ShareI 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 [...]
Archive for category Only in Japan
Modern Japanese Express Train
May 3
109 viewsShareI 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
177 viewsShare20+ 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 [...]
100-yen Shop in Akihabara
Feb 10
610 viewsShareDay 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 [...]
Tonkatsu at Sueyoshi
Feb 10
226 viewsShareDay 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). [...]
Osaka Castle Visit
Feb 10
226 viewsShareDay 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 [...]
Visit to Gotokuji Temple in Setagaya
Jan 21
565 viewsShareDay 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
336 viewsShareDay 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 [...]
Tsukiji Visit
Jan 16
630 viewsShareDay 2 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 awoke early on day 2 and went to the fish market. I never even thought to bring out my camera until I was well [...]
Fresh Wasabi
Jul 13
437 viewsShareMost people have not seen fresh wasabi. It costs about US$21/lb wholesale so it’s not cheap. Here is a picture of some at the wholesale market in Tsukiji.
Amazing Stair Climbing Dolly
Jun 10
1,052 viewsShareI was outside of Otsuki Station and saw one of the most interesting carrying devices I’ve ever seen anywhere. This dolly can climb up and down stairs with large amounts of payload. It certainly beats the heck out of hauling these boxes up and down stairs the old-fashioned way.
Mt. Fuji Pictures at 270 km/h
Jun 9
428 viewsShareI was heading to Osaka in January 2009 on a beautiful clear day and took these pictures of Mt. Fuji. It was truly fortunate to be traveling on such a clear day.
300 km/h Shinkansen Ride
Jun 9
314 viewsShareI shot a picture of my GPS while going from Hiroshima to Tokyo.
But, looking closer zoomed in, check out the maximum speed of 300 km/h.
Takkyubin (Door-to-Door Courier Service)
Jun 8
1,112 viewsShareEveryone talks about using takkyubin and luggage forwarding. It’s pretty straightforward to do this at the airport counter or from a hotel when the bell desk takes care of it for you, but most non-Japanese speaking people are probably intimidated by walking into a Yamato (Kuro-Neko/Black-Cat) depot with suitcases to be forwarded to your next [...]
Zojirushi I-Pot
Jun 5
871 viewsShareOne very cool device “only in Japan” is the I-Pot made by Zojirushi. A few years back, my wife and I bought one for my mother-in-law after she became a widow and began living alone. Her I-Pot was such a hit with her that she took over the payments from us (avoiding currency exchange problems, [...]
PS3 Gran Turismo Route 246 Course
Jun 3
1,548 viewsShareI became a fan of the Gran Turismo series of games over ten years ago on the original Sony Playstation. It was and is pretty much the gold standard of how a console video game should play. I became intrigued with one of the courses which is called Route 246 in the game and traverses [...]
Homes in Koyasu
May 30
189 viewsShareThese pictures are from an old article I posted on the original sotobori.com website. These homes are sandwiched between the Keikyu and JR tracks in Koyasu.
Tokyo Kur Onsen Under Tokyo Station
May 29
678 viewsShareMany people don’t realize this but there used to be an onsen under Tokyo Station. It was called Tokyo Kur, open to men only and offered baths, shiatsu and akasuri massage. Sadly, it has closed.
Excerpted from the Japan Times, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2001:
Tokyo Kur by Tokyo Onsen — This sauna-spa is for men only. It [...]
Dried Scallops at Ameyoko
May 29
1,421 viewsShareOne of my favorite omiyage are dried scallops from Hokkaido, sold at Ameyoko in these large bags, individually wrapped tender morsels. They are Y2000/bag and the price hasn’t changed in the 20+ years that I’ve been buying them.