food in japan

ok, so i am naturally a picky eater. i don't like my food to touch and i eat one thing at a time. but i travel a lot and i am willing to try most things. once. but dear god some of the stuff in japan was a stretch. my gag reflex kicked in before i even put it in my mouth.

for example: fish worms (small pink things that look like worms with eyes but everyone insists are fish)

green jello with fish in it.

lobster mousse

why is the question i keep asking. no longer do i ask what i am eating. i am now concerned with question why is anyone eating it. at one point i was offered a plate which contained what appeared to be a fish. in actuality it was only fish skin and bones. all the meat was removed and then the skin and bones were fried, intact, and served with the eyes. think of it as a cross between beef jerky and fried pig skin (neither of which i eat).

i should say that the beef was really good and i ate that whenever i could. i even ate tongue which had a pretty good flavor but was kind of tough. but on the whole i was starving. thank god there is a 7/11 in tokyo.