Tag: tokyo
Last Day in Tokyo, Day Seven
Today is our last day in Tokyo- day seven. I am ready to go home but I am in awe of this city and the people. My husband planned this trip- usually I organize our summer vacations but since he is celebrating his fortieth this year, he picked the destination. When he first mentioned Tokyo, I wasn’t too keen- it wasn’t on top of my list of places to visit. I like Japanese food but wasn’t very curious about the cuisine to want to visit. He convinced me by informing me how Tokyo recently took over Paris for the number of Michelin starred restaurants- that really piqued my interest. Once we booked the trip and I started telling my friends, I was pleasantly surprised at how many of them had visited the city and raved about it, especially the food.
Once we got here and looked around, I realized how food is an integral part of this culture. I guess everyone likes to eat- the difference is they do it to perfection. Everything is very lovingly displayed, packed and served. As a tourist, walking around, taking the subway and bus, it is very aparent how thoughtful the whole Japanese culture is.
There is food everywhere, displayed in department stores, on the streets, train stations- really everywhere imaginable. The service is unbelievably warm and the food is amazing. The people are super friendly, very poised and calm. Whoever you look at, they seem happy with what they are doing- even the guy who is sweeping the streets. Everyone does their best- I think that is what makes a society succesful.
If I had to describe this culture in two words- I would use- perfection and moderation. Everything is done to perfection and they do everything in moderation. Even the food flavors are perfectly spiced- not too sweet, salty or tangy.
It was a great pleasure to be here and I have a feeling we will be back….
Day Three of Tokyo- Tsukiji Fish Market
We were supposed to be up at 5 AM so we could see all the fishermen sell their fresh fish in an auction at the Tsukiji fish market. 5 AM, really??? We woke up much later than that, had breakfast and got to the market around 10. My husband was quite disappointed but I reminded him, the fish will still be fresh enough for us to enjoy the sushi there. We started walking through the small alleys lined with small outside stores full of fresh produce and lots of samples. We walked some more and discovered a whole lot of small sushi restaurants. Some had long lines, I decided to join one of them. As we waited, it became quite clear it would take a long time. After standing in line for over half an hour, we decided to leave and go next door- with a much smaller line. We later realized the more popular one was cheaper- but it was so worth paying the extra money for not standing in line. We had super fresh sushi which was delicious.
After buying some souveniers, we took a subway to one of the biggest department stores- Seibu . The bottom two floors are lined with food stalls. I have never seen anything like that ever in my life. The variety of foods, snacks, desserts, breads, drinks- you name it and they had it. Lots of nibbles as well. We spent a good hour if not more there and took a couple of pastries back to our hotel room.
After resting we ventured out to the Ginza area- which is the fifth avenue of Tokyo. Super wide roads, very clean and lots and lots of very expensive stores. It was very nice to window shop. We started looking for a restaurant- not the one where we had to pay $300 per person- but a regular one. I wanted beef- Japanese premium beef. After a lot of searching, we found a grill restaurant. The problem was we couldn’t tell where it was. It had a sign outside a building but it wasn’t clear exactly where it was. After a lot of guessing and asking someone, we figured out it was on the first floor but in the back of four other restaurants- really- it almost seemed like we were walking through a cave. Eventually we got to a pleasant looking place where I had the best beef I have ever tasted. It was tender, perfectly cooked and the most delicious thing ever. A perfect end to a great day. Tomorrow we are headed to Kyoto via bullet train. Should be very interesting.. stay tuned….
First Day- Tokyo- Shinjuku Area
We got to the busy Narita airport in Tokyo after a thirteen hour long direct flight from Newark, NJ. The food on the flight was not as bad as I thought- it was okay. I saw four movies and four shows- and didn’t sleep at all. By the time we got to our destination (the next day1:30 PM, local time), we were shattered. We caught a train (hour and a half long) to Shinjuku station where we found a hotel shuttle to take us to our bed- yes, that was the only thing on my mind- well, yes, food was as well. We got some kind of a rice snack with seaweed- looked like little pretzel sticks. As we sat on the very clean train- I couldn’t help thinking how well everything is planned out here. It seems they have thought of everything. They tell you where the train is going to stop- what side the station is coming. There are lockers in the train for your luggage and in case you forget your combination- there is an announcement telling you where to go to collect your luggage. Everything is super clean- did I mention how clean the bathrooms are??? Well, it is a tourist’s delight- at least it is mine.
Anyway, after resting, we ventured around the Shinjuku area. It was super crowded and very well lit. We were starving and found a noodle bar. It had pictures, and so we decided to go in. I got a bowl of udon noodles with a strong flavored broth topped with thin slices of pork. I was able to garnish it with thinly chopped green onions, ginger and a seven spice hot powder. My husband got the same noodles with tofu and we also had some shrimp and chicken tempura on the side. It was all delicious.
Later we stopped for beer and some bellini. We sat and watched all the people walk by- I realized the Japanese people are extremely fashionable and well-dressed- a pleasure to sit and watch as I sipped my bellini.
We headed back to our hotel room around 9, ready to sleep after an enire 24 hours, to rest up for tomorrows adventure and good food- so stay tuned…
