Recently, during the Golden Week holidays, I often visit my relatives in Utashinai. This time, we all decided to go out for yakiniku and ended up at a yakiniku restaurant called "Takimoto" in Mojiri, Akadaira. This town used to thrive as a coal mining town, but this place is known for its delicious horumon (offal). There were a total of 9 of us, so we had the private room in the back all to ourselves. Among the dishes we tried, some of the standout ones were: - Horumon: It was reasonably thick and had no peculiar smell. You could eat as much as you wanted, especially when dipped in the sauce with added condiments for depth of flavor. - Jidori Karaage (Zangi): Although it was listed as "young chicken karaage" on the menu, Zangi felt more appropriate. The salt-based seasoning made it very juicy and perfectly flavorful. This was really delicious and highly recommended. - Kalbi: The appearance of the meat was not something you see often, but it lacked the greasiness typical of kalbi, allowing the natural flavor of the meat to shine through. This type of kalbi is definitely worth trying. I didn't include a picture, but the kimchi was also very easy to eat, with a mild acidity suitable for Japanese tastes. The standout dish this time was definitely the Jidori Karaage (Zangi), but when it comes to yakiniku, the horumon steals the show. Once again, we were treated to a feast by the kind couple from Utashinai. Thank you very much!

I went to a yakiniku restaurant in Shimojiri with my coworkers. This place is run by a butcher, and the menu has a variety of options, but the hormone (offal) is really delicious! It's so tender!! I wanted to buy some to take home!! They also serve "gangang nabe" here, which is a lighter version with no strong hormone smell, like a hormone version of pork miso soup, and it's easy to eat and delicious! It seems that there is a custom of eating hormone often in the coal mining town of Sorachi, so I'm sure that's why such delicious hormone is produced there... It's not very cheap, but it's a restaurant I want to visit again and again!