I went there.
Once every six months, to the OLDMAN'S TAILOR / R&D.M.Co- exhibition in Yamanashi!
Since the Shizuoka chapter will be a continuation of our travelogue, which you may or may not care about, if you want to see what the exhibition was like, please refer to the next Yamanashi chapter.
This time, since it didn't overlap with any other brand exhibitions, we decided to attack from Mishima, Shizuoka, instead of Tokyo.
This was my first time in Mishima, but it was N-san's second time.
We took the Nozomi to Nagoya, and then transferred to the Kodama in Nagoya.
Even though the Yamanashi exhibition was tomorrow (I woke up before 5 AM), there was a reason why I deliberately came to Mishima before noon.
Because...
Eel!!
I came to eat eel!
I had only eaten it in Hiroshima, so this was my first experience with the taste of eel in the Kanto region.
I got a numbered ticket and waited excitedly.
Looks delicious!!
Well, I did eat it, but looking at the photo, it still looks delicious and makes me want to eat it again.
In Hiroshima, it's usually served with a sweet and savory sauce, but in Kanto, the soy sauce is very prominent, and I hardly tasted any sweetness.
The eel itself had absolutely no unpleasant smell and was incredibly fluffy and soft.
It was grilled over charcoal, and it paired perfectly with rice!
It was a truly luxurious meal. Thank you for the delicious food.
After filling our stomachs, we walked to the nearby Mishima Taisha Shrine.
To be honest, I didn't know much about it until I came to Mishima, but it's a historic and ancient shrine depicted in Hiroshige's ukiyo-e print of Mishima from the Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō.
It seems like it brings good fortune.
After offering our prayers, I noticed the stones where Minamoto no Yoritomo and Hojo Masako sat!
This is the stone where Minamoto no Yoritomo sat.
Next to it is the stone where Hojo Masako sat.
N-san's acting, playing two roles, was brilliant.
After this, we returned to Mishima Station and traveled by bus for about an hour.
Still not going to Yamanashi...
We arrived at the Gotemba Outlet!
Of course, it was market research, lol.
Due to bus transfers, we only had two hours, so we thoroughly checked out the places we had researched beforehand.
When we got tired along the way, we had this.
A crepe, which N-san uncharacteristically said he wanted to eat.
When I asked, he said his niece absolutely told him to try it.
How long has it been since I last had a crepe...
I had the simplest butter and sugar crepe, but wow, it was delicious!
It was getting dark and cold, so the warm and sweet crepe really hit the spot.
We looked around and thought it was a good time, but then, oh!
Looking at the map, we had missed a whole one-third of the area...
Goodbye, Gotemba.
It was incredibly vast. Two hours wasn't enough...
After transferring from bus to Fujikyu train, we finally arrived in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi.
I've been here many times, but this was my first time riding the Fujikyu train.
Due to the location, most of the passengers were inbound tourists...
Even though we had eel and crepes, we still ate dinner.
This was my first time ever trying Hoto, a famous Yamanashi specialty.
In Hiroshima, Hoto was a mysterious food I never saw or heard of.
My father used to read a manga called "Oishinbo," and there was an episode about Hoto. I've forgotten all the details, but the punchline stuck with me vividly:
"This is a truly wayward grandmother!"
It was, lol.
I don't know if this is standard, but the noodles were chewier and more filling than I expected.
It felt like eating the last of a miso hot pot, but it was a very cold night, so it was truly delicious.
I went to bed early to prepare for tomorrow.
Next time: Business Trip Diary ~ Yamanashi Chapter continues