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Nattou is eaten everyday all over Japan.
So naturally someone like me who likes Japan is interested in Nattou.
But the first time I heard about Nattou
I didn't know anything about it at all.
It was Summer break of 2005.
Just before then I graduated high school,
and was finally able to take my first Japanese Class
One day in the middle of class a class mate asked the teacher about Nattou.
Sensei explained it and said "Most foreigners can't eat Nattou".
I thought to myself "I have to try eating that!!!!"
One can obviously buy Nattou in America
but I wanted to try my first Nattou in Japan.
Three years passed between that day and the day I would eat Nattou.
During that time I heard a lot of things about Nattou
from people studying Japanese.
For example, "the stench of Nattou is so strong that you will faint!"
or, "if you eat Nattou and Kimchi in the same day you will die!"
or, "Japanese people use Nattou to play tricks on foreigners!"
Of course, I couldn't believe such rumors
but when the day came for me to try Nattou
I regretfully remembered those rumors.
Breakfast at the Super Hotel in Osaka was free
and the night before I asked the front desk clerk
so I knew that they would have Nattou
After I woke up, I went straight to the cafeteria
And with that, that very morning I met my long awaited opponent.
I found the Nattou and grabbed it.
I bought a bottle each of water and juice,
and then sat to the right of a guy that looked like a Salary-Man
The man said with a smile "You like Nattou?"
I said "This is my first"
Upon hearing this the man laughed.
I didn't know why he was laughing
but before I knew it he was teaching me how to eat Nattou
Just as I expected, the smell was really strong,
and the texture of the beans was unlike that of anything I had eaten before.
But I did my best, and ate it all.
Truthfully, the taste was actually pretty good
but getting used to the smell and the texture would take some time and determination.
In this way I think that getting used to Nattou is a lot like studying Japanese.
Like Nattou, Japanese has various obstacles.
And if you want to be able to speak Japanese and eat Nattou
you're going to have to exert some effort.
Thank you for listening quietely!