I suppose this might be a little out there, but...

I just got an imagawayaki pan from a yard sale. The previous owner
didn't know how to make it work, and and the instructions (in japanese)
were tossed out a while ago.

What I've done so far is put it on the stove and try to make the treats
that way (for those that don't know, this is a cast iron pan with six
indentations in it, similar to a cupcake pan, but with the indentations
about half as high.)

I've tried cooking these things in the manner I've seen in Little Tokyo
in Los Angeles. Pour in some batter half-way, put in some filling,
flip over onto another half elsewhere on the pan. Didn't work. I keep
mangling the food trying to get it out. I also tried pouring in the
batter all the way and letting it cook, but that was no-go as well
(mangling again). I'm thinking of putting it in the oven for a few
minutes at a time to see if I can get better results that way, but also
wanted to ask for any ideas or advice.

Thanks,
Erik