So I finally caved in and bought the only round cast-iron griddle I've been able to find around here (it's for my induction stove). The only problem is that all the instructions/packaging etc is in Japanese and I have no idea what it says. I gave it a good scrub with a scouring pad, boiled some water in it for about 10 minutes, let steam dry, then gave it a good coating of coconut oil before putting it in a 300 degree oven. It's been in there for about half an hour now, but I'm a little worried, now that I've been doing a bit of reading while waiting! When I was wiping the oil on with a paper towel, loads of black/brown gunk was coming off on the towel....is this normal?! I'm not sure if it was pre-seasoned or not, the color out of the box was black, not gunmetal gray. This is my first piece of non-enamelled cast iron, so any help would be appreciated! I'm really looking forward to cooking more than 4 2inch-diameter pancakes at a time !! Vivienne