Last night, Ivon and I encoutered a first for Tokyo = spotty service. And at one of the city's purportedly premiere Italian restaurants no less. Under normal circumstances (aka - back in North America) these hiccups would've barely registered but here in Tokyo where chefs walk you out the front door to your cab and bar staff…
December 18, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #12! Muroi! Sort of Spanish! Desserts!
Whew! Two more nights like the last one and I should be right back on Vancouver time. So, late post today. Hell, late everything. Thanks to everyone who has offered up their thoughts, comments, and words of support re: SGU. If this truly is the end, here's hoping that you - the best fans in fandom -…
December 17, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #11! Ishikawa! Kobe Beef Kawamura! Tokyo Signs! Oh, and Stargate!
Well, damn. Here I'd uploaded a blog entry last night, prepared to make some minor additions and post it this morning only to discover the breaking news of SGU's cancellation. The first thing to tip me off something was up? The 50+ comments awaiting moderation on yesterday's blog entry. My initial thought was "Wow! They really must've enjoyed…
December 16, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #10! Hirosaku! Nodaiwa! Terrifying Tokyo Tower!
The other night, we continued our tour of varying Japanese cuisines by hitting Hirosaku in Shimbashi. It's a family-owned and operated restaurant focusing on traditional dishes and high quality ingredients. "Is this a typical Japanese meal?"Ivon asked at one point. "Yes,"my friend Jon replied - "for very wealthy Japanese families." "This is how they ate in…
December 15, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #9! Jelly update! Kondo! Shibuya!
While here in Tokyo, I've been checking in with my dogsitter, Christine, who has been taking care of the pooches while I've been away. Today, I received the following update on the gang and a post-operative Jelly in particular: "We are doing great. Jelly is recovering very well, today she was very happy to go…
December 14, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #8! The Molecular Tapas Bar! Hokkaido Ramen Toro! Some so-so desserts! And work follows me halfway across the globe!
Back in Vancouver when I was organizing this trip (a.k.a. = our eating schedule) I asked Ivon if there was any particular food or restaurant he wanted to try. To his credit, he wanted to try everything - but there was one place in particular place he wanted to visit while in town: The Molecular…
December 13, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #7! Pachon! Great Burger! Harajuku!
Having subsisted on nothing but fat, sugar, and alcohol for the past twenty-four hours, I was feeling a little light-headed as dinner time rolled in last night. Under normal circumstances, I might have called it an early night but, of course, these were not normal circumstances. I was in Tokyo and headed to Pachon, a restaurant…
December 12, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #6! Sawada! More Star Bar! We eat a half pound of fat for lunch! Strolling down Ginza Dori!
First, the Jelly update. She's on her way home today! So last night, I paid a return visit to one of my favorite sushi restaurants in Tokyo: Sawada. I figured that since this was Ivon's first visit to the city, he should be treated to a true sushi feast. And Sawada did not disappoint... Then, we moved…
December 11, 2010: Tokyo Day #5! Tofuro! Star Bar! Pizza Salvatore Cuomo! Akihabara!
Last night was one of those reservationless evenings designed to allow us to play things by ear, get some local input on our eating schedule. And so it was that, following a recommendation from the hotel concierge, we found ourselves at Tofuro izakaya. Now, the first thing that struck us was the ancient Chinese prison-like…
December 10, 2010: Tokyo Trip Day #4! Butagumi pork-out! Omotesando dessert run! Izakaya Tofuro!
My feet hurt. I figured this trip would be a great opportunity to break in those new shoes but, instead, they seem to be breaking me. We've been doing a fair amount of walking these past couple of days and if it weren't for the endless array of desserts that have given me the much-needed…
December 9, 2010: Tokyo Trip Day #3 – Jelly Update! Ivon is finally reunited with a long lost love! Roppongi! Birdland!
Jelly's doctor emailed me this morning to tell me that the surgery went like clockwork and the disc came away nicely. My gal is waking up and, hopefully, on the road to a speedy recovery. Last night, the airport called to inform Ivon his luggage had finally completed its long and eventful journey from Canada…
December 8, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #2 – Sushi Breakfast! Roppongi! Desserts! And lots of walking!
The great thing about traveling from west to east is that the jet lag actually works in your favor. You're exhausted by 10:00 p.m. but up and ready to go by 6:00 a.m. Or, in Ivon's case this morning, 5:00 a.m. As an added bonus, he didn't need to waste time deciding what to wear because, as…
December 7, 2010: Tokyo, here we come! (minus Ivon’s belongings)
One of the great things about traveling east is that the time shift doesn't play havoc with your sleeping patterns. Not really. The first few days after you're arrival, you're in bed by 10:00 p.m. and up at a refreshing 6:00 to 7:00 a.m.-ish, ready for a full day of activities and, first and foremost,…
December 6, 2010: Travel Day!
I'm Tokyo-bound today. But here's a little something to tide you (actually, me) over as I leave the pooches behind for a while. Jelly goes to town on her mallard... Bubba, ready for bedtime... The always cool Maximus. If some ever casts for a salty pirate dog, I think he'd be perfect... Lulu in "Get…
December 5, 2010: Preparing for departure!
I phoned my mother tonight to say goodbye as I'm off to Tokyo for two weeks. I'd love to say I was expecting a "Have a nice time!" or "Enjoy yourself!" or even a "Have fun but be careful!" but I got pretty much what I expected. A few seconds of ominous silent contemplation after…