April 30, 2022 (I edited the date. This was in April not May)

I visited my doctor at Yokosuka yesterday. I thought that it would be my last visit, but I was wrong. At first, he said that it was looking good but that it will take longer to completely heal. There was a callus (胼胝 - callus, corn) on the area where I had the surgery. While trimming the callus, he noticed a “blood blister” (血性水疱 - Chi-sei suihō). While he was cleaning the blister, he saw some pus which meant there was a small infection. He dug deep into the skin to clean it out. Now I have two holes in my foot. Nick must help me change the dressing every day. (“Dressing” in this case means “bandages.”) I have to go back to Yokosuka on next Wednesday. (Nick will teach my Kabe class on that day.) I am guessing that I will have to go back to Yokosuka at least two more times. I must be a patient patient. Someday my foot will be one hundred percent ok.

I will get my second COVID booster shot, a.k.a. my fourth vaccination, on May 19. I am really hoping that life will get back to normal soon.

Spicy fish egg theme park opens newest location in Gunma Prefecture.

There’s something fishy about this place…

Kanefuku Mentai Park celebrates the spicy pollock roe called mentaiko. These parks have actually been around for a while now, and have recently opened their sixth location, Mentai Park Gunma.

The first Mentai Park was opened in Oarai City, Ibaraki Prefecture in 2009 by Fukuoka-based mentaiko producer Kanefuku and currently draws in over one million visitors annually. It was followed by Mentai Park Tokoname, Mentai Park Kobe Mita, Mentai Park Izu, and Mentai Park Biwako.

Mentai Park Gunma offers fun for all ages in the form of mentaiko and nothing else! Admission is free and guests enter on the first floor where they’re greeted by Dr. Tarakon who explains the history and other fun facts about spicy cod roe in the red polka-dot laden corridors of Tsubu-Tsubu Land.

This section is filled with interactive exhibits and there is also a window that looks right into an actual mentaiko packaging room so you can see first-hand how it gets weighed, sorted, and put into boxes. And because of this it is possible to buy mentaiko with the freshest possible quality, because it’s bought right from the factory and no freezing is necessary. These foods can be enjoyed in the dining area on the second floor which also has a kids’ play area. Children can spend time on the Tarapiyo Jumbo Slide, trampoline, and climbing wall while mom and dad relax with a nice spicy fish-flavored ice cream cone.