Ki-Hachi Onsen
By Paul

So there I was, naked, wading in Titanic cold water on some Japanese beach…

Maybe I should back-track a little. In February I visited my friend Eric who teaches English in Japan. He lives in the town of Karatsu, near the coast on the western side of the island of Kyushu.

Just so you know, Japan in February is cold. I thought I had packed well, but when I saw Eric using his sub-zero sleeping bag as bedding, I realized I was woefully under prepared. Then I noticed the kerosene heater in the corner of the bedroom. Oh great… artic camping in the comfort of your own home. This was going to be… interesting.

I thought Eric was saving money by skimping on the heat but to my surprise, many homes in Karatsu are like Eric’s. To keep warm, people visit their local “onsen” (bath house) and spend a couple of hours simmering in a heated hot tub the size of a small swimming pool. Eric decided he wanted to take me to a nearby onsen. He started to describe how nice it was… situated on the beach… blah, blah, blah.

“Eric, I just want to eat.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got a very special meal in mind for you.”

Now, I don’t enjoy hot tubs much… actually, I don’t enjoy them at all. A piece of meat sitting in hot water for hours... Hmmm… sounds like soup to me. So after 15 minutes of impersonating a stew, I gave Eric the “I-would-rather-not-be here” look.

“There’s still the BIG onsen!” he said, motioning towards the ocean.

Hot soup, chilled soup. Whatever.

We made a run for the water and dove in.

“Arghhhh!!!” (Did I mention Japan was cold in February?)

Eric gave me an “Isn’t-great-to-be-alive!” look. I figured he couldn’t actually say the words since his teeth were chattering and his lips were turning blue. I started to worry that if hypothermia set in, we would never get to my promised “special” meal.

“Food?” I reminded him.

After changing into dry clothes and recovering some motor functions, we proceeded to the café portion of the onsen. We sat down and Eric ordered for me in Japanese. I soon received the standard bento box with vegetable tempura, Japanese pickles, salad, and rice.

I gave Eric the “Should-I-be-pissed-off-yet?” look.

“Just wait,” he said

Then it came. A plate of squid sashimi. It was a whole squid, the size of a kitten, eyes included. The mantle (if you aren’t sure what a squid’s mantle is, click here) was carefully sliced into bite size pieces arranged in their original shape. I had never had raw squid. At sushi bars the squid is always cooked. I wasn’t sure this qualified as ‘special’ but it was adequate.

I started to grab a tentacle with my chopsticks, when to my surprise, it shrank away! The eyes of the squid quickly fixed on me. Special, indeed! It was not just a raw squid, it was alive. Wow, I’d never eaten a live anything. Eric was laughing so hard he almost fell off his chair.

 

Paul’s Tips for Eating Live Squid:

  1. The quality of the dish is determined by squid dipping sauce. (‘Cause the meat ain’t getting any fresher.)

  2. If you aren’t in the mood to fight with your meal, go for the mantle. No moving parts.

  3. When battling the tentacles, use your chopsticks to grab/pin them down, and the provided scissors to cut.

  4. Be prepared for the tentacles to stick to the top of your mouth. When this happens, you can scrap them off with your tongue.

  5. If the constant staring bothers you, use garnish to cover the squid’s eyes.

 

The squid was incredibly tasty, thanks to the special house ponzu sauce. And after I was finished with the death-match, the cook tempura-ed the remainder of the squid. It was by far the best tempura I ever had.

I wish I could say the meal was innovative, but it does not take genius to put something you just caught in the ocean on a plate. Interestingly, the meal was only twenty dollars . I haven’t checked but I’m sure the same meal in Melbourne, New York, or London would be a hundred dollars and labeled a rare delicacy.

As we drove back to his place, Eric asked what I wanted to eat the next day. I told him something equally adventurous that didn’t involve an onsen or artic water.

He smiled, “Don’t worry. I’ve got a very special meal in mind for you.”

 

Ki-Hachi Onsen
Karatsu, Japan