October 2016 – Page 3

Sunday Sandwiches, the Lima Edition – Sanguches de Chicharron at Dona Paulina

October 9, 2016 mmm-yoso Lima, Peru, Peruvian Restaurants, Sandwiches, Travel

Sunday morning in Miraflores is a far cry from the hustle and bustle of the night before. It is rather sedate, calm….there's not much going on streetwise.

At this point in our lives; the Missus and I are far removed from "the party". You know; Mom sued to say "nothing good happens after midnight. At a certain point in your life you figure out that "nothing good happens after 10 pm." That's kind of where we're at in life. Though when it comes to Madrid and Spain as a whole; the clock is thrown out the window.

Still, it wasn't that early for us as we left our hotel; 830 am is kind of a late start when we're travelling.

Still, the streets are pretty quiet on a Sunday morning.

We headed off to our breakfast destination. We had some great discussions with our wonderful driver, Benjamin during our trip to see the Nazca Lines. One of the questions I asked was about a typical breakfast in Lima…..I was told that we must get a Sanguche de Chicharron, a pork sandwich for Sunday breakfast, it's a Lima tradition. I'd heard about the iconic pork sandwich; I knew about La Lucha which is quite well known, but Benjamin told me that Dona Paulina is where he takes his family for Sanguches de Chicharron. Which we happened to see the previous evening when we had dinner at Punto Azul.

The place looks like a typical neighborhood Coffee Shop…..

One that sells pork and lomo saltado sandwiches……anyone want a tamal for breakfast?

In spite of the street being fairly empty; Dona Paulina was doing some good business on this morning.

The Missus got an espresso; I an Americano……

And we decided to split an Sanguches de Chicharron….JR….as in a smaller sized sandwich. I'm glad we did.

The sandwich is served using what they call a "French Roll" here. It is yeasty and relatively light. The sandwich is served with a nice salsa criolla which I sometimes make at home. The acid and pungency from the onions helps to cut all the richness of the pork.

There were three different slices of pork in the sandwich; one had a bit of skin and fat which added a nice richness; there's one rather meaty cut, looks like shoulder which, while adding bulk was on the dry side. The fat and moisture from the other slices and the salsa ciolla evened things out.

Of course the Missus loved the slices of camote; sweet potato in the sandwich.

Dona Paulina
Calle Alcanfores 715
Lima, Peru

It was a good thing that we shared this sandwich as we planned to have an early lunch.

Lima – Punto Azul

October 7, 2016 mmm-yoso Lima, Peru, Peruvian Restaurants, Travel

How do you follow-up a day of flying over the Nazca Lines and a pretty hefty lunch? Well, with a nap of course. After a short respite we decided to head on back out….it was Saturday night after all. We weren't very hungry, but knew we had to have something to eat, but we weren't sure what. That question was soon answered as we passed Punto Azul.

Punto Azul had been on our list the last time we were in Miraflores. Unfortunately, the place was always packed so we never got in. So now, nearly ten years later we were back in front of Punto Azul and the place was only 2/3 full. So why not?

We were quickly seated. Our timing was "on" this evening as the place quickly filled up soon after, with folks waiting for tables.

The crowd seemed split about 50-50; half obvious tourists, the rest seemed to be Peruvian. So we weren't really sure how this meal was going to turn out.

The Missus started with a Pisco Sour, I had some drink with Prickly Pear that sounded pretty good, but ended up being more of a "chick drink".

We were quickly served plantain chips and passable Canchita; toasted corn.

Of course the Missus got the Ceviche Punto Azul; basically a classic cebiche. She also scarfed the camote (sweet potato), which She said needed more flavor and the choclo (the large kernel corn), which of course; She loves.

The fish in the ceviche was on the fibrous and chewy side, though it had been marinated for the perfect amount of time. The leche de tigre was on the mild side and we livened it up with some aji limo (minced red chili pepper).

I, of course, ordered the Tiradito; in this case named Tiraditos al Punto.

This was three classic versions of tiradito; classic, rocoto, and amarilla, and one rather odd version…..olive flavored. I thought this was a pretty good rendition of tiradito; nice creamy sauces, the fish, sliced well and while on the chewy side, was still decent. The Aji Rocoto sauce wasn't very hot, but was quite enjoyable. But it was that odd olive mayo sauce that I thought I wouldn't like….it turned out to be quite an addition. The flavoring wasn't too heavy handed, a nice mild olive flavor, it didn't seem overly rich from the mayo, and there was a touch of acid to help things alone. Well, here was another new one for me…..

The service was friendly, even though things got really busy. This was a nice, if not outstanding meal, and just enough for dinner.

Punto Azul
Calle San Martin 595
Lima, Peru

We took our getting back to the room. It was Saturday night in Miraflores and parts of the neighborhood was packed. We avoided the crowds, stopped by the convenience store across the hotel for some water and I even bought me a nightcap.

There's something great about travelling….every day, or evening is new and different. I wish I could do it more.

Revisits – Tasty Noodle House and Great Wow

October 6, 2016 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

A couple of revisits for a quiet Thursday:

Tasty Noodle House:

For some reason, I was craving Zui Ji – "Drunken Chicken" and I thought the version at Tasty Noodle House had been pretty good on previous visits. So I headed over and braved the worst parking lot on Convoy….good thing they open at 11am….there were still three open parking spaces; albeit two of them were partially taken by very "thoughtful and considerate" folks in gigantic SUVs that they aren't able to park like normal folks.

As with previous visits, the staff here are pretty nice…..except that they were out of the Wined Chicken! The young man recommended the Steamed Chicken with Spicy Sesame Sauce….so, thinking this might be something along the lines of Ko Shui Ji. This is what arrived.

Well, the one good thing about this dish; the chicken was nicely prepared, meaty, and moist. But that super thick, "un-spicy", gloppy sauce with too much sesame paste…..well, I think that's a apt description.

On a previous visit, I thought the Chao Nian Gao (stir fried rice cakes) were decent, so I ordered that as well.

I think these folks kind of undercook the rice cakes a bit, but it's not terrible. The pork was tender, though I think it needed a bit more seasoning, especially in terms of sesame oil (I know, if I really wanted sesame flavor I could have dipped this in the tar pit from the chicken dish), though the vegetable (Jì Cài) added a mild bitterness and a textural counterpoint.

I was kind of bummed as my craving wasn't satisfied. I hope the next time I visit, they'll have the drunken chicken.

Tasty Noodle House
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Great Wow:

**** Great Wow has closed

It's been just about 2 months since Great Wow opened. So it was time for a revisit…plus, I wanted some jiaozi.

They have a proper menu now; with quite a few dishes. Though I was basically here for the dumplings….I'll save trying some of the other dishes (no kung pao chicken or hot and sour soup for me from here though – wrong region if you didn't know….and based on what I've read, a lot of folks don't know).

I placed my order and was entertained watching the guy with the electric fly zapper work his way through the dining room. Not quite the most appetizing lunchtime sight….but for me; after watching that girl enthusiastically work her way around the lobby with one in Phnom Penh….well, I just can't help but smile.

Other than the pork hocks, I hadn't enjoyed the liang cai; cold dishes at GW much. But for some reason, I wanted to try the spicy potato strings. The Missus loves Her Sichuan style potato strings. This version was not bad.

It was lightly spicy, with a mild numbness as well. The potato was nice and crunchy. And while I've been indoctrinated into wanted a good amount of vinegar on my Chinese style potato dishes, this was not bad….though perhaps it could have used a bit more salt.

This time around; I just went with what I consider the most basic jiaozi….pork and cabbag.

First thing I noticed was that these weren't as plump as what I'd had here before. Also, whomever was making the dough for this had worked it too hard as it was too chewy and almost hard. The filling was fine, nice pork flavor, but could have used a bit more seasoning.

I think I'll stick to the Pork, Shrimp, and Chive. I didn't see pork and celery dumplings on the menu anymore. And one of these days I may try one of the entrees….though don't hold your breath!

Great Wow
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Homestyle Hawaiian Pub & Eatery – Tierrasanta

October 5, 2016 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

I saw the new location of Homestyle Hawaiian back in April. But I just kind of took my time heading on over. These days, I need to space out those plate lunch visits….especially since Homestyle Hawaiian's portion sizes were usually pretty generous. Plus, I'd been visiting HH since beginning at the Mesa College Branch, back in September of 2009. Since then, I've done a ton of posts on HH and had visited their other locations in Chula Vista and Midway. So, not anticipating a very different menu, I just took my time until last month.

I liked the interior; very local kine "gastro-pub-ish". There are about 20 pulls; with everything from Cal Creamin, to Kona Brewing….to Bud Light. Things seemed a bit confused as I didn't quite know what the drill was while waiting for a table. It seems at first the young lady was going to take my order….so perhaps this was fast-casual? But when I said this was for "here"….I was directed to a table. I saw this happen a couple of more times during my two visits.

I really enjoy a "chicken cutlet" when I'm back home. In local terms; katsu comes with local kine (usually ketchup based) katsu sauce, while cutlet means topped with gravy. Try that here in San Diego and you'll get blank stares. I did want to add a bit of gravy to my diet, so I went with the "Make your own Loco Moco" with Chicken Katsu as my base. The gravy a bit gluey, but went well (with some Tabasco…you can take the boy off the island, but….you know) with the nicely fried katsu. The egg was a bit over cooked. There was at least a scoop of rice under the proteins to go with what was topped with furikake. The rice was decent. The item that surprised me the most was the mac salad. I'd never been a fan of HH's mac salad, but it seems to have gotten better over the years. Today it was nicely chilled and decently salted and not overdressed with mayo.

The young lady who served me was very nice, if a bit disorganized and "spacy"…..she brought me my plate and then forgot my utensils having to bring me some, same with the Tabasco. Still, this was a nice enough meal.

So I returned with my coworkers Daniel and Calvin. Same really nice young lady, same forgetfulness. She almost brought us another table's food. Then Daniel's Lava Chicken arrived without any "sauce" on it.

I got the combination Korean Chicken and Katsu with (of course) gravy on it.

The Katsu was bit over fried this time around and on the dry side……thank goodness for the gravy which was nicely flavored. That Korean Chicken wasn't quite as good as I recalled; fairly low on flavor, a bit over fried with some burnt bits and on the dry side.

Perhaps they are still settling in, but things seem to be a hit and miss. I'll return in a couple of months to check back in. The location is prime for this type of concept, even with Island Style Café nearby.

Homestyle Hawaiian Pub & Eatery
10601 Tierrasanta Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92124
Hours:
Monday 5pm – 9pm
Tues – Sat 1130am – 9pm
Closed Sunday

Peru – The Nazca Lines and Lunch at Restaurante El Batan (Chincha)

October 4, 2016 mmm-yoso Peru, Peruvian Restaurants, Travel

While the main objective to our trip to Peru and Chile was to travel to Easter Island and check that one of the Missus's bucket list; I thought I'd go for a two-fer and also do the Nazca Lines as well. I did some research and found a well regarded company named Nazca Flights. It wasn't cheap, but we got our own private driver for the over three hour drive to Pisco. His name was Benjamin and he was just a joy to deal with. He arrived punctually at 630am to pick us up.

We arrived at the newly inaugurated, but not yet opened Pisco International Airport. The cargo terminals and one small private terminal was opened. Still, the place was buzzing with excited folks.

Have you heard of the Nazca Lines? I wouldn't be surprised if you hadn't heard of it. I recall of first reading about the lines in Erich von Däniken's Chariots of the Gods? Most folks I mentioned the lines to had never heard of them….except for the Japanese. No less than four Japanese Nationals and Ex-Pats mentioned the Nazca Lines, the most surprising was Taka-san at Taisho. When I mentioned we were going to Peru, he didn't mention Machu Picchu….nope it was the "Nazca Lines"!

When we arrived and checked in, we were handed this card with the various Geoglyphs we'd be flying over. Notice anything interesting?

Notice the languages? It's Spanish, English, and Japanese!

And when we got into the terminal area….guess what? It was nearly all middle aged Japanese; mostly women…..in Pisco!

The little terminal was rather charming….we saw the staff being briefed on various subjects and even being tested.

When it was our time to go; our boarding passes were checked and we were escorted onto the tarmac.

Our plane was a 12 seat Cessna, a bit larger than what we flew to Lana'i on a few years back.

The passengers? One British Gentleman, the Missus, Myself, and nine very excited middle aged Japanese women!

The Pilot was really good as I'll describe later on. Both pilots spoke Japanese!

The Missus and I found the whole situation to be quite amusing.

Getting to the lines was when things got even more interesting. There was one line in our packet that instructed us; "DO NOT EAT BREAKFAST THE DAY OF YOUR FLIGHT".

When arrived at the lines, the pilot would descend, then bank, first to his right, turn around and do the same to the left. The copilot would try to point things out; speaking in Japanese. You'd scan the ground below, wondering "what the heck am I supposed to see"?

Focusing in, you'd get a glance of something, a pattern……

And then you'd zero in….and oh my goodness…….

It's really something to see…..

Sometimes it was easier to look across the aisle when the pilot banked in the opposite direction and see things from that perspective.

This took me back to being that 10 year old bookworm, reading Chariots of the Gods under the blanket with a flashlight when I was supposed to be sleeping, dreaming that someday I'd see these myself.

The world never ceases to surprise and thrill us.

The woman sitting behind me was a hoot. The Missus told me that she had a very difficult time seeing the geoglyphs and basically gave up on taking photos. However, as we straightened after banking about 30 times, she stood up and gave the pilots a standing ovation!

Such enthusiasm is infectious and puts everyone in a good mood….though there were a few women who had to have seat….a bit green around the gills and all that.

This was a great experience. One that I'll never forget….and I don't think anyone else who was on that flight will either.

Our driver, Benjamin was such a great guy he displayed the perfect balance of professionalism and warmth that was just outstanding. He really made the difference on the rather long drive. We wanted to buy him lunch. We let him choose and we stopped right next to a gas station in Chincha.

The place was pretty busy and we ordered a bunch of standards, except one new twist on a favorite.

I got the Chicha Morada which was pretty good…not too sweet, with a hint of cinnamon.

Of course the Missus wanted some Cebiche de Lenguado. The leche de tigre was decent if a bit mild; but the fish was marinated a bit too long and had started getting mushy.

I ordered some Tiradito; the "tricolor", strips of corvine with three preparations; "clasica" with leche de tigre, aji amarilla, and aji rocoto sauces.

The fish was prepared well; though I found the sauces to be somewhat thin and watery for my taste.

The seafood on the Causa was quite good; cooked perfectly. The potatoes were bit on the dry side, though the flavors were nice.

The surprise dish was one that Benjamin ordered. He told us that this is the newest version of one of my favorite dishes; Lomo Saltado. This is the off the menu version that combines Lomo Saltado with the classic Peruvian beans and rice dish; Tacu Tacu. Meet the Tacu Tacu con Lomo Saltado.

This was very tasty….the beans and rice actually outshone the lomo saltado with the mild earthy-beany flavor combining with the slightly salty, soy based sauce. The acid of the tomatoes and the sweet-pungency of the onions just went to well with this. The Missus just loved that beans and rice!

This was a nice meal with great company.

Restaurante El Batan
Panamericana Sur Km. 197. 5
Chincha Alta, Peru

We got back to Miraflores making good time. We showered and managed to sneak in a short nap before heading out for the evening.

Thanks for reading!

Kind of Kelaguen and Fast Finadene

October 3, 2016 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

The first dish that comes to mind when I think about Chamorro style dishes is Kelaguen, specifically Kelaguen Manok, the chicken version of the dish which is what you'll find in all the Chamorro/Guamanian restaurants in the greater San Diego area. After making the drive up to Guahan Grill a couple of times early last year with the Missus, She asked if I could just go ahead and try and make the stuff already.

So I did….after a couple of tries, I had it kind of dialed in. The Missus has a couple of coworkers who are from Guam and they make Kelaguen a lot….mostly using leftover rotisserie chicken and…ick, boiled chicken! After trying things a few different ways; I've settled on boneless, skin on chicken "legs", actually quarters, grilled over hard wood charcoal. Again, this is "kind of Kelaguen"…… I noticed that versions I've had here in San Diego lacked coconut. My solution was to use organic, non-sweetened coconut flakes and a tablespoon or so of coconut oil, which adds to the moisture, and provides for a nice fragrance. I use skin on chicken because it tends to preserve the moisture of the meat.

Even with all of this; I noticed that I could not get the lemon flavor dialed in; it just never came out the way I wanted. That's when one of the Missus's co-workers told Her that everybody "back home" uses "Yours Lemon Flavored Powder"! Which I wasn't able to find here, but you gotta love it; I actually found it on Amazon. I was a bit dubious about this stuff…looking at the label, "Ingredients: Citric Acid (Trehalose), Natural Lemon Flavor, L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Sodium Citrate. Made in Japan." Hmmm……

But in the end, this is what I needed to make the Kelaguen taste right.

At the same time, I was trying to put together the classic sauce/condiment for the kelaguen; Finadene (Fina'denne). After going thru a couple of iterations, I found that rather strangely, since I've said not to use said shoyu for sauces; Kikkoman actually worked the best for me. Along with Distilled White Vinegar and one other item to give it just a bit more umph; Spiced Sukang Maasim (cane vinegar). The slight spice and sour gave it a nice kick. As for the chilies….I've used everything from Chili de Arbol, Thai Chilies, Red Habaneros, Scorpion Peppers, to Ghost Peppers……it's all good! Actually the Missus is partial to white ghost peppers.

So now the Missus's Guamanian coworkers actually request that I make this; so I guess it's got their seal of approval.

The Missus really likes to saturate Her Kelaguen with Finadene. And I've actually used the Finadene in other dishes….even stir fried bean sprouts which come out like namul on jet fuel.

Kind of Kelaguen:

The Chicken
1 1/2 lbs of skin-on boneless chicken quarters
salt
black pepper
granulated garlic
one lemon sliced in half
ghost pepper salt (optional)

– Season the meat side of the chicken with salts and black pepper
– Season the skin side of the chicken with salts, black pepper, and granulated garlic
– Grill over charcoal. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the chicken while grilling
– Once the chicken is cooked, remove to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

1 Tb coconut oil
1-2 Tb shredded coconut
2-3 stalks scallions sliced
1 Tb Yours Lemon Flavored Powder diluted into 2 Tb water
salt, black pepper, and sliced chilies to taste

-Remove the chicken from the bowl reserving the juices; the objective is to conserve all the flavor you can.
– Remove the skin from the chicken and consume later….it tastes really good fried up.
– Chop or mince the chicken to your desired texture and add back to the bowl with the juices from the chicken
– Add coconut oil, coconut, scallions, and chilies and mix
– Add the lemon flavoring mixing well.
– Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.

I'm going to give you what I started with when I decided on my final array of ingredients for the Finadene. Think of this as being a 1:1 ratio of soy sauce to vinegar. I think it's a good starting point. You can adjust to your taste from here. Actually, you might like to add some calamansi juice to replace some of the vinegar.

Fast Finadene:
1/2 cup of Kikkoman Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Distilled White Vinegar
2 Tb Spiced Sukang Maasim
2 stalks of scallions sliced
1 small sweet onion thinly sliced
sliced chilies to taste

-Combine ingredients. Taste and adjust flavor as desired.

Enjoy!

Yakitori Hino – A Quick First Look

October 2, 2016 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

Back in May I noticed that the former Mama's Grill was becoming Yakitori Hino and based on the ABC notice, the applicants were none other than than Yakyudori. At the end of July the sign went up. And this past week no fewer than three "little birds" whispered that Hino was doing a soft opening with the grand opening planned for yesterday, October first. This past Friday was a fairly tiring one for me and by the time I was ready for dinner; it was past 5pm. I decided to sneak on over to Hino, I had a feeling that they might be pretty quiet since few people knew they were open.

There was one other person in the place when I arrived. The folks were surprised to see someone they weren't too familiar with; though "Nao", Taka-san's Thursday relief guy, sort of recognized me. He's the chef here now.

The place does remind me a bit of Japan and also looks somewhat like Koubou with the high bar and such. There are two semi-private looking booths in the back as well.

The menu is also an interesting cross between Yakyudori and Koubou, with a salad that I saw folks getting that looks similar to Koubou's, but with a mayo based dressing. There are items on the menu that neither Taisho nor Yakyudori have. Strangely, the prices here seem higher than Taisho.

I started with the Chuka Kurage (Jellyfish Salad), which I really enjoyed.

A nice balance of sweet-salty-sour-spicy, which does well with the crunchy jellyfish. This is without a doubt an appetizer sized dish….but I found it to be quite good.

It was nice to see Nankotsu (chicken cartlidge) on the menu. This version was fairly simple.

A bit too salty and dry; though that crunchy texture was quite enjoyable.

I really miss the karaage at Taisho. They took it off the menu a couple of months back. I'm wondering if it was because of Hino? Anyway, it's on the menu here.

A nice portion size, light and crunchy, though it's lacking the flavor of the karaage I've had at Yakyudori and Taisho. I'm hoping that this will improve over time.

The Teba was the only truly disappointing item of the night as it was way too salty and really not prepped well as in not having the flesh and skin splayed out for maximum area and enjoyment.

The Kawa; chicken skin was interesting as this version was straight up salted, without tare, but held up fine.

Crisp on the edges, tender interior, a very nice rendition.

When I ordered the Tsukune (chicken meatball), I was asked if I wanted an egg yolk with it……."yes please"!

I was rather uninspired at first glance, but this turned out to be decent; fairly smooth and creamy interior, quite a bit of flavor from the tare if a bit unappealing to the eye. The egg yolk adds an even more creamy rich texture.

I was quite pleased to see Yaki Onigiri on the menu. I love grilled rice balls. This version was interesting as I noticed it was heated in a pan before being grilled.

The familiar smoky flavor was there, though the exterior was more gummy than crisp and crunchy. In this case Koubou definitely holds the edge.

So, in the end, I spent more at Hino, minus the celebratory beers I bought for Nabe-san and Nao-san, than I would for a usual meal at Taisho for the Missus and myself….kind of strange. I believe the food was better here than at Koubou, which is what seems to be the main competition. Though I've heard things at Koubou have gotten better recently, so I'll be dropping by again soon.

Still, the service was great….and it's nice to have more choices in the neighborhood. For now, the hours are 530 pm to 1230am Wednesday thru Monday.

Yakitori Hino
7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Tokyo – Breakfast at Mugimaru Yaesu Minimiguchi and a Visit to the East Gardens of the imperial Palace

October 1, 2016 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

It was drizzling when we awoke after a fun evening in Ebisu with our friend Reiko. We decided to just hang around Tokyo on this day; which didn't mean sitting around and doing nothing….but just enjoy a nicely paced day.

We headed out and along the way passed what I believe are the offices of Ajinomoto Corporation, who had their Christmas gift sets out on a on display.

We headed into the "underground Tokyo Station City", which is an apt description of the floors, street, and underground passageways that surround Tokyo Station. We needed something small to eat and decided to stop in at this little udon shop in the underground.

There was a gentleman making udon in the window, obviously a good draw for the place. But what made us stop was the sign….I asked the Missus, who can read Kanji, "does it say what I think it does"? And She said yes; "Udon, all the broth you can drink, all the tea you can drink, and rice ball….325 yen." That's like $3.25…… Okay…..

The set-up is cafeteria like; I got the special, plus extra cup of tea, and some veggies for like five bucks….really!

A simple dashi based broth (we saw folks going back for more), nice chewy noodles, onigiri, and tea……….more than a decent breakfast for us. I'm not sure when I spent five bucks for breakfast for two……

When we got back, I tried to find out what the name of this place was…to no avail. Thanks to the help of FOY (Friend of Yoso Kat - who recently celebrated her eleventh year of blogging) Kat, I actually managed to find the place. Which is located right at the corner of……

Mugimaru Yaesu Minamiguchi
八重洲2-1
八重洲地下街南1号 B1
Chūō, 東京都〒104-0028
Japan

Like I've said, you can eat for 300 yen or 30,000 yen in Tokyo….it's your choice.

Interesting little note; we'd never exited on the Maronouchi North Exit of Tokyo Station, which was (when we were there) being renovated. There's a European feel to the façade.

Since we decided on hanging around the Chuo and Chiyoda area on this day; we headed off to the Imperial Palace which was fairly close by.

The East Gardens are open to the public.

This was the location of Edo Castle and you can easily see the fortifications that once protected the Tokugawa Shogunate.

These days, the East Gardens are open to the public which include portions of the the honmaru ("main circle") and ninomaru ("secondary circle") of the palace grounds.