I visited the Tsunahachi tempura restaurant at the Daimaru food floor above Tokyo Station again but went there for dinner instead of lunch. The price is a little higher than the lunch specials but well worth it. I ordered one of the omakase seafood choices, about Y4000 plus beer and was not disappointed. They have [...]
Modern Japanese Express Train
May 3
78 viewsI was shooting pictures on the bridge at Uguisudani in Tokyo and snagged some nice shots of a yellow E653 set used for the Fresh Hitachi service on the JR Joban Line. The cool thing about the Joban Line is that it is dual voltage with 1500V DC in the Tokyo area and 20,000V AC [...]
Uncommon House in Central Tokyo
May 2
139 views20+ years ago when I worked for LSI (Logic) our Tokyo office was in the heart of central Tokyo in an area called Akasaka. It was and is a very high-end area catering to business and politics. We were in the west wing of the Kokusai Shin Akasaka Building which is right on [...]
Tokyo 2010 – Top Hotels
Feb 15
430 viewsThis is an update to my post last year of the 2009 Tokyo hotel ratings in the Michelin Guide. Notable changes are the Shangri-La displaced the Conrad for #5 in the top tier. The Nikko moved up to four red (from four black).
I’ll repeat the same pitch I gave last year. If you are a [...]
Deflation in Japan
Feb 12
191 viewsOne menacing characteristic (from a macroeconomic viewpoint) of the Japanese economy now is deflation. It’s evident at izakaya (watering holes) everywhere in Japan. Y300 plates (or less). Food has really come down in price since the heady Bubble years and it is really nice to enjoy a few beers and tapas for [...]
Fresh Hitachi Train
Feb 10
169 viewsThese are some shots of the Fresh Hitachi Line train that traverses the JR Joban Line in Eastern Japan.
Underground at Ueno-Hirokoji Station
Feb 10
170 viewsPeople frequently ask me about navigating the trains and subways in Tokyo. It can be a daunting task. The important thing to do is to prepare properly. First, you should know the area you are interested in, you should know which train or subway lines are in the area and what the [...]
100-yen Shop in Akihabara
Feb 10
478 viewsDay 13 Post
Note: This is from a series of trip reports from my January 2010 Tokyo Trip. They are random musings about whatever seems interesting for that day.
On day 13, my getaway day, I left my bags at Keisei Nippori and headed to Akihabara for lunch and some final omiyage (souvenir) shopping. In [...]
Mountain Climbers in Yamanashi
Feb 10
191 viewsDay 12 Post
Note: This is from a series of trip reports from my January 2010 Tokyo Trip. They are random musings about whatever seems interesting for that day.
On Day 12 I went to the family compound in Torisawa which is near Otsuki in Yamanashi Prefecture. Torisawa Station on the Chuo Line is a [...]
Tonkatsu at Sueyoshi
Feb 10
205 viewsDay 11 PostNote: This is from a series of trip reports from my January 2010 Tokyo Trip. They are random musings about whatever seems interesting for that day.
Seems like an annual event now but on day 11 I went to Akasaka to visit my second favorite tonkatsu restaurant in the world (Katsuretsu-an being my favorite). [...]
Delay on JR
Feb 10
192 viewsDay 10 Post
Note: This is from a series of trip reports from my January 2010 Tokyo Trip. They are random musings about whatever seems interesting for that day.
I was headed to Yokohama on day 10 to visit a friend. The following message popped up on the display. Chuo Line “Delay” due to “clearing [...]
F1 Car at Toyota Factory Tour
Feb 10
219 viewsDay 9 Post
Note: This is from a series of trip reports from my January 2010 Tokyo Trip. They are random musings about whatever seems interesting for that day.
On Day 9 I went on the Toyota Factory Tour. Prior to the tour I went through the museum and found that they are still displaying last [...]
Deer at Nara Park
Feb 10
196 viewsDay 8 Post
Note: This is from a series of trip reports from my January 2010 Tokyo Trip. They are random musings about whatever seems interesting for that day.
On day 8 I made a side trip to Nara. This entry focuses on the deer. The Todaiji and the Buddha is pretty spectactular but the deer are [...]
Osaka Castle Visit
Feb 10
194 viewsDay 7 Post
Note: This is from a series of trip reports from my January 2010 Tokyo Trip. They are random musings about whatever seems interesting for that day.
On Day 7 I visited Osaka Castle. I didn’t pay to go up to the top because I was told it’s a concrete replica and not very [...]
Kagoshima and Sakurajima
Feb 10
176 viewsDay 6 Post
Note: This is from a series of trip reports from my January 2010 Tokyo Trip. They are random musings about whatever seems interesting for that day.
On day 6 I visited Kagoshima. The goal was to ride the Kyushu Shinkansen and to see Sakurajima. The day was a little hazy so the [...]
South Entrance/Exit at JR Shinjuku Station
Feb 1
544 viewsThis post is about the south entrance/exit at JR Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. This is the entrance sometimes referred to as “Lumine 2″
This is looking directly east with your back facing the station. The bridge on the right side is Koshu Kaido. The exact location of these first two shots is here.
This [...]
Toyoko Inn Hakata Room
Jan 21
225 viewsDay 5 Post
Note: This is from a series of trip reports from my January 2010 Tokyo Trip. They are random musings about whatever seems interesting for that day.
This was my room in Hakata (Chuo-eki 2). The previous room post was in Uguisudani in Tokyo. This one in Hakata is about 2-3 minutes from [...]
Visit to Gotokuji Temple in Setagaya
Jan 21
464 viewsDay 4 Post
Note: This is from a series of trip reports from my January 2010 Tokyo Trip. They are random musings about whatever seems interesting for that day.
I visited Gotokuji Temple with some friends today. This temple is famous for the origin of maneki neko (beckoning cat).
Katsuretsu-an Tonkatsu in Yokohama
Jan 21
281 viewsDay 3 Post
Note: This is from a series of trip reports from my January 2010 Tokyo Trip. They are random musings about whatever seems interesting for that day.
This may be my favorite restaurant in the world. Good, competent tonkatsu (pork cutlet) in Yokohama. Anyone from Yokohama knows about this restaurant. It’s been [...]