Venturing Into the Ginza

Last night we decided to venture out to the "Arcade" for a bite to eat and a little adventure. Any internet search engine will tell you that Sasebo is particularly famous for this one mile long outdoor mall, replete with stores, restaurants, and interesting stimuli for all the senses.

We called a cab, and 850 yen later, we were dropped off near the Jusco (AEON) department store, or "depa-to" which is pretty centrally located on The Arcade. We were equipped with a map provided by the base, marked with eateries of all kinds. We decided to head left first. No sooner had we made the 90 degree turn, than we saw a skinny man on the older side of middle-aged, wearing some very high-waisted flare-leg pants, doing a pretty solid boogaloo/locking type of dance. He was wearing earbuds which made it especially entertaining, since we could not hear the music which had him so in the zone. It took us about 10 steps for him to be in our rearview, and for Aria's focus to be shifted to a fluffy orange tabby cat which scampered past us. She wanted to pet the kitty, but we told her it might be unwise.

It was at this point that we, on a lark, decided to change directions and head toward a restaurant called "Gyuemon," which was acclaimed as a family restaurant. It was past the Jusco, across from the Mister Donut. So that's where we went. Except it wasn't there. So we wandered into a back alley nearby and found three restaurants. One sign was in kanji only... so we chose to assume it was not the right place. The second had an English translation so we knew it wasn't what we were looking for. The third, however, had a kanji character with the word "mon" written beneath it. And pictures of steak near the doorway (very delicious looking steak, I might add). Knowing the word for steak is "gyu-niku" I thought this had to be the right place. But the exterior ambiance and price points on the menu we couldn't read, made us believe we would be better served finding a different place to eat with a toddler. It was at this point we realized being able to read signs and menus was something we should not have taken for granted in the states, because it's really hard to eat when you have no idea where you're going or what you're ordering.

Next, we examined the map for an udon place. Back to the left we went, and sure enough not more than 10 feet from where the taxi first dropped us off, we found this tiny hole in the wall with the word "udon" over the doorway. We entered and were helped by a very nice old lady. Hubby was excited by the food, and found it to be delicious. Aria decided having a "no"-laden meltdown instead of eating was the best course of action. I simply enjoyed my food, which I found to be "average" and tried to make a quick exit uttering several "gomennasai's" for my daughter's outbursts as we left. The price was very reasonable, and the experience very uniquely "rural Japan." Certainly worth it.

The only issue was that we have all grown accustomed to Western portions of food, of which there are few in Japan. So we left the reasonably priced, satisfyingly tasty udon shop... still hungry. Just like my daughter's favorite caterpillar. So we decided to make dessert our next priority, and headed over to Mister Donut.

Oh... my... gosh. This place specializes in (among other things) creme or custard filled, chocolate dipped kruellers. We got a strawberry custard, a chocolate creme, and a strawberry creme donut. All of which we ate ravenously, with looks of ecstacy on our faces. Few things can compare to the taste of deep fried dough that is lighter than air, filled (just right, not over or under filled) with fluffy creme and dipped in thick decadence thereafter. Lucky for everyone everywhere, Mister Donut is a chain. So if you are ever in Japan make sure you visit one and partake of the deliciousness.

After our dessert we chose to wander The Arcade a while longer, strolling further down to the right to see what we could see. Sure enough, perhaps 50 feet from the Mister Donut, was a big, brightly lit, crayola red and yellow sign for... Gyuemon.

-_- .... At least we know where it is, now.