prefecture

Goya ゴーヤ

This Japanese vegetable, famous in Okinawa, is very bitter. It is very versatile and can be used in a number of dishes including omelettes and salads, as well as being a delicious tempura, but it possibly serves best as an accompaniment to alcoholic drinks, with a little seasoning, for example, sesame seeds.

Zenzai ぜんざい

This basic dish is a sweet dessert, made by boiling sweet red bean paste with sugar and salt, and adding chewy mochi. It is generally topped with shaved ice, meaning it can be eaten, even if you’re not particularly hungry, to relieve yourself from the intense heat of Okinawa.

Tacos タコス

And so, for our very last food in the race, I give you… tacos. I’m sure I don’t have to explain what a taco is, but Okinawa tacos are different from Western ones in that the tortilla is deep-fried and a lot of time is taken to get the balance between the fried and crispy texture. Furthermore, traditionally, Okinawan tacos have octopus in, but many options are, of course, available.

SteveDoesJapanese · March 8, 2023, 12:38am

Wait! I still have 67 reviews to add… oh well =(

matt_in_mito · March 8, 2023, 12:41am

Right. That’s it. We’re done. Thank you so much to everyone for participating, but much more for persevering. I thought the race would take about 6 months, and it ended up taking almost a year. I was beginning to think that some people might get bored and give up, but you didn’t! You kept going and I’m very grateful for that.
While I was writing the articles, I realised just how little I actually knew about Japanese food, and I’m totally inspired to try local delicacies all over the country.
Nice work, everyone!

SteveDoesJapanese · March 8, 2023, 12:43am

Thanks, Matt! What a fantastic race! I’ve certainly learned a lot about the regional cuisines thanks to your write up.

I guess my only question is: When are you starting the next race?!

SteveB · March 8, 2023, 12:49am

That was the longest race ever, worth it though for all the amazing food!
Thanks Matt for putting in the time and effort into your write ups for each area, I certainly learnt a lot and I cant wait to get back and try some of them