Only in Japan Go — Transcripts
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2021-09-13 · Ep 1059 · 33m

Osaka Restaurant Invitation Japanese Cuisine for Travel

OsakaJapanese CuisineKochi FoodRestaurant TourTravel Event
Summary

Osaka Restaurant Invitation Japanese Cuisine for Travel

Overview

John Daub arrives in Osaka for a special live stream event invitation. Starting near Osaka Station, he walks through the Sonezaki neighborhood, known for its dense collection of small stores and restaurants. He meets up with fellow content creator and friend Kevin Reilly (of Kuma's Kitchen) to explore a Kochi-themed restaurant called Tosa Shimizu World. Although the restaurant is temporarily closed due to pandemic restrictions, the manager grants them access to tour the interior, kitchen, and sake storage.

The core purpose of the video is to invite viewers living in the Kansai region to a free lunch event on November 12th. John and Kevin showcase the restaurant's unique features, including koi nobori (carp streamers) hanging from the ceiling and photos of local Kochi producers. They discuss the regional cuisine of Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku Island, highlighting katsuo tataki (seared bonito), yuzu kosho, and local sake. The video serves as both a culinary tour and a community invitation, emphasizing the connection between Osaka and Kochi.

Highlights

  • 00:00:00 John arrives at Osaka Station and introduces the live stream event invitation.
  • 00:28:00 John stops for taiyaki and explains the Osaka motto kuidaore.
  • 01:04:00 John meets Kevin Reilly in the Sonezaki neighborhood.
  • 02:52:00 Arrival at Tosa Shimizu World, a Kochi-themed restaurant.
  • 03:51:00 Tour of the interior featuring koi nobori (carp streamers).
  • 05:00:00 Explanation of katsubushi (dried bonito flakes) and how it "dances" on food.
  • 08:29:00 Kevin describes the straw-fire method for making tataki.
  • 11:41:00 Tour of the sake refrigeration unit filled with Kochi brews.
  • 14:10:00 Discussion on yuzu kosho and karaage pairings.
  • 18:44:00 John recalls seeing mambo (ocean sunfish) in Kochi.
  • 24:09:00 Final details on the November 12th free lunch event.
  • 28:18:00 Explanation of Japanese prefectures vs. US states.

Timeline / Chapters

  • 00:00 - Introduction at Osaka Station
  • 01:04 - Meeting Kevin Reilly in Sonezaki
  • 02:52 - Arriving at Tosa Shimizu World Restaurant
  • 03:38 - Interior Tour: Koi Nobori and Producer Photos
  • 05:35 - Map Discussion: Osaka to Kochi Travel
  • 07:01 - Kitchen Tour and Tataki Preparation
  • 11:38 - Sake Cellar and Kochi Alcohol Culture
  • 13:20 - Menu Review: Fish and Condiments
  • 20:28 - Tosa Maki and Regional Connections
  • 24:09 - Event Invitation Details (November 12th)
  • 28:18 - Q&A: Prefectures and Travel Logistics
  • 30:35 - Closing and Departure

Japan Travel Tips

  • Event Invitation: Viewers living in the Kansai region (Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara) are invited to a free lunch event on November 12th at Tosa Shimizu World. Registration is via a link in the video description.
  • Kochi Travel: To visit Tosa Shimizu in Kochi Prefecture, it is easiest to fly into Kochi City or rent a car from Kansai Airport (Osaka). The drive from Osaka takes 4–5 hours to Kochi City, plus another 3 hours to Tosa Shimizu.
  • Dining: Katsuo tataki is a signature dish of Kochi. Look for restaurants that sear the fish with straw for authentic flavor.
  • Transport: Renting a car is recommended for exploring Kochi Prefecture as local roads can be long and scenic. Parking in Osaka city centers is expensive; renting only when needed is cost-effective.
  • Etiquette: Masks are required during the event and while traveling. The event aims to keep numbers manageable (around 30 people) for safety.

Japanese Language & Culture Notes

  • Kuidaore (eat until you explode): The famous Osaka motto encouraging people to spend money on food and enjoy life.
  • Shotengai (covered shopping arcade): Traditional shopping streets found in neighborhoods like Sonezaki, often leading to major stations.
  • Koi Nobori (carp streamers): Traditionally flown in May for Children's Day. The restaurant uses them as decor, swaying with the air conditioning.
  • Tataki: A cooking method where fish (usually bonito) is lightly seared on the outside with straw fire, leaving the inside raw.
  • Prefecture vs. State: John explains that a Japanese prefecture is somewhere between a US county and state in terms of autonomy. Governors have power over local emergencies and tourism.
  • Nijikai (second party): An after-party, often held at a convenience store or izakaya after the main event.

Food & Drink Guide

  • Katsuo Tataki (Seared Bonito): 03:04. The star dish of Kochi. Seared with straw, smoky outside, raw inside. John calls it the best he's ever had.
  • Katsubushi/Sodabushi (Dried Bonito Flakes): 05:00. Hard dried fish flakes that "dance" when placed on hot food like okonomiyaki.
  • Yuzu Kosho (Yuzu Pepper Paste): 14:10. John's favorite condiment. Citrusy and spicy. Great with karaage or in dressings.
  • Kochi Sake: 11:41. Kochi is famous for sake culture. The restaurant stocks many local brands.
  • Nodoguro (Blackthroat Seaperch): 17:38. A premium fish mentioned on the menu.
  • Tosa Maki (Tosa Roll): 20:42. A sushi roll filled with katsuo instead of the usual tuna (tekka maki).
  • Mambo (Ocean Sunfish): 18:44. A bizarre-looking fish often served deep-fried in Kochi.

People

  • John Daub: Host of Only in Japan Go. He organizes the event and guides the tour.
  • Kevin Reilly: John's friend and fellow creator (Kuma's Kitchen). He joins the tour, shares cooking insights, and will help host the event.
  • Kawabata-san: The manager of Tosa Shimizu World. He allows John and Kevin to tour the closed restaurant and kitchen.

Key Takeaways

  • Community Event: A free lunch event is being held for Kansai residents to celebrate Kochi cuisine and reconnect after pandemic restrictions.
  • Regional Cuisine: Kochi Prefecture offers unique food culture distinct from Osaka, particularly tataki and yuzu kosho.
  • Travel Connection: There is a strong economic and cultural link between Osaka and Kochi, facilitated by the Kochi Governor's Osaka roots.
  • Safety First: The event plans for November anticipate higher vaccination rates but will still maintain precautions like masking and limited capacity.

Notable Quotes

  • 00:28:00 "Whenever you get into Osaka, into the Kansai region, you got to eat. Kuidaore is the expression."
  • 05:00:00 "It's so thin it starts dancing around. What the heck is this? Oh, it's fish flakes."
  • 09:00:00 "I love this tataki because it's seared and smoky tasting on the outside and it's still warm."
  • 12:33:00 "I can imagine sitting here on the pier—nothing, just silence and water brushing up against the side."
  • 16:00:00 "I don't want to be leaving here on my own two feet—I want to be carted out."
  • 25:50:00 "Food always tastes better when someone else is paying for it."
  • 30:52:00 "It's about the adventure. It's not just about the meal."

Related Topics

  • Kochi Prefecture Travel Guide
  • Kuma's Kitchen (Kevin Reilly's Channel)
  • Osaka Food Culture (Kuidaore)
  • Japanese Sake Regions
  • Tataki Cooking Method

Search Tags

#only-in-japan-go #osaka #kochi #tataki #japanese-food #travel-event #kumas-kitchen #shikoku #kansai #sake #yuzu-kosho #restaurant-tour #japan-travel


Full Transcript

00:00:00 John Daub: Welcome to the city of Osaka! How you doing everybody? I just got off the train. Osaka Station is just in that direction. Walked here in only about 5 minutes. In this live stream I'm going to take you to a restaurant where we're holding an event. I'm inviting anybody living in the Kansai region to come join us.

00:00:28 John Daub: This walk is pretty interesting. I'm going to stop here. They have some taiyaki (fish-shaped waffle) action going on. Whenever you get into Osaka, into the Kansai region, you got to eat. Kuidaore (eat until you explode) is the expression. I'm supposed to meet somebody here who's going to help me with this live stream.

00:00:50 John Daub: Whoa, check it out up there. That's pretty cool. Somebody who knows a lot more about this area than I do. He's a man with a beard. He's not dangerous. Kevin Reilly. Long time no see.

00:01:04 Kevin Reilly: Yeah, it's been a while. Good to see you down here in Osaka.

00:01:08 John Daub: Yeah, how's it been hanging down here? Pretty good?

00:01:11 Kevin Reilly: Yeah, pretty good. Same as ever.

00:01:13 John Daub: I think it's been a couple months since I've been able to come down here. We are masked for your protection too. You don't want to know what's underneath. Now this area, what's this place called? This part of Osaka. Is this Umeda?

00:01:28 Kevin Reilly: Well, it's just south of Umeda. It's called Sonezaki.

00:01:32 John Daub: Sonezaki. Interesting. There's a lot of little stores and stuff, little restaurants. You can buy things all down the street. Wow, there's a shotengai (covered shopping arcade) here. Will this take you all the way to Osaka Station?

00:01:45 Kevin Reilly: Yes, it will take you up there, close to it. Then you just gotta cross the street.

00:01:50 John Daub: Interesting. I see Vaughn is here. Glad to see Kevin. Exploding in the trunk isn't a great idea, right then Chan. Hal Faye is here, the king of Osaka. You know what? I have to call this guy whenever I come down to this part of the world. What is it? What is here? There's a small shrine in here. So maybe we can check this out a little bit later.

00:02:16 Kevin Reilly: Sure.

00:02:17 John Daub: You know the thing with Osaka is everywhere you go there's a little corner you'll find with something interesting.

00:02:23 Kevin Reilly: Oh yeah, definitely. Little hidden pockets everywhere.

00:02:27 John Daub: So this is where we're going to be eating. There's a link in the description where you can sign up if you're living in the Kansai region—in Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, somewhere around here. You can join us for a free lunch with Kevin and John. This is going to be a lot of fun. November 12th is the date. I'll tell you more about it inside the restaurant, which is where we are right now.

00:02:52 John Daub: There it is. This is Tosa Shimizu World. It's a Kochi-themed restaurant in Osaka, a real treat because this means tataki (lightly seared bonito).

00:03:04 Kevin Reilly: You've had tataki, right?

00:03:06 John Daub: Me? Yeah. I've eaten here. It's fantastic. Best tataki I've ever had actually.

00:03:11 Kevin Reilly: So the restaurant is closed right now because of the pandemic, state of emergency. Yeah, they can't open. But the manager is here to give us a quick look around. And again, this is an invitation for all of you.

00:03:25 John Daub: Welcome to the restaurant. We're going to be here on November 12th. I'm pretty excited about that.

00:03:31 Kevin Reilly: I'm very excited. Because by then Japan should be pretty much fully vaccinated and ready for some action.

00:03:38 John Daub: Welcome. And this is the restaurant, what it looks like inside. It's absolutely beautiful. The first thing you notice when you come in—I look up and see these. Do you know what these are called, Kevin?

00:03:51 Kevin Reilly: Koi nobori (carp streamers).

00:03:53 John Daub: Koi nobori. Except for the different type of fish over there.

00:03:57 Kevin Reilly: Yeah, that's not a koi.

00:03:59 John Daub: These are used in the springtime, usually May, because it's quite windy. Kochi is very famous for koi nobori. When the air conditioning catches it right, it starts to sway a little bit, which is really cool. Looks like swimming.

00:04:14 Kevin Reilly: There's no food in here, so unfortunately we don't get a chance to eat any of it. But there are some cool features. One is these pictures on the wall. Who are they, Kevin?

00:04:25 John Daub: These would be all the local producers in Tosa Shimizu—like fishermen and people who make the katsubushi (dried bonito flakes), which is actually called sodabushi down there. It comes from a smaller fish. So these are all the people down in the Tosa Shimizu area of Kochi. This is a small area on the coast of Kochi.

00:04:46 John Daub: I'm going to show you on the map all the fishermen that bring the fish to the restaurant. Eventually it gets from them to us.

00:04:54 Kevin Reilly: Exactly. I like this one right here. That's the mascot for the sodabushi.

00:05:00 John Daub: If you guys have seen katsubushi, it's the dried bonito fish, then they slice it very thin and you get these little flakes. You have it on top of okonomiyaki and things like that. Really good. I remember the first time I had it—what is this thing? It was dancing on top of my food from the heat. It's so thin it starts dancing around. What the heck is this? Oh, it's fish flakes. Let's give it a try. Petrified fish, right? Katsuobushi. It's the hardest food in the world that you can eat.

00:05:30 Kevin Reilly: Oh yeah, I would never try to eat it in a chunk, not in its rock form.

00:05:35 John Daub: So I want to show you on the map here. Kochi Prefecture is on Shikoku Island, which looks like a mini Australia. This is Kochi City. Usually you fly in there, but in November we're taking a train here and then renting a car. To get to Tosa Shimizu you have to jump on the highway and go all the way down here.

00:05:58 Kevin Reilly: Wow, it's even further, right here.

00:06:01 John Daub: That's really far. So by car from Osaka it takes 4 or 5 hours to get to Kochi, but to Tosa Shimizu another 3 hours, and it's in the same prefecture, which is crazy because these local roads are so long, not as nice as scenic. So it's easier to come to this restaurant to eat the food of Tosa Shimizu. However, it's a very beautiful place. The pictures I've seen, I'm really looking forward to going down there because it is beautiful. Kochi Prefecture, the coastline in this area—very pristine. They don't get a lot of tourists, which means you pretty much have the whole location to yourself.

00:06:42 Kevin Reilly: Yeah.

00:06:43 John Daub: So a little bit of Japanese might help out. You can come here and eat. Here's the menu. Check this out. Before we look at the menu, don't you think we should go into the kitchen?

00:07:00 Kevin Reilly: Yeah.

00:07:01 John Daub: Yeah, the menu—we're going to study it with you in about 5 minutes. But first we're taking you into the kitchen and show you a little bit more of this restaurant. That's tataki. That's what I'm talking about right there. Oh, that is seared fish. It's one of my favorites. Oh, there's a good picture of tataki. That's what we're going to be having. So we're looking for 30 people to join us for a free lunch here.

00:07:29 Kevin Reilly: This is brought to you by Kochi Prefecture and Yamato Kokoro and Jarman International. All for free.

00:07:38 John Daub: That's going to be pretty cool. So we're going to have the seared fish, some sake, some chicken, some seafood, some love from Kevin Reilly.

00:07:48 Kevin Reilly: Yeah, let me tell you. I've eaten katsuo tataki many times here in Osaka. When I had this one from Kochi, wow. It's good, right? I was like, oh my god, it's even better.

00:08:00 John Daub: Yeah, it is fantastic. And they go to the kitchen there—you see, that's where they do it right there with straw. They make a fire with straw.

00:08:10 Kevin Reilly: All right, let's check it out. Well, we can't actually check it out—the restaurant is closed. Come down here for lunch.

00:08:17 John Daub: So this gentleman here is Kawabata-san, the manager of the restaurant. I'm really happy he let us take a look inside the kitchen. So tell us what you saw, Kevin, when you came here.

00:08:29 Kevin Reilly: Do you see the straw over here? Yeah. So the guy would throw handfuls of straw on here and it would flame up. And because with the custom of tataki, you just flame the outside a little bit. It's just the outside gets seared, but it's still raw. It is absolutely perfect. So that's what they were doing here—he was just flaming them over and then serving them right away to the customers.

00:09:00 John Daub: Oh yeah, I guess that's why it was so fantastic. Because I've had tataki from customers—we buy it and eat at home. But this, made and served to your table, it is absolutely perfect. I love this tataki because it's seared and smoky tasting on the outside and it's still warm. It's still like raw fish, like sashimi. But there's such a unique taste to it from the smoke in that straw. The best place to eat tataki is Kochi, but apparently this is really authentic here.

00:09:33 Kevin Reilly: So that's going to be pretty cool. Why don't you show us into the kitchen here?

00:09:38 John Daub: So the event—we're trying to get 30 people living in the Kansai region to come visit us. Again, we're doing breakfast and booze on November 12th? No—lunch and booze. You can get the form in the description of this video—there's a link you can click.

00:10:00 Kevin Reilly: Oh, okay. Kevin's already excited—he's looking at the kitchen.

00:10:05 John Daub: Yeah, we're trying to get you in the kitchen like this. Come on. I heard there's a chance you might be able to cook something, Kevin.

00:10:13 Kevin Reilly: Ooh! That would be fun.

00:10:15 John Daub: Look at his burning over there. By the way, we're going to be live streaming the event as well. Any of you who have seen my small burner in Kuma's Kitchen—this is pretty amazing.

00:10:27 Kevin Reilly: Yeah, that's a kitchen. You could do some real damage here. Make some magic. Lots of counter space.

00:10:35 John Daub: I love it. I would do damage here. Stay out of it. This is the view from the tataki pit. Well, maybe I could do this job! Maybe I could be the grass guy and put it in the burner. And serve 30 people out there. That's pretty cool.

00:10:53 Kevin Reilly: So there's a lot of space here, so we'll be able to fit in 30. I think you can fit about 50, but we want to keep the numbers down just because it's safer. Once again, by November, most people should—80% will be fully vaccinated by then, so events can be held a lot safer. But we're still taking precautions.

00:11:18 John Daub: I'm just excited because this will be the first event we've done in a very long time. And I'm so thankful to be working with Kochi Prefecture and Yamato Kokoro and Jarman International for this. Let's sit down and take a look at the menu here. Oh! This is where the booze is!

00:11:38 Kevin Reilly: This is the booze! We don't want to miss this.

00:11:41 John Daub: Yes! You cannot miss this! Check it out. So they still have the refrigeration. Is it cold?

00:11:47 Kevin Reilly: Oh yeah. This is the refrigeration. It's locked for a reason—probably to keep us out. But the sake goes pretty quickly here and there's a lot of it too. You can see up here on the walls.

00:12:00 John Daub: Yavon, don't touch. You mean don't drink. Check it out. Lots of different kinds of Japanese sake from Kochi. Kochi is very famous for its sake culture. And we're getting a chance to drink and try a lot of this.

00:12:15 Kevin Reilly: Actually some of these might not be Kochi.

00:12:17 John Daub: Oh no, it is. It's all Kochi. This is a umeshu (plum wine). That sounds pretty interesting.

00:12:24 Kevin Reilly: There's some really interesting—there's some good wine in Kochi too.

00:12:28 John Daub: Oh really? There's some not so great wine too.

00:12:31 Kevin Reilly: You have to be honest.

00:12:33 John Daub: Once again, this is pictures—a little bit of daily life from Tosa Shimizu. That's pretty cool. I love these places. There's nothing there. It's just so quiet. I can imagine sitting here on the pier—nothing, just silence and water brushing up against the side, the ropes, maybe a bell in the distance. I've been searching for that because I've been locked in for so long.

00:13:00 Kevin Reilly: I can imagine you driving one of those boats while I'm sitting back with a cold beer.

00:13:05 John Daub: Yeah, I will do it. I'll drive one of those boats. I'll name my boat Slice of Life. Oh, you know what? This is the new gimbal that I can extend. There you go. That's pretty cool.

00:13:20 John Daub: We're going to take a look at the menu now and explain a little bit about Kochi cuisine, some of the stuff they're going to be trying on November 12th. I guess we can go through the menu. First of all, what's top of the list here?

00:13:36 Kevin Reilly: Definitely the katsuo tataki.

00:13:38 John Daub: Yeah, the katsuo tataki. That is definitely a must-have. I can't recommend that enough. This stuff is delicious. I had this as a keishoku (set lunch). That was the main and then some other things to go with it. It was fantastic. I had a great lunch here—this was about two months ago. I'm really looking forward to it again.

00:14:04 Kevin Reilly: Yeah, so I guess you have a pretty good budget too. So it's going to be a lot of food.

00:14:10 John Daub: I think it's going to be a lot of food. Yuzu kosho (yuzu pepper paste) is very big as well. That's a condiment, but it's my favorite condiment in the entire world. They do have it on the menu here too. I'm thinking we might get some karaage (fried chicken) to share with the yuzu kosho. Karaage with yuzu kosho is mmm.

00:14:33 Kevin Reilly: Oh yeah, you can take the yuzu kosho, put it into salad dressings, into sauces, drizzle it on top. It is such a diverse condiment too.

00:14:43 John Daub: And of course I made a video on this going down to Kochi last year—I didn't want to come home. So everybody knows what yuzu is—a type of citrus. It's the most citrus of the citrus fruits because I've never had anything more sour. The farmer ripped open a piece of yuzu fruit and goes, oh go ahead, try it. And it was sour, man.

00:15:08 Kevin Reilly: Have you ever had it?

00:15:09 John Daub: I've never had it directly. No.

00:15:11 Kevin Reilly: You gotta do it. I want to see the face you make.

00:15:14 John Daub: Well, you can do it when we go down to Kochi because Kevin and I are going to be doing some live streams and maybe an episode down there for the main channel. And maybe you can do some Kuma's Kitchen and cook down there too. Between November 12th and 19th for a week we're going to be down in Kochi Prefecture.

00:15:36 John Daub: The sake that they have here on the menu, check this out. Boom. Kevin, why don't you hold that up.

00:15:43 Kevin Reilly: I'll try to do my best to explain it. That's all the sake. That's all the explanation I can do. I'm not a professional but I'm hoping we'll be able to try as many of these on November 12th as possible.

00:16:00 John Daub: And I don't want to be leaving here on my own two feet—I want to be carted out.

00:16:05 Kevin Reilly: I think we should bring up the fact that this is part of our contract. We get wheeled out.

00:16:11 John Daub: Yeah, it's part of the contract. We have a pact now. Happy Kuma, Kevin.

00:16:17 Kevin Reilly: Those look really good. Each one of these has—I never really focus on the price. You can't tell the taste based on price. Each one has its own characteristics and the price increase could be on the amount of time it takes, but that doesn't mean it's going to enhance the taste. Also popularity—so really popular sakes are going to be...

00:16:41 John Daub: Look, they have the—remember I took that in Shiga Prefecture? When you had the bandana on?

00:16:47 Kevin Reilly: Oh! See the little emojis there? Yeah.

00:16:50 John Daub: I could just see it. I wrote happy on it. Brighten people's days. No bandana today.

00:16:57 Kevin Reilly: Well, actually there is one on my back.

00:16:59 John Daub: Oh, there is? I've never traveled without a bandana. He's wearing fatigues as well. What do you have? Army shorts?

00:17:07 Kevin Reilly: Army shorts. I'll show it to you later.

00:17:10 John Daub: Some more of the food here. Hold up this menu. I'll see if I can describe some of this. We're talking about the fish here. The one that—the bonito fish or katsuo is the one that's going to be the most popular I think. Akabata-san, nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch). That fish, nodoguro—what do you call that fish? Katsuo, buri (yellowtail), and what else?

00:17:38 Kevin Reilly: Nodo kuro (blackthroat seaperch).

00:17:40 John Daub: Yeah. There's also another really famous fish. What is it? A famous fish from Kochi Prefecture. Well, if you want to find out what that fish is, you have to come here. Katsuo, buri, saba (mackerel), and tai (sea bream). There's one more. I can't remember. I don't know all the names of the fish. That's why. Nodo kuro.

00:18:05 Kevin Reilly: Akamutsu (rosy rockfish), yeah maybe. But there's another fish that I thought was really good.

00:18:11 John Daub: Don't ask me. I'm not a fish guy. I'm more of a wagyu chicken guy. Nodo kuro—you can't get nodo kuro in Kochi?

00:18:20 Kevin Reilly: Oh, you can't? Okay, no, they don't have that in Kochi. What they do have here is a lot of salads and other seafoods you're going to get a chance to try. It also depends on season—a lot of the foods are quite seasonal. And they even have shirako (cod milt), right? Shirako is good.

00:18:44 John Daub: There's mambo (ocean sunfish). That's a sunfish. I saw this when I was in—where was it? The most bizarre looking fish I've ever seen. Mambo is a very mysterious fish, right?

00:18:58 Kevin Reilly: Yes. It looks like...

00:19:00 John Daub: I don't know. I remember they caught it out and I go, what the heck is that fish? It's a salient fish to me. They don't have any mambo. We only have the mambo in deep-fried form. There was a picture of it. Oh, there it is. That's the mambo when it's been cut up. What does it look like raw? I think this is the fish shop I was at. Was it in Tosa Shimizu that I saw it? I went on my bicycle, a mamachari (shopping bike), a one-speed bicycle, and I rode around Shikoku.

00:19:38 Kevin Reilly: Why are you laughing? I rode a mamachari. It's not that funny. People do it, yeah, for long distances.

00:19:45 John Daub: And when I was down there, they had this fish that they brought in. It was kind of bloodied up, on the decks on the cement. And I said, what is that? And he said it's a mambo. And I searched it—they call it a sunfish. It's one of those fishes that look like it has a smile on it. You ever seen that one on Instagram?

00:20:08 Kevin Reilly: Yeah, it's a happy fish, but it wasn't at that time. It was more kind of on its way out.

00:20:13 John Daub: That's also here too. So that's going to be pretty cool. So this is a live stream. It's going to be on November 12th and you're all invited. Do you have anything else you want to add, Kevin? Something you want to tell the people?

00:20:28 Kevin Reilly: I think we basically covered all of it. One of the other things I really liked here was that also made with the katsuo was the fish that was in the fish tank—Tosa maki (Tosa roll).

00:20:42 John Daub: Oh yeah! Rolled sushi. Usually we have in Osaka tekka maki (tuna roll), which would have the maguro or tuna in here, right?

00:20:50 Kevin Reilly: Oh right! But this one here, the Tosa maki, actually had the katsuo. The katsuo is inside it.

00:20:56 John Daub: Yeah. It was really good. Oh, it is so good. I'm getting hungry right now. I wish the restaurant was open. The menu is beautiful too.

00:21:06 Kevin Reilly: One of the reasons why we're in Osaka is that the governor of Kochi right now is originally from Osaka.

00:21:13 John Daub: The governor is originally from Osaka. And he wants to—and I think it's an economically good idea to connect Kochi and Osaka both mentally and spiritually. So I think Kochi could really level up in business, in selling themselves. And Osaka is very good at it. So there's a lot of connection here. Also, to get to Kochi the most convenient international port is Osaka—Kansai Airport. Right? So the fact that Kochi's governor is originally from Osaka I think is a huge benefit to Kochi Prefecture.

00:21:50 Kevin Reilly: And I believe it's going to be October or November I'm also going to rent a car from Kansai Airport and drive to Kochi.

00:22:00 John Daub: I thought this would be a pretty cool idea. I've seen so much of Tokyo over the last year and a half. I haven't seen enough of Kansai and Shikoku. So I'm going to be swinging through here in November. In a convertible maybe.

00:22:15 Kevin Reilly: Ooh. That's challenging.

00:22:17 John Daub: I'll give Kevin Reilly a call too because anytime I'm in the area I get a call. So you've been in a convertible before I'm sure?

00:22:25 Kevin Reilly: I used to have a convertible. When I was in college. Mustang? Oh no. I had a British car. I had a Triumph TR250, which was kind of the year that you switched from TR4 to TR6. It had the 6 engine, looked like a 4. I loved it because people would think I had this little 4-banger engine in there and I would race them and beat them every time. They were fun. It was a great little car. 1967, the car itself was from already. So I had this list of things to fix on it. Every time I fixed one thing I'd add three more. And for fun it was just like, this is insane. I can never fix this car. The British didn't build that great a car back in the old days.

00:23:17 John Daub: Yeah, I never owned a car but Kevin apparently has a lot more experience than me in driving. But you don't have a car here right now do you?

00:23:26 Kevin Reilly: I don't have one now. I used to have a minivan here called Street. When I was building houses of course I needed all my tools and everything. But then I found that after that it was just not worth having one. I just rent a car when I need one now because parking is so expensive if you live in the city here that it's way cheaper for me to just go out and rent a car.

00:23:50 John Daub: Yeah, same here too. Because of the pandemic I've been trying to drive more so I'd be renting a car. Although I took the Shinkansen this morning—there were like three people on it. It was really good. And I'm heading back to Tokyo in about three or four hours.

00:24:09 John Daub: So this is important. I really want this to be a big success. If you are in Japan or in the Kansai region on November 12th, there's a link in the description. Please join us for a free lunch here at this restaurant. Kevin is going to cook for us maybe something special. Or at least pour—I'll be pouring some booze. I'll pour the sake. And we're going to see a show with the fire in the background. And I'll be live streaming here. So if you can't make it you still will be here because I'm going to be live streaming it with you on this channel.

00:24:48 John Daub: Any questions? Free lunch. I know. November 12th is the day. And we should be in a better situation. I got my fingers crossed for having some kind of an event. He has amazing recipes. Please do check out his channel called Kuma's Kitchen. Kevin is cooking non-stop.

00:25:12 Kevin Reilly: Yeah, there's going to be another one coming out in a couple hours. What time is it?

00:25:17 John Daub: Oh really? What is it? 4 o'clock in the afternoon. What's the theme?

00:25:21 Kevin Reilly: This is kind of semi Tex-Mex in a way. Tex-Mex! But in a salad form. That's all the hints I can give you.

00:25:30 John Daub: Who's paying? Kochi Prefecture is paying I believe. And Jarman International and Yamato Kokoro also paying. So we have three that we want to thank for making this event possible. I'm not paying. We're eating for free. Come join us.

00:25:47 Kevin Reilly: We're eating for free. Come join us.

00:25:50 John Daub: Yeah, come join us. We're eating for free. We're going to pick up the bill so you don't have to pay. But it will be nice to see some of you living in the Kansai region—definitely fill out that form. It's pretty basic. There's even a trick question that Kevin asks at the end. The answer is Tokyo. Just so you know.

00:26:13 Kevin Reilly: Definitely not.

00:26:14 John Daub: You'll see. There are hints besides following hints. I know it's on a Friday. It's also a weekday. So I'm hoping some of you that might be able to work from home might want to come. Food always tastes better when someone else is paying for it. Nathan writes in 100 people show up. Hey, if 100 people show up I'll be very happy. Although you need to have an invitation. We want to keep it manageable. But if 100 people showed up I would be 100% happy. We'd just all sit on the street. Does the convenience store across the street—you can get a beer and wait for us for the nijikai (second party). There will be some sake and some celebration.

00:27:00 John Daub: Because I think by the time this event rolls around we're going to be in a lot better situation with the pandemic. Probably talking more about travel returning to Japan, although with precautions like wearing masks and things like this. We've been wearing these for a long time.

00:27:20 Kevin Reilly: Yeah, we've been wearing these for a long time.

00:27:23 John Daub: So somebody just asked—would they pay for the airfare too? To come over here. No, airfare is not included. Unless Kevin's paying.

00:27:34 Kevin Reilly: No no no. Come on, Kevin. Maybe we could talk real nicely to the organizers. Right? And then you can get paid. Give a good reason. Maybe. You're a VIP, right?

00:27:48 John Daub: Yeah, you all are VIPs. Airfare is not included. So if you have any questions you can leave them in the comments below. Also hit us up on Discord. The Discord server. We'll be discussing this over the next couple months. And if you have any questions at any time please send us an email. We're very accessible on our websites, as well as on Instagram and Facebook and all the other social medias.

00:28:18 John Daub: Thanks everybody for watching. Somebody asked—is a prefecture in Japan like a state in the United States?

00:28:26 Kevin Reilly: Oh yeah. I guess in a way yeah. I always equate it more to a canton in Switzerland. But you know, it's a division. They are self-governing but on the other hand I think we're not as autonomous as states are in the United States. In the US states have a lot more control away from the national.

00:28:50 John Daub: I remember reading about this a long time ago. I might be wrong. But whereas here in Japan really we're more under one national laws and rules. But for small things like states of emergency—that is set up by the individual prefecture. Governors do have some power, especially when it comes to tourism and business, commerce, trying to grow the business in the prefectures. That's very important. I think state would be easier to say. Prefecture is just such a long word. But I think a lot of you know about it. It's very important. Somewhere between a county and a state maybe. We have counties in the United States. Each state has counties. So a prefecture is sort of like a county but it has more power than a county. Think of our size basically. Think of us being a state and each prefecture being a county.

00:29:50 John Daub: Anybody in Tokyo is welcome to join. You don't have to live just in the Kansai region. You can come from anywhere to join us. We'll have lunch. I'll feel bad a little bit if you jumped on the Shinkansen and traveled for three hours to meet us. But I would be very happy too. You get to say hi to both of us and enjoy a couple drinks. That'll be a lot of fun. We'll be here on November 12th. Again, if you have any questions, leave them in the comments below. You can send us emails on Discord and through other social media if you want to talk a little bit more about this too. We'll be talking about it on Discord as well.

00:30:35 John Daub: Thanks everybody for watching. Kevin and I might do another livestream later today. I don't know. I got a couple hours here before I go back to Tokyo. $300 train ride for $30 lunch. What a deal.

00:30:52 Kevin Reilly: Hey, it's about the adventure. It's not just about the meal.

00:30:56 John Daub: Yeah, there we go. Traveling in itself is an adventure. He's coming down from Tokyo. Me, I've got like a 20-minute train ride.

00:31:06 Kevin Reilly: You've got a 20-minute?

00:31:07 John Daub: Yeah. How long would it be to walk it here? Like an hour?

00:31:11 Kevin Reilly: Probably less than an hour.

00:31:13 John Daub: Walking here so you can crawl back home? Well, it's good to see you all too. Click that like button. Leave me any comments below if you have any questions. We'll see you again really soon. Alright, see you all.

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