Yesterday, Akemi and I did breakfast Tokyo Convenience Style, sitting down to a lovely spread: spicy orange-hued chicken nuggets devoid of any real chicken taste or texture, a soggy pork bun, another much better barbecued pork bun we received instead of the actual pizza bun we had ordered, an alarmingly runny aloe yogurt (with the fruit…
November 8, 2013: Tokyo Day #2! Quest for the elusive Lawsons fried chicken! The Tokyo underground! Sushi Sawada! And more!
Our Tokyo trip got off to a rainy start. But that didn't temper our enthusiasm. We were up and out at 8:30 a.m., on a quest to track down some convenience store heat lamp spicy chicken nuggets for my breakfast. We were in search of the ubiquitous Lawsons, the one stop shop for everything from…
November 5, 2013: Things I’m most looking forward to on this Tokyo Trip!
Picked up my sister at the airport last night and was treated to this wondrous sight: And this was the surprise Akemi had waiting for my sister upon her arrival: Well, off today. We're flying Japan Airlines and will be getting in at 4:30 p.m. Tokyo time - following an 11 hour flight and 90…
November 10, 2012: Sayanora Tokyo! Dai San Harumi!
There are a grand total of three possible sleeping positions on an airplane seat and I exhausted all three today. I quite like the timing of the flights both to and from Tokyo. On the way there, the flight departs in the mid-afternoon, giving you plenty of time to sleep in and do your last…
November 9, 2012: Last full day in Tokyo! Restaurant Esquisse! Chez Tomo!
My friend Moro-san suggested we go to lunch at Restaurant Esquisse, a relatively new addition to the Ginza dining scene. It has only been open for about four months now and yet, in that short time, garnered some great word of mouth. Always up to trying something new, I booked us a table. I arrived…
November 9, 2012: Tokyo Day….? I’ve lost count! Star Bar! Nodaiwa! Nakajima! Quintessence!
When I travel to Tokyo, I usually stay at The Imperial Hotel. The service is great, the rooms very comfy, and I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather spending my nights. With the exception of Star Bar, a truly awesome basement bar Ivon Bartok and I discovered on our trip here a couple of…
November 8, 2012: The return of The Weird Food Purchase of the Day! Gyoza Stadium! Ice Cream City! Nodaiwa!
Today, Akemi and I headed over to Ikebukuro's Sunshine City Mall, home to Namco Namja Town's Gyoza Stadium and Ice Cream City. It's been some five years since my last visit to Ice Cream City (I still flashback to the aftertaste of that squid ice cream) and I was looking forward to the return trip.…
November 8, 2012: The Osaka wrap-up! Back in Tokyo! Family dinner! Honkogetsu! Killer ramen!
On our final night in Osaka, I was invited to join Akemi's family for a grand kaiseki dinner at Honkogetsu. It was a magnificent meal, due in large part to the food and company, but also in some small part because I made it through the meal without fumbling anything with my chopsticks or unwittingly…
November 6, 2012: The Osaka Walking Tour: Part Deux!
Wow! It's been a whirlwind few days here in Osaka. I've covered so much ground that I've decided to squeeze in an extra blog entry. Let's call it "November 6, 2012: The Quickening!" We met up with Akemi's parents on our first night in town. The plan was to go to Sushi Koyoshi, a mom…
November 6, 2012: A guided photo and video tour of Osaka! And a message from my sis!
Hey, we're in Osaka, Akemi's hometown, and we've just checked into the hotel. Akemi is going to meet up with some friends and, rather than tag along, I thought we might have the day to ourselves checking out the city. Ready? Let's go! Thanks for tagging along. This concludes our walking tour of Osaka. Let's…
November 5, 2012: What day is it? Oh, let’s call it Osaka Day #1! And the tail end of Tokyo Day #7! L’Effervescence! And dogs eating ice cream!
Today, we took the shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo to Osaka, riding (and eating) in comfort as the scenery whizzed by. It was quite comfortable (surprisingly roomier than any airline I've ever flown), with reserve seating and food vendors who stroll up and down the various cars, offering up everything from ice cream and coffee…
November 4, 2012: Tokyo Day #7! On the home front! L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon! Pieces of the Puzzle!
Here I've been wracking my brain, wondering how I could make a living if moved to Japan - when, suddenly, opportunity comes a-knocking: Japan suffers sumo wrestler shortage. The way I've been eating of late, I figure I should be ready for action in about two months. As much as I'm enjoying myself here in Tokyo,…
November 3, 2012: Tokyo Day #6! Pizza Seirinkan! The Molecular Tapas Bar!
I'd been thinking about it since my last trip here and, finally, yesterday, I finally got a chance to pay a return visit to Pizza Seirinkan. Joining me this time were Akemi and her friend Yukina... After lunch, we headed over to Electric Town, Akihabara, so I could track down a new Evangelion iPhone case…
November 2, 2012: Tokyo Day #5! Actually, Yokohama Day #1!
Yesterday, I ended up going to Yokohama for the day. It was my first visit to the area and I was wowed. It's absolutely beautiful, alternately reminding me of New York in parts, Paris in others, and even San Diego at times. My friend, Moro-san, was my tour guide for the day, taking me absolutely…
October 31, 2012: Tokyo Day #3! Sawada! Shinjuku! Butagumi!
Last night, Akemi and I returned to our favorite sushi restaurant in Tokyo: Sawada. It's always more than dinner, it's a show, with Master Sawada-san presenting a feast of varied sushis and sashimis, from sweet Hokkaido uni to grilled sea eel, all expertly prepared and utterly delicious. The restaurant itself is small, seating six at…