It’s amazing how looking at a random tweet can get things rolling.
For context, one of my Kiwi colleagues posted a picture of a wild boar curry that he had at a recently-opened cafe. It looked clean and refreshing, and my friend enjoyed the meal. Naturally, I wanted to try it out.
The kicker? It’s near where he lives, and the only reason he has a car is that he lives way out in what the Japanese call the “inaka” (田舎 - countryside).
My curiosity won out in the end, and we devised a plan. I would take a particular bus from the Chinatown terminal (near where I live) and get off at the Sakura-no-Sato terminal, several neighbourhoods away from the cafe. From there, he’d pick me up and drive the rest of the way there.
(To cut another story short, I also ended up inviting one of the new South African ALTs to join us.)
The bus ride was a massive revelation. I’ve lived here in Nagasaki for just over four years, and I was completely unaware of what lies beyond the city outskirts in the west. If I could summarise the trip, it was like travelling through multiple countries within a single hour.
America, Australia, and Malaysia, if you were wondering.
I’ll admit to kicking myself in my mind for not heading out in that direction. To be fair, I was still finding my feet during my first eighteen months here, and we all know what happened in the following two years.
Besides, it’s better to regret not going any earlier than it is to regret not going at all. I can at least say that I was able to make new memories.
I never got to eat the wild boar curry - the owners of the cafe have a special dish for each day. What I did have was still quite exquisite, so I’m not going to complain. The fact that I was enjoying lunch with three friends - two old, one new - completely elevated the experience.
The lunch set that we had: Salad, fried fish, fried cured meat (I think?), eggplant, chicken curry soup, and rice. Not pictured: a delicious red bean soup.
A pretty damn good pudding with an egg-like texture.
The views of the sea along the west coast and the thoughts of what could possibly be beyond the horizon were the combined icing on the cake. (Please remind me to actually upload the pictures I’ve taken of the sea itself.)
A bit to the right of the sea, pictures of which I’ll have to upload later. Can you spot the Heritage-listed church?
I’ll have to revisit the cafe at least another two times, and quite possibly more. In the meantime, I’ll be happy to start checking out what lies to the west of Mt Inasa.
How far would you travel for something delicious you spotted on social media?
The exterior of the cafe.
The GOAT of goats.