Nihon Ikimashio! Part 4

(cont’d from earlier post)

Getting up from bed early isn’t exactly my forte but I did it anyway as I had a train to catch. The last time I put up at Midori’s, she surprised me with homemade breakfast. Needless to say, it was delicious! But more than that, it was the gesture which I really appreciated. Back home here, it’s always a mad rush in the morning. Breakfast is bread with jam/butter, grab and go. Imagine how deep an impression a full set of homemade breakfast created. This morning was no different. Midori whipped up a scrumptious meal in no time! Yippe!

It was a 3 and a half hour train journey for me. I was heading to the prefecture that I resided in 3 years ago, Fukui (福井). But I wasn’t headed back to my hometown yet. I was meeting a friend, Satoko, in Tsuruga (敦賀) and we stopped by by Keihi Jingu (気比神宮) and admired its magnificent torii.

We were actually driving to Obama. Yes, you heard it right. Obama (小浜) is a city in Fukui prefecture. Obama city is not very much different from other cities in rural Japan but I had a few laughs seeing the creativity of the locals. I saw chopsticks, biscuits, banners, key rings stamped with President Obama’s face. They have a hamburger name after him too!

Dinner that night wasn’t in any fancy restaurant but I had so much fun with Satoko and Mon-chan! We made our very own yakisoba with Satoko’s hotplate. And when that wasn’t enough to fill our hungry stomachs (we are talking about 3 growing and energetic young people ;p), we had gyozas too! Of course, that was all washed down with Kirin (I love Kirin! We should have more of it in Singapore!). With our betsu baras (separate stomachs), Satoko and I ventured out in the dark after dinner to the nearby combini, MiniStop. Even the drizzle could not come between us and our Halo Halo (ハロハロ) dessert!

The next morning, we treated ourselves to the sights at Sotomo (蘇洞門), located at the tip of the Uchitomi Peninsula. With its many strange-shaped rocks and caves created by the wind and the rough Sea of Japan, I imagine this is must be one of the must-see sights for my high school Geography teacher.

It was a fun-filled 1 and a half day in Obama. But I was in greater anticipation because that afternoon, I would be returning to the place I once called home…

Have a great weekend everyone, and we'll continue from here next week!

[click on images to enlarge]

[images: dessert - MiniStop, Sotomo - Wikimedia, all others from Cookie Cutter]