Eating in Tokyo Part VI: Al Fresco in Shinjuku

This is one of the hardest to find cafes in Shinjuku. Took us a while and several wrong turns walking up and down the streets to find it.
From Shinjuku station, you should walk towards the dome (to use a landmark, look for Isetan on your map). Passing Isetan, you cross the street and can see the dome in the distance then you turn left one or two streets ahead. The correct turn takes you to a giant Toys R Us.

Cross the street from Toys R Us and you see a little slope. When you get up the s;[e you see this (coming from the right of the pic) and turn (so if this shop is on your right, you walk straight on)

Take the second or third right, (I can't remember), in any case if you keep walking, you get to this street corner. There are clothes stores everywhere, but the building you want is just on the right of Daniel, facing HIM.

This is the store in which the cafe is housed. (If you walk to the right, you get to the street in the photo above) It's on the 4th floor.

The stairway is to the right of the shop, but if you want to take the lift, it's hidden in the back of the store.

Voila! We made it!

If it's not raining or snowing, we recommend eating outside, on the terrace.

it's much nicer and you get a view of....well, the rooftops.

Hmm, a tad chilly, but wrap the blanket over yourself and you're fine.

Now for the test: yes, there is an English menu and the waitress speaks 10 words of English...perfectly sufficient to order!

Giant omelette...more like brunch, but I didn't complain, it was yummy.

Curry rice....lecker!

Half A Day In Kamakura

Yokohama

Yokohama, less than an hour from Tokyo, blends in seamlessly with the rest of metropolitan Tokyo yet retains its distinctive charm as Japan's most costmopolitan city.

Yamashita Park is a stone's throw from Chinatown, reputedly the largest one in the world. The station is Motomachi-chukagai, which takes you right to the fringe of Chinatown.

The harbour teems with tourists, joggers, breakdancing youth and seagulls.

As you shuffle along in the almost-freezing breeze, see the skyline in the distance getting clearer...

as you stroll past historical buildings...

you can't help but marvel at the picturesque sight at dusk.

The old colonial style warehouses were converted to pubs and restaurants, it's very touristy and white-people friendly. Upstairs (3rd floor) there is a jazz club/restaurant, prices are steep as there's a cover charge if you don't pay for a sit-down dinner, but the acts are world-class, I was told.

Who says Japanese don't have fun?

Hawaiian beer?! Beer made its debut in Japan few hundred years ago, right here in Yokohama!

Eating in Tokyo Part V: KAN

We highly recommend this hard-to-find restaurant, located in a quiet neighbourhood west of Shibuya. It's a small place, only seating at the bar, entirely smoking, and considerably upmarket.

Directions to KAN (after much detective work with Google Maps and asking about 3 different people who didn't speak English on the streets):

1) Take the train to IKEJIRI-OHASHI station, this is one stop from Shibuya on the Den-en-toshi line).
2) The station is circled on the left in the map. Take the South Exit, you will come out seeing an overpass, walk in the direction with the overpass (road) on your left.
3) When you come to the river, turn right and walk along with the river on your left (see the blue thing on the map)

4) When you see this bridge that joins to the other bank, go right across, and you will see it.


5) It's this one, the only restaurant in the entire apartment complex.

You should call and make a reservation, because this place has less than 20 seats. Almost everyone works behind the bar, and they all manage to look really hip in their uniform of black tees and white aprons. I thought our chef had the sexiest hands....particularly when he was dicing raw fish with the finesse of a pianist.

People seemed to be there to enjoy the whole experience of dining, not eating. The meat was to be savoured, the wine sipped and your cigarette dragged on between the refined (inexplicable) conversation with your companions, all the while watching in fascination as the chefs worked deftly behind the bar.

The menu looks like this (below) so don't bother to ask what's on it. Just say "Yes, we eat sashimi" and you will get this (above) if you are lucky: horse (yes, the ones people ride on), whitefish, tai, hamachi (yellow tail) and something else yummy.

Our chef had decided what we would eat that night, but we couldn't resist a round of yakitori: here on the left is an ingenius sticky rice wrap with meat inside. Totally delicious.

The seasonal dish: duck slices on a winter leaf slowly cooked over hot coals in miso sauce.

We finished our duck.

We had some other stuff, tofu, the cold appetisers and a vegetable tempura. We didn't order the fish liver (foie gras) in vinegar which looked totally awesome cos we were stuffed. I highly recommend that and the horse sashimi....it was really tender, they're Canadian and come to Japan for a few years before arriving on your dish. I know, I know, we're sick. But I don't see how the horse suffered any more than your industrial-slaughtered chicken and cow.

Oh yes, don't forget the sake....the bill set us back S$220. Not bad for a really nice dinner in Tokyo.

U KAN
Tel: 03-3792-5282
Manager: Hayashi Kohtaro

Eat in Japan - Yes We Can!

Japan, land of the rising sun, of Mount Fuji, temples, cherry blossoms and geishas. That is the Japan of popular culture and the tourism industry of course. But for uninitiated rookies like Daniel and I, we were happy to go forth and experience what Japan had to offer us.

Japan did not disappoint.
Sure, there were more temples than we could ever see (or want to see) in a lifetime....

Buddhas galore....but the best part of Japan for diehards like us was really...

the food!

Come to Japan ready to taste, otherwise, it would be a complete waste of your time and money. Tasting Japan is opening your senses to a whole new dimension of euphoria....and yes, even from a slimy LIVE oyster curling resentfully about on your plate. Rice wine, or sake in Japanese, is the other ecstasy you would not want to miss. It's smoother than vodka with none of its smelly turpentine fumes, it melts down your throat like an easy song and it never gets to your head till you're ready to leave the table.

Eating and drinking were the things we enjoyed most in Japan, and after that, the only other thing is onsen!
Daniel said I should post my overall insights on our trip, so that people can get an idea of what Japan could be like for total aliens (yes, us) to this unique culture. I've already put up several posts on eating in Tokyo, and I will post several more, especially on some superb finds we made on our eating spree.

But first, for those of you who do not speak any Japanese, or read any Chinese (their kanji writing is the same as our Chinese writing) here are some offhand information to help you enjoy that authentic local eating experience:

1) Be ready to ask for an English menu, and if they don't have one (which is most of the time), be ready to ask for the waiter's recommendation even if you can't understand what he is saying. We highly recommend this option for those of you who are more adventurous because the only thing better than great food is eating great food you didn't expect.


2) Many restaurants offer photos of their menu along with the prices, like this one. You won't understand a word, and most likely won't find the pictures too appetising either, but trust me, it's worth being surprised. Daniel found that sashimi really tasted better than its international reputation. Trust me, until you have tried horse sashimi, raw fish is like oatmeal. (yes, the horse that neighs)

3) Best part of eating in Japan is the prices you see are the prices you get. No sneaky GST or service charge applies at the end of your meal so you can really go ahead and enjoy that tempura ramen. The other good news is you DO NOT HAVE TO TIP. Japanese serve you with ten times the professionalism as American waiters and do not expect anything in return (besides the price on your menu).

4) Go for small tavern-like establishments for a cosy, local feel. The prices may not be much lower than any other restaurant, but you get great ambience, usually because these places seat about 10 people max and the chefs cook and cut behind the bar. Only catch: everybody smokes in these places so prepare to wear cigarette smoke and the smell of your dinner home afterward.


5) Order beer (Sapporo, Kirin and Asahi are the biggest names), we recommend Asahi and do go for the sake, which comes in hot or cold. Hot sake is usually heated up at the bar and comes cheaper (I got one for 300 yen). Cold sake is really good and comes either in a bottle (like a small beer can) or they pour it by the cup from a bigger bottle. Usually they pour it till it overflows into the saucer, and you pour the excess back into the glass.

If you have patience, walk around until you find something that appeals to you. There is no dearth of restaurants, cafes and sushi bars in Tokyo. We didn't find pubs though, not the kind you would expect in a Westernised city or a resort beach like Bali. You would find instead nightclubs (varying degrees of sleaze and kinkiness) or karaoke lounges. But the search for food is well worth the effort if you want to avoid touristy joints and sub-par cuisine.

Look out for our Onsen For Idiots post coming soon.

In case you are really looking for food in Tokyo, do ask me for directions if you would really like to try what we had. Most establishments we patronised had names we couldn't read and so I really can't give an address. Addresses are in Japanese anyway, and Google maps doesn't do English translations.

So break out your kimono and get ready to bite a shrimp head off!


Next: Getting Around Japan - Yes We Can!