Japan – Page 3 – mmm-yoso

Nagoya – Hinotez 2

July 21, 2017 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Nagoya, Travel

We had intentions of revisiting the original Yakyuudori againon our last evening in Nagoya. Taka-san even told them to expect us. Yakyuudori doesn't take reservations, so our initial plan was to be there right when they opened. However, we'd had a pretty full day already and had passed out after lunch at Yabaton. When we awoke, it was getting late….but since Taka-san had told them to expect us; we had to show up. And we did. Yakyuudori however, was absolutely packed….folks were eating on the benches against the wall! The really nice guy from last time came out from behind the grill and told us; "you go to Hinotetsu 2"….so we decided to go down the street and find the place. But, in typical Japanese manner, he came out from behind the grill and insisted on walking us there!

We felt really bad in having him walk us to the place…..but he insisted and was so nice. He made sure to introduce us to the chef.

We quickly noticed something about the style of grilling at this location. There was minimum use of tare.

As was evident by the Kimo; chicken liver.

Though the Missus said She really liked this version as it had really absorbed the bincho flavor.

The butashiso was very good; the pork was tender and moist and the flavor of the shiso came through nicely.

A very nice version.

Last time around, I didn't know that Yakyuudori and Hinotez serves up basashi, raw horse, one of my favorite things. This time I made sure to order it.

While a bit leaner than my favorite version; the flavor was clean and the ginger and ponzu really made this refreshing.

We tend to use Tsukune; chicken meatballs, as our measure of a yakitori shop. This version didn't do it for us.

This was really tough and hard, totally different from what we enjoy in a good tsukune. It really had the texture of an over worked sausage; even the beautiful egg yolk, nor the tare, of which it was drenched in couldn't help.

The teba; chicken wings were prepared in a different manner than the classic Yakyudori/Taisho splayed version, but the skin was very crisp and it was seasoned well.

We finished off with some kawa; the chicken skin.

This did real well with the straight up bincho grilling. It was nice and crisp and salted quite well. Though we did miss the crisp edges and the buttery interior of our favorite versions.

Overall, a mixed bag, but not bad. If anything, we appreciated Taisho even more after this visit. We'll make sure to get to Yakyuudori on time when we're back in Nagoya.

Hinotez 2
105 Fujimigaoka
Nagoya, Aichi, Japan

Nagoya – Nagoya Castle and Lunch at Yabaton

June 22, 2017 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Nagoya, Travel

After crossing the Gojo Bridge we walked past the Nagoya Noh Theatre….where the Missus was smitten with this Cherry Blossom tree.

I had gotten a good dose of the Missus's love….obsession with sakura a bit earlier on the trip so I just ket Her carry on; while I took a look around.

That's a statue of Daimyo Kato Kiyomasa who was known as the premier castle builder of his day. Under orders of Ieyasu Tokugawa, several Daimyo's including Kiyomasa were tasked with rebuilding Nagoya castle which had been abandoned.

Once the Missus was done taking Her photos and admiring the sakura, we headed across the street to the entrance of Nagoya Castle.

We paid our entrance fee and stopped by the tourist office where the very friendly young lady pointed out several places of note.

Apparently, there was some kind of festival going on………not quite sure what it was about, but seeing folks in….ummm….costumes kept us smiling.

And some browsing time as well…..

All in the shadow of the Castle's Turrets.

Here's another statue of Kato Kiyomasa. Apparently, it was from this stone that he would command the building of the castle.

We headed to the other end of the castle grounds, to the East Garden.

Where we found a Tea House and decided to take a break. The Missus loves Macha….if you only knew how much She spends ordering stuff from Ippodo, Lupicia, and other places….

The Missus wanted some extra "bling" in Her tea…..

We walked back to the area of Hommaru Palace, part of which is being restored. We could actually enter and view the restoration taking place and were provided hard hats…..which made for a couple of silly hard hat photos (of course).

It was really neat to be able to check out all the elaborate construction being done.

Genkan, the entrance hall and Omote Shoin, the main hall have been restored and are open to the public. We got a chance to see the wonderful wall and partition paintings.

We had, of course, saved the Main Donjon (Tower) for last.

On the way there we passed the "Kiyomasa Stone", the largest stone in the wall said to have been put there by Kato Kiyomasa himself; though it is said that Kuroda Nagamasa was actually in charge of building this part of the wall.

We loved watching the kids take photos with the "Samurai"….in fact, we ended up taking photos with him as well (ssshhh, don't tell).

There was an interesting reproduction of the castle town along with what some of the meals looked like.

There's a replica of the Golden Kinshachi, two of which adorn the roof of the Dojon, and are symbols of Nagoya.

And a nice view from the 7th Floor as well.

After this we decided to head on out……there was some shopping that we needed to do.

But first, we just had to stop and watch the children's dance performances.

The littlest one's were really adorable.

Done with Nagoya Castle; we headed down Honmachi Dori and somehow managed to find the Nadya Park Shopping Complex. We went to the Montbell Store and bought some ultra-light Plasma 1000 down jackets.

That done, it was getting kinda late, so we headed back toward Nagoya Station. We decided to take our chances at the Yabaton in the underground ESCA shopping center. Indeed, there was a line when we arrived….but, things moved quickly and they actually took your order while you waited in line.

So by the time we got to our table; things were just about waiting for us.

Misokatsu is one of the classic Nagoya food items….ask Taka-san at Taisho about it and he practically smacks his lips. Yabaton is probably the most well known chain of misokatsu restuarants.

I went with what Taka-san told me to order; the Teppan Misokatsu.

I shared my rice with the Missus. The miso soup was really good as well. In the teppan version of misokatsu; the tonkatsu is delivered on a hot plate lying on a bed of cabbage sizzling away. The miso sauce is then brought to the table and you can tell them how much you want.

The miso isn't overly salty; nice beany flavor, the breading on the cutlet is nice and stays crisp for a while. The pork is surprisingly tender….but man, this was a lot of pork.

The Missus got some small dishes which She enjoyed.

While everything was prepared well; this was perhaps too much of the same flavor and it was rather fatiguing after a while.

Nice meal; though I'll probably stick with some kushikatsu next time.

Misokatsu Yabaton (ESCA Shop)
ESCA Underground Shopping Center
Tsubakimachi 6 No. 9 Gosaki Esca
Tsubakicho, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya-shi, 453-0015
Hours:
11am – 10pm Daily

Nagoya – Morning Service, Yanagibashi Market, and Shikemichi Historic District

May 22, 2017 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Japan, Markets & Grocers, Nagoya, Travel

After hiking part of the Nakasendo Trail from Magome to Tsumago the day before; I was kinda bushed. The Missus though; was ready to go. She decided that we needed to check out Nagoya Castle. And we'd be walking there. As we crossed thru Nagoya Station, we noticed that even at around 730 on a Saturday morning, folks were milling around the "Golden Clock" right across from Takashimaya. This is the most popular meeting spot in Nagoya Station.

As we crossed the street and headed down Sakura-Dori; I spied this place on the lower level of one of the buildings.

The sign said "Morning Set – 390"; that's 390 Yes; about $3.50 for coffee and a small breakfast; something known as "Morning Service" and was created in Nagoya. We had first enjoyed at Komeda Coffee in Kamakura. Heck, we even splurged and got some "green juice" with our meal.

Which was just 100 Yen more. It was a satisfying start to the day.

Pronto Caffe & Bar
4-6-17 Meieki
Nakamura-ku, Nagoya

On one of the corners, the Missus pointed out a bit of hustle and bustle down a side street. It looked to be a market. I then remembered that Taka-san from Taisho had written down Yanagibashi Market as being a place we should check out in Nagoya.

It was indeed Yanagibashi Market; though things looked fairly calm when we arrived. Except for the 24 hour ramen stand…….

Since we weren't in any rush we spent some time wandering around the market.

I love checking out markets when we travel…….

The Missus ended up spending a couple of hundred bucks on tea during this trip. When the really nice guy running this tea shop waved us in….he knew what he was doing as he plied us with samples.

And the Missus ended up buying a couple of bags of tea from him.

Yanagibashi Central Market
4-11-3 Meieki
Nakamura-ku, Nagoya

For some reason, we took a left before the river. I was told to cross the Gojo Bridge on my way to Nagoya Castle, so we went down a street before the river.

A few blocks in we came across this shrine.

This is the Fuji Sengen Shrine.

We had noticed that the structures and the character of the street had completely changed.

According to the sign, this is Shikemichi Historic District.

When Nagoya Castle was being rebuilt in 1610; Tokugawa Ieyasu commanded that all the inhabitants of the previous seat of the Owari Clan, the city of Kiyosu move to Nagoya. So from I read all Sixty Thousand plus people moved to Nagoya. Moving houses, shrines, temples….everything.

This district is where the merchants used to live.

Several of the large buildings look interesting.

As do the windows. The street is also wider than in most historic districts.

In 1700, there was a huge fire which they called Genroku-no-Taika destroyed over 1600 structures and 15 temples and shrines. When planning the rebuilding of the city; Tokugawa Yoshimichi decided to widen the streets to a width of Four Ken, which depending on which source of conversion you use is about 23 feet wide as a firebreak.

So; "michi" means street; "shi" is four…..you get Shikemichi.

There are some nice little shops and cafes on the street; though most were still closed when we walked through

I'm not sure why we took the turns that we did. But I'm glad we did as we ran into things like this interesting looking shrine sitting on the roof of this building. According to the sign; these Shinto Rooftop Shrines are called "Yanegami" whose purpose is to ward off disease and disasters.

I hadn't really read much about historical Nagoya and folks I asked about the city really didn't tell me much in terms of history. So running into places like Shikemichi just adds that much more to things.

Soon enough we came to an intersection with modern buildings all around. To the left was the place we were looking for; the Gojo Bridge whose history dates back to 1610. The current structure was built in 1938.

We headed across the bridge; then left in the direction of Nagoya Castle. But who knows what would happen when we took a left after crossing the bridge? After all; we took a random left turn and ended up in Shikemichi!

Thanks for reading!

Nagoya – Kaburaya (Main Store) and Kinshachi Nagoya Akamiso Beer

May 1, 2017 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Nagoya, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

We were feeling a bit tired after having a full day. So we decided to stay close to the apartment. With ESCA and whole bunch of other shopping centers the choice for dinner was endless. The Missus was fascinated with a place just a block away. Upon entering this place looked basically like an Izakaya……the day was finishing up for folks here in Nagoya. And folks were enjoying a beer (or two) and a bite (or more) to eat.

Looking at the menu cracked me up….along with a bunch of "obanzai" style dishes, there seemed to be every Nagoya specialty on the menu….from Nagoya Teba, to Miso Katsu, to Hitsumabushi, to Kishimen! And some of the menu translations were quite humorous as well…….

We ordered a random collection of dishes and were quite surprised at how good some of them was.

The Missus isn't a fan of Kushi Katsu; but She went for it ordering two Miso Kushi Katsu.

The miso here isn't overly salty, a tad sweet, a thick, hearty texture, the panko was still crisp, the pork surprisingly tender.

The Missus was totally in love with offal in Japan, so the "Gacchan"; pork stomach stew was a natural choice.

Again, with miso, this was very nicely sweet – miso umami, comforting, the pork stomach had a nice chew…….again, surprisingly not very salty.

Out of curiosity, I ordered the kishimen, Nagoya's signature noodle soup. Not expecting much, we, especially the Missus, was pleasantly surprised.

The broth had a nice, almost a condensed, dashi flavor, deep umami. The flat, udon like noodles, had a good stretch to them and the texture stood up for the entire bowl. The Missus enjoyed this so much, she asked me to find one other shop for this before we left…….that was going to be a bit of a challenge, but I did find a shop (stay tuned) in an interesting location.

We were really enjoying ourselves and decided to try some other items….including this.

Yep, local beer….made with red miso? Ohhhh-kay.

Interesting flavor; slightly sweet salty-caramel, mildly malty. Not something I'd crave….but nice to try once.

I just couldn't "not" order the Unagi Honsenbei…..but man, this was way too large a portion.

Crisp, crunchy, nicely salted……. the Missus got tired of this fairly quickly.

We decided to end with the Tori Nanban….it's usually chicken karaage, topped with vinegar and tartar sauce. What we got was a bit too over-the-top for us.

The flavor of the karaage itself was fairly neutral; decently fried, a bit of soy and some nice savory tones. That sauce was a bit too much……like a crazy thousand island dressing; mayo-ketchup, with green onions, celery……carrots! Overpowering the chicken. We'd obviously hit the wall after this one……..

Kaburaya was a pleasant surprise and the Missus really enjoyed Herself. In fact, She'd want another Izakaya during this trip.

The service here was quite friendly. We loved the young lady who Served us, "my English is pretty good, yes?" Yes, it was.

Kaburaya Main Store
15-8 Tsubakicho Nakamura-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi, 453-0015
Chitose GL building B2 – 1F
Open Daily 11am – 1130pm

The Nakasendo Trail – Onward to Tsumago

April 29, 2017 mmm-yoso Hida-Takayama and Gifu Prefecture, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Travel

After heading uphill at Magome; the well marked trail meanders off; up and downhill, across roads and sometimes for short spans alongside the highway.

Occasionally, you'd hear the ringing of the "Bear Bell" off in the distance. So, we started doing the same as well when coming across those bells.

You'd sometimes come across a small village…..

Some of which look like the real life rendition of a painting.

There are a couple of restrooms along the way and a few rest stops. The mild drizzle, wasn't much more than a mild nuisance. After heading down from the summit of the Magome is this place; the Tateba Tea House (Ichikoku Tochi Tateba Chaya), a nice rest stop.

Volunteers from the local preservation association runs this quaint, rustic tea house, and it gives you insight into life during the days before electricity and other conveniences.

A "kagizuru", the traditional Japanese hearth is central heating; though there was also a wood burning cast iron stove onto one side. We learned that the smoke keeps insects and pests out and helps to harden and treat the wood.

There was a tour group of German and French who were just getting ready to leave when we arrived. The guide greeted us in Japanese and I answered. When I thanked her for the nice history of the building she looked shocked, then laughed. I guess we really can pass for Japanese here! You get a nice pot of tea and some snacks gratis. Just don't forget to leave a small donation so this place can keep on doing their thing.

It seems that everything has a story here. Like this union of two cypress trees that have been joined as one.

A "Husband and Wife" tree.

The forest near the halfway point between Magome and Tsumago is quite beautiful. Tall, straight trees reach to the skies…..

The crystal clear water in streams roll pass…..

Much like when we hiked the Samaria Gorge; we found some fallen branches and ended up using them as walking sticks.

Leaning them against a wall at the outskirts of Tsumago, thinking they may be of help to folks walking in the opposite direction one day.

Eventually, you get to the hill that overlooks a couple of villages with Tsumago in the distance.

And you follow the signs as the trail leads to Tsumago.

Tsumago itself is quite atmospheric; you feel like you've stepped into the past.

And the overcast skies and occasional drizzle seemed to add to things…….

We came across this display in one of the buildings.

Man, it was quite an impressive Hinamatsuri (Girl's Day) display. According to the sign; this region celebrates Hinamatsuri one month later than other areas.

If you'd like to see the panoramic photo below; I'd click on it to enlarge.

The Missus was just struck by the harmonic beauty…but I was getting hungry.

Since the Missus can read Kanji; She pointed out this Soba Shop.

So we decided to grab some lunch…..

Hot Soba sounded quite nice on this damp day.

The Missus went with this version of Sansai Soba.

I went with the Tororo (grated yam) version.

Nothing fancy, but nice a soothing on this day. The noodles were not quite the texture I enjoy, but the broth was quite nice.

Turns out this place is pretty well known in the guide books and such.

Yoshimuraya
860-1, Azuma, Nagiso,
Kiso,399-5302

Bellies full, we headed off to the "bus station"…….

For the bus to Nagiso.

Our train from Nagiso back to Nagoya, wouldn't be leaving until nearly 4pm, so we stopped by a shop and got some tea and wagashi.

We arrived back in Nagoya a few minutes after 5pm. It had been a wonderful day.

Thanks for reading!

And if you want a bit more; check this out

Doing Part of the Nakasendo Trail – Starting Off in Magome

April 28, 2017 mmm-yoso Hida-Takayama and Gifu Prefecture, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Travel

As I've mentioned before; during our trips we like to take a detour; whether flying over the Nazca Lines, spending a night in a tent in the Grand Erg Oriental (albeit, quite a luxurious tent), hiking from Matra to Taphin, the Samaria Gorge, or the Great Wall from one province to another (sounds more impressive of an effort than it is), I try to plan something that's "fun" for the Missus. Which usually means I'll be huffing and puffing along while the Missus has a blast. While planning this trip; I'd read about the Nakasendo Trail, one of the "Five Routes", the administrative routes created during the Edo Period, which connected Edo (now Tokyo), to the outer provinces of Japan. Because of where I had projected our "path" on this trip, taking in that Kyoto was a "must" and trying to make it as fun and interesting for us as possible; I picked Nagoya as our hub for a whopping three nights….remember, the Missus doesn't like staying anywhere too long. So when I read about the most frequented (and easiest) portion of the Nakasendo trail, from Magome to Tsumago being within easy reach….I thought it would be a great day trip.

And so, there we were waiting for the Shinano 1 on track 10 at the JR Nagoya Station. We were bushed and it seemed the Ekiben pickins' were a bit slim (there was something we wanted to try, but it was too early), so we did the obvious and headed to…..the vending machines…..

And a few yen later, we had some nice hot black coffee (there's a brand I like, but for some reason I can't remember it right now) and some red bean soup and some corn soup (I've loved the stuff since I had it on Sapporo). Though we didn't do nearly as well as the older gentleman who was hitting the Kirin at 7am! For those who watch Gourmet Samurai and saw episode 1 (FWIW, while I enjoy GS, I really enjoy Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories) and saw the inner turmoil of deciding whether to have a beer with lunch or not…..that dude had no qualms! You gotta admire such decisiveness, right?

The train took us to Nakatsugawa. Of course, due to my not quite understanding the bus schedule from Nakatsugawa to Magome; we arrived a bit early.

Though when you're on vacation, those things seem minor….so we set about to grab a cup of coffee and maybe a snack and headed off from the train station.

And found there wasn't much going on at 745am in Nakatsugawa….at least close to where we were at…..

I did mention that the visitor center/TI opened at 8am, so we headed there…..

Where there is the inevitable "local products" shop….something we love so much. The Missus bought some local tea and I grabbed one wagashi……the Missus loves persimmon, so I got what I basically believe is suikanshuku, thinking I'd grab some tea from the vending machine. But, after paying for our stuff, the really nice gentleman working, insisted that we have two cups of the local green tea.

Which is why we both love Japan so much. Anyway, along with some water….and those two cups of tea…..well, the Missus really loved the little treat.

Soon enough, the bus was leaving…….it was about a 25 minute bus ride….and to think the Missus wanted me to walk to Magome!

We finally made it to the stop, at the bottom of the street from Magome.

The air was so crisp, the view beautiful…..and so quiet. No cars are allowed on the main street in Magome.

So we headed up from the main road.

It's a beautiful walk up the winding streets that takes you to a different time.

The Missus and I decided to wait and let the other pass and head off. No offense, but there's a kind of amazing lack of chatter in Japan that makes us want to hear something other than the sound of voices…..

So we took our time…….look at the specials of the day served here!

We saw a stand selling steamed buns and decided to stop there and have our breakfast.

It was what seemed to be an intentionally rustic little stand, to fit in……with all the charm that is Japan. The service was gracious and kind and the steamed buns were decent….I actually enjoyed the preserved vegetable more than the eggplant, for that wonderful spinach-chy, slightly salty, chlorophyllic flavor I enjoy.

We then headed up the hill………

And then down, to come across something interesting…….

So every 200 meters or so are these bells….and from what I heard, you can go to the TI and get your own, handy-dandy, anti-black bear bell…….so you ring the bells to scare away the bears. But being the somewhat cynical person I am, I wondered two things; heck if I were a black bear, this wouldn't scare me away….this would be the "dinner bell", though secondly, we saw some interesting four paw tracks along the way….which freaked me out a bit……and I forgot to take photos….my bad. Still, it was fun to hear the bells "ringing" along the way….take no chances and all that, right?

The trail itself went up and down hills and even across current roads/highways……

But you'd always come across something interesting….like the replication of the traditional town notice board.

These Kosatsuba laid down the law for all who passed.

The Missus really enjoyed this hike. Along with the seasonal beauty……

Was a bit of history. Which made things a lot easier…..at least for me.

Thanks for reading!

Tokyo to Nagoya and Dinner at Hitsumabushi Bincho

April 21, 2017 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Nagoya, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

Each of our three trips to Japan started and ended in Tokyo….naturally in Tokyo Station (actually Narita Airport, but you get the point). By now, we kind of had a habit when catching the Shinkansen to whatever our destination was. One of the items on that list….hit up an Ekiben stand.

This one was a special, to celebrate the one year anniversary of the Shinkansen line to Hokkaido. It was about ten bucks and yes, that's real crab. The oysters were decent; but it was the ikura that made this delicious. It's always fun to watch the Shinkansen go by and count how many people you see eating a bento. Well, when in Japan we're one of those.

Like any large city, it's also fun to people watch. We like to sit for a while in the seats across from the Shinkansen ticket machines. and while I missed taking a photo of the portly man wearing pink "Hello Kitty" sweats….I was basically in shock. I found this guy interesting as he carefully documented all his omiyage.

For some reason, I really noticed a lot of the signs, especially on trains and in train stations on this trip. I found them interesting and sometimes a bit humorous. Like this one titled "How to use a toilet"…..just in case you've forgotten. Step 1 is the most important….. I'm always wondering, how many cases of what behavior inspired these posters.

While planning out this trip, I found that Nagoya fit perfectly in our plans. So while we'd made a quick dinner visit in the past, this time we'd be staying. Since we travel very light; we need to have facilities with a washer a few times during our visit. In Nagoya, this meant finding an AirBnB, which was super conveniently located, literally within two blocks from JR Nagoya Station. Though the downside was it being spartanly furnished (my original reservation for what looked like a larger, nicer unit was cancelled) and that it was literally next to the train tracks.

I was relieved that the noise at night didn't bother the Missus too much. And we were gone for most of the days in Nagoya.

One of the great thing about Japan is that every town or city seems to have its specialty….at least in the snack department. Nagoya has several special dishes that I wanted to try. Taka-san at Taisho said I really needed to have Hitsumabushi; Nagoya's version of Unadon. After doing quite a bit of walking already, we decided to stay close by for dinner. Right at the exit of the JR Nagoya Station are escalators leading down to ESCA Underground Shopping Center. Much like Tokyo Station "City", there's a couple of interconnected malls under Nagoya Station. In ESCA, I had mapped out Hitsumabushi Bincho, a Nagoya based chain well known for their Nagoya style Unagi bowl.

Here unagi is grilled over what is regarded as high quality binchotan. The place was pretty quiet when we arrived at about 5pm.

We decided to order the 1 1/2 order of Hitsumabushi to share and a couple of other dishes. And of course "nama biru"……

I was quite happy to see Unagi Hone-senbei on the menu.

I really enjoy fried fish bones….potato chips of the sea. Savory, lightly salted, fairly light and very crisp. Nice savory flavors…and heck, I get my calcium too! Did I mention that it goes great with beer?

We would find other versions that were much cheaper than this, but it was a nice start for me.

The Missus, curious about some of the dishes ordered the Grilled Eel Liver (kimoyaki).

I've had this before and warned the Missus about how bitter it can be. Actually, the tare used on this was just sweet enough to ward off some of the bitterness, though it still caught the Missus a bit off guard. The aroma of the caramelized tare was fantastic. Maybe the best version I've had of this dish.

She also ordered a version of Itawasa. This one was interesting.

The "kamaboko" was very nice, great balanced salty-savory flavors…..all I can say is "good surimi", something I'm not really used to here in the states. The wasabi dip was interesting. There was some minced vegetable in it; a mild bitter-pungent, and a strong fermented flavor; which is probably miso, but the texture was interesting, like perhaps fermented fish? It was quite lovely and a great pairing; the sweet-pungency of the wasabi based dip with the fish cake. I know, I've just written almost a hundred words about eating kamaboko.

And then the main dish….which was accompanied by an instruction card. This one in both Japanese and English.

Apparently, eating this dish the "Nagoya way" is serious business. According to the documentation, this is a three step process. Which we, of course followed.

The Eel itself is wonderfully textured. In the states, the skin is often chewy, here it isn't. The tare is quite complex, mild sweetness, deep interesting flavors. The flesh of the eel basically melts in your mouth, the fat content quite good.

The rice, in comparison to other places in Japan is ok, a bit too hard by my standards. The best combination is number 2, with wasabi; the floral-sweet-pungent tones and the green onion really brought out the best in the eel and added texture. The Chazuke just seemed to water down the flavors for us.

This was a nice and quite filling first meal in Nagoya for us. The service was very friendly and as with most places in Japan quite accommodating.

Hitsumabushi Bincho (ESCA Shop)
ESCA Underground Shopping Center (#45 on the directory)
Tsubakimachi 6 No. 9 Gosaki Esca
Tsubakicho, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya-shi, 453-0015
Hours:
Open Daily 11am – 330pm and 5pm – 10pm

We took a walk around the area, stopped at the 7-11 to pick up a couple of beers, went back to the apartment to relax and celebrate the fact that we were back in Japan. Tomorrow, we'd be "hiking" (again, remember, I'm here with the Missus) part of the Nakasendō trail. I needed to rest up.

Thanks for reading!

Tokyo – Breakfast at Yaesu Hatsufuji (again), Ueno Park, and Kitanomaru Park

April 20, 2017 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

After having a nice dinner in Tokyo the night before; we awoke nice and refreshed. We wouldn't be leaving for Nagoya until 130pm, so the Missus was really interested in checking things out. She was really excited about getting to see the Sakura. I'd been monitoring the Cherry Blossom Forecast and told the Missus we'd probably be missing things in Tokyo (until we returned) and Nagoya, but looked like we were on schedule for Kyoto. Still, I decided we should go to Ueno Park.

But first, breakfast. The Missus really enjoyed breakfast at Yaesu Hatsufuji on our last trip and wanted to eat the simple, but satisfying Japanese breakfast here again. We found a convenient locker, near the JR office, stowed our bags, and found the restaurant soon after.

It was still early, so we strolled around a bit. When we got back to the restaurant, there was already a line!

As the place opened, the line to the ticket machine moved quickly. We made our choices, paid, got our tickets…walked into the place, gave the woman our tickets and were guided to a table.

The Missus enjoys the tea that is provided. She went with the Natto Set (620¥) again; which She loves.

What really surprised me this time around was how good the sashimi was!

I got the Tonjiro Set (520¥), with the exchange rate a bargain at about $4.75!

The miso and pork based soup/stew was quite comforting, not too salty….in spite of being the end of March, there was still a bit of a chill in the air in the morning and this did the trick. Man, that rice was really good too……something that I notice about the Japan.

This place is a favorite of ours. I've posted on it before, so I'll leave it at that.

Yaesu Hatsufuji
Yaesu underground shopping center North 1, 2-1, Yaesu, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-0028

So, this is Japan. You eat and get the heck out of dodge….breakfast was less than 20 minutes long so it was not long before we caught the JR Yamanote Line, getting off in Ueno in less than ten minutes.

Ueno Park is pretty large, with a number of Museums and a Zoo on its property. But, we were here for the cherry blossoms. The thing that stuck with us the most about our visit here is learning about the phenomenon of the Hanami Party.

So Hanami basically means "flower viewing" and it's obvious that in this case it means Cherry Blossom viewing. But there's this kind of interesting, for us, a bit goofy, thing called a Hanami Party. Here it seems like folks reserve a spot….setting our plastic tarps to celebrate. It looks like someone needs to keep on the reserved bit of real estate until the party. Man, it was still pretty darn cold at night here…..that's kind of nuts. It does seem like the "spring renewal" has an effect on people….there's this infectious, well, goofiness that is all around. Hope springs eternal.

And for all the partiers, there're the folks who can't walk past a tree without taking a photo…..two interesting groups…..

And while things weren't quite perfect yet….those folks will probably be spending a few more cold nights sleeping on tarps in the park, the transposition of colors is still quite stunning.

I saw a small folded tarp with one guy lying on it….just enough space for him…..which is when I asked the Missus; "is there such a thing as a hanami party for one?"

Just ask the statue of Prince Komatsu Akihito.

It seems that it was all "Hanami" for us right now…….which distracted me from all else that Ueno Park has to offer.

Though I did take some time to check out a couple of things. Like the Hair Pagoda for Priest Tenkai……check out the link. It's an interesting story…plus, he lived to be 108!

And on Kiyomizu Kannon-do; the recreation of the Pine Tree of the Moon. Though I spy some food stalls on the path to Benten-do.

And based on all the food (and drink) booths around; this must be some kind of party at night……..

By this time, the Missus was ready to head back to Tokyo Station….though it was still early. So I thought we'd head out of the station.

And around the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace.

And over to Kitanomaru Park. Where we strolled around and saw two young ladies pushing carts with very young kids in it…..

It was fun watching the little ones having their day at the park……

We enjoyed walking the trails…..

Soon enough, it was time to head back to Tokyo Station. We decided to walk through the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. This is the Tōkagakudō, the music hall…..

I think there were places open on this visit that were closed off the last time we were here. Of course, folks were enjoying the Cherry Blossoms here as well.

We got back to the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station and the Missus decided She wanted to try one of the "sakura" drinks at Tully's Coffee.

Which She enjoyed.

I guess that's the deal with spring here. Everything is born anew….hope is in the air….life begins…..and you have no choice but to enjoy it.

Thanks for reading!

Tokyo – Horumon Dedesuke

April 11, 2017 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

It was great being back in Japan. Because this was going to be a rather short trip, our days were going to be quite busy and we'd be making good use of our JR Pass and Suica Card. While our flight to Narita was going to be arriving at around 5pm; I figured that by the time we got thru customs (pretty quick in Japan), got our pocket wifi, activated our JR Pass, got our train tickets for the following day, get to Tokyo Station, and check into our hotel, it would be around 830 or so. Which was a good estimate. Even though 9 or even midnight is not especially late in Tokyo; I still didn't want to be hunting around for a place to eat.

The Missus had really enjoyed the Horumon (offal) we'd had on our previous trip, I decided to make reservations at Horumon Dedesuke which was a mere 10 minute walk from our hotel in Ginza.

We found the place with little problem; having downloaded a photo of the storefront and using Google Maps.

One of the few phrases in Japanese I do know is "Yoyaku shitemasu xxxx des." As in "I have a booking for….." And they did have seats ready for us in a tiny corner as the place was packed.

In spite of flying Business Class…the seats on the San Diego – Narita route 787s don't go all the way to 180 degrees, so we didn't get much shut eye and we were kind of tired. So, a nice cold "nama biru" was just the thing. The Missus had a nice HiBall.

Our table top grill was prepped and some vegetables brought out and we were on our way……

First up, what was called the "Root of Tongue" on the menu……

This is the rear portion of the beef tongue; it was seasoned perfectly, was surprisingly tender, and very "beefy".

We found that we didn't need to use any of the typical provided sauces for any of the cuts we had. all were nicely seasoned.

Next to arrive was the one cooked dish; the Stewed Beef Tendon.

The "sauce" was that tasty salty-sweet we associate with Japanese cuisine; with an added Korean (as is with most Yakiniku places) touch of spice.

The tendon and associated beef parts were amazingly tender and a joy to eat.

I love "Harami"; skirt steak, so we ordered the prime skirt.

Man, this was really tender and beefy, just needing a slight sear on the grill…..rare was the best way to have this.

And then the "offal-ness" of it all started, with a triple threat.

With….from the left to the right; sliced small intestine, thymus gland, and large intestine. The small intestine was superb; quite fatty, toothsome, with a mild, pleasant, and surprisingly "clean" flavor to it. The large intestine, as expected was much more chewy, more "offal-ly", though also enjoyable. When I saw thymus gland on the menu, I immediately thought "veal sweetbreads", which is what I'm used too. These were quite tough and chewy; I'm thinking they were taken from an adult cow? That was probably the least enjoyable item we had.

This was a very good meal to start off our trip. The Missus has really taken to yakiniku and horumon. I just wished we had more of it here.

Horumondedesuke (ホルモンでですけ)

3-3-9 Ginza

Chuo, Tokyo

As we slowly strolled back to our hotel, we took it all in, the bright lights, the immenseness of it all, yet balanced out with the clean, the quiet……it was great being back in Tokyo.

Where in the world are we (again)? Part 2

April 10, 2017 mmm-yoso Japan, Kanazawa and Ishikawa Prefecture, Kyoto, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

As you read this, we're probably just getting home…..

After another wonderful trip to Japan.

From the rather cold climate of our previous stop, we headed to warmer pastures.

To a city that houses one of the "Three Great Gardens" of Japan.

Which was quite impressive.

As was the fact that there was gold leaf everywhere….even on our sashimi.

Though we loved the dried/fermented/preserved fish here……cheesy-salty-savory….an umami bomb.

And of course there was "Japanese Breakfast".

Our next stop was a familiar one…..though we'd never been here during the spring. We lucked out and the Cherry Blossoms were in full bloom. As were the people, who seemed to be really enjoying themselves. In spring; life starts anew……and it seems like everyone celebrates….

Everyone is out having a great time; family, friends, of the two legged and four legged kind.

And in this day and age; you absolutely need a "selfie"…..

After all; who can deny how beautiful this is.

It's enough to make you want to massage a…ummmm…..cat?

All joking aside; it can be breathtakingly beautiful.

Of course we had to stop at the Missus's favorite Yakitori spot.

And how about some "Kogashi" (burned) Ramen?

And even a nice Izakaya stop with a wonderful shirako ponzu…loved the shiso flowers; which added just enough of that anise-basil flavor.

And then some what sadly, our time was almost up. And we ended up back in the city where we kicked things off…..though this time, staying in our favorite neighborhood.