Road tripping in Japan is an adventure we’ve yet to experience and I’m working on a Japanese friend to ride shotgun, as 90% of the road signs are only in Japanese, something which would try even my insouciance about getting ‘lost’. No matter, the country has one of the best rail systems in the world, which will rocket you to almost any city on the archipelago in a matter of hours. We’ve grown to love our time spent on Japan Rail’s bullet trains almost as much as the places they reliably speed us to, always within seconds of our scheduled arrival time. Armed with Bento box snacks and bottles of hot green tea bought at the train station we watch the countryside and cityscapes pass in an almost soundless blur as we laugh and chat away, pausing only to listen to the calming female voice announcing each station and almost always wishing the journey had been longer.
Of the many unforgettable places we’ve visited in this way on day trips, or for a night or two, a few really stand out. First there is Matsushima Bay with its 200 pine clad islets, three of them joined to the mainland by ornate red lacquered wooden bridges.
Matsushima Bay truly deserves its cultural designation as one of ‘the three great sights in Japan’ (the Japanese seem to obsessively classify and list everything). We saw them by boat, pursued by two hunting sea eagles and a flock of audacious gulls that took food from our hands while still in flight.
The area is also justly famed for its ‘Miyagi’ oysters which have been farmed in the bay since the 1600s. Back on the quayside, the deep fried oysters and bowls of poached oysters in a broth on a bed of Udon noodles we enjoyed at a tiny one room restaurant with an L shaped counter that sat only five people, followed by a stroll through the Entsu-in (Rose) Temple’s moss and maple garden were respectively the best oysters we have ever tasted and the most beautiful stroll garden we have yet to explore.
Deep-fried Oysters: Serves Four
I’ve yet to decode exactly how this little gem of a restaurant made the Oyster Udon so I can re-create it. So here I’m afraid, is only one of the two recipes.
If possible buy the largest fresh oysters you can find, or frozen ones from a Japanese supermarket.
16 oysters
Flour for dusting
1 egg, lightly beaten
Panko
Vegetable oil for frying
Dust the oysters with the flour and then dip into the egg and coat with the panko. Set aside until all are coated. Heat oil in a deep, medium-sized saucepan (about a third of a pan) to 360 degrees F.
Fry the oysters until golden; drain on kitchen paper and serve with drinks!
I'm actually jealous that you guys got to go there, where I had always wanted to and never have as of yet! Deep fried oysters!!! They were my childhood favs!
One of the most beautiful places in Japan that hasn’t been ruined by concrete and plastic trees. It is Japan at it’s most natural and you can sit and watch the sea circling round small islands covered in pine (matsu) for hours. The nearest City, Sendai, is a cool place too, boasting the best charcoal grilled tongue in Japan. Nothing like the stuff we were fed at school lunch.