The Daily Life Of A Foodie In The Office - Volume 1 Chapter 78 Ch78

“Health is not about the weight you lose,

but about the life you gain.”

– Dr. Josh Axe

=========================

It had been three nights since Delilah and her two cousins had stayed in Tokyo and the next morning, they were getting ready to move out to another prefecture of Japan, which was Kyoto. Delilah hadn’t spent much of her money shopping in Tokyo since she had saved some for Kyoto. Knowing how expensive Kyoto was, compared to Tokyo, it took a lot in her to not go wild when it comes to shopping, especially those art and crafts items. Yet that does not hinder from tasting the local delicacies that Tokyo had to offer. They had visited many places in Tokyo such as Yoyogi Park, Roppongi Hills, Takeshita Street and Kabukicho.

They had packed all their things and tidied up the rooms before leaving the BnB. It was fortunate that the door of the BnB auto-locks itself, so they do not have to think much about its safety and security. Since Delilah does not have their host’s phone number, she could only email him to thank him for the hospitality.

It was eight o’clock in the morning when they were about to arrive at the nearest station. Looking for the signs that would lead them to the bullet train hall, they dragged their luggages towards the direction. Inside the station, there were so many people rushing here and there. It appears that they had arrived during the peak hours when people were hurrying to get to the trains to work or school. Even if it was crowded, the three women were impressed by how organized the Japanese were.

Following the signs, they finally reached the bullet train hall, which was a further away from the normal departure hall. Thinking that they would not be able to find the time to eat, they decided to buy some food and drinks from the nearby convenience store.

After they had bought their things, the call for their train was announced via the broadcast, they quickly rushed towards the train. Inside the train, they stood aside for other people to pass through while they looked for their tickets. They then quickly take note of the seat number written on their tickets. After that, they went to look for their seats.

To their surprise, they had found other people sitting at their seats. Confused, they decided to seek assistance from the stewardess, who was standing near the exit, checking the luggages being stored there. After explaining their problem to the stewardess, the stewardess looked at their tickets and told them with a wry smile that they actually got on the wrong train.

Shocked, the three women began to panic. If they had got on the wrong train, doesn’t this mean that they were going on the wrong way? Do they need to buy a new ticket? Questions began to swamped these women’s minds, making them even worried and anxious.

Fortunately, the stewardess reassured them that even though they got on the wrong train, the destination was still the same. And even if they do not have any seats, they can just go to the free seating section and sit there.

After thanking the stewardess, they made their way towards the free seating section, which was a few sections away. However, just as they were about to sit down, there was an announcement through the speaker, announcing their arrival, which surprised the three women. That was fast!

They quickly turned back and headed straight for the exit. Getting off from the train, they were once again hit by the cool wind from the outside. A few minutes later, they found themselves outside the station. Not wanting to drag their bulky luggage everywhere they go, they decided to look for the ryokan [1] that they had booked before.

Compared to when they were looking for their BnB in Tokyo, looking for the ryokan was much easier. Probably because the directions given were straightforward and easy to follow. It was less than an hour when they finally reached the ryokan. It was located in one of the residential areas in Kyoto, where the surroundings were kind of peaceful and serene. The three women felt much comfortable and at ease when they entered the area and even more so, when they entered the ryokan. They were welcomed by warm air from the heater inside and a huge smile from a Japanese man who was standing behind the counter. He greeted them in English and Japanese, which was a relief since these three don’t know how to speak nor read Japanese. Though Delilah knew that he was good at communicating in English since they have been exchanging emails in English as well.

The ryokan itself was not that huge as there was a small front hallway with a small counter on the left side, where the Japanese man stood. There were a couple of doors on the right, which Delilah assumed was the rooms. And further ahead, there was a small fork. Looking closer, the right side leads to the outside where they would collect the trash and on the left side leads to more rooms, laundry room, kitchen and bathrooms.

Once they received the password and other necessities from the Japanese man, whom they concluded was the owner, since he was the one who contacted Delilah via emails and had been using ‘my’ ‘mine’ when it comes to the ryokan, they thanked him and went into their room.

They opened their shoes outside and went barefeet in. Inside the room, it wasn’t big, rather, it was quite empty with only a small table on the side, a huge wardrobe, where they assumed the quilt and other things were stored, a small fridge, an air conditioner that served as a heater as well and another small area to hang their clothes and coats. Placing their luggages to aside, they decided to go out to have their meal and go sightseeing.

Nodding goodbye to the owner, who was still standing behind the counter, the three women got out of the ryokan and breathed in the fresh air of Kyoto.

The day was still bright, with few clouds in sight but the wind still persists in blowing cold air to their face. It was like they did not need any air-conditioner to make them feel cool.

Looking down at her phone where she typed out her itinerary, Delilah told the other two that they would need to go to the station to get to their destination. That day, they decided to go for some grilled meat since it has been awhile since they ate meat.

Using the train, they passed by a couple of stations before arriving at their targeted station. When they got out of the station, they arrived at a quiet ward, where there were little people walking around. Apparently, this was one of the residential wards in Tokyo. Hence why it was quite tranquil and peaceful.

It took them some time to look for the restaurant and it was difficult as well since they could not even find a single person to ask for directions. There were some people but they were far away. They were getting hungry as they continued to look for the place. They kept checking google maps but apparently, it wasn’t that helpful. Nearly an hour later, they finally found the place and they keep slapping their foreheads many times in their mind for their stupidity. They did not expect the place to look similar to other residential homes, with their traditional Japanese style.

When they entered the restaurant, they were greeted with warm air blanketing over them, making them feel cosy and pleasant. A pretty woman stood behind the hostess stand, looking down at a book. She looked up when she saw the three women enter and welcome them with a small smile. She immediately approached them, said hello and asked how many people.

Shay told her that it would only be the three of them. The hostess nodded and led them to an empty table, not far from the exit. The restaurant was kind of empty, other than a few tables and chairs. On each table, there was a BBQ exhaust pipe [2], which was used to control the temperature, as well as vent in the smoke air from the grill.

After making themselves comfortable, the hostess handed them the menu and left them, saying that the waitress will be coming over to take their orders. The three women nodded and opened the menu. The three of them suddenly looked shocked when they saw the prices. It was fecking expensive. Shay let out an awkward laugh, saying that it was probably because meat was expensive and whatnot. The other two reluctantly agreed with her.

One plate of meat already cost 3000 yen, which was equivalent to nearly thirty dollars in their currency. The price made them cry tears of blood inside but because they were so hungry, they decided to keep their eyes closed from looking at the prices and ordered it.

Few minutes later after they had placed their orders, their dishes arrived. The waitress then explained that they should use the fats of the meat as the oil. The three women nodded. Each of them immediately began to place the meat on the hot grill after the waitress left them alone.

The sounds of meat sizzling brings joy to the three women, making them inwardly drool. Juices of the meat oozed out and began to flow on the frizzling grill. The fresh cut meat slowly turned to brown, making it look succulent and juicy. When Delilah turned the meat over, she could feel the tenderness of the meat. Once it looked done, she took one from the grill and blew on it. She took a bite and inwardly m.o.a.ned at the juiciness of it. The flavor of the meat gets deepened and better after the grilling. The meat became more savory as it emits a delicious aroma. It also felt smooth and silky, giving a satisfying taste when one bite into it.

Wanting to eat more since it wasn’t enough, they ordered another plate. They don’t want to think about the calories they gained or the dent they made in their wallets. As long as the food was delicious was enough.

And this just made their first day in Kyoto a pleasant bite!

—–

[1] A traditional Japanese inn

[2] Check this: pinterest.com/pin/516365913501724670/