JO-JO-EN

We were eating yakiniku (at upscale Jojo-en in Ginza) with our also recently married friends, Lewis and Akiko in Tokyo. It dawned upon me that I had no idea how sesame seeds came to be, which really bothered me considering we eat it practically every day here!

Luckily that fleeting thought about sesame seeds lingered in my brain and today I remembered to Google it! Sesame seeds grow on stalks like this and the sesame seeds remain in a pod until maturity, at which point the pod bursts, hence the idiom, "open sesame!"

Oh, as for the yakiniku (BBQed meat and seafood), it was scrumpdiddlumpcious!!! Really fresh and tasty, especially the tender kalbi!!! The meat and seafood was loaded up with so much garlic that much remained in our breath even the next day! Phew, talk about potent stuff. I highly recommend JoJoEn, especially if treating out of towners...however, one caveat: it is a little pricey compared to your average BBQ place.