I love my Tokyo Fashion. Here is my first love–cute peds from my mom. Please excuse my pasty white legs.
The Fashion Police do NOT like these. I want more. I think they are the best invention ever. But I’m allowed to think that because I am fashionably challenged 90% of the time.
Mine are much cuter than these Undefeated peds.
I would buy these from Tokyostyle.us.
Love the ankle wrap–don’t care. It’s cute.
No computer this weekend, so I am leaving you with this video from Japan.
These are jizo statues at Zojo-ji Temple in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Jizo is simply the god who protects children.
This is one of my favorite shots from our trip to Japan because I think it captures a very integral part of the culture: bicycles and their importance. This is a truck in Inokashira-koen that is picking up all of the parked bikes with “expired” time and taking them to the bike pound. This happened to my mom a few times, right mom? Only I think that these particular bikes were very delinquent.
Bicycles and umbrellas are supposedly the two most stolen items in Tokyo because of their worth. Bikes are a way of life and it’s hard to survive without one. They usually come fully equipped with at least one basket, bell, attached lock, and light that runs on the friction from the wheel as you ride (as in, the faster you pedal, the brighter the light gets). You have to register your bicycle, just like you would a car in the U.S. My dad once got stopped by a local police officer at night because he didn’t have his light on. He had to show his alien registration card and sure enough, the officer “called in” the bike to make sure it was registered under his name.
“I want to ride my bicycle. I want to ride it where I like.” –Queen
I lost five pounds during my two weeks in Japan. I haven’t eaten nearly as well since I got home and I’m pretty sure I’ve gained it all back. I guess sitting at a desk all day instead of walking all day really does make a difference. In honor of my five pounds lost and gained again, here are the food highlights of our trip to Japan:
Shakey’s Pizza. Yes, pizza. All-you-can-eat lunch buffet for 850 yen. Crispy thin crust, lots of sauce and cheese, and toppings such as tuna fish, romaine lettuce and honey, and marshmallow. They also serve the best darned spicy potatoes in the universe. Pass the hot sauce.
Samrat Indian. I’m all about the all-you-can-eat in Japan. This one is AYCE naan or rice with two curries for 980 yen. The naan always come hot and buttery out of the oven. The deceivingly small bowls of curry really are bottomless.
Woodberry’s Frozen Yogurt. Start with plain frozen yogurt and add any mixture of fruit and cheese you want.
Mister Donut. Our old standby. Favorites include ebi (shrimp) gratin and Golden Chocolate donuts. Bonus=free coffee refills! (And I was a proud member of the “Misdo Club” as a child.)
Sweet potato “puree” in a baked apple. Mom and I could only eat half for lunch. I wish I could have one right now. I want to go to there.
Chicken liver. This was a free appetizer–I never would have ordered it on my own. Man, these were cooked so that the texture was amazing.
Matt was so excited for dango. I wasn’t so much but I did taste it and discovered that the green tea flavor with red bean paste was mighty tasty! And filling!
Kaiseki course #1 at Nakamura-Ro. I am mainly posting this for the lightly fried and candied lotus root in front (the ones that look like pinwheels). So light and crunchy.
Tempura is one of my favorite foods, but not when it’s covered in thick batter and you don’t even know what you are eating. This wasn’t that. It was the opposite of that. Perfect. And the ball of radish made it perfect plus infinity.
Tsumetai (cold) soba is another one of my favorite foods. And this is my favorite soba, made fresh and on premises at Jindai-ji.
Ukai Toriyama. This restaurant is amazing, even if you do have to cook your own meat. This was one of many delicious courses and I especially loved the miso paste. So many meats and fish we ate on the trip had miso paste. What a simple concept–we could even try it at home!
Sasagin bamboo. This was another first try for me and it was another home run. We made fast work of the bamboo, a house specialty at this izakaya.
As unappetizing as these sweets look, mainly made of rice and sweet beans, they were made with love. I felt the love in every bite. The shop that specializes in these sweets has been around for 150 years, passed down through generations of sweet-makers.
This was a small selection of delectable foods we ate in Japan. It was very difficult for me to choose just these. I may have a follow up post one day when I am hungry but am trying to lose five pounds.
Cherry blossoms, or sakura, are a big deal in Japan. So big that the news has a special weather segment on every night when cherry blossom season starts so you know when they will be in bloom. I think that plum blossoms, or ume, are equally as beautiful, and we were in Japan during prime ume viewing. I practiced using my digital macro setting. A lot. Here are some of my favorites–please vote on which one I should frame (if any)!
1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
So I am going to try to post a video that I took and then uploaded to youtube (the only way I can get videos on wordpress). I feel like this is a somewhat true depiction of what it is like walking through the streets of a Tokyo suburb near a train station trying to find hidden culinary gems. I’ll set up this clip: my mom and I are walking through Kichijoji trying to find Woodberry’s, a very small frozen yogurt shop. I ultimately take us the “long way” but it works out fine because we meet up with my dad. So, here it is, wobbly but funny:
Sasagin. More deets later. Here is the photographic evidence.
Bamboo Before:
Bamboo After:
drinks:
Asakusa is one of my favorite places in Tokyo. The street leading up to the famous Sensoji Temple is lined with shops and “osembe” (Japanese crackers). It is always vibrant and crowded, with mobs of gaijin and Japanese school children on class trips. The main street is probably the one place in Japan that you have the possibility of getting ripped off (it almost happened to me) but if you deviate from the main path and explore the winding back alleys, you will be pleasantly surprised with the old architecture and quaint shops and restaurants.
At the temple. you can purchase a bunch of incense sticks for 100 yen and then waft the smoke over you for health. For extra immunity, throw some coins in the giant offerings box to pray.
Each photo through this ethernet connection takes 44 second to upload, so these will be abbreviated posts from now on to protect my sanity! For all of my photos, please go to my online photo album here.
Oh yeah, anybody want an Obama mask?
Timing: train from Tamachi at 10:00, 18 minutes to Asakusa
Cost: 210 yen per person (one way)
Time elapsed: 5 hours
Accomplished: Mister Donut, Sensoji, health smoke, exploration, gelato, omiyage
Breakfast: Mister Donut, 700 yen
Snack: apple sweet potato, 575 yen
Lunch: gelato, 600 yen
You may wonder why you haven’t seen anything really “traditional” yet. Or maybe you don’t care. I am taking care of all of my “old haunts” with my parents, and then I start sightseeing tomorrow and with Matt. Today, we went to my old neighborhood, about an hour away from where my parents live now. I would spend every weekend in Kichijoji, a bike ride away from my old house in Musashi-sakai. It’s modernized a bit since I lived here in 1999-2001 but like I said in a previous post, everything still feels the same.
Kichijoji station
Sun Road
This steak house always has a line. Every time I have ever been here, the line stretches at least 20 people. And I’ve walked past this steak house at least 100 times.
Diabolina told me neon was in. Proof.
I ate Indian food for the first time in Kichijoji at Samrat. They serve the biggest nan and the best curry I have ever had since then.
Stolen idea from Elaine.
Timing: train from Tamachi at 10:15. Arrive Kichijoji at 11:00
Cost: 380 yen per person (one way)
Time elapsed: 7 hours
Accomplished: natsukashii, Sony Plaza, Tokyu, Loft, Samrat, Woodberry’s
Breakfast: home, free
Lunch: Samrat, 980 yen per person
Tomorrow: Asakusa
(There will be a noticeable lack of links from now on–my mom’s computer automatically brings up all Japanese sites and I am too tired to search in English.)
Roppongi Hills. The Star Wars-like architecture of open spaces, stone walls, wind tunnels, and space age design didn’t win me over, but I’m glad I finally saw it and got to laugh at the boutiques of plastic bags selling for over $100.
We walked home ( a few miles, 7 miles total all day), rested for an hour, and then went back out. Why? Because I thought I had enough energy. Little did I know that it was just fumes.
Timing today: Got bus at 10:30, arrived Azabu Juban at 11:00
Cost: 100 yen per person (one way)
Time elapsed: 5 hours
Walked home: free
Accomplished: omiyage shopping, gawking at Roppongi Hills, walking on a 65-degree day
Breakfast: Starbucks, 900 yen
Lunch: bakery, 1000 yen
Left home at 4:30, arrived Ootemachi 4:45
Cost: 150 yen per person one way
Time elapsed: 2 hours
Today: Kichijoji!
 | erinp on 2 months |
 | knitwick on 2 months |
 | Alexander on SNL skits website |
 | Decorating ideas for… on Cheap Home Decorating |
 | kpow on I didn’t know we bought … |
