マルちゃんの初めてのお散歩
With all of Maru's puppy shots completed, we're now able to take her our for walks without worrying about her getting ill. Ironically, our first time taking her out for this walk, Sachi and I caught a cold that had us sick in bed for 3 days.
Being cooped up in her cage for most of the day and night, you'd expect her to be going wild running around the house when we let her out. At barely 5 months, she's still got that puppy energy that drives her to snarl and gnaw while running around in circles. It's our obligation to let her release that energy during walks as much as possible.
Along the way, it's common to see packs of shibas, of all shapes and sizes. This one particular back road towards the castle was busy with shiba owners walking their dogs. It was like the golden hour to walk your dog and everyone is very friendly and approachable. They say that dogs are a representation of their owners and I definitely saw resemblances that day.
Here is the first shiba we encountered, a full grown female around 5 years of age. The owner of this dog told us that there are different types of shiba based on their region of origin. This dog in particular, is from the south western region of Japan, her legs are shorter than and her coat is thinner than Maru's coat. This is because of the weather and terrain of this region, her coat and height are adapted to the conditions.
Surprisingly, we found out that Maru is actually a breed from the northern part of Japan. Although she was bred from a local shiba breeder near Himeji, her long legs and double thick coat prove that she was born to withstand colder weather and elevated terrains.
As we departed from "Shibaville," we made our journey around the Himeji castle to look for some grub. The wind was getting chilly and stinging our faces so we let Maru sniff out some good eats, she's not picky so we were hoping for something edible for humans.
The south western view of Himeji from the castle gates
Not too far from the castle entrance, we spotted a small burger/bakery cafe tucked away in a little alley way. My favorite places to try are usually ones with personality and this place not only lured me in by the smell of beef patties and fresh baked bread, but the exterior and lighting also caught my eye. Small space, big impact.
It wouldn't be hard to miss even though their sign could easily be lost amongst the other street vendors, the aromas alone will get your attention right away. I realized why I was so attracted to this exterior, it gives you a sense of adventure, that you've stumbled upon a hidden gem. Sure you can go to Mos Burger and get a hamburger for 3 bucks cheaper, but you'll find one of those every few blocks.
The owner of the place actually lived and had business in Arizona so I understood how he came across some of his exterior pieces. One piece in particular that I was envious of was this door, the scuffed paint accents really give this door character and contrast well with the wooden palettes on the facade of the shop.
After waiting patiently in the cold for 15 minutes for our burgers to grill and our buns to bake, we were finally grubbing on what tasted like a burger you could get for 15 bucks at a gastropub in America. Tears of joy, I've been craving American gastropub food and this was pretty close to the size, presence and flavor of an American burger. Only thing it was missing was a nice hoppy IPA to wash it all down.
Thanks to Maru's nose we found this awesome burger stand we could come to whenever we missed food back in America. Next time I'll make sure to bring my own brew.
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