After finishing my visit to Kirishima Jingu, I walked back down to the rotary.
When I checked Google Maps, I noticed several restaurants nearby.
There was still some time before the next bus to Kirishima Jingu Station,
so I decided it would be a good idea to use that time for lunch.
Around the rotary, I could see a soba restaurant and a yakiniku place.
For lunch, soba sounded lighter and more reasonable.
By the way, “soba restaurant” in Japan doesn’t mean they only serve buckwheat noodles.
Usually, these places offer a wide variety of simple meals,
and in the evening they even serve dishes with alcohol.
While thinking about having soba,
I suddenly remembered the café where I left my luggage earlier.
When I dropped it off, I saw some food photos posted near the counter.
Since I had to pick up my luggage anyway, and the café charged only a small fee,
I decided it would be nice to have lunch there as a little thank-you.
So I went back to the café where I had left my suitcase.
The signboard said: 草木塔, コーヒー, 中南米雑貨 —
Somokuto, coffee, and Latin American goods.
Huh, Latin America? So I thought maybe they served Latin-style food.
But looking at the photos by the entrance, I saw dishes like pho and curry —
more Southeast Asian than South American.
Inside, the atmosphere was warm, cozy, and full of character.
Even though I had no idea what I would be eating, I decided to go in.
When the owner asked if I came to pick up my luggage,
I said I was here for lunch and took a seat.
Looking through the menu, I realized every single dish was unfamiliar.
So I chose the one that looked the simplest:
異国のチキンしぐれ煮ライスプレート（スープ付）
— “Exotic Chicken Shigure-ni Rice Plate (with soup).”
I had no idea what kind of dish that was,
but from the photo, I could tell it was some sort of rice bowl.
Later I found out that shigure-ni (しぐれ煮)
is a Japanese way of simmering ingredients in soy sauce and ginger until the flavor thickens.
So what I was eating was rice topped with chicken
cooked slowly in soy sauce and ginger.
I never imagined that, right in front of a shrine
connected to Japan’s ancient mythology,
I’d end up eating Southeast Asian–style food for lunch.
But I guess that’s part of what makes travel fun.
To be honest, the shigure-ni on top of the rice was a bit salty,
so I had to mix it well with the vegetables to keep the balance.
It went especially well with cilantro,
and the carrot rapé salad also matched nicely.
I tried adding the spicy sauce that came with it,
but it didn’t really need it.
After lunch, I went outside to the bus stop.
There was a bus arriving earlier than the Kirishima Jingu Access Bus
I had originally planned to take,
so I decided to hop on that one and head for Kirishima Jingu Station.
Leave a Reply