Japanese festival food: ikayaki

I have been introducing some of the most common food stalls you will find at festivals in Japan. Many of them I particularly enjoy and have tried more than once, in some cases, dozens of times. However, this entry is one that once was enough for me! Ikayaki, which is grilled squid, is really popular in Japan, just isn't my cup of tea, so to speak. But obviously thousands of people like it or you wouldn't see it so often, not just at festivals, but also as street food too. 

The way the grilled squid is prepared and sold varies by region. In Saitama, its often the whole squid (they are quite small) skewered, marinated and cooked over a grill. They don't look appetizing to me, but I still had to try one. I'll try anything once as they say.  Unfortunately, I didn't like how chewy and slimy the one I tried was and I think they are generally a chewy, slimy texture!

But please, don't let me put you off. If you like squid you'll surely like this (Japan only?) festival food. If you have tried Ikayaki already - what did you think? Did you like it? Would you buy it again?