Aki said she wanted to show me something. Wonder what it is.
We have exams starting the day after tomorrow.
I have to get home.
It's cold, so I wanted to see what it's like...
But it's still cold in here, too.
Maybe if I move around and heat it up with friction...
Aki, are you here?
There's a wriggling caterpillar here.
Ow, ow, ow...
Episode 8 Exams, Caribou, Steamed Buns, Yum!
What are you doing?
And what did you want to show me?
I've been waiting for you, Inuko.
Behold!
Bam!
What do you mean, "bam"? I was watching you set up the whole time.
A mini table, wooden utensils, and a skillet, huh?
What's all this about?
Remember how there were campers below us when we went last time?
Yeah, there were.
They were relaxing at a fancy table with fancy chairs, enjoying their time off.
Meanwhile, we were sitting on a tarp.
It's just too unfair!
Come on, we were having more fun than that.
So you tried setting up the whole kit, huh?
That's right!
Don't underestimate me, child!
That was an odd moment to snap at me.
But wouldn't all this cost seven or eight thousand yen?
Table: 470 yen
It didn't cost much when I bought it at the home improvement store over the weekend.
Placemat: 370 yen
Pot stand: 190 yen
Skillet: 460 yen
Wooden bowl: 700 yen
Fork, spoon, etc.: 90 yen
Total: 2,370 yen
That's it?!
Also, this is just a normal kitchen rack.
Oh, so it is.
Honestly,
with wooden dinnerware, an iron pan, and native-patterned cloths,
this is fancy camping.
You're not very particular, are you?
Also, meat tastes really good when it's cooked on a skillet.
"Want some meat?"
Who's that supposed to be?
Wait, where's Nadeshiko today?
Well, exams are coming up.
I'm going home to study, too.
Speak of the devil. It's Nadeshiko.
Aki-chan, I found a weird car!
This chicken's taking a walk.
Cat!
Pickup doggy!
Doggy! I'll never forget you!
By Tsunayoshi.
Go home and study, Tsunayoshi.
Shouldn't you be studying, too?
Oh, it wouldn't work.
I can't get fired up until the day before.
Don't blame me when you end up freaking out later.
I become explosively more high-performance right before the exam.
That's how I roll.
That was...
what she said over and over in the first term, and even in middle school.
I might never get to go home...
Well, I'd better head home.
Y-Yeah...
Maybe I'll have soup in the wooden bowl when I get home.
It says not to use it for hot food, though.
Warning - Do not use for hot food, foods with strong odors, or hot water. It may cause warping or cracks, resulting in a woody odor to foods. - Do not leave in water. - Do not leave inside a pot over a flame. - Do not leave near fire or heat sources. - Do not apply excessive force. It may result in warping, cracking, or breaking. - Do not use a microwave, oven, dishwasher, or dish dryer on this bowl.
You're right...
No hot foods.
No foods with strong odors.
No hot water.
No leaving it in water.
So what the hell can you use it for?!
Maybe... you could put a sandwich on top?
That's such a goofy way to use it!
How about for snacks?
Seven hundred yen sounds really expensive if that's all you can use it for.
And why can't you put hot stuff in it, anyway?
Found it.
This must be why you aren't supposed to use it for hot stuff.
When a wooden bowl says not to use it for hot foods,
it's because it's coated with lacquer to prevent staining.
Boiling water can melt the coating off.
Gyaaah!
G y a a a h !
It says to use it for salads and stuff.
Then maybe you can scrub the lacquer off with a file.
I can wash it as soon as it gets dirty.
I once read something about finishing handmade wooden plates with olive oil.
That's it!
Let's do that! Filing and oiling!
Do that after our exams!
Exams start the day after tomorrow.
And when exams are over, it's winter break.
I like that winter break is a bit longer here than in Hamamatsu.
I think I'll be at Grandma's place again this year for New Year's.
I miss Aya-chan, too.
But before that, there's Christmas.
Christmas...
All right, today we're going to remove lacquer from a wooden dish and season a skillet.
Lacquer Removal and Seasoning
You just made more work for yourself.
Seasoning
Seasoning.
Seasoning is the process of removing the rust-proofing
on the surface of a cast iron skillet, and coating it with olive oil.
It's the first thing to do with a new skillet.
Wash it well, heat it up, rub oil into it, and repeat.
The handle gets super hot, so be careful.
Come to think of it, I heard our history teacher, Tahara-sensei, is going on maternity leave.
Yeah, I heard.
The substitute teacher's coming in tomorrow.
I'm your new homeroom teacher.
Peace!
That would be hilarious.
Sounds like a manga.
On another note, remember how we walked quite a bit last time we went camping?
Oh, yeah.
I looked it up afterward, and there's a bus going from the station to Fuefuki Park.
And it's only 100 yen one way.
Really?!
Are you okay?
So we didn't have to climb up that hill with our stuff...
It's fine.
It's more memorable when you have to struggle a little.
That's true, I guess.
Camping's pretty fun when you actually try it out.
I want to go again.
Then about our next camping trip...
Want to go somewhere really open?
That place you scouted out, the one in the photo, was a forest campsite, though.
Is that enough oil?
I think that's about right.
What are you two doing? An experiment?
Oh, Saitou-san.
Saitou.
Huh.
So this is what you do with iron skillets before you use them.
That's cool.
After repeating the heating and oil-rubbing four to five times,
fry vegetable scraps or something similar in it,
then boil some water in it and clean it well with a scrub brush.
Finally, heat it once more, rub on some oil, and you're done.
This one's good to go, too.
See?
It looks so elegant when it's oiled.
Let's all go Christmas camping once exams are over!
She wants to go "Christmas camping."
Nice idea.
I can't. I'm going to be spending Christmas with my boyfriend.
You have a boyfriend?!
I'm kidding.
I usually spend Christmas with my family,
but camping with you guys might be good, too.
You have a family?!
What's your problem?!
Oh, hey, Saitou-san, want to come camping with us?
Huh? Me?
We can make it a day trip, so you won't need a sleeping bag.
Let's go.
I don't like the cold, but it sounds kind of fun.
Can I decide after exams?
Sure.
I'm going home now.
See you, Inuyama-san, Ohgaki-san.
Yeah, see you.
Later.
Your wooden bowl's looking pretty good.
Let's go home now.
Yeah.
But first...
This year's last Outclub camping trip...
Is going to be Christmas camping!
All right, I'm going to ace my exams!
Okay, time to have some soup in my newly-polished bowl.
It's just corn soup, but look what happens when you put it in a wood bowl.
Gross!
Warning
Acacia tableware without any coating has a distinct smell.
Vinegar
Soak it in diluted vinegar to remove the smell before using it.
That stinks!
Exams are over!
No problem
Now we just have to wait for the break.
Yeah.
Meh
Barely made it
It was a piece of cake.
Huh?
Don't you two need to get off?
You missed your stop.
We're going to Caribou, Nadeshiko-chan.
Caribou?
Wow, I never knew what Minobu Station looked like until now.
It's a retro town.
What does Caribou sell?
You'll find out when we get there.
Houtou Koshu Specialty
Udon Soba
I know what this is! It's miso udon with lots of veggies!
Minobu Steamed Buns
Minobu steamed buns!
I wonder if they're a Minobu specialty.
It's a dog!
So are you.
That's one hyper dog.
We're here.
So Caribou is an outdoor shop!
You've never been to an outdoor equipment shop, right?
I haven't.
So Aki and I were saying we should come together after exams.
Be careful, though, Nadeshiko.
Inside is an army of expensive goods.
If you're ever in doubt, go outside and take a deep breath.
G-Got it.
It's going to get hairy.
Have you saved your game?
S-Save?
Okay, let's go inside.
Her heart's being stolen left and right.
This is the type of stove Rin-chan uses!
It gets so small when it's folded up.
This one has legs.
These ones are lanterns and heaters.
This one's cute!
A gas lantern... It's so nice.
Want to try lighting it?
Can we?!
It's gas-powered and easy to use.
It's really popular.
It's cute and retro, isn't it?
The dancing flame is like a little campfire.
Would you like one?
Glance...
Candle Gas Lamp 4,690 yen
I'll save money and come back.
O-Okay.
Um, may I at least take pictures around the shop?
Feel free to.
This tent's huge.
It's a good one for families.
It's nothing like our 980-yen tent.
It's quite comfortable.
Bring me a blanket and pillow.
You should knock it off before you get yelled at.
Oh, yeah! Mats!
We're going to need one for the next trip.
Yeah.
The surface looks like an egg carton.
This one's round and small.
Is this a mat, too?
Yeah.
Broadly speaking, there are...
Foam mats,
Foam Type
Air Type
air mats,
Inflatable Type
and inflatable mats.
Each has its own unique features,
but inflatables are compact and the most comfortable.
Supposedly.
Although we can only afford the 600-yen reflective mats.
But do we really need a mat?
Sleeping bags are fluffy and comfortable on their own.
Cold Cold Cold Cold Cold Cold Cold
Mats also serve to insulate you from the cold ground.
They're a must-have for winter camping.
Yeah.
I woke up in the middle of the night at Eastwood, it got so cold.
Cold?
I guess it was.
I slept well, myself.
You sure are tough.
Nadeshiko's a tough, resilient girl.
I'm home.
Welcome home.
I have work today, so I'm going out again.
Really?
Stay safe.
It's Nadeshiko.
Hashtag Caribou!
Caribou?
Oh, that shop.
She goes camping three times in a month, and now she's at an equipment shop.
That girl's completely hooked on the outdoors.
That camp dinner was really good, though.
What should I do next?
Camp chairs are so nice.
I know.
You're not so much sitting as melting into it.
It's way too comfy.
I'm going to buy a camping chair when I get my paycheck.
Don't set death flags.
I'm going take a bath after dinner.
That would be a sad time to die.
The outdoors is an expensive hobby, though.
The price tag on that tent was three digits higher than ours.
You gotta work hard, I guess.
By the way, where do you work, Aki-chan?
Next to the supermarket where Inuko works.
The liquor store.
I had no idea.
I wonder if I could afford it if I got a job.
Oh, that reminds me.
Our new history teacher...
You mean Toba-sensei?
Yeah.
She seems so nice.
And she's pretty.
The folks at the liquor store nicknamed her Miss Chug.
Miss Chug?
She wanders in every afternoon
and goes home with a six-pack of beer.
Wow, she must really like drinking.
I feel like I've met Toba-sensei somewhere... maybe...
Or not.
Thank you.
Wanna get some Minobu steamed buns on our way home?
Agreed!
Minobu Steamed Buns 65 yen each
Three, please.
I'll have three, too.
Then I'll have...
Ten, please!
You eat a lot.
Half of them are for my family.
Have some tea, too.
We were lucky to get fresh-made ones.
They're nice and warm and plump.
So warm and tasty.
If you're Japanese, you gotta have steamed buns and tea, no?
No?
Not many people know about Minobu steamed buns compared to other local specialties.
Even though they're delicious.
You're right.
Maybe they'd be more popular if they had a song.
Minobu steamed buns...
That's "Auld Lang Syne."
All right.
I'm going to find a job and buy camping equipment.
And I'll have Minobu steamed buns on the way home.
I ate all of them.
I'm going to buy some more!
She's the type whose paycheck ends up in her belly.
No?
Hey, Aki...
I'm going to...
buy some more, too!
Room Camp!
They have a street view for this area, too.
Huh, I wonder when they came by.
Next Episode:
A Night of Navigator Nadeshiko and Hot Spring Steam
When camping...
Always mind the campsite and facility rules. Don't forget to take care of fires and your trash!
It gets cold during the winter. Stay warm and be well-prepared!
Outdoor Activities Club