2023年01月30日
A Sunday in Kochi
Back in December, a few friends and I took a trip down to visit Kochi! Since it was right before Christmastime, we wanted to check out the Kochi Sunday market to make sure we were loaded up on souvenirs for those of us who were going home soon to visit family. The Sunday market was awesome, full of vendors selling produce, candy, art, food....even tacos! How often do are you able to get your hands on those in Japan?? I ended up buying some konpeitou and sugar candy to take home, along with some veggies to take back to Niihama. Some of my friends stopped by to get some knives, which were super cool. After checking out the Sunday market, we wandered around the nearby outdoor mall area, stopping by whatever shops people wanted to dip into.
Once we had our fill, we drove ourselves over to spend some time at the beach. We drank in the seaside views, rifled through the rocky sand for treasure, and a few brave souls played in the waves, tempting the water to chase after them. Even though it looked fun, I was not about to walk around with sand in my shoes for the rest of the day. We climbed up to a little lookout point and took out fortunes at the shrine up there- I got good luck!
We made our way back to downtown Kochi and into Hirome market to grab some dinner. It was there that I met the love of my life, the one I'll spend forever chasing after, the one who got away: katsuo no tataki, or seared tuna. I was not prepared for this to be such a defining culinary moment, but the flavor of this dish is insane. The process is pretty simple-thick slabs of tuna are put on skewers and placed over flaming straw- but sometimes, simple is all you need. It's then paired with a couple different dipping sauces- both of which were amazing. The worst part of the experience was realizing that I'll have to drive 2-3 hours if I ever want to have it again...
Once we'd had our fill on food, ice cream, and coffee, we made our way to Kochi Castle to experience the night illuminations there. This year, the illumination was flower themed, and one of the activities you could participate in was a virtual stamp rally of sorts- using your phone, you scanned qr codes and tried to find and collect all eight flowers. Once scanned, a picture and short description of the flower would pop up as it added itself to your index. We also went inside the castle itself, and I will say, of all the Japanese castles that I've been to so far, I enjoyed the experience of being at the top the least. The railing at the top just felt a little too precarious for me! Also, the stair were comically steep- I had to be so careful going down, basically sliding down them one by one.
After collecting all eight flowers, you scan in at an area that puts together a little projection just for you, congratulating you on all your hard work! We then stopped to watch the lightshow on the castle itself, which was really cool. It was then time to start the drive back to Niihama, leaving behind a successful Sunday in Kochi.
Once we had our fill, we drove ourselves over to spend some time at the beach. We drank in the seaside views, rifled through the rocky sand for treasure, and a few brave souls played in the waves, tempting the water to chase after them. Even though it looked fun, I was not about to walk around with sand in my shoes for the rest of the day. We climbed up to a little lookout point and took out fortunes at the shrine up there- I got good luck!
We made our way back to downtown Kochi and into Hirome market to grab some dinner. It was there that I met the love of my life, the one I'll spend forever chasing after, the one who got away: katsuo no tataki, or seared tuna. I was not prepared for this to be such a defining culinary moment, but the flavor of this dish is insane. The process is pretty simple-thick slabs of tuna are put on skewers and placed over flaming straw- but sometimes, simple is all you need. It's then paired with a couple different dipping sauces- both of which were amazing. The worst part of the experience was realizing that I'll have to drive 2-3 hours if I ever want to have it again...
Once we'd had our fill on food, ice cream, and coffee, we made our way to Kochi Castle to experience the night illuminations there. This year, the illumination was flower themed, and one of the activities you could participate in was a virtual stamp rally of sorts- using your phone, you scanned qr codes and tried to find and collect all eight flowers. Once scanned, a picture and short description of the flower would pop up as it added itself to your index. We also went inside the castle itself, and I will say, of all the Japanese castles that I've been to so far, I enjoyed the experience of being at the top the least. The railing at the top just felt a little too precarious for me! Also, the stair were comically steep- I had to be so careful going down, basically sliding down them one by one.
After collecting all eight flowers, you scan in at an area that puts together a little projection just for you, congratulating you on all your hard work! We then stopped to watch the lightshow on the castle itself, which was really cool. It was then time to start the drive back to Niihama, leaving behind a successful Sunday in Kochi.
2023年01月30日
2nd hand stores
I love to go to 2nd hand stores like Hardoff and 2nd street. It is really fun for me to browse and look for unique items. I often get collectable cards for my brother or household items from there. My favorite thing that I've gotten from there is my computer case, its huge. I like it because I use it everyday.
2023年01月30日
six months
I'm coming up on six months in the Philippines. It has been an amazing experience living here, experiencing my wife's culture, and getting to know her family. I am glad I came!
