Why Didn't Anybody Warn Us About The Lava Balls? by Sam & Grant

Grant: This story takes place close to the end of our big journey. It’s late November and we had spent the past week traveling around South Korea. When we left Seoul and flew back into Tokyo, it felt almost like returning home. We knew the customs, we missed the little comforts, and we were thrilled to be back. That is, until we saw the enormous customs line wrapping around the hall. Once we were finally through, I saw something that stopped me in my tracks: a Lawson convenience store tucked into the corner of the airport tunnel. I dropped my bags and ran inside. I grabbed my go-to peach water and my favorite gum, “Black Black” which has the mintiest flavor of all time. That Lawson stop was our “welcome back” moment.

Sam: Landing back in Japan really did feel good. By then, the language, the food, and even the flow of the train stations had become familiar. Korea had been beautiful and exciting, but Japan felt comfortable. We caught a Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo Station toward Niigata as the sun was setting, filling the sky with vibrant colors. And then we saw it—Mount Fuji! Huge and unmistakable in the distance. We hadn’t seen it from Tokyo yet, so seeing that view from the train was unreal.

Mount Fuji!

Grant: The ride flew by—two hours too fast—since we were exhausted after a 4am wake-up in Seoul and were trying to sleep on the train. When the announcement came that we’d arrived in Niigata, we grabbed our luggage and stumbled into the station. It had just begun pouring rain—because that’s just our luck—and we navigated big suitcases and umbrellas until we finally made it to the rental car office. The clerk didn’t speak much English, but by this point, I was a pro at renting cars. Soon after, we had the keys and were cramming our bags into the trunk.

Sam: By then, we were starving. Niigata’s specialty is cold soba noodles, so that’s what we went hunting for. We ended up in a downtown restaurant, eating noodles dipped in chilled broth. It felt strange but was surprisingly refreshing. Outside, downtown Niigata had so much more life than we expected. Music spilled from alleyways, neon signs glowed, and young people were hanging out on street corners. Oh also, it was cold. It was SO cold. I was wearing 3 sweaters and a fuzzy jacket with two pairs of pants, and ear muffs, and I was STILL cold. It was in the low 40’s. This region sees heavy snow in the winter, so it makes sense that the late November weather felt colder than what we were used to. We were standing on a street corner waiting to cross when I snapped a photo of a group of guys our age that were standing across the street. They noticed that I took it and posed, so I took another one and we all laughed. We were crossing the street when two of the guys from my photo stopped us.

Grant: “What are you doing in Niigata! Where are you from?” they asked excitedly. When we told them America, they lit up. Then, one of them held out a toothpick skewering a ball of takoyaki—octopus wrapped in batter. A kind gesture, but what I didn’t realize was that they had literally just bought them. But you can’t say no to free takoyaki, so we accepted the offer. The second I bit in, molten lava filled my mouth. It took everything in me to keep the conversation going without making a scene.

Sam: Then they turned to me and offered me one. Nothing could have prepared me for just HOW hot this thing was. At first, I thought I was fine, but the moment I bit in, alarms went off in my brain. It was so hot. My eyes started watering as I tried to blow air out of my mouth while trying to keep the takoyaki ball from touching any more of my mouth than it already had. I wasn’t having much success. Meanwhile, Grant was doing a much better job of pretending like he wasn’t in pain. They were asking us about our trip, and all I could focus on was cooling down my mouth. Eventually, the guys noticed me losing it and laughed, agreeing they’re always that hot. All I could get out was a weak, “Yeah.”

Grant: When I finally managed to gulp down that ball of fire, I pulled out my camera and snapped a photo of them—smiling, holding their steaming takoyaki. And honestly, it was perfect! Exactly the kind of unexpected, hilarious memory you don’t plan for, but never forget.

Da Boys!

Thanks For Reading.

-S & G