Scenic Berumonta Train, Eating Eel Bones, & Mister Donuts Truth

Rambling Ramsbothams

We got to ride the Berumonta, a scenic train in Toyama Prefecture! This train has a sushi chef on board, you can get sake delivered to your seat, and there are even local fans that wait along the line to wave as it goes by.
Here’s more info about the train: http://berumonta.jp/
You can reserve seats for this train by asking at any green JR ticket station window!
English info about the train here: https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/train/berumonta/
We also talk about the origins of Mister Donuts, the beloved chain in Japan, thanks to a correction from a listener email!
Finally, we’ll talk about eating eel bones, the mountain town of Johana, and what makes a ramen shop “welcoming to women” according to this article: https://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Life/Japan-sees-rise-of-ramen-girls
note about eels - We actually didn’t know until researching this afterwards, but Unagi (freshwater eel) was added to the list of endagered species in 2014 because of overfishing. Since eel is a staple of Japanese food we didn’t realize. Unagi numbers have been recovering over the past decade since a permit system was introduced to eel farmers, limiting breeding and reducing the volume of catches made allowed. However, the ethical issues of eating eel are something we’ll be aware of for the future, and think of this more as a rare delicacy rather than just another fish on the menu.

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