UNAGI IS A STATE OF MIND *Unagi*, Japanese for freshwater eel, is often paired with rice
Vacations are the best, but it requires a lot of planning. Money has to be saved, time off has to be made for everyone involved, diets have to be planned and so much more. Such is what we had coming for my Japan food tour in early June. The Japan Travel Bureau (JTB) planned my food tour months in advance. Reservations had been set. Everything was perfect. On June 10, the day before the dream vacation for all my participants, Philippine Airlines (PAL) informed the agency that our Manila-Fukuoka flight would be cancelled. Boom! No reason given. It was just cancelled. We were told we could leave the next day and adjust accordingly. This option was not possible. The other option presented to me was to fly to Osaka. We opted for this compromise. So on June 11, we left Manila at 9 a.m. on our way to Osaka. It was a tragedy, but it made the participants bond immediately, still excited. No word of bitterness, but we were frustrated. SASHIMI SO YUMMY Freshly sliced *toro sashimi* served with soy sauce and freshly grated wasabi
We landed in Osaka, took a one-hour bus ride to the train station, and then took a three-and-a-half hour train to Fukuoka. A day that started at 9 a.m. ended up at our hotel at 11 p.m. We were all so tired. Not only that, we also lost two meals. Advance payments could not be returned, etc. It was a ramen lunch and an A5 *wagyu sukiyaki* dinner scheduled on the first day of our food tour. The next day, smiles were contagious. We started with a tour of the Yanagibashi market, where I promised the participants I’d start them off with three huge chunks of *toro sashimi* with a dipping sauce of soy and freshly grated *wasabi*. Melt-in-your-mouth, it was simply outstanding! From there, we had a superior *tonkatsu* lunch with a side serving of tempura prawns. Also outstanding! Shopping at the Tosu outlet stores followed. That evening, it was an all crab dinner. LAND OF THE RAMEN Sesame ramen (above), pork rib ramen, and a plate of gyoza (below) are sure to warm the soul
The next day, Wednesday, we took another train, this time to Hiroshima, where we had lunch at the train station. I suggested a dry sesame ramen at a stall called Musashibo. It was delicious and different. Everyone was happy. We then proceeded to the Hiroshima war memorial, where we were all in awe of the devastation that this atomic bomb had done. That evening, we surrendered to an eat-all-you-can *yakiniku* dinner. It was very good. In between, we were shopping at Donki, the ultimate shopping store of Japan. Bargain galore, if you know what to look for. THE SUPERIOR MEAT Wagyu *yakiniku* grilled to perfection
The following day, we took a short boat ride to Miajima island and explored this World Heritage Site. For lunch, we had grilled oysters with shrimps, Hokkaido scallops, and fried oysters. Japanese rice cooked in oyster broth was served. This was the most memorable meal to many. We took the bullet train to Osaka, but before retiring for the night, we had an unagi dinner. Everyone gave it a thumbs up. We spent the next day shopping at the outlet stores. As if shopping wasn’t enough happiness, we had an A5 wagyu teppanyaki meal for lunch. Winner! For dinner, the group had a hot pot of eat-all-you-can A5 *wagyu* again, but I skipped it. I just went to Daiso, the 100-yen store, to do my last-minute shopping. The next day, we were to fly back to Manila. Early morning of the next day, Melody, the JTB representative, informed me that our PAL flight to Manila had been canceled again. We were all rebooked on the June 18 flight, two days later than our original departure date. Other airlines would have booked us in a five-star hotel for the trouble, plus meals and a ticket somewhere to compensate for the inconvenience. But PAL, our national flag carrier, didn’t even bother to explain. Finally, JTB decided at their expense to make arrangements to fly us further up to Haneda, Tokyo to catch the PAL flight back to Manila. Our original flight to Manila from Osaka was scheduled at about 3:30 p.m., but we arrived in Haneda at 10:30 p.m. and our PAL flight to Manila was scheduled for departure at 1:30 am. A delay moved it to 3:30 a.m. We were all tired and frustrated. Finally, we left at 4 a.m. and landed in Manila four hours later. It took us 11 hours to get home from Japan, which is only three and a half hours away. Hay naku, what a nightmare! But our PAL crew? I love them. As soon as I stepped on board, I felt home! Besides, we had a blast with our Japan food tour!

Happy eating!