Yatai Sushi, Wagga Wagga

Dropped off the boy at his hobby club this morning and then I headed off to do some shopping in the mall. The boy needed more winter socks on the account of "Furkid, the socks destroyer"! Whilst at the mall, I decided to try out this new Japanese sushi train place in Sturt Mall, Wagga Wagga. It's called Yatai Sushi. For Wagga residents, this used to be the newsagent shop in the mall.

I was early, there was only a handful of people at the sushi bar.  It got crowded soon after though. I was amazed with the full seating, I didn't think that Wagga people was adventurous enough to try sushi and sashimi. I was thinking that "Zen Teppanyaki" of Baylis Street, used to be empty all the time, and that was why it closed down because there was no market for Japanese foods in Wagga. Boy! Was I wrong! This place got filled up fast and there were people waiting to be seated.

Of course I had to order a bento lunch and try some sushi rolls as well. I am giving the Bento box THE THUMBS UPS because the Teriyaki chicken was delicious, very tasty and my prawns tempura was freshly cooked!

For those that do not care for the sushi train, there are choices of ramen, udon noodles and bento boxes available from the menu. You don't have to sit by the sushi train bar, there are tables and chairs available inside the restaurant.

Yes, I can easily recommend this place for a quick Japanese meal. It is very affordable, my bento box was $16.80 and the sushi plates varies from $3.50 to $5.00. Japanese green tea was $3.50 for a teapot. It's open 7 days a week and I am already a big fan!

More info on Yatai Sushi

Taekwondowon, Muju

Our next stop was Taekwondowon at Muju. We left Suwon in the evening to arrive into the night at Muju. Dinner was a simple affair and a quick one, we soon checked into our accommodation at Taekwondowon. My first impression was that, the grounds looks like a University campus, it has building blocks with school halls, dining area, administration office and rooms for boarding students.

We got given our room key and headed straight to bed as it was getting late. The rooms were like a hotel room with private en suite, a large flat screen telly and there was a modem for wifi hotspot. My room has a balcony that opens up to view the mountain behind us.

In the morning, straight after breakfast, we boarded the campus bus to head up to the Observatory for a photo session. The group hiked up to the top. I stayed behind on lower ground. The hike was too steep and taxing on me. I was very disappointed with myself for failing the hike, and that the funicular car was not operating that day. I would have love to get that shot from the stop. Just to give an idea of the place we visited, here is their promotional video from YouTube channel. Hours and operation are on this link http://tkdwon.kr/eng/

We were invited to view the Taekwondo performance after our photo session. It was heart stopping and mesmerizing! It was such an incredible performance. I got a bit teary eyed! I have never experienced such intense pride and happiness till now. I am not Korean, but at that precise moment, I wanted to be one after witnessing such passion and pride in the moving performance. This is an experience not to be missed if you are visiting Korea.

After Muju, we ate an epic Bibimbap lunch in Jeonju. We also stopped in Gwangju, to make our own traditional writing papers and made our own Korean crafts. We continued on to Juknokwon, to the Damyang Bamboo Forest. That place reminds me of Sagano Bamboo Forest in Kyoto. Till my next post, Kimchiiiiiiiiiiii!! Keep smiling!