<em>Please welcome my dear friend, photographer <a href="http://work.mattb.tv/">Matt B</a>.  I've known Matt for nearly ten years and we've never met. True story! Matt is currently living in Japan where he is shooting some of the most thoughtful and honest photography I've ever seen him make. Check his <a href="http://work.mattb.tv/">blog</a> regularly for insight into Japanese daily life, packaging design, landscapes and of course food</em>.

Hello, this is Matt reporting in from Kagoshima, the southern most prefecture of mainland Japan.
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I want to introduce you to a very simple dish enjoyed by commuters on their ferry ride across the bay which divides the two peninsulas, Satsuma and Osumi. Living on the Osumi side, one of the quickest routes into Kagoshima City is by ferry from Tarumizu port.
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On the Tarumizu Ferry, you'll hear an announcement on departure calling people from the car deck to come upstairs and eat at the Udon Corner. As the ride across the bay lasts around 40 minutes, this is often the perfect time for weary commuters to catch a quick meal on the way to or from work.
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Now, by this point you are likely expecting a picture of the aforementioned Udon. Instead, I've decided to let you in on a little secret: the best dish at the Udon Corner is actually Soba, or buckwheat noodle soup. And not just plain soba, no, this my friends is Curry Soba.
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A simple stock, soba noodles, a mild curry soup, and bits of radish grown on Kagoshima's iconic and very active volcano, Sakurajima. Which, by no coincidence, you can enjoy a spectacular view of while you eat.
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At ¥560, it is fairly expensive as far as these things go, but I'd argue you are also paying for the view.

So, that's it for the dish, but I wanted to add a bit of detail to the interesting, local ingredient: Sakurajima Daikon (radish). { <em>CM's note: I first learned of and lived on Daikon when I first took a stab at Veganism!</em> }
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Grown in the volcanic soils of Sakurajima, this is touted as the world's largest radish, growing well beyond basketball proportions and weighing as much as the average 5 year-old.
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This fellow clocked in 17.2 kg (~38 lbs). A slice from it is larger than an average dinner plate!

- <a href="http://work.mattb.tv">Matt</a>