A trip to Sakurajima encapsulated what I want to do with my life.

After my freedom post on it went viral, a friend privately messaged me to urge me to buy Sakurajima mikan. THEY ARE IN SEASON! she shrieked in all caps.

Normally, I wouldn’t bother to buy fresh fruits or vegetables because such a hassle. But her appeal came to mind when I was waiting to pay for more souvenirs at an onsen. I saw these oranges and relented. I picked them up and added them to my overflowing hands.

Just then, two Korean tourists asked the receptionist something about the mikan. He was busy, so I intervened helpfully. “They are in season,” I basically parroted what my friend had told me mere minutes earlier.

I just hope to manoeuvre myself into a position so that I can learn about foreign cultures and inform outsiders about what I have learnt.

So what have I learnt so far? Prior to coming to Kagoshima, I had learnt from watching “Kenmin Show” that only in Kagoshima do the Japanese eat shabu shabu with kurobuta (black pork) and dashi (soup stock). Other Japanese people typically use beef for shabu shabu instead. My stay in Kagoshima might have been brief, but I appreciated how I acquired a first-hand experience of Kagoshima natives’ unique shabu shabu practice. Oishiiiii desu!