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…
November 1, 2012: Tokyo Day #4! Pierre Gagnaire!
Okay, I said late blog entry but I've got a window of opportunity here so it'll be an early blog post instead. Last night, I got together with my friend, Sachi, for dinner at Pierre Gagnaire in the ANA Continental Hotel. We spent much of the meal catching up on our respective lives. Sachi is…
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…
October 29, 2012: Tokyo Day #2! Roppongi! Faro! Yasai-ya Me!
Akemi is so adorable. She's apparently been in Canada so long that she's forgotten what it's like to live in Tokyo. "Tell me when you see a garbage can,"she said, waving the empty can she was holding. A garbage can? On the streets of Ginza? You're more likely to come across Godzilla. The plan was…
October 28, 2012 (here in Tokyo): Arrival! Applause! Soba at Akatsukian! And Mitsukoshi desserts!
One of the things I'm reminded about Tokyo every time I catch the shuttle bus from Narita airport into the city are the highways and how truly high they are. So high, in fact, that one will occasionally find oneself eye-level with the top floor of some extremely tall buildings. Not a great ride for…
February 16, 2012: Marty G. tries to continue his Road to a Dream! Tara’s long-awaited Dark Matter review! Top Ten Tokyo Pleasant Surprises!
Quelle surprise! The day after my Toronto nemesis, Tara Yelland, makes a bid to be cast in the potential Dark Matter television series (based on the comic book of the same name) by posing with a copy of the first issue, which came two days after Carl Binder did pretty much the same thing, which came a…
February 7, 2012: Tokyo Day #12! Berkserk! Nakajima! Taku! And a fond farewell to Star Bar! A mini mailbag!
On my second day in Tokyo, I came across a poster for Berserk (Golden Age Arc I: Egg of the Supreme Ruler), the first part of a three-part film trilogy based on one of my all-time favorite anime series (which was, in turn, based on a wildly popular manga series). The movie's opening happened to…
February 6, 2012: Tokyo Day #10! Still thinking about it! Dim Sum! Ueno! Back to Harujuku! Another night with the ladies!
Hey, I hear what you're all saying. There's a big difference between visiting a place for two weeks out of the year and actually living there, however I am a creature of habit. I adjusted quite quickly to Vancouver after the move from Montreal and then adjusted to life alone with the dogs. When Akemi…
November 22, 2010: Rate my Tokyo restaurant list!
In approximately two weeks, Ivon and I will be Tokyo-bound. Since I'll be in company this time rather flying solo, I've decided to mix things up a bit. Instead of the strictly Michelin star blowouts of past years, I've elected to broaden my horizons by incorporating a little high and a low-end dining into the…
September 5, 2009: Dinner with Ivon and Brian! Julia Benson! Braving the Tokyo subway system!
Ivon considers his menu options. Last night, I went to dinner with Special Features Producer Ivon Bartok and actor Brian J. Smith (SGU’s Lt. Matthew Scott). We ended up at Quattro (now Q4) on West Fourth for an Italian extravaganza. We ordered and were immediately presented with a wonderful little amuse-bouche of bacon-wrapped sablefish (?)…
August 8, 2009: My Ballooning Tokyo Restaurant List. News of Note. Mailbag.
Okay. Almost there. Today, I finally trimmed both scripts down to a manageable 51 pages. Next up is the “Print and Pace” stage in which I have Lawren print me up a copy so that I can walk up and down the halls of the production office, script in hand, reading and revising, looking very…
July 29, 2009: My Culinary Odyssey Draws Ever Closer! Episode Updates! The Hyrdoponics Lab!
Success! In preparation for my culinary pilgrimage to the mecca of gastronomic delights - Tokyo, natch - I have trimmed my prospective restaurants list from an unwieldy 96 down to a much more manageable 45. Of course, that’s not including a lot of the theme and smaller hole-in-the-wall restaurants I’d also like to check out…