A Foodie's Tour of Japan [ part 3 ]

Day 8: Tokyo - Tokyo Bay, Akihabara
- dinner: Izakaya @ Hana no Mai, Akihabara. Dinner hosted ala Japanese style by Kazuhito - he taught us a few Japanese customs with regards to serving sake and also hosting guests at dinner. Also met Aik's friend Henry at the restaurant. Anyway, had the chance to try some really interesting food. pic#1: kujira (whale) sushi. was surprised that the meat is red in colour, thought it'd be white. pic#2: fried chicken cartilage. This is a really addictive snack. the cartilage is chopped into small bite size pieces and it is really nice to chew and crunchy and... really good snack to go with some beer or sake! pic#3: busashi... it is actually horse meat (oops). not the most tender of meats, but supposedly a delicacy in japan. yes, i know it's a bit bizarre, but it's all in the name of experience!

Day 9: Tokyo - Tsukiji, Ginza, Harajuku, Roppongi + Midtown
- brunch: Edomae sushi @ Tsukiji Sushi sen. Went for 'sushi-pilgrimage' to the famous Tsukiji Fish Market - a must-go for all ye lovers of sushi and sashimi! After which, time to fill our stomach with some edomae sushi. Bumped into this restaurant which is quite popular (luckily they have english menu too... the variety of sushi on offer is just too many!) I had my favourite tamago(egg), which is a specialty in this sushi region. then, i also tried the 'otoro maguro' (most fatty part of tuna), which costs 500yen a piece. it is the top row, 3rd piece from the left. compare it with the standard maguro sushi (top row, far right). Notice the difference? yes, the former has way more fish oil than the latter. every piece is craftfully made - equal length and thickness, with a hint of wasabi and the right proportion of rice. perfect size for one bite, but it's so good you'd want to slowly nibble on the food. the cost of those 8 pieces? make a guess :)

- afternoon tea: pastries @ Fortuna Mason, Ginza. Walked into the floor with all the food in Mitsukoshi and found this pastry shop. tried the one on the right - something like puff pastry with atzuki bean filling, topped off with icing sugar and green tea powder. such food (breads, pastry, confectionery) are quite popular in japan; i wonder if it is because of the influence of Yakitate! Japan.

- dinner: Ramen @ Roppongi. Sorry..Too hungry to take pictures.

Day 10: Tokyo Disneysea
- simple meals at Disneysea park. Was rushing from one attraction to another such that we didn't really concern ourselves too much with food today. Celebrated New Year countdown at Shinjuku. Here's Kirin and Sapporo to usher in a great 2008! Kampai!
Day 11: Tokyo - Asakusa
- lunch: Unaju @ restaurant near Asakusa Jinja (Asakusa temple). Unaju refers to another method of preparation of unagi(Eel), this one just lightly grilled with less sweet sauce compared to the unagi we eat in malaysia/singapore. It is served with a bottle of mixed 5-spice for you to sprinkle over the unaju. New experience of eating eel but tasty nonetheless. and 1600yen for that huge piece of eel? Definitely worth it.

- snack: New Year mochi @ Nakamise dori. Mochi with red bean filling - looks kawaii (cute), tastes yummy.

- dinner: fried rice @ Ameyayokocho (or ameyoko). Once again.. was too hungry. anyway, there is quite a lot of chinese influence especially in fast food like fried rice, ramen.. we even had ma pou tofu.

Day 12: Tokyo - Ueno, Imperial Palace, Shibuya
- breakfast: Yakisoba pan. Aik bought it off a kombini (convenience store). never thought you'd mix your noodles with bread? try maggi next time, or mi goreng.

- lunch: suteki (steak) @ Kuishinbo, Shibuya. Beef patty, chicken and pork... all for 800yen. the beef patty is really tender - in fact the best i've ever had; melts in your mouth.


- dinner: yakitori (again!) @ Yakitori Kushisuke, Shibuya. Tried chicken Hatsu (heart); tastes a bit like the liver.. a hint of saltiness, but more tender in terms of texture. the standard chicken yakitori is also prepared differently here. in ichiban yakitori, they lightly season with salt, pepper and grill it.. cutting away the charred parts before serving. here, they grill it with yakitori sauce till it is tender but still juicy, then dip into yakitori sauce again before serving. charred parts remain. this goes to show that each yakitori bar has its own special way of preparing yummy yakitori. oishii desu ne!

- Post-dinner: New York Bar, Park Hyatt Hotel @ Shinjuku. This place made popular by the show 'Lost in Translation'. Really nice and posh place on 46th floor...perfect location to enjoy a night view of Tokyo and listen to some jazz. Tried L.I.T, a cocktail made from Sake and Sakura Liqueur and one other ingredient.

Day 13: Tokyo - Tokyo Dome, Akihabara, Azabu-Juban
- breakfast: dorayaki. Bought this from kombini too. cost about 130yen only. This snack is made famous from the cartoon Doraemon. Pancake like top and bottom layer, with sweet red bean filling in the middle.

- lunch: Maguro Ryuku Don @ Akihabara. Sliced tuna dressed with a dash sesame oil, sesame seeds, green onion and one egg yolk in the middle. Each piece of tuna sliced till equal length and thickness.. truly amazing. surely the skill of a sushi guru. First took notice of this when saori had it during our outing to asakusa jinja. no regrets for trying it myself. the wasabi is very fresh too.. most probably made by the shop themselves and not those prepackaged ones we get back home.

- dinner: Yakiniku @ Hana Ju Ban, Azabu Juban. Finally... the chance to grill my own meat on metal wire. We paid for some really nice pieces of beef, which was marinated with seasoning, salt, pepper, then it's up to us to do the cooking. Since it was such good beef, i cooked my meat till medium, retaining some of its juicyness. since the meat has streaks of fats in it, when put to the grill it melts and kind of cooks the meat itself. I'll never forget that melt-in-your-mouth feeling. and also never to buy Suntory beer. their spirits are much better.

Day 14: Tokyo - Shinjuku
- lunch: Kare Raisu @ Shinjuku Subway Station. Curry rice is a popular and cheap fastfood in Japan. My meal cost only 600yen, and i get free flow water and pickles (the two containers in front of me). Japanese curry tends to be sweeter than most curries that you find in the rest of asia. and it is really thick too. Try it to see if you like it.

- dinner: Monjya-yaki @ Shinjuku. Monjya-yaki is a variant of the more popular okonomiyaki. the starch solution to make the batter is more watery, and you don't really get that 'solid' pancake part ( from flour or noodle) in okonomiyaki. the restaurant is a D.I.Y restaurant so kazu had the honour to cook it for us. arigato gozaimasu!

Day 15: Osaka
- breakfast: Mr Donut. Japan's response to Dunkin' Donuts and J.Co and Big Apple in Malaysia. Mr Donut has ALL of the ranges of donuts offered by the 3 different donut shops. And the stuff they sell taste DAMN GOOD. No wonder Japan is suffering donut fever too (According to saori).

- lunch: Udon. Had this udon in a fast food restaurant specialising only on udon. Here, they even print out a set of procedures telling you how things are done there. First, grab a tray. Along the queue, there will be small plates available for you to pick up whatever 'add-ons' you want to have together with your meal ( here, i had one kara-age). same goes with drinks. as you proceed down the queue, you will reach the kitchen, and there you place an order for your choice of udon. finally, the cashier will be waiting for you at the end of the queue, just next to the kitchen. this meal also roughly 650yen, and mind you, that was a Large size bowl of udon, served with a half-cooked egg and special udon sauce.

There you go. 15 days of food tourism in japan. I must admit most breakfasts were just a packet of milk and either a piece of nikuman (meat bun..pau), or yakitori, but for other meals I think we splurged quite a bit. Even after eating Japanese food for almost every meal, I still opted for japanese food on my flight SQ620 back to singapore...some things you just can't get enough.

I really miss the hospitality that was extended to us everywhere we go. the experience of hearing staff greet you "irashaimasse" as we enter, then saying "itadaikimasu" before starting our meals and "gochizosama desu ta" after we are done, then as we proceed to pay and then leave, being thanked with "arigato gozaismasu ta".

All these memories just makes me want to go there again.