by Nathan Ung
A common question I get asked is, “Is there anything to do in your area?”
And the answer is there’s plenty to do around Kurotaki. There’s a local diner called Aki-chan, which according to everyone around, sells the best karaage, which I agree too, among many other foods such as katsudon (my students recommend this). Nearby is the local river that many people go for swimming and relaxing, and the area gets packed during the summer, especially for camping.
30 minutes from Kurotaki is Shimoichi, which has my favorite café, Café Pickles. It’s a nice cozy place that serves some of the best food and coffee I’ve had in Nara, with eggplant pasta being my favorite. The owners are very kind too, having casual talk with me or even asking me to help with English pronunciation for karaoke songs. That was an unexpected experience.
Shimoichi also has the best commodity for travelers too, a parking lot that costs 300 yen to enter, and you can leave your car there however long after the initial entry fee, which I’ve done for days at a time when traveling inside and outside Nara Prefecture. The distance and relative inconveniences of being in Inaka initially made me panic, but a combination of exploring and meeting so many kind people around me lets me enjoy my time here.
I hope you can make the trip to visit Kurotaki!
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