Itadakimasu!
Ikayaki
The festival in Himeji really picks up on the weekends, but the food stands stay open all week, which leaves lots of opportunities for me to try all the yummy, interesting, unique food Japan has to offer. Today: ikayaki! Or, in English, SQUID! Better yet: ON A STICK!
That’s right! I watched this man sear the squid on the grill, dip into a warm, gooey sauce and wrap it up in a bag for me to happily take on my way and devour. :p Which I did! And like tako(octopus) it’s chewy. If you don’t like the almost-rubbery texture of octopus, you probably won’t like ikayaki. But if you don’t mind your food being a little chewy and just can’t stand the suckers, I highly recommend trying ikayaki. At least once!
While it was unique, and good, and warm, and wonderful to eat on a beautiful sunny day, I’m not sure I would eat it again by itself or pay 400 yen for a tiny squid. That seems a bit expensive for such a small piece of food. But for a first time, I have to say I like it! And I’m happy I’m adventurous enough to try it!
Melanie Noell Bernard 