Japan has loads of regional
specialties. For a small, well-connected country, this
seems odd, but it's true nonetheless. There are special
regional dishes and also special regional treats, called
omiyage. If you visit, you might bring your host a special
treat from your hometown, and bring back something from where
you've been for your friends. Our first day in Fukuoka,
Sayaka served us ki ni naru ringo, an apple pastry that a friend
had brought back from Aomori Prefecture. (There are also,
I believe, regional Kit Kat bars that emulate omiyage.)
Around Aso, one of the special dishes is grilled horse
meat. So, we ate grilled horse meat.
