Bailey

I know what I'm doing tonight, um, not that!

I just did a drink similar to some of the variants above. Knob Creek, Campari, and Noilly Prat sweet at a 2:1:1 ratio. No garnish as I don't have a lemon handy. It is extremely good and would be even better with the spicy and earthy notes of a good rye whiskey. It does retain a lot of the Campari flavor notes while moderating the bitterness. Yum!

That parted out pig looks strangely content. I hope those big ears got used for something good!

Buffy and helenjp, thanks so much for the information. I think that a colleague went to the restaurant with the 'quivering fresh' presentation a while back. He indicated that the fish was quite good but the liver was a bit strong for his tastes. Some of my associates were in town during the sake festival but I don't know how much they participated in the events. Maybe more so than they remember! Beer gardens are a lot of fun. I'm with you about the Asahi as being a bit light. The stuff we get here in the U.S. is contract brewed by Anheuser Busch I think and tastes accordingly. I have had it in other Asian countries and wasn't all that impressed either. My tastes tend to run towards microbrewed IPA's so I'm biased a bit. Not that that is what I want with fresh fish of course! I have heard good things about the okonomiyaki in the area. A vegetarian coworker liked the cabbage version with egg (ovo-tarian I suppose) although squid and/or octopus additions sound good to me. Good to hear that oysters are popular. I really enjoy them fresh however where I am located in Texas pretty much only gulf oysters are available and they are good but not especially complex in flavor. Sakuraniku (horse sashimi I believe) and baniku (horse for yakiniku I think) are of interest to me also as I have never had horse meat in any form. I don't know that these are specialties of the area or particularly popular there. Not sure what I would think about the fatty part that is served (basashi?). A French friend that spent some time working in Japan spoke rather highly of the sashimi version. Again, thanks for the information. I'm looking forward to enjoying great food during my visit.

As much as I read Egullet I can't believe I didn't think about posting this until today. At any rate, I'm leaving for Japan on Sunday for business in Higashihiroshima. I'm staying at a hotel near Saijo station if that serves as a landmark for anyone. It does not mean all the much to me as of yet! I'm looking for recommendations on traditional, interesting, or just plain different dining and/or food opportunites in the area. I'm not sure that any of my collegues in Japan are 'foodies' so I may miss out on some great experiences without some additional guidance. I'm relatively serious about food, experimentation, and trying cuisines from different cultures so I don't scare easily. I've spent time in a lot of parts of the world but not Japan so any pointers will be helpful. I will have a laptop with me and will try to report on any interesting experiences. My friends here have already put me on notice that I better be taking pictures of any good dishes. Thanks in advance...