I visited とも家 on May 31, 2024. I gave it a 3.5 on Tabelog.

I visited お食事処おさない on May 31, 2024. I gave it a 3.3 on Tabelog.

I visited Ajiの極 on May 31, 2024. I gave it a 3.2 on Tabelog.

I visited 広東料理　東田 on May 31, 2024. I gave it a 3.4 on Tabelog.

I've perhaps had too many idle hours this month riding trains by myself this month, as it's led to silly micro-projects like this: carefully weeding out everything from my iPhone's Home Screen but the most essential apps, each expressed as a monospace link with a name that evokes the styling of my web site's navigation.

Kudos to the Dumbify app for facilitating it and to dumbph.com for the inspiration.

I visited 秋田地魚・大かまど飯 いさばや。 on May 29, 2024. I gave it a 3.5 on Tabelog.

[Update: if you're reading this, then you're listening to an updated version of this episode with a more aggressive denoise filter, to try to combat the karaoke jingles playing incessantly in the background 🎤.]

Welcome to the rhetorical Bemusement Park that is the Breaking Change podcast! This episode was recorded in Japan, the recording of which was an ordeal that you will hear all about if you choose to press play and listen to this version of the podcast.

I have failed you all, however, because I had to duck out of my "recording" "booth" ahead of schedule and I didn't get to any items from the mailbag. That means now's your chance to skip the line ahead of all those other mailbaggers by rapid-firing off an e-mail to podcast@searls.co for inclusion in a theoretical, unannounced, unsure-if-it'll-even-happen version 13.

Heard people liked URLs so I hallucinated some for you:

Show me them show notes…

Well, technically, just editing one. (It was actually recorded in a karaoke joint.)

I visited ル グルトン on May 28, 2024. I gave it a 3.5 on Tabelog.

I first visited this yoshoku-style steakhouse in December 2019, then again with Aaron in February 2020.

Four years later, I made a three-hour round trip out of my way to find that the master had handed the business down to his son, and (thankfully) that he was every bit as talented at preparing matsusaka-gyu as his father.

Anyway, here's what 300 grams and ¥15,000 of Japanese sirloin (ロース) steak looks like:

Same as ever. Best steak I've ever had. And compared to Orlando's prices, an absolute steal at $95.

If you like your steak prepared in an American style (that is to say, thick cut, cooked for you, and eaten with a fork and a knife), then this might be the very best way to experience what many consider to be the highest-quality beef in Japan. Super glad I made the trip to come back!

I visited 魚処やつはし on May 27, 2024. I gave it a 3.8 on Tabelog.

I visited 居酒屋 ちょん兵衛 on May 27, 2024. I gave it a 3.3 on Tabelog.

I visited いきいき亭 近江町店 on May 27, 2024. I gave it a 3.7 on Tabelog.

I first visited Kanazawa's incredible fish market last year, including this silly video about my hunt for a fresh fish bowl (kaisen-don):

Well I came back today with the intention of getting there early enough to visit the shop I'd originally intended to go to. Last year it was sold out by the time I got there (noon?) and when I told the chef the story this morning he congratulated me on coming back for a "revenge dish".

So here it is, a crab rice bowl (kani-don):

Would recommend! 🦀

I walked in to give them a piece of my mind, but the elevator button didn't do anything no matter how many times I pressed it.

I visited 寿司居酒屋 や台ずし 松阪駅前町 on May 25, 2024. I gave it a 3.2 on Tabelog.