Travel – Page 80

Kyoto Day 1: A quick trip to Fushimi Inari, Tōfuku-ji, Nishiki Market, dinner from Daimaru Resutoran-gai, and a stop at Beer Komachi

November 28, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Japan, Kyoto, Markets & Grocers, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

One of the great things about train stations in Japan is the abundance of storage lockers. For about five bucks US, you get a good sized locker for the whole day. Since we left Tokyo quite early in the morning we arrived way before check in time at the residence where we were staying. We managed to stow our bags….we travel light, I have a Tri-Star and the Missus an Aeronaut 30, which She loves. How the Missus ended up agreeing with me about Her Aeronaut is a story for another day. Anyway, these two bags are European carry-on size and we can easily travel for a month (or more) with what we pack in these bags……mine weighed out at 9 kilos for this trip.

For some reason, we found Kyoto Station to be bit confusing….Tokyo Station was a slam dunk; but Kyoto Station just seemed like a maze at first. After finding the gates to the JR Nara line, which wasn't that hard, we got on the train…..which ended up being the Express, which bypasses the Inari Station! We actually didn't feel too bad, since there were at least a dozen people (all Japanese) who did the same thing. We got off at the first express stop after Inari Station and headed back…with the other folks who took the wrong train and made it to Fushimi-Inari.

Our first impressions of Fushimi Inari-Taisha? It was so strikingly beautiful…….and so crowded!

And while we could enjoy the vibrancy and character to the shrine; the packed crowds, the noise (remember we had spent a couple of days in Tokyo, so it's all relative), and the lines to walk through the colorful torii (gates), were just a bit too much for us. I told the Missus that the shrine opens at dawn…..if we woke early enough, we could get here at dawn, and really enjoy the place…..so we decided to return the next morning. We'd bundle Fushimi Inari and Kiyomizu-dera for the next morning.

Having read enough about our travel, I'm sure you realize that the Missus was not going to stop and proceed to sit on Her hands. She decided we should walk up the street…… It was an interesting walk as the shops gave way to temples, several of which we walked through…..ending up at the impressive gate of Tōfuku-ji.

This massive Sanmon is the oldest in Japan and is considered a national treasure.

The Dragon painting on the ceiling in the Hondou (Main Hall) is by famous Kyoto-born artist Insho Domoto.

The temple is known for the stone and moss gardens and the Tsuutenkyo Bridge.

I can just imagine what this view would be like during autumn when all the leaves turn color!

There are many temples and shrines in the area…..

So we just meandered around…….

We ended up at Shorinji Temple…..

It was nearing noon and our check in time, so we headed down the hill to Tokufuji Station, back to Kyoto Station, where we got confused again….this time trying to remember where our locker was. Once located we headed off to our destination. A Machiya in the Southern Higashiyama area.

First off, the owner wasn't kidding when she said it was one minute from Higashiyama Station….it was literally one minute! Located in a shopping arcade – Furukawacho shopping arcade, this is among the top ten places we've ever stayed….it was huge; two floors, a large kitchen, an awesome bath….of course the sleeping arrangement was traditional Japanese.

Masae was fantastic, so organized, she even had a map of the area around the arcade, with restaurants and shops listed. There was a typhoon, Vongfong headed our way….she kept us appraised via emails. She made our stay wonderful.

Meanwhile, we had asked Reiko about things we should buy in Kyoto. While on the way to the Machiya, Reiko mentioned getting a Furoshiki. And Masae knew just the spot. A few blocks away was Kakefuda. The Missus was taken with the various patterns. The young man here did a demo….a couple of times, showing the Missus how to do some of the basic tying methods. Somehow, no matter how many times She's practiced….it just doesn't look quite right. That's alright though……the Missus got something for herself from Kyoto.

We then headed West, over the Kamo River, finding Nishiki Market. Man, this placed was packed. It was wall to wall people. My first instinct was to bail….but the Missus was hungry and getting a bit grumpy, so we decided to hunt for some "snacks", starting out with an ok Takoyaki….kind of too soggy for my taste. It was just meh……very dull…so I'm thinking a black and white photo describes it best.

We came across a stand selling Hamoyaki; grilled conger eel brushed with a tare. They had a little standing table and we really wanted a respite from the masses. This was actually pretty good. Hamo is very mild in flavor, so it's basically a palette for the tare. We really enjoyed the light texture of the eel.

We made our way further down the market and something caught the Missus' eye.

This place made yakimanju and yakimochi….grilled rice cakes. We tried a yakimanju….

I have to say….I love the fragrance of these….but as a whole, I'm not a fan of yakimochi and this was basically the same thing.

Nothing amazing, but enough to keep us going……we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping around Shijo-dori. When it was time to head back, I asked the Missus what She watned to do for dinner. We'd had a long day; I awoke at 330am and actually did a post. We'd need to wake by at least 5am tomorrow and we were bushed. So, Daimaru's resutoran-gai ("restaurant town") just made sense, especially since the Missus was craving salad, which is rather hard to come by.

This stuff ain't cheap, but the variety is staggering…..as I mentioned previously; large department stores have an entire floor full of food stands and vendors. It's easy to get lost in all of this.

Dinner in hand, we made our way back to the house. Not directly of course……

This thin, alley-like street is named Ponto-chō, it is one of the Hanamachi, Geisha districts in Kyoto. The street runs parallel to the Kamo River and is full of restaurants, bars, and, after being absolutely shocked to see a Geisha walking down the street, Geisha houses I guess?

The wooden buildings and hanging lanterns sure adds to the atmosphere…….

Having come from Shijuku and seeing the Robot Restaurant, then Shibuya and the goth-Hello Kitty chicks, to this in less than three days is something to wrap your head around.

Crossing over to the other side of the Kamo River, we made our way back to where we were staying.

We followed the Shirakawa Canal, into the Gion, another Hanamachi district, and the street folks told me was the most beautiful in all of Japan.

I can see why…….

The sound of the water; the wooden buildings, the trees…..take a photo and ask someone where this is and they'll say, "well, Japan of course….."

Getting back to the machiya, the Missus decided a nice long soak in the wonderful tub was on the agenda. I went upstairs to the sitting area.

I had some tea while watching the folks pass through the marketplace below. There's a meat market and a small convenience type store right across the walkway from the house.

Dinner was a a simple affair……but perfect as we were pretty tired.

As you can see, the Missus got Her "salad fix".

Here's the rather unique Furoshiki the Missus chose. She said it would always remind Her of Kakefuda.

After dinner, we took a walk up Sanjo-dori and some of the side streets in the Gion…packed with bars and Izakayas. There was a Family Mart and a Grocery Store right around the corner from where we were staying as well.

Life is full of happy coincidences. When we arrived, Masae told us that she had just opened a craft beer bar in the same arcade, a few yeards from where we were staying. Really? A craft beer bar? Awesome!

We headed over for a nightcap. The tiny spot was busy, but they found us a small table. Looking at the beer list, I had to crack up; Stone, Lagunitas, Pizza Port, Saint Archer…. you gotta love it!

Of course there was a selection of Japanese craft brews as well. The Missus likes Her sours, so She went with the Morita Kinshachi Fruits Draft Lemon.

I mentioned that we were from San Diego and had recently visited Belgium to Masae….who apparently loves her beer. we had a nice conversation about San Diego breweries, along with a promise that if she visits San Diego, the beer is on us!

I had the Kure Beer Belgian IPA, which was interesting. Less hoppy than an IPA and not veyr boozy; this was on the sweet side and not unpleasant.

Man, it had been quite a long day; from Tokyo and a view of Mount Fuji, to temples, then shopping, and finally a nice quiet self catered dinner, followed by a visit to a craft beer bar……

So this was Kyoto, huh? Though we were dead tired, we were having fun.

Thanks for reading!

Oahu: Kahumana Cafe (Waianae)

November 19, 2014 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Oahu, Travel

We decided to head back "home" to Oahu before heading to Japan. The Missus needed to visit Her parents….and I needed to recharge. I love seeing my in-laws, they truly treat me as if I'm their son. The one problem being, and no offense here, I'm a "townie" by nature….for me finding the kind of places and grindz I like is kind of hard in Ewa Beach and West Oahu…..things are getting better…but for the most part, it's trips to Tanioka's for us. And yet, I wanted something different and special for us….the family, to go out and enjoy. Somehow, I'm still not entirely sure, I came across Kahumana Farms and their Cafe, which serves lunch and….great for us, dinner from 6pm – 8pm Tuesday to Saturday.

Over the last 10 years we've been doing the blog, things have changed, we eat less, still enjoy food, but temper things with more healthy choices. Plus, there's just a sort of "hippie" side to the Missus that has come out the last couple of years……let's put that "high maintenance hippie", have you seen the prices of dried mulberries? Yikes. However, there was just something about this place that seemed right.

The whole Kahumana Farms thing was established by Father Phillip Harmon back in 1974. The farm and cafe reside "out there" down the unpaved roads of Lualualei Homestead Road. The land is fruitful, I've been told that there are more than few archaeological sites in this valley. And the Kahumana Organization supports transitional housing and programs for those with disabilities. A big plus, you're getting "stuffs" grown right on the farm. You can read more about this here at their website and other articles.

I called and made reservations……

Like they say, getting there was half the fun. From what I recall, a lot of the area is Hawaiian Homestead land. I haven't really been down to Waianae in almost 30 years or so…..once upon a time, I drove here weekly for work, but it had been almost forever….ok, let's just say a lifetime. We arrived and walked in the door, past the shop area……the place was doing some decent business. Finding that we had reservations….we got a table in the covered lanai area.

The staff here is very friendly….not polished mind you, but they make up for things with their warmth and friendliness. The menu is written on a chalkboard, one of which is delivered to your table. It's an interesting aggregation of dishes…hummus, Pacific Rim, Indian influences…..

We started with some Kabocha Soup.

The Missus loves Kabocha, so choosing this was a no-brainer. Smooth and comforting, a slight heat, herbaceous, perhaps a little too sweet for our taste, this was still quite nice.

The dish we enjoyed the least was the chicken stir fry, which, in spite of the wonderful flavors of the vegetables, had severely over-cooked the chicken.

The Chicken Masala on Brown Rice (yes, brown rice) and stir fried vegetables was very good.

No, I wasn't expecting Punjabi Tandoor, but this was quite good….can I go on about the greens? The "masala inspired" sauce had a bit of zip and nice balanced spice profile….good enough that I actually ate a good bit of brown rice! The chicken was nice and moist on this one.

The Macadamia Nut Pesto with Mahi Mahi was solid.

Call it the "Shandong" influence, but I was not a fan of the noodles, which were kind of brittle and lacking in texture. The "pesto" was very nice, nutty, with a good herb flavor. I'm kind of leary about Mahi Mahi, having worked with it quite a bit in one of my former lives. You need to get it really fresh…it attains a "sour" flavor when at less than optimal freshness. Plus, too many folks just cook it to death….and this one looked unimpressive….until I had a taste…nicely seasoned, moist…..very good! A nice piece of fresh fish prepared simply, but well.

I think it might be hard for folks to understand how a simple salad could be the best dish……

It is, after all, a plate of vegetables…..but let me say, the Missus and I enjoyed this the most. The cucumbers sparkled, crisp, with the flavor of melon…the greens, bitter, herbaceous, taste each separately. The tomatoes were good….but you have to understand, my Mom was from Maui….I still have the flavor of ripe, Kula tomatoes on the brain. The flavor that really got our attention were of the shaved beets, so sweet, so much flavor, I had to ask if they marinated it in any way……the answer? No…….

The Lilikoi Cheesecake….well, I don't do desserts, so you'll have to ask.

As I was waiting for everyone to finish "potty duty" after dinner….a gentleman walked up to me and struck up a conversation. He introduced himself as "Robert"…so in retrospect, I assume he is Robert Zuckerman, the Manager/Chef of Kahumana Cafe. He asked us where we hail from…..it was quite obvious, there are the regular customers, and then there were us. It was a wonderful 15 minutes; we had seen kids….well, teenagers eating in the dining room. We were worried these were homeless kids, but no….kids on a 10 day program learning about farming. The young folks we saw gathering a bit later on were the workers, some of which were Woofers, basically a program by which food and housing is provided in exchange for work on the farm. I thoroughly njoyed our conversation and promised to return.

I hope to keep that promise……..I'm looking forward to my next salad!

Kahumana Cafe
86-660 Lualualei Homestead Rd
Waianae, Hi 96792

Leaving Tokyo…….impressions, observations, and a pretty good Tori Teriyaki Jyu Ekiben

November 15, 2014 mmm-yoso Japan, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

We got up early as is the norm when we travel. We had made reservations for the early train out of Tokyo Station. So we caught the 5:04 train from Yotsuya Sanchome.

We had mixed feelings about leaving Tokyo. We'd had such a great time and loved the vibe and very distinctive personalities of the various districts we were able to visit. We both felt a tinge of sadness….you could live here for decades and still only scratch the surface. It is both crazily busy, but with an order to things. Everyone goes left on the escalators, no one talks above the barest whispers on the trains and subways……"never trust a person who eats while walking". You stop and eat. The cleanliness, for a city this size…..

We had spoken to several folks; Reiko and the couple while having coffee near Tsukiji. They mentioned missing the "last train" out of Tokyo and having to stay up in a coffee shop to catch the first train out in the morning. And the young ladies here seemed to be a prime example of that.

We were amazed to find that folks would just nod off upon sitting…..this is the other side of life here, it can be hard and tiring. Just as quickly as they'd doze off, they'd snap to attention right before their stop!

Man, Tokyo Station was buzzing, even this early in the morning. The Missus went to grab some drinks and this was the check out line.

I was intrugued by the Ekiben stands. Man, the plastic food looked just delicious. The Missus decided we should get one; just to see if the bento actually looked like the plastic food.

You know what….it pretty much delivered….

And did bear an almost eerie resemblance to the plastic version.

I tried to, but couldn't really fit in an overnight trip to Hakone. Next time I told the Missus. She was disappointed in not getting to see Mount Fuji. But guess what……

She got Her photo from the Shinkansen.

Kyoto was up next…..

Tokyo Day 2: Sensō-ji and tongue eight ways at Tanyaki Shinobu

November 11, 2014 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

Even though we'd done a good bit of walking already, the Missus wasn't done. After our light lunch, the Missus decided She wanted to visit Sensō-ji. So we headed back onto the Ginza line, getting off at Asakusa. It was no problem finding the temple, you just follow the crowds! Man was the place packed. There's a long street leading to the temple gate lines with small shops called Nakamise-dōri. It would have been quite charming if things weren't so crowded. To get to the temple, you need to pass through the impressive Kaminari-mon, the "Thunder Gate".

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Sensō-ji was founded in 645, which makes it the oldest temple in Tokyo. According to the story, in 628, two brothers, Hinokuma Hamanari and Hinokuma Takenari pulled their nets out of the Sumida River. Caught in the net was a statue of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy. The village chief, Hajino Nakamoto, recognized the importance of the statue and turned his home into a temple to enshrine the statue.

The area is quite impressive. If we ever get back to Tokyo, I think an early morning visit might be in order.

As things stood, it was a bit too crowded for us. We wandered a bit, before sneaking out a side street.

We got back on the Ginza line, transferring to the Chuo line back to Yotsuya. We strolled the neighborhood a bit before heading back to the apartment to do some laundry and take a short nap.

Soon enough, evening rolled around. On the night we arrived, we had walked to a little place in Yotsuya. Somehow, using just the handful of Japanese I knew, I managed to get reservations for dinner. Finding out that our friend Reiko was free, I told her to call the place….there's just no way I'd be able to communicate effectively over the phone, and have her added to our reservations. We walked over to Yotsuya Station and met Reiko. Getting to the place from here was a short 7-8 minute walk; though if it was up Reiko, who walks at the "Tokyo pace"….very quickly, we'd have gotten there in five!

Our destination was a little shop named Tanyaki Shinobu. Yep, this place specialized in beef tongue.

The interior of the Izakaya is small, rustic, and sorts of wraps you up in itself. There is counter seating, or like what we had tiny tables, with stump-like stools….if you had less than six in your party, you shared the table, which didn't bother us at all. Luckily, the cigarette smoke was kept to a minimum.

A big plus was having Reiko with us…..she told us, there are 8 tongue dishes on the menu……so we ordered all 8.

Things started off with the very simple sounding "Boiled Tongue". Which was simply amazing.

The pure beef flavor was so pronounced that you almost expected the dish to bellow out a strong "Mooo…" The tongue kept its form until it hit your tongue, at which time it just melted away. The was just perfectly flavored and simmered. In fact, we had another order of this.

The Missus just adored the ponzu pickled yamaimo.

I'd never had mountain yam this good. The "ponzu-zuke" really added a nice flavor to the yamaimo, the sour seemed to bring out a bit more of the background sweetness, it also seemed to make the yamaimo less slimy. There's a nice crunch to this very refreshing dish.

The Tan Stew was very tender, with what tasted like a red wine based demi glace.

The Tan no Shogani – ginger stew, brought all those familiar comforting flavors to me.

The salty-sweet-ginger flavors in this shoyu based braised dish was just perfect. Nice texture, not falling to pieces, but with a light chew. We also had an additional order of this.

The tongue stewed in miso was also delicious.

The scallions added just enough pungency and the konnyaku a nice textural contrast. Very balanced flavors and not as salty as I thought it would be.

The pickled cucumbers were a bit of a surprise.

Pickled in shoyu and garlic, with a mild chili kick, both the Missus and I immediately thought of Pai Huang Gua (派黄瓜) – the "Smacked Cucumbers" that I make.

Strangely, the dish the Izakaya is named after; the Tanyaki – broiled tongue was probably our least favorite.

A bit too thick and rubbery for our tastes. It was also on the salty side.

The miso cured tongue (on the left) and the salt cured tongue (on the right) were nice.

I preferred the salt cured version. Eaten with onions and a squeeze of sudachi it was chewy, yet pleasant, and yes, cured, not cooked.

The Kinoko no shioyaki – salt grilled eryngii mushrooms were fragrant and earthy. The texture, nice and meaty.

The meal ended with Tan Soup, which was so good. The soul of the cow condensed into this wonderful, clear broth.

Man, this was a great meal…one main ingredient, beef tongue presented a different ways. When I first told the Missus about this place, She wasn't too thrilled. But now, She was sold.

Tanyaki Shinobu
16 Saneicho
Shinjuku, Tokyo

It was great to see Reiko, it had been a while. Nice to know she is happy and healthy, and we hope to see her again soon!

We walked back to the apartment feeling a bit sad. We had really enjoy our time in Tokyo. Tomorrow, it was off to Kyoto!

Tokyo Day 2: A visit to Meiji-jingu, Shibuya crossing, Hachikō, and you’ll find the good stuff in the basement

November 7, 2014 mmm-yoso Japan, Markets & Grocers, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

*** Not much food in this one, so I wouldn't blame you if you just decided to come back tomorrow!

On our second full day in Tokyo, both the Missus and I awoke feeling….well, great! I'm sure you would too if you'd had the great meals we'd had the previous day. After doing some laundry the night before, the Missus hatched Her plan for the next morning. And so we started off from our apartment in Yotsuya Sanchome, heading South, then supposedly West….I say supposedly, because we took a wrong turn. Upon hitting Minamimotomachi Park, we realized we were headed in the wrong direction and turned around. From there it was a pretty straight line to our destination, Meiji-jingu.

This Shinto shrine, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and the Empress Shōken is 175 acres of peace and tranquility in busy Shibuya.

And while Tokyo itself is fairly quiet for a city of its size…..you can escape much of the "white noise" here. All you hear is the crunching of gravel as you walk down the paths.

Emperor Meiji presided over the Meiji Restoration, which consolidated power under the rule of emperor. This period marked the modernization of Japan as it formed various alliances and opened its doors to the west.

The gate to the main shrine complex is the largest wooden "tori" (gate) of this style in the world and was built from 1500 year old Japanese Cypress trees from Taiwan.

The grounds give an impression of an old and ancient forested area, but the trees were actually planted during the shrine's construction in the 1920's.

The main shrine complex, at least when we visited, during a weekday morning was so peaceful and relaxing…..

It's a great place to contemplate the day and life in general……which was kind of broken up by the two dudes in suits from you know where shouting at each other trying to get the best shots. You can see them, in a rather Picasso like fashion if you click on the panoramic shot above to enlarge.

As it stands, one of our favorite spots during our time in Tokyo.

Before leaving, we saw some folks taking wedding photos……I read that this is a popular location for traditional style photos.

How cute….

Leaving the area, we headed down toward Shibuya…land of the well…..kind of a "hipster-slacker, punk-goth-Hello Kitty, oh my goodness what is that"….well, let's just say, there's a lot of young people around expressing themselves in the way they dress!

As we walked down the street, I saw "a sign"……well perhaps not divine in origin, it was still a hallowed sign from years ago….my goodness Tower Records! I asked the Missus if we could check the place out….She understands that very few non-food things really get me excited, so this must mean something. Unfortunately, they weren't open, but the Missus decided that we should grab a cup of coffee.

A few minutes before the place was scheduled to open we walked over. There was a fairly young, balding, guy who kept twitching, ants in his pants, almost jogging in place, raring to go at the door. As soon as the doors opened he sprinted up the escalators. Curious, we followed. What was going on here…some new release, tickets to some concert? Well, no….we found the dude in the aisles of the Jazz section? Huh? Pretty goofy…..I actually do a pretty good impression of the guy for the Missus once in a while….the Jazz section….

Actually, I love Jazz and took some time to look around, Kenny Burrell, Jim Hall, the Brecker Brothers! However, I just wanted one thing….I've been trying to get ahold of the "local music" of my hanabata days. I knew from previous experience that a lot of releases, especially the one I was looking for are still available in Japan….and guess what? I found what I wanted.

We made our way down to Shibuya Crossing, considered to be the busiest crosswalk in the world…while not too busy at this time of the day, we just had to cross…..to get to the other side of the road of course.

Here's what it looks like from Shibuya Station.

You should see some of those Youtube videos of the crossing, like this one.

Man, this placed was packed with shops…..just about everything catered to young people. We walked over to Shibuya 109, the young and trendy fashion shopping mecca for young people…and boy am I old! I couldn't believe how short some of those skirts were….sheesh. The Missus was also not having a good time so I asked Her where She wanted to go? "Ginza……" So off we went on the Ginza line. It was getting pretty close to lunch….even after yesterday's meals, the Missus was craving one thing…..salad. I had an idea….but before we headed off for Ginza, there was one thing I had to see. You can read the story about Hachikō here. I just needed to come here and take a photo……it's all I really wanted to do in Shibuya.

And so we got on the Ginza line….getting off at the stop where Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi, the flagship store of the chain is located.

So here's the deal…in the lower floors of any major department store, like Daimaru or Mitsukoshi….you'll even find department stores in every major train station, there will be ton of vendors and stands.

There's quite an assortment of western and traditional dishes available, usually priced by weight or by piece.

It's not cheap….especially the roasted sweet potato the Missus got…..630 yen!

Still, we ended up having a light meal….. There are no places to eat in the basement, but if you ask, you'll be advised to head up to the 9th floor…..where the restaurant, cafe, and gardens are.

There you'll find folks eating, whether they bought their food at Mitsukoshi or not….the couple next to us was really cute….they ate exactly the same items at exactly the same time.

We ordered just a few things….that smoked duck was really awesome. Like I said, the Missus was missing salad….

Notice the portion sizes? I came to appreciate the portion sizes….you got the fried stuff, they ate ramen with rice, no denying the love of sweets…..but they were all thin….because they walked and used public transportation. Oh, that's the Missus's roasted potato to the right….She felt so bad about the price that She made it last three meals!

Funny…..

And for folks old enough…remember when we had the Mitsukoshi Building in Waikiki? 2155 Kalakaua? They had an entire floor of video games……Galaxian!

Thanks for reading!

Tokyo Day 1: Dinner at Suzunari

November 6, 2014 mmm-yoso Fine Dining, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

I'd planned of having a heck of a first full day in Tokyo….it was to be our "red lettered day". We started out at Tsukiji Market, then had lunch at Sushi Iwa. I wanted to finish off the evening with something special. initially, I thought about one of those 2-3 Michelin Star places….but, as I've mentioned before, I think folks put a bit too much in the "star" system, though there's a good bit a rating like that does say. I started thinking a bit differently about things when I overheard a conversation regarding some of the "top rated" places in Tokyo…..and I read about this common theme as well. You won't find any Japanese Nationals at many of these places….nowadays it's mostly Chinese/European/American tourists. Nothing wrong with that, but it's just not our style. Also, we wanted something that wasn't too stuffy or pretentious, not overdone and precious. I wanted a place where we'd find Japanese eating. After doing a whole lot of research, hemming and hawing, a little Kaiseki place named Suzunari came up. No, you won't find it on Chowhound, I just did a search on the Japan board before starting this post. A big plus was this little place was located in rather close proximity to our apartment in Yotsuya. The only obstacle was trying to get reservations…nothing online, we had no concierge, no English spoken. We're lucky to have friends who were able to make reservations for us. So we headed down the narrow streets of Arakicho a neighborhood of small, somewhat private looking bars and restaurants….we just followed the Salarymen.

I had read that Suzunari had no real sign and it was very difficult to find so we started early….strangely, perhaps it was luck, we found the place with no problems at all. Sticking my head in the door, quietly saying in my fumbling Japanese "Yoyaku shitemasu……" to the young woman working the tables, suddenly I heard a greeting from behind me……this happened to be Chef Murata and the kind and warm young lady is his wife. They were of course expecting us, first grabbing our coats then leading us to our seats at the bar.

The bar seating was already filled in this tiny restaurant.

There are three versions of the menu available, basically, 60, 100, or 150 dollars. Heck, we were in Tokyo, we had arranged for the 15,000 yen menu. There's so much preparation done ahead of time, that you need to indicate which offering you want. I had the folks choose our Nihonshu, just indicating we wanted something "local"… the young woman knew a little English, which helped, and I did my best….which wasn't much.

It was great watching Chef Murata and his assistant prep all the dishes. The entire staff was a total of four, the Chef, his second, his wife who worked the front of house, and an older woman, who seemed to be one of their mothers, who took care of the dishes and cleaning….it really seemed to be a family affair. And yes, this is Tokyo, most everything was done in almost a hushed silence.

The meal itself was amazing…..Chef Murata would often stop everything he was doing to try and explain what he was serving, or his wife would try to find the English words for items……they seemed to be pleasantly surprised that I knew the Japanese or at least the English names of what was being served. Of course there were still many, many, gaps…items I've not had experience with, which made this meal even more pleasant.

The Sakizuke, first course was a refreshing, understated course of shrimp and tender tako with what seemed like, but I don't think was grated yamaimo, it was too smooth. The aspic was subtle, but refreshing.

The range of flavors all seemed to compliment each other…….so smooth…

The Hassun, basically a arrangement of appetizers was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen.

No matter what angle I tried; I couldn't capture the breath of this in one photo. It's also impossible to explain all the tastes, textures, and fragrances in just a few words.

I will say, some the simpler items were just amazingly perfect; the smoked duck was moist and tender that you would think it was pork, except it had that nice duck flavor….the ginnan, earthy, with a hint of sweet and bitter but also made crunchy. The two almost ohitashi like dishes; the greens and mushrooms with yuzu, topped with beautiful, briney ikura, served in a hollowed out yuzu….the fragrance of the fruit adding a nice touch. The tai with shiokara sauce, sweet, pungent, chewy and silky smooth at the same time. The bo-zushi was a fantastic combination of milky and savory flavors, cut by the vinegar in the rice. You really could go on and on…..

And yet, the one item we're still talking about is the simply perfect shirako……..perhaps my best bit of the year. Firm until it enters your mouth, turning into a wonderful melting creaminess upon your first bite. Just simply amazing.

The Mukōzuke, the sashimi course, was fine…….

The Mushimono – steamed dish was a fabulous. A chawan-mushi, steamed egg dish, was so smooth and custard like. This version had suppon (soft shell turtle) in it.

Comfort food taken to the next level…..the suppon is quite mild in flavor.

Botan Ebi – October is pandalus nipponesis season from what I understand.

You know which part we treasured the most, right?

We watched as fish were skewered and roasted/broiled in the salamander. Chef told me what kind of hikarimono these were but I really couldn't understand and I didn't want to take him away from the now full house he was dealing with. I figure these were the yakimono items.

The fish were rich, with good oil, savory, and quite tender. Our favorite was the version served with a smooth, savory, beany, but not salty aka miso. It just blended in so well with the fish and especially the shiitake mushroom….umami overload.

This was so good, we don't even remember the next item…….

I'm thinking this was a palate refresher….because next up was the Kamameshi, the grand finale as it were. Noticing that I was taking photos……the young lady kindly brought me the pot of rice to photograph before serving……it was just so touching in a way….so thoughtful….

Mixed and served with the typical Kōnomono, seasonal pickles…..this was by far the best kamameshi we'd ever had…it was just masterfully prepared, so perfect in proportion. Also, the entire pot was for us! We saw the couple next to us totally clean out the entire pot….but there was no way we could do this. In the typical way, they made onigiri for us.

The aka miso shiru had a large amount of lobster in it. It was rich, yet not salty……it wasn't a favorite of the Missus, who I guess prefers the really salty versions we have here in the states….She really didn't care for any of the miso soup we had in Japan.

And yes, there's dessert….but there was no way we'd be able to do that. I just nodded "no" and patted my stomach and said, "oh no. soon sumotori….." Which got a nice laugh.

As the evening wore down, the folks here took time to formally introduce themselves to us and kind of of wondering where we were from. I do wish I spoke and understood more Japanese. They were genuinely surprised to find we were from San Diego.

We both loved Suzunari. In fact, if we're ever back in Tokyo, I'll try and find a way to return. The food is great, the folks running the place are wonderfully gracious, very relaxed, and so sincere. It's more than wonderful food; it was a memorable experience It was the perfect place for us; no pretense, not stuffy, a family operation, gracious hosts, and fantastic food. There were no tourists in the place other than us……the place was fully booked. We didn't want any concessions and that's a great thing we found in Japan, I'm sure there are places that will do this….but as a whole, you'll eat like the people. We loved it!

Yes, you need to book months in advance as it has perhaps 8 bar seats and three small tables. And yes, they do have a Michelin star.

All customers are escorted out as they leave and thanked; though the Chef came out from behind the counter to join us as well….to give me his business card. But I gotta ask…..when was the last time you saw a Michelin-starred Chef flashing the peace sign in a photo? You gotta love this place! We do!

Suzunari
7-9 Arakicho, Shinjuku-ku
Tokyo

Rome Day 2 – A typical vacation day with the Missus Part 2

November 1, 2014 mmm-yoso Italian Restaurants, Italy, Rome, Travel

At the end of Part 1, we had just finished our carb load. The Missus was now ready to find the Trevi Fountain. Somehow we ended up backtracking until I recognized the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi which is right next to the Senate Building, you'll see all those sedans with blacked out windows and guys in suits standing around along with tons of police.

Hey, yet another church we visited. This one was quite interesting since it housed three famous paintings by Caravaggio. This one is called The Inspiration of Saint Matthew.

Also, it always pays to "look up" when you enter. This ceiling was done by Domenichino.

We wove our way along side street, basically following the crowd and eventually we ended up at what is probably one of the most famous fountains in the world, the Trevi Fountain, which took 30 years to finished, was completed in 1762. The actual name of the fountain – "tre vie" explains a lot as the location was at the junctions of three roads.

So that's a classic photo of the fountain. However, I want you to actually have a feel of being there…along with a jillion other toursts. So I thought this might give you some idea of what it's like being here.

Yeow…..

Next up, the Spanish Stairs…..

Though we have to interrupt this blog post with a news bulletin…. Of course we stopped at another church. This one is the Basilica di Sant'Andrea delle Fratte.

This one was also quite beautiful and there was a service going on.

After the service, one of the older priests stopped to talk with a woman who was sitting in the back. All that art work and stuff is great, but scenes like this are priceless.

Then of course there's the Spanish Steps, named for the Spanish Embassy which these steps linked to the Holy See. Let's just say the place is pretty popular…..

Folks just seem to congregate here….whether to channel their inner Audrey Hepburn, or just to contemplate the world, I guess there's some romantic pull to this place…..

Speaking of romantic pull. Look closely in the photo above…..do you notice the young woman in the wedding gown and the older man, whom I'm assuming is her father in the suit? Here have a closer look….it seems they're shooting wedding pictures? Along with several thousand absolute strangers…..kinda strange, but kind of well, cute in a way.

Speaking of romantics, I believe that cream colored building to the right in the photo above is where the Poet John Keats died of TB in 1821 at the young age of 25.

We took a walk down the side streets, window shopping and looking around, but the crowds finally got to us. We marched up the Spanish Steps and down Via Sistina. We'd decided to head back to our room near Termini Station and get some rest.

Remember the "Lisbon Rule"…..whenever we'd start getting a bit tired and perhaps flustered it would be time for a Pastel de Nata and some espresso? Well, when in Rome….do gelato…..

This did the trick…..

We headed to Termini, the long way….stopping at "Our Lady of Victory" or the church more widly known as Santa Maria della Vittoria.

This was (yet another) stunning church. The fresco to the left, named "The Virgin Mary Triumphing over Heresy and Fall of the Rebel Angels".

The most eye-catching item in the church is the sculpture called the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa by Bernini. The scluture depicts a moment from the autobiography of Saint Teresa of Avila of a vision where an angel pierced her heart with a golden shaft….the moment, one of great pain and joy.

"I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it."

Wow…intense. It was time for another gelato.

Actually, I needed a bit more than some gelato. I was getting pretty hungry. So we walked past the Piazza de Republica and on to Via del Viminale. There stood the little shop named Er Buchetto. The place really lives up to it's name, the little hole in the wall named "the little hole". Er Buchetto does porchetta….and had been doing it for 5 generations.

So while the Missus went window shopping, I had a pile of roasted pork and a cup of the house red. While a lot milder in flavor than I thought it would be, it had a nice porkiness, the skin more crisp than hard, it wasn't greasy, but the meat was on the dry side. It was super cheap at under 5 euros….

I did love the porchetta box……as said pork product had a wonderful window seat.

Er Buchetto
Via del Viminale 2F
Rome, Italy

We finally made it back to our room….and a short nap. After waking, we walked around the neighborhood a bit. We were both amazed at all the Chinese businesses in the area. We stopped by one of the markets where the Missus asked the guy at the register if there were any Chinese places he'd recommend. His answer, "no, they are all the same…….not very good, it's better to eat at home!"

Fried by the busy day, we opted for a nearby Osteria, basically a simple eating establishment. A short menu, nice folks, good, simple food.

The gnocchi was pillowy and tender.

My lamb was tender, nice and gamey.

Nice meal, with some simple table wine, just what we wanted.

Osteria Angelino dal 1899
Via Machiavelli 64
Rome, Italy

So that's kind of what a typical travel day with the Missus is like.

Thanks for reading!

Rome Day 2 – A typical vacation day with the Missus Part 1

October 31, 2014 mmm-yoso Italian Restaurants, Italy, Pizza, Rome, Travel, yoso-silly

I keep looking at all these photos of Rome and thinking, well one of these days. There was so much we saw, but it also seemed so hectic. I usually will look at a set of photos and the sights, smells, sounds, tastes, pop out and just like that; I have a post. This one had to really pared down……in the end, I thought this would be a nice description of what a typical vacation day with the Missus is like. It makes a nice C(learing) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard) post.

As is the norm, we woke quite early on our first full day in Rome. I actually got up at 5am and did a post from our room. The Missus woke a bit later and we were headed out before 7. The Missus had a basic list of places to check out and we'd be walking to them all.

So we headed off from Termini Station down the street.

Pst the Colosseum and the Forum……

Skirting Palatine Hill and the Victor Emmanuel Monument…..

And we ended up at Saint Andrea della Valle, Piazza Navona was just a short walk from there. It was pretty quiet at Piazza at that time.

The Missus was determined to get to the Pantheon when it opened. So we walked on over and found that we were still quite early. So we walked over a block to Santa Maria sopra Minerva.

First thing on my mind was….what's up with the Elephant Obelisk, what does it represent? Well, apparently, this obelisk was one of two brought to Rome by Emperor Diocletian from Egypt sometime during his reign between 284 – 305AD. The obelisks were built during the reign of Pharoah Apries around 570BC. The Elephant was designed by Bernini and sculpted by Ercole Ferrata, completed in 1667. The Missus has a thing about obelisks….I'm really afraid to ask really. I will say, this is my favorite one…though I'm still not sure what it all really means.

The church itself is built over the ruins of a temple to the Egyptian Goddess Isis.

As with many of the various churches in Rome, of which there are over 900, most with a rich history, and tons of relics. Santa Maria sopra Minerva was once the center of the Dominican Order, so it makes sense that Saint Catherine of Siena is buried here….well, not all of her. Her head is interred at the Basilica of San Domenico in Siena.

We returned to the Pantheon, which still wasn't open, and decided to just have a cup of coffee and chill. There seemed to be quite a few "locals" walking their dogs, chatting, and generally giving the place a very relaxed feeling.

And yes, that's a obelisk and fountain the front of the Pantheon. This one was built by Ramesses II and was taken from the Temple of Ra in the ancient city of Heliopolis.

Soon enough, folks started lining up in front of the huge doors……

The Missus has been obsessed with visiting here since She saw some show which theorizes that the beam of light from the oculus actually tells time…in other words; it's a giant sundial. What's really amazing is that the Pantheon was finished around 126AD, and almost 1900 years later, it is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world!

Anyway, here we were, standing in front of the huge bronze doors of the Pantheon. A little gentleman comes out to open up…and can't budge the doors. He recruits a bunch of us to push open the doors. Which we do. Oh man, talk about a thrill….I helped to push open the doors of the Pantheon! I immediately asked the Missus if She got a photo; "oh, I was so excited for you….I forgot!"

Click on the photo above to enlarge….this is one of the few places that really impressed me more than what I had read.

A few minutes later the place started getting crowded. It was time to leave. Outside, all the locals had disappeared as tourists descended on the Pantheon. I'm glad we had arrived early.

We headed back to Piazza Navona which was starting to pick up.

The Piazza stands on what was the center of the Stadium of Domitian.

There are three fountains which grace the square, this is the one on the North, the Fountain of Neptune.

We decided to back track and headed to Campo de Fiori, literally translated to "Field of Flowers". I read that in the Middle Ages, the area was actually a meadow. It now houses a daily flower and vegetable market….kind of touristy. pretty pricey, but still fun.

Right on Campo de Fiori resides a place that is pretty much legendary, Forno Campo de Fiori, a little bakery and shop.

The Pizza Bianca was good, initial crunch, a bit too chewy for my taste, very soft interior…..kind of bland though. The pizzas, were, well, kind of disappointing, hard, greasy….probably because they seemed to have been laying out for a while.

Forno Campo de' Fiori
Campo de' Fiori 22
Rome, Italy

Since it was now my turn for the time being, we headed off down Via dei Giubbonari, one of the side street off of Campo de Fiori. A little street lined with shops and cafes. Along the way we passed a little cul de sac, which had….what else, a church.

This little church is Santa Barbara dei Librari – the church for booksellers!

I loved this little three panel wooden painting, called a triptych. I later read that it dates back to the 15th-16th century.

When we hit the cross street of Via dei Chiavari, I found the other place I wanted to try. My good buddy Candice told me that she preferred Antico Forno Marco Roscioli.

About this time I figured out that pizza bianca would make a perfect sandwich….which it did.

I did notice that the pizza bianca here was less oily and had a better crunch.

I thought the marinara pizza was pretty good as well.

Antico Forno Marco Roscioli
Via dei Chiavari 34
Rome, Italy

As you notice….these were the days before the Missus really clamped down on carbs. And yet, with this walking, I still lost weight!

Bolstered by carbs and caffiene we headed off to find the Missus's next target….where was that darn Trevi Fountain?

Thanks for reading!

Tokyo Day 1: Lunch at Sushi Iwa

October 26, 2014 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Sushi and Sashimi, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

I'd planned on making our first full day in Tokyo our "red lettered day" for our trip and things were starting out great with a visit to Tsukiji and breakfast at Tenfusa. We left Tsukiji and decided to walk up to Ginza. We stopped for coffee in a nice quiet shop and struck up a conversation with a nice couple, he was retired military, his wife, a native of Tokyo, returns yearly to lecture. It was quite an entertaining discussion.

Ginza is the upscale shopping and entertainment neighborhood of Tokyo….huge multilevel department stores, like Mitsukoshi, which once had a shopping complex in Waikiki which had an entire floor of video games. So large it even has its own subway stop on the Ginza line! More on that later.

We walked around the Ginza area killing time. I'd gotten lunch reservations at Sushi Iwa through the wrangling of some friends. That's the deal with being in an apartment, there's no concierge service, but I think we did fine. For what it's worth, the place has a Michelin Star, which, I guess for some people is all that really matters…… sigh.

Now finding a single doorway on a side street in Ginza while trying to use the Japanese address system, can be frustrating. Armed with a photo of the storefront, finding the address 8-5-25 Ginza, Chuo-ku ranks right up there with spending your day chewing on aluminum foil. For some reason, the Missus did exceptionally well once we could locate the "chome" – district, in this case 8-chome. The next number is the block, which was easy enough….you find 4 or 6 and you know "5" is in there somewhere. That last number is the building….the trick here being that the numbering for buildings is not consecutive. Rather, buildings are numbered in the order in which they were built or in reference to some "center"! All this made finding almost everything an adventure. We really didn't feel bad after seeing so many Japanese visitors and even residents of Tokyo…even our friend Reiko has no idea how to find a place without using a business card, an app, or asking directions. Given the immense tolerance and patience of folks we ran into, this is fairly common.

The shop itself is quite tiny; only six seats. The lines very clean, very neat, the space wide open for viewing the chef Hisayoshi Iwa preparing our meal.

So why lunch? Well, the Missus was having a hard time justifying spending over $200 per person for a sushi dinner, kaiseki maybe, but just not sushi. Plus, with rice involved, we tend to fill up rather quickly. Sushi Iwa has a basic sushi lunch (10 pieces) for 4750 yen – (under $50, you can get the 13 pieces for $85). This is a bargain in my eyes.

We started with a nice clean, cold sake, which the Chef recommended.

It was a joy to watch the precision practiced by the rather young (mid-late 30's) Chef. I love the single bite Edo style sushi. The rice here is very mild and balanced in flavor, which is my preference. The nikiri is also quite neutral, no heavy sweet or salty tones, just adding a mild umami. I loved what I call the "rice explosion", when the nigiri enters the mouth and just breaks down without chewing….the Missus still isn't used to this having had too much neighborhood sushi back in the states.

1 – Hirame.

It's standard operating procedure to start with a firm and mild shiromi and hirame (fluke/flounder) fits the bill. I personally love shiromi, the subtle flavors, rasied by a nice nikiri. This had a bit too much wasabi on it for my taste, but was still a nice firm piece.

2 – Madai

Firm then yielding, my kind of fish.

3 – Kinmedai

I really loved this fish, golden eye sea bream, when I had it earlier in the year at Shunji. This just confirmed my love for the firm, yet deceivingly fatty flesh which was elevated by the nikiri. We basically used no soy sauce for any of our nigiri.

4 – Akami-zuke

Lean maguro, "cured" in a soy sauce mixture. This was fine, but really nothing special in terms of flavor or texture. In fact, this one just reinforced how good Tadokoro is in my mind.

5 – The prep for the ika was amazing to watch. The squid was sliced horizontinally into paper thin sheets….you could actually see through them! It was then cut into very thin strips.

It almost looked like shio ebi! After having mine, I told the Missus this one was going to change Her view of ika. And it did! It was amazingly tender with great flavor….it nearly melted in our mouth.

6 – Katsuo

Good oil, but still quite mild, nice meaty texture…..the usual ginger helped refresh.

7 – Ishigaki Clam

At first I thought it looked like mirugai, but I was told it was Ishigaki-gai – Giant Clam from Ishigaki Island, something new for me. It was firm and crisp and more briney than sweet. In fact, the rather heady flavor reminded me of Chocolate Clams.

8 – The hotate (scallop) was cured, then massaged.

Man, this was awesome, so tender, sweet, and almost ethereal as it melted away in your mouth.

9 – Ikura

The Missus had also never had ikura that tasted like this. It was clean, like a orb of the cleanest, sweetest, ocean water. I often go back to this line, "I've been told that the freshest, cleanest salt water in the world exists several hundred miles off the South coast of the Big Island, deep in the ocean, the Ikura made me think of how clean and refreshing that water would taste" from a post from the past.

10 – Anago.

True Edo-mae sushi places in Tokyo will never serve you unagi, rather, only items from the ocean, and out of Tokyo bay will be served. This was an excellent example of the sweet, mild, melt in your mouth, anago nigiri. Nothing I've ever had (Kaito, Kokoro, Tadokoro, places in LA) has ever been this good.

11 & 12 – Things ended with some miso shiru and a combination of rolls.

All in all, a wonderful meal, and a bargain at $110 for the two of us.

Sushi Iwa
8-5-25 Ginza, Chuo-ku
Tokyo, Japan

Wow, we'd had quite a day….and it was only half over!

Stay tuned!

Tokyo Day 1: A walk around the neighborhood, Tsukiji Market, and Tenfusa

October 25, 2014 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Seafood, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

On our first day, I made the decision NOT to get up at 330am and catch a cab, get in line, and take a chance at checking out the tuna auction at Tsukiji Market…. a 20 minute cattle call. Heresy, I know. It's not that we don't wake up early; heck I wake up at 5am during the week, jet lag always wakes us early on our trips as well. Remember us walking around Hanoi at 430am? If you're a regular reader, you do know I love visiting markets when travelling. It's amazing what you might learn and see. I've even been to various fish auctions, in both Hilo and Oahu, and heck even in Djerba, Tunisia. Instead, we decided to take a walk around the neighborhood, then stroll to Yotsuya Station and heading off to Tsukiji at around 630.

The narrow side streets bore little resemblance to the busy main artery a few blocks away.

We were told that the Yotsuya area was historically a Samurai and Ninja District:

"Honshio-cho & Sakamachi are located in front of the ministry of defense,between Yotsuya, Ichigaya and Akebonboashi station.

There were two big Ninja group.Iga school and Koga.The top of Iga was Hanzo Hattori, his name is still kept at the gate of the Emperor's palace and as the name subway line. Koga Ninha residence was located in Honshio-cho and the entire district was a fortress, isolated from other area."

Indeed, the gravesite of Hattori Hanzo is located somewhere nearby at Sainen-ji temple. And no, it's not this Hattori Hanzo. The story of the REAL Hattori Hanzo is much more fascinating. Unfortunately, there are a ton of temples in the area, so we never found Sainen-ji Temple, which, in addition to having Hattori Hanzo's gravesite, also has Hattori Hanzo's spear. Next time….

Yotsuya is also prominently mentioned in the famous ghost story Yotsuya Kaidan. Like Hattori Hanzo's reappearance in Kill Bill, there's a connection between what is called the most famous "obake story" of all time and a modern retelling of it.

Like many neighborhoods in Japan, I'm sure there are a thousand stories for every block of real estate.

We managed to only visit a few places, really not knowing the significance of them. Hopefully, one day, we'll be able to visit again and get an understanding of the history of the area.

As it is, we ended up back on the main street and walked on over to Yotsuya Station and arrived at the Tsukiji-shijo Station at 645. From there it was a slam dunk finding the market…..just follow the dude in waders carrying wicker baskets….

Namiyoke Dori Street is the main street for the market. It is also probably the easiest way to find the entrance to the outer market, which is basically the retail area for Tsukiji. In some ways, I found what was here more interesting, though the Inner Market is more fascinating . This area opens at 5am, whereas the Inner Market is not open to the public until 9am.

Anyway, here are some photos. I tried to do things quickly….there's nothing more irritating than some butthead stopping in the middle of the street blocking folks trying to actually do some business, setting up his gear…. "ooooh, it's wasabi!"

I really loved all the pickled vegetables…tsukemono and the like….

There's a huge section of just tamago…..

I think you get the point, right???

Whew….need a break? Head on back to Namiyoke Dori. There's an area with vending machines right next to the info center….which doesn't open until 8am BTW. Still, you can grab a seat, next to bunch of other folks, many of them looking like vendors from the market taking a break and grab something refreshing.

And take in the street scene.

Right at the end of Namiyoke Street, right before you turn into the main market area is Namiyoke Inari Shrine. People believe that this shrine guards and protects the market. When it was built during the Edo Period it was at the water's edge. As it is; the shrine is functional. We saw several workmen come by while visiting…..

The Missus really loved this shrine. Mainly for one rather charming (in my opinion) reason. To the right, of the entrance lies a few shrines and monuments. One of them, picuted to the right is the "Tamago-zuka"…. that's right, the monument to the egg, probably the Missus' favorite food item. This is part of the "sushi-zuka" monuments to sushi residing on shrine grounds.

The one to the far right in the photo below is the monument to shrimp! You gotta love it! We loved this little shrine…..

It was now about 830…still a bit too early for the wholesale market which opens to the public at 9am. Perhaps it was time for some breakfast. Time to queue up with all the other toursts at one of the sushi places in the market, right? Not so fast Kemosabe. First, the last thing I wanted was a rushed tourist class sushi meal, elbow to elbow with a bunch of other toursts. Second, I had reservations at a sushi place for lunch. Tenfusa, a small, 2 table and four bar seat tempura place sounded just right.

We walked in, away from the chaos and lines at Sushi Dai and Daiwa on the same alley, to a quiet little oasis. THe guys eating at the counter seemed like regulars; they all knew the woman running the front of house. This was my kind of place.

The Missus still had Her heart set on having some fish at Tsukiji; so we ordered the maguro sashimi, which wasn't the highest grade of fish; but super fresh, and a bargain at 500 yen ($5).

I ordered the Tendon (1100 yen – $11), a very generous portion of rice (does anything other than a generous bowl of rice exist in Japan). Man, this was tasty….the green bean was great. The shrimp had that pure shrimp flavor I recalled having as a child. The Missus prefers "American tempura" the hard, laquered version….. The fish was sweet, I attempted to ask what it was and was told "megochi" – flathead, something I don't think I've ever had.

A very nice breakfast.

Tenfusa
Uogashi Yokocho Building #6
Tsukiji Market 5-2-1

After breakfast we headed first to the Vegetable and Fruit Wholesale Market, then the Seafood Wholesale Market; dodging the turret trucks and scooters…..

There's a kind of intensity to the Wholesale Seafood Market; after all it is one of the largest wholesale seafood markets in the world and probably the best known.

Everything you've read or heard about Tsukiji….well, it's probably true. If it swims in the sea you'll probably find it here.

Honestly, I should have taken a ton more photos, but I was so mesmerized by what I saw. Plus, I really didn't want to be one of the many who just stuck their cameras everywhere.

Tsukiji is amazing, just as everyone says……

Thanks for reading!