I have had chicken liver sashimi before (thoroughly bathed in salts), but I was a little surprised to walk into a bar (not even a restaurant) in Kagoshima, and chicken sashimi on the menu. Shoko told me that it’s a Kagoshima specialty, made from the black skinned chicken that is native to the area. I had to give it a go. The meat had a fantastic texture. It was firm, not chewy, but had a bite to it. Light and crisp in flavor, but there was a sauce on it, so that was the most prominent flavor. It was delicious.

May 7th, 2010 by John (Cho-Tabetai)
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Today is my last day in Kagoshima, and I finally got a chance to eat the famed kuro buta (black pork). It is native to this area, and is in everything. By looking at the meat you can’t tell the difference between regular pork, or at least I can not, but they have a black skin. We had shabu shabu with the pork. Shoko said that was the best way to get the flavor. They also brought us many dishes with the kuro buta in it. The fish you see is kibinago, native to the small island shoko is from.

April 25th, 2010 by John (Cho-Tabetai)
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Here are some shots from the restaurant that Kill Bill was shot. I should have grabbed some interior shots, but did not think of it till later. The main shot below is ebi shumai with fried noodles wrapped around it. My favorite was the toro yakitori, which was to die for.

April 22nd, 2010 by John (Cho-Tabetai)
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On a whim my friend Hilo and I walked into a little family run restaurant on his street, because they were having a 5 dollar special. The interior was very traditional, all tatami and chabudai. They served us a many course meal that was simply out of control delicious.

April 21st, 2010 by John (Cho-Tabetai)
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I got this bowl of ramen in Aoyama last night. It was the most amazing presentation. It was my first time to see nori written on like this. The cha-shu was spectacular too!

April 20th, 2010 by John (Cho-Tabetai)
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