TokYO

I LOVE JAPAN. end blog.

It's as easy as that. Really. Let me explain. 

The Japanese tend to be helpful and easy to feel comfortable around. I've never felt like a burden when showing up anywhere in Japan and being that silly foreign girl that likely has no idea what she is doing. The people I've encountered have always been happy to help me out. 

People watching here is unlike any place I've ever been, especially on the subway.  Watching the men, clad in their suits, flip through a comic book next to an elderly man reading the news on his smartphone (also in a suit). 

 The style here is unfathomable. They make it look easy, like getting dressed in the morning is an effortless task.  They automatically know how to look cool. For example, Potato Man.

Should I talk about the food? Do I even need to explain it to you? Ramen. Sushi. Takoyaki. Okonomiyaki. Udon. What more could you ask for than a country where "Kawaii" Monster restaurants and (insert animal of choice) cafes exist. Not only can you spend your time in the typical dog and cat cafes...snake, rabbit, owl, penguin cafes exist here. 

The food at the convenient stores isn't only intriguing, it's delicious and cheap. Almost every night ended in us loading up on all the snacks and treats we have never seen before.  Bread and gummies and noodles galore. Where Korea has soju, Japan has Strongs. Just as cheap and equally deadly.

Oh, and personal conveyor belts whizz your fresh (and cheap) sushi practically right into your mouth. Not everywhere. Just one place that I know off. BUT IT EXISTS. You order your food on a screen and minutes later, it's sent right to you. It's dangerous.  But, I like to live on the edge. 

I spent a bit of time in Japan last year, in the Osaka area. I visited Kyoto, Nara, and did an incredible temple stay up in Mount Koyasan where I visited one of the most beautiful cemeteries I've ever seen. I couchsurfed with two lovely hosts, one of which was a 50 year old Japanese man. As if the SEVEN blogs I have from my first trip to Japan weren't enough, I have a blog just for food and one for the video I put together. So there you go. 


I was expecting my experience in Tokyo to be incredibly different than my first go round with Japan, considering it's not only a capital city but the biggest city in the world.  I was both right and wrong. I felt oddly comfortable wandering around the streets of our hostel, which was located in a less stimulating area of the city. There were quaint little shops, a shrine or two, markets and cafes. When we ventured off into other parts of the city was when it started feeling like a whole new Japanese world. 

The metro was confusing at first, but easy once I got the hang of it. I say "I" because, although I was with Leena, subway systems aren't really her forte. Which was fine, cause I can usually get some work done underground. I love metro systems. They are like a puzzle that connects you to all these different cool places that you wanna go. 

All the vibes were the same, just heightened. The extent of crazy, somewhat "stereo-typical" Japanese stuff we could do was on a different level. Where else would you be able to see robots fighting while enjoying dinner (we missed this tourist novelty, unfortunately ;)? 

We got a lot of stuff done in the short three days that we were there. Plinko casinos and claw arcades. Anime stores and photo booths. We went to Harijuku and Shibuya and wandered our little hearts out. There was so much to take in. So, many, people. But, we never felt like our space was being invaded. 

 

 While exploring our neighborhood, we ran into a sweet girl who casually asked us if we wanted our names written in Kanji. Rena was wearing traditional yukata and a huge smile. After mentioning that it was free we decided, "WHY NOT".  It ended up being one of my favorite experiences. We took our shoes off and sat down around a table with two of the most pleasant, little Japanese girls. 

 They taught us a bit about the way Kanji worked, and then asked us to describe each other so that they could get to know us better. Each syllable of Kanji has a sound and meaning attached to it. The first syllable in mine means excellent or outstanding. The second means cool and beautiful (the same as one of Leena's, because we are best friends!), and the final means that people rely on me. While Rena came up with our new names, her coworker showed us how to fold an origami crane. Although we didn't have to give them any money, we were happy to spend money in their gift shop since the experience was so satisfying.

Our first night was spent thinking we were in Shibuya. I was trying to find the "busiest crosswalk in the world", but considering we were in Shinjuku, that proved to be difficult. After having admitted failure, I tried to find the Golden Gai. Or Piss Alley. or Memory Lane. Whatever name you decide to go with. Anthony BOURDAIN says Golden Gai, so naturally that's what I'm gonna stick to. It's a compact little area filled with alley ways and bars sitting atop one another. So many choices. So much flavor. Each bar was different, but none of them could fit more than 10 people comfortably. 

After peeking into nearly every doorway, we finally decided to walk up a narrow flight of stairs. Choices are hard for us. We hit the jackpot, because the one we choose conveniently had two chairs open at the bar. Which is all it was. The Japanese man, who owned the place, had long hair and an intimidating but surprisingly friendly demeanor. There were old school games positioned along the bar, like that little alligator who's teeth function as a form of Russian roulette and Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots. Velvet Revolver was playing on a TV screen behind him as we chatted up the people around us. Unfortunately for us, it was getting late... determined by the metro schedule and  certainly not us. Taxis are too expensive, and we were too far from our hostel. One of the bummers about Tokyo. You either catch the last train at night, or the first train in the morning. And catch the last train is exactly what we did. I had to stop and ask which direction to go. The man pointed and said, "run". We FLEW through the station. Right as we slid into a packed train, the doors closed immediately behind us. 

We ended up revisiting the Golden Gai on our last night, where our main goal was finding the same bar that BOURDAIN had featured on his show. We ran into some people we had met the first night, and when we mentioned the bar they informed us that there was "always" a line to get in. Well, rats. We searched it out, anyways. And, guess what? NO LINE. And, we were able to grab two seats on the second floor. Mission accomplished. We spent the evening drink sangria, googling over the gaudy antique decor, and chatting up the sweet bartenders. One of them had a fascination with Korean Pop Culture, so we had a lot to talk about :) 

            

We spent time in Harajuku admiring the streets filled with the fashion forward Japanese youth, crepes, and candy shops. The main street was lined with clothes, cosplay, treats, tourists, and adorable young Japanese wearing things that Americans would only dream of wearing on Halloween. We feasted at, hands down, the most elaborate theme restaurant I've ever had the pleasure of dining in. Kawaii Monster Cafe has four different "theme" rooms you can choose from. We chose to sit in  the giant mushroom area, which overlooked the massive sweet treat carousel they had at the main entrance. It was like I was inside the world of Alice in Wonderland, being fed rainbow spaghetti. Although, we didn't visit the actual Alice themed restaurant. So many themed eateries, so little time.  Oh, and the Snake Cafe. We drank beer while we admired the cutest baby snakes, waiting for the right moment to head on over to the couches where we could hold the big babies! 

We attempted to visit the largest fish market in the world, but unfortunately I dragged us there on a Sunday morning - when it happened to be closed. We still wandered around food stalls and snacked a bit before wandering into a food festival of sorts that was located across the street. So, it wasn't a complete bust.

The fact that I have been to Japan twice and STILL want to go back for more says a lot about this place. There are still so many things in this country that I haven't done, places that I haven't explored. I am so tempted to plan a trip to Fukuoka for Lunar New Year, and possibly making a day trip to Hiroshima. Yes, that's exactly what I'll do.

Food in Japan

 

My first meal in Japan undoubtedly HAD to be Ramen. I did a bit of research before I arrived about places to eat in the Dotonbori. I read about Kinryu repeatedly and hoped it would be as easy to find as every article made it seem. It was. Moments after I arrived on the famous street I saw a massive dragon protruding from a store front. BINGO. Without hesitation I put my coins in a nifty ramen ordering machine and took my ticket to the lovely fellow who was about to serve me up a bowl of deliciousness. One of the highlights of Kinryu, for me at least, include the kimchi and garlic you can douse your noodles with. I loaded up before taking a seat and indulging myself. Only took about 7 minutes for me to eat the whole bowl and every bite seemed to be better than the last. 

Even though I had just eaten loads of noddles, when I passed by a Takoyaki stand it was really hard for me to say no. It was my first night in Japan, so what the hell. There was a really funny guy taking orders at the front of the stand. His English was pretty good and he made ordering fried octopus balls for my first time a blast. He tried to convince me to order 20, which I probably could have handled... but I decided 6 was plenty. They were chewing and warm and delicious, although not something I could see myself craving or eating on a daily basis. A passed a woman asking someone for directions to the nearest subway station and when her attempt was unsuccessful, I pointed her in the right direction. She was a Moroccan living in Paris who was here for a convention. I shared my Octoballs with her. 

After trekking around Nara for what felt like forever, I had worked up a real hunger. Nothing sounded better than a piping hot bowl of Udon noddles, tempura shrimp, and fried rice. I have always loved these thick and tasty noodles - to actually eat them in Japan was a treat. They were remarkable. The tempura soaking in the light soy-saucy broth was the icing on top of the noodles for me :) It was difficult to pick up the massive shrimp that was floating around in my bowl. I got creative and made it work. Bringing my mouth to the bowl and the bowl to my mouth did the trick. One thing I love about Japanese culture is the fact that slurping and general noise making is acceptable because it's a sign you are enjoying your meal. Every soul in that restaurant would have taken a look at me and thought, "Damn, she's one happy and hungry little lady."

SUSHI. On a conveyer belt. In Japan. My only regret is not eating until I explode, which would have been quite easy considering how cheap it was- especially in comparison to sushi back home. I found Musashi on a blog online and pinned it on my maps. Best choice ever. There were loads of people there - always a good sign. I waited for a spot for one to open up and when the time finally arrived I smiled the entire way to my chair. I was seated next to an elderly Japanese man taking his time eating, his plates piled high. They had a spout for hat water in between each seat and green tea at your disposal. A lovely girl was busy prepping sushi in front of me as I stared at the belt in front of both of us, weighing out my options. There were so many things that I have never seen in my entire sushi eating experience back in the states, and there have been many. It's safe to say that the OG sushi creators have the right idea when it comes to this stuff. None of those fancy shmancy rolls so dressed up the tastes are unrecognizable. Simple and classic and damn delicious.

During my temple stay in Koyasan, which you can read about here, I was provided with two meals. I was so surprised by the amount of food that he brought. Tray after tray, and just when I thought he was done he came back with more. All I knew prior to my arrival was that a staff of resident monks would be preparing my completely vegetarian meals. I was expecting a plain and simple meal. Wrong. They did things with tofu that I couldn't even imagine. My taste buds were bursting at every bite. If I had these guys cooking for me on the daily,  adopting a vegetarian lifestyle would be a breeze. The kind man who delivered my food took the time to explain a few things to me. He was so sweet and explained some of the food and what to do when I was finished. His instructions included visiting the spa after my meal so they could prepare my Japanese style sleeping accommodation.  Psssh, okay. Easy peasy. Also, with both meals he served me, he made it a point to say - "eat ALL of the food, and then...". They take that stuff seriously in Japan, especially Buddhist monks. Don't waste food and be thankful for the opportunity to eat. 

Challenge excepted.

Breakfast, seriously?

I wasn't able to eat all the rice during either dinner or breakfast. I was disappointed in myself, to say the least. But, I devoured every last bit off of every little dish and every bowl of soup and every grain of whatever it was that I was shoveling into my mouth. I started by trying a little of everything bit by bit, and then mixing things with other things trying different combinations. I was in awe the whole time. By far, one of the most fun meals I've ever eaten. Breakfast was fun because I was provided with little dried seaweed wraps to put the food in. There was tofu soup and pickled things and tea and rice, always rice.

I was feeling pretty lethargic my last night and decided to take it easy, which apparently for me means eating two dinners. I wandered around Namba Parks, a massive shopping mall with little gardens and parks and resting areas scattered around. There was a whole floor full of restaurants and things for me to indulge in. I had the most difficult time choosing, I made two complete loops of the place before settling on a place simply because the word "cheese" was in the name. They didn't have an English menu, so I used my eyes to make a decision. Talk about a challenge. Everything looked so good, and so full of cheese.  What I ended up with was a massive bowl of rice, covered with cheese and ham and egg. My eyes didn't let me down. I scarfed this down while nonchalantly observing the diners around me. People watching, one of my favorite hobbies.

After, I decided to do a bit more wandering around the Dotonbori. I weaved in and out of side streets before deciding to grab a drink. This one drink cast some sort of magic spell on my tummy, because all of a sudden I decided it was appropriate to eat again. This happened at approximately the same time I walked past a Kinryu Ramen store front. The dragon hanging over the top of such a magical place solidified my desires. I wanted more Ramen, and no one was going to stop me. Plus, I had not ate at this particular location yet. I was curious to see if it was any different. It wasn't. It was just as mouth-watering as the first time. This time, I was even joined by a happy little Osaka native (which you can read more about here). I am happy to say that my first and last meal (for now) in Japan was this delectable bowl of love and goodness.