Feasting on fabulous food in Japan this fall (Photo-essay)

Since returning from Japan two weeks ago, I've only been twice to eat at Japanese restaurants. Granted that in this time, I've been to a Japanese cocktail bar once and Sake Bar Ginn twice.  Still, that's way fewer times that I've eaten Japanese food over the course of a fortnight than has become the norm here in Hong Kong.

It's not that I've gone off Japanese food.  Rather, it's because I ate so much and such fabulous food on my recent Japan trip -- among things, I returned to Kabuto for more eel parts on sticks, ate primo sushi or sashimi every day of the trip, had decadently rich ankimo at least five times, and amazingly juicy wagyu beef at three different meals -- and have such strong memories of those oishii and umai experiences that I'm afraid that what Japanese fare I eat here will inevitably disappoint!

Doubtless at some point in the near future, the urge to go have more Japanese food will surpass my fear of feeling underwhelmed by what I do eat here.  But in the meantime, here's offering up a selection of photos that hopefully will give a good idea of the kind of dishes I had on my recent trip, and loved so very much... ;b

Shirako (described as "codfish soft roe" on the English menu) 

was served along with spinach, Enoki mushroom, green onion, 

grated carrot and radish, and gingered vinegar 

at our first dinner at Gora-Kansuiro ;b

That same dinner's delicious seasonal dessert of persimmon,

Kyoho grapes and mango pudding looked like a work of art!

No ordinary soup for our second dinner at Gora-Kansuiro;

instead, we got one whose ingredients included scallop, 

Matsutake mushroom, green bean, leaf bud, gold leaf and citron!

Another standout course at our second dinner at the ryokan 

was the deep fried mixed pink shrimp, which was so tasty it 

didn't need any salt but which I did squeeze a bit of lemon juice on 

and ate with great relish with the grated radish and ginger

One dozen oysters from three different parts of Japan

-- and all just for me! :)))

At the same lunch in Tokyo, I also had this repast whose

main dish consisted of a generous portion of zuke-style tuna and 

tororo (grated mountain yam) on a bed of fluffy white rice!

Vegetarian nabe (Japanese hot pot) with four different kinds

of mushrooms -- yes, mushrooms were in season! :b

And for the final lunch of our Japan trip, my mother and I opted for

wagyu beef: hers prepared as sukiyaki, mine in steak form :)))