Ever go to a place and think, "I should tell other people about this place?" or, "I should save this location so I can find it later." Well, I do. So I started logging the spots I visit. Below you'll find a global map of the pins I've dropped so far, as well as a feed of all my latest spots.
(Hint: because the global map contains a lot of closely-clustered pins, you may need to zoom in significantly to select individual spots. Try going full screen!)
Overall, I'm not sure that Naha is my cup of tea, but if you're going to visit Okinawa, Hotel Collective is a pretty phenomenal hotel compared to the surrounding options.
We had a brief stop in Kagoshima, so we took full advantage to get ourselves some Kurobuta (黒豚) pork. The pork is like "black angus" in that despite having "black" in the name, it is still the just-barely-cooked-enough-to-be-safe pink color we know and love.
The shioyaki is great, with lots of variety. I had the isaki, which was my first time trying it. Vegetable dishes were solid too.
Here is my Tabelog check-in
This place had a ludicrous happy hour deal, essentially boiling down to $2 whisky highballs and lemon sours, sub-$2 for five grilled homemade gyoza, and just a wee bit over $2 for a draft beer.
Naturally they were as good as any gyoza I've had in my life.
Here is my Tabelog check-in
I've done a lot of castles in Japan, but after the 2016 earthquake, I really had no idea what to expect from Kumamoto-jo. The degree to which the restoration project has seemingly made the castle more accessible to the general public is really impressive.
You can tell something is up when you walk the massive sky bridge from the castle town to the structure itself. When you enter the castle, the amount of modern infrastructure present—from steel beams supporting the stonework to drywall and air conditioning—is a little overwhelming. All-in-all, it's a really cool 2-3 hour diversion, but prepare for a lot of walking!
Yoshoku is often mistaken for simply meaning "Western food" in Japan, but it's really it's own genre, with its own distinct vibe and standard menu. Walking into a great yoshoku place feels like entering an alternate Western history, if that makes any sense.
Anyway, this place has a great ハンバーグ(hamburger steak), which is not to be confused with a ハンバーガー(hamburger sandwich).
See my Tabelog check-in here.
We went here after braving Beppu's seven hells, and it was a good way to wash off all the kitsch. The baths are straightforward but well-designed, particularly the 打たせ waterfall baths on the men's side (with narrow streams falling 20 feet or so for extra pressure)
Taking ferries in Japan is an entertaining diversion, especially as an American who didn't grow up around islands. We really enjoyed this three hour excursion as we traveled from one onsen town in Shikoku (Matsuyama) to another one in Kyushu (Beppu).
Also fun was the random Suzume film propwork created to promote the port's appearance as the main character traveled to Ehime.
Came in here on a whim and was blown away to see that he'd been featured in the 2018 Michelin guide. Holy cow was he good at making delicious yakitori. So incredibly soft and flavorful.
See my Tabelog check-in here.
Solid, overall. Really just came to try the winged gyoza (which are SO winged that they look more like some kind of pie at first).
See my Tabelog check-in here.
