Too cool

Last Sunday O and I went with some friends to an AWESOME Japanese restaurant called Kurochaya. You have to check out the website to get the full magnitude of the awesomeness, we went at night, so I couldn't get any really good pictures. It was mega-expensive, but so worth it. I'd have paid just for the experience! If you have a group of 10 or more, they'll send a shuttle bus to pick you up, we had a group of 17 so we got the bus. It's only about 20 min from the base though, and super easy to get to.

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Our shuttle

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Kurochaya is a very traditional Japanese restaurant, so you take your shoes off at the front door and wear slippers to your tatami room, where you leave the slippers in the hall and enter in just your socks. There are seperate slippers for the bathroom, again, you leave your slippers in the hall and change into the bathroom slippers.

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1st course, from L to R: an unidentified glob of something (most likely tofu) in some kind of sweet jelly, topped with a cashew - another unidentified glob of white stuff, possibly potatoe - pickled kale - super yummy ume wine (plum) - in the bamboo dish: salt-grilled fish, ginko nuts, you eat that little crab whole, legs, pinchers and all (yes, I ate him, he had kind of a sweet taste)

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Next, grilled trout, from the river behind the restaurant

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Miso soup

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Pickled things, the pink and orange ones were some kind of flower blossoms

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Namafu dengaku (raw, wheat gluten sticks, yum).

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Tempura: batter fried potatoe patties, okra and sweet potatoe

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Cold udon

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An eggy, custardy thing, it might be called 'chawan mushi' but don't quote me. Not much flavor.

Main course: chicken, peppers, daikon (radish). Otis had beef with a side of sashimi (which he promptly put on the grill)
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Each person had their own little grill. The waitress came around and lit the little candle inside, then brought out your meat serving.
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We had a great time, it really was an awesome experience. We're making plans to go again to take some other friends that missed this trip. We've heard it's breathtaking when it snows, hopefully we'll get some snow soon and we can check it out!

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