Love Letters From Japan: Drumming and Chicken Nanban with the Maris Family!

Miyazaki is well known for its chicken nanban. What is chicken nanban, you ask? I would say it's kind of like the cousin to America's fried chicken. This chicken is fried in a type of "sugary vinegar" and topped with a sauce that tastes quite a bit like tartar sauce. Honestly, if I heard that description, I would be like "Um, yeah, no thanks" but it's surprisingly tasty. In fact, I WAS hesitant to go to the little restaurant that is famous for starting this dish, but Casey convinced me, and I was not disappointed. (Kind of like when I really didn't want to try Indian food in Tokyo, and now I want it all the time...) Good thing my hubby's adventurous and helps me try new things! We've now been there twice.

Last weekend, we "went out on the town" with the adorable Maris family! They have three, seriously-darling little boys. They moved in about a month ago, and Chad is Casey's replacement at the kindergarten. We have had fun getting to know them, and we only wish we had more time to hang out before we leave.

First, we walked down the popular walking-only street in the main part of town, which has several shops, restaurants, and arcades. We stopped to show off our incredible drumming skills before getting some grub. Chad drummed so hard, his ring made his finger bleed! We were also the loudest people on the street. Casey was pretty excited and yelled whenever he did a good job. People were likely thinking "Those American gaijin are so loud." Yes, yes we are.

Here are some pics from the night. :)