Kyushu Bike Adventure 4 – Kashima to Isahaya

Kyushu Bike Adventure 4 – Kashima to Isahaya

[Music] Last we left off, I was fueling up in this Kushima diner with baseball on the telly and retro vibes all around. Car loading on a Yakodon and Omu rice. Just what I needed for the ride ahead. Today’s leg, Kashima to Ua, a coastal route that hugs the shoreline and curves around a mountain. If I had my road bike, this would be a nice morning out, but on a foldy, it’s a bit of a slog. The 8% grades are just about manageable, but I fantasize for just one more gear, or, you know, two more gears would be nice. The roots got these oyster restaurants popping up along the water. One with a big dauku sign, which means great luck. I’ll take it. It also has this art. Next up, I roll by the floating Tory gate of U shrine. Low tide right now, so it’s not exactly floating, just chilling and looking very, very Japanese. There’s a local shellfishing in the distance. The sun is biting as I continue to follow the coast. But this long sleeve blue shirt is paying dividends. What I lose in cool points I make up for in nice non- sunburnt arms. I’d tell you the brand, but I don’t want to be accused of selling out. I will, by the way. I’d sell out in a heartbeat. Make you watch these adverts that I weave into my episodes. That’ll be the day. It’s Macpack, by the way. The first one’s free. Macpack. DM me for future promos. I continue to digress as I roll on up to an orange bus stop. Yes, an orange bus stop. The first of a bunch of fruit themed stops along the way. Random. Japan. Before I pull into UA train station, I do a kambini run. This time, dried squid and a mineral drink. The folding gets folded and bagged as per Japanese regulation. And then I film myself buying a train ticket. [Music] It’s dark by the time I get to Isahaya, and Google Maps points me in the direction of the Isakaya precinct. I’m loving these small Japanese towns. No tourist crowds, just pure local charm. I wandered the streets a bit and all these isizakayas look so similar on the outside. You just never know the vibe at all until, of course, you step inside. It really is potluck. Tonight, it’s a place called Kuramatai. And the vibe, the vibe is good. Warm, cozy, perfect. Hungry Tucker, take it away. So, after a big day of riding, rolled into Isahaya and straight to another isakaya. And I couldn’t help it. I had to start with some yakitori or kushiaki in this instance. Going to start with this. Looks like chicken and onion. I’m super hungry. Ah, this lady is very lovely. She’s been very helpful. English. There’s very little English out here. this chicken nice and salty. These things like in Japan, it’s all about the quality of the ingredients. You know, that chicken, it’s just nice and soft and delicious. The onions are perfect and just tastes good. In Japan, everything just tastes good. So, pork belly here. fatty delicious pork belly just salted just delicious chicken wing. So in Fukuoka I hit Tasaki chicken wings absolutely delicious and they were just like this. So like 10 of them so good. Anyway, let’s try this one. Just simple cooked over charcoal, bit of salt. Delicious. As for the wiener, will this be the highlight of my Japan tour? I hope not. It’s like a cransky without the cheese. So, next up, I’ve got this tofu salad and it’s got sardines and looks like white fish. Looks very healthy. So, just a big healthy salad. Really nice and fresh. So, it’s like a It’s got a Japanese soy onion dressing on top and it’s really simple. You don’t get the fish flavor at all. It’s basically just like free protein. Super good. Next, I got to figure out what these are. And I’m thinking that’s going to be less healthy. Scolops. Okay. Very big. Good big scolops. Perfect. All right. So, next I’ve got the seafood course. And I’ve got I can confirm that they are scolops. And look how big they are. Giant fried scolops with some breadcrumbs on them. And I’m pairing it with ume sour, which is like a plum wine and soda water. So good. All right. So, a bunch of mayonnaise on the side. Look at that. If this is a scolop, it’s biggest scolop I’ve ever seen. Wow. Delicious. Can confirm. Biggest scolop I’ve ever seen. Super super good. So, I think it’s got the scolop part and then the outer scolop as well. The bit that sometimes we chuck away. Let’s eat it instead. Fresh, clean, crunchy, simple, and delicious. and paired with some tempora prawns in a chili sauce. Nothing else for it. This is just a great place. Kish is a great place for seafood. Super big prawns and the chili sauce. It’s quite zesty. It’s like a ginger chili sauce. That’s really good. It’s not super spicy. It’s got a bit of vinegar in there as well. So, like a vinegar ginger chili sauce. It’s good. The tempora does lose its crunchiness, but it’s delicious. This time I’ve gone wakame and cucumber in a vinegar. Let’s try sesame seeds too. Really sharp but in a nice way. Normally when I get this is in cucumber chunks like the cucumbers’s been smashed. Very very similar vibe. Really delicious. It’s a dish I get a lot. So this next one we’ve got it’s like chicken meatballs. And I went for it because on the menu it translated as I’ll find the moon and I’m guessing that’s the egg yolk there. So that’s the moon and that’s what you dip it in. Minced chicken meatball. I’m going to dip it in this yolk and I’m going to eat it. So it’s just a soft chicken meatball. There are a few crunchy bits in there. Maybe some soft bone. Really simple but really nicely cooked. And then this egg. If you’ve been to Japan, you know about the eggs, right? The eggs are just on another level. Really nice. Actually, there’s a real interesting crunch in there. I can’t quite put my finger on it. So super delicious. But now, the elephant in the room, or should I say the horse in the room, horse sashimi. Going to load it up with a little bit of ginger and a little bit of garlic. And I’ve been given this super thick soy. So, be honest with me. Would you eat this? Yay. Or nay. So, and be honest with me. Would you eat this? Yay. Or nay. All right, let’s do it. And guess what everybody? It’s good. So, it’s clean. And I have had this before. I had it in Tokyo a few years ago. Plate of horsemeat sashimi. The thing about horsemeat is it’s lean and it’s clean. Even lamb has more going on. So, have another look. Lean and clean. It’s easy eating, low fat, and plenty of protein going on there. So, two nights, two izakayas, and I just love these country izakayas. Tomorrow, I’ll be in Nagasaki, which I’m very excited about. And so, I’ll see you there. Oh, okay. For horses. Next episode, I’ll explore Isahaya by day, bump into a class of high school students at a certain foot bridge before making my way to Legosaki, a city that I’m about to fall in love with. I can’t wait. Want to come, too? You know what to do. [Music]

Flying from Jakarta Indonesia to Fukuoka Japan for a bicycle tour on a Brompton folding bike. Expect to see Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kitakyushu, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Kumamoto and plenty of towns in between. I ride, I eat, I ride, I eat, I rinse, I repeat. 18 episodes. Ramen, gyoza, onigiri, miso black cod, Imari beef, Takuro rice, kushiyaki, sashimi, combini, okonomiyaki, sushi, yakitori, yakiniku, tonkatsu, tonkotsu, tempura, soba, udon, matsunabe, sake, keiseki, not gonna lie, I do a lotta eating.

Dreams:

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