are you getting full yet?

We were. We tried but just couldn't eat the last few pieces. My heart broke a little bit at this point.

But then we kept going. Eighth course: enormous shrimp and mushrooms coated in panko and deep fried.

At this point Miwa gave up and resigned herself to sipping some green tea. I was busy mooching beer off our neighbors and gearing up for course number nine: the largest and sweetest piece of barbecued unagi ever. Seriously, I think it must have been 5 inches long.

There was still the spicy tuna to be had, and the salmon skin, and the grilled squid, and those yaki onigiri they only serve after 10pm... but it had been three hours, and it was time to throw in the towel until next time. Tenth course: fish-shaped pastry filled with red bean paste and vanilla ice cream. Oof.