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 Food
Deflation in Japan
Feb 12
215 viewsShareOne 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 [...]
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). [...]
Katsuretsu-an Tonkatsu in Yokohama
Jan 21
335 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
629 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.
Gyoza in Utsunomiya
Jun 14
375 viewsShareI am one of the biggest suckers for venturing out to try something when I hear a place “is known for” or “specializes in” or “is the <choose food> capital of Japan” so I headed out to Utsunomiya one morning to try the gyoza there. It was certainly delicious but not much different from any [...]
JAL Executive Class Dinner (->USA)
Jun 14
403 viewsShareThe Japanese dinner offered in JAL Executive Class on flights leaving Japan is pretty good. I starts out with eight courses of very delicious dishes followed up by an entree with rice and miso soup.
Kiraku Ramen Shop
Jun 10
309 viewsShareI don’t know how many ramen shops there are in Japan. It must be in the thousands. In the small town called Torisawa which is in Otsuki City in Yamanashi where my wife’s mother still lives there is a small ramen shop called Kiraku. It is famous for the incredibly tasty chashu pork. Here are some [...]
Fukushima Ekiben
Jun 9
278 viewsShareI was returning from Aizu-Wakamatsu and picked up an ekiben meal on my way back to Tokyo. There were quite a few choices but this one caught my fancy because of the salmon flakes on the rice.
Yukichi Honten Sushiya in Yokohama
Jun 8
366 viewsShare
This is my favorite sushiya in all of Japan. The quality and choice of fish is top tier. The wikimapia entry shows the location out in the Konandai area of Yokohama.
2009 Kitajima Shoten Visit
Jun 6
228 viewsShareI visited 4-time Olympic gold medal winner Kitajima Kousuke’s family shop in Nishi-Nippori one rainy day in January 2009 to try the now famous menchi-katsu. I met his father and mother at the shop. They were very gracious in allowing me to take pictures of them and their shop and were really impressed that I [...]
2009 Visit to Kappabashi
Jun 2
210 viewsShareMy cousins asked me to pickup some kitchenware while I was in Japan. What better place to go but Kappabashi. Famous for the plastic food displayed at restaurants but the principal items for sale are anything to do with cooking, restaurant supplies and kitchware. Pictures are here.
2009 Ivan Ramen Visit
Jun 2
457 viewsShareI visited Ivan Ramen for the third time in early 2009 along with a friend of mine from California. Ivan was there and they had some slack time between rushes so we were able to chat, take pictures and he actually sold me an autographed copy of his book. Another interesting article by ramentokyo gives [...]
Two Akasaka Restaurants
Jun 2
228 viewsShareI visited two restaurants in Akasaka that I used to frequent 20+ years ago. One is Sueyoshi, a tonkatsu-ya and the other is Moti, the famous Indian restaurant chain. Both are splendid in their own way.
Okonomiyaki Yatai at Ameyoko
Jun 1
1,155 viewsShareI’ve been getting okonomiyaki from this guy at Ameyoko for many years. He sets up in the late afternoon and makes a killing until he shuts down in the early evening. My picture gallery of Ameyoko, mostly featuring this yatai is online now.
2009 Tsukiji Fish Market Visit
Jun 1
640 viewsShareQuite a few problems with overly aggressive tourists to Tsukiji Fish Market have caused restrictions on access and the aggressive banning of children in the inner market place recently. You can see reports on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzBwtylHiqo
You can see my gallery page for more pictures of my short visit in January 2009.
2009 Japan Trip Photo Gallery
Jun 1
172 viewsShareI acquired a new full frame camera and requisite glass last year and took quite a few pictures, uploaded them to my personal gallery to share with anyone who is interested. The gallery is self-explanatory. I’ll be publishing separate blog articles for each of the gallery folders when I get a chance.
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.