Road Trip Part 2

Better late than never, right?

Off we went to Kobe! Kobe was a really nice city, and we had a great time. Our main goal for Kobe was to enjoy some infamous Kobe beef, and that we did. We were able, with the help of our hotel's concierge, to find a reasonably priced steakhouse. The steak was outrageously delicious. I'm not one to get too excited about red meat (Sorry, Dad.), but it was absolutely amazing. 

This photo is of the beef shortly after it was placed on the grill. It was cooked to perfection and then cut into bite-sized pieces. MMMMmmmm.

After stuffing ourselves silly, we headed to a local izakaya (a casual bar) where we enjoyed good conversation. Some of which included some brainstorming for our new business ventures. Watch out, world!

The next morning, we headed to Kobe's port to soak up some sun and let our hair blow.

Our next stop was Chinatown. While there, we feasted on some yummy Chinese food for lunch. One funny experience worth noting is that the wait staff at the restaurant where we dined must have assumed we knew no Japanese because as they led us to our table, which happened to be located upstairs, they announced over the intercom that some foreigners were on their way up. Who says that?

After that, we went to a sake museum and learned how sake is processed from start to finish. Following the presentation, we were able to sample various types of sake. I'm not a big sake fan, but it was interesting to try a few variations even if they were all gross.

And, here's a photo of the Hartman family posed in front of some booze. 

After returning to Nagoya for a brief night's sleep, we ventured to the neighboring town of Gujo-Hachiman, which just so happens to be famous for manufacturing artificial food.

Check out this bowl of ramen. There is no way one would ever suspect it to be fake. I am continually amazed by the authenticity of the artificial food created here. Outside of almost every restaurant is a display of the food you can purchase inside. It is all made from wax and plastic, but it looks so real! And, once you receive the food you order, it will look exactly like the display! Great, right?

While in Gujo-Hachiman, we were able to try our hands at making our own food.

In this photo Maya and I are creating tempura batter for shrimp and a variety of vegetables. The tempura is made from wax and is then draped over the shrimp and veggies.

Here is the finished product cooling in a bowl of water.

After making our tempura shrimp and vegetables, we made lettuce.

Travis cradled his lettuce to perfection.

After making plastic food, we took a short hike to Gujo Hachiman Castle. 

And, Mike and Maya posed in front of the castle for us. 

Still to come: Kyoto, a BBQ and a Nagoya Dragons game!