On account of matching flight dates with UW’s spring break, Japan, unfortunately, was a 48-hour whirlwind. On the upside, it was a fantastic two days eating amazing food and spending time with my aunt. :)
Before I arrived in Tokorozawa, just outside of Tokyo, I had big plans for my time in Japan. I wanted to see all the places I remember loving the only other time I have visited – in April 2007. I stopped in Japan for a week during my Spring 2007 Semester at Sea and I remember being utterly charmed by how delightful everything was. I loved that the train was packed with a bunch of men in black suits during rush hour and that my (tall and awesome) friend Leah, dressed in her bright pink sweatshirt, was caught in the middle of them. I loved that the man I asked for directions didn’t understand me when I said, “Excuse me, could you tell me where the baseball stadium is?” But when I said “base-uh-ball-ooh,” breaking up the word baseball and saying it slowly, he understood me perfectly and pointed me on my way. I loved that when I attended a Giants game in Tokyo, I got my beer filled while sitting in my seat by a girl carrying a keg on her back. I also loved that this devious sushi chef concealed a pea-sized amount of wasabi under the best nigiri I’d ever had in my life. After getting over this dying sensation from the wasabi, I had a chance to really appreciate this mindnumbingly delicious seared baby octopus. I didn’t see it this last time in Japan, and I haven’t found it anywhere else, so I will definitely be back for it someday, hopefully soon...
These were much more fun this time around!
This time, I arrived in Japan pretty exhausted because I lost a night and the better part of a day flying from Perth to Singapore on Tiger Airways and then switching to United for my flight from Singapore to Tokyo. I had to take three different trains to get from Narita to Tokorozawa and for half of my 2.5 hour journey, I had my 40lb pack weighing down on me while being squished in the rush hour crowd. Good times. I was picked up soon after arriving in Tokorozawa by Tante June and her friend Catherine. Thus, the eating began.
Tante June and Me
Homemade sukiyaki for dinner along with sashimi, assorted salads, and fried oysters and tofu:
Great dinner! I cracked a raw egg into my bowl to start and spooned non-boiling soup on top. Good thing the egg was fresh :)
The next day, after a random breakfast of a surprisingly tasty fish-egg sandwich, an avocado, an orange, and a macha latte, we went to lunch!
Tabehodai or viking is what they call all-you-can-eat meals. This was the first buffet I’d been to that I just wasn’t quite sure what to do. I didn’t know which sauces went with which foods and which foods you could just place on your wooden plate, and which needed their own little bowls. Oh Japan…
I thought I’d have this day to myself to explore downtown Tokyo and perhaps even pop into SBI’s Tokyo office. (SBI = Strategic Business Insights = my former employer) Unfortunately, I didn’t even get anywhere close to central Tokyo. Instead, my aunt and her friends took me to Odaiba to see, of all things, a Statue of Liberty. I had actually been to Odaiba before, but somehow either missed or had no recollection of seeing the statue. I remember crossing the very same bridge with my friends, however, and walking on the beach avoiding dead jellyfish. It’s a bit as if I’ve missed seeing Times Square in New York City not having had the chance to make it to Shinjuku in Tokyo. Then again, I’ve been to New York plenty of times where Times Square wasn’t even an afterthought...
Statue of Liberty & the Rainbow Bridge, Odaiba
In addition to the random Statue of Liberty in Odaiba, I got to see a beautiful sunset and cherry blossoms! I had heard it had been a cold winter and that I was too early for the sakuras. I think we may have found some of the first for the season, certainly the first that my aunt and her friends had seen, so they were just as excited as I was.
1st cherry blossoms of the season!
After a trip to Daiso, we had Dinner #1: Sashimi! (Note: Daiso is pretty much the best store ever! Everything is 100 Yen and compared to the products in our dollar stores at home, things here are high quality with a delightful Japanese influence!)
The roe (fish eggs) was so fresh that I really enjoyed it (I find it gross in the US…) and the scallop (hotate) was fantastic. I didn’t get to try anything new like fish sperm sashimi or crab sashimi, but that’ll be for next time :)
While we were grilling our post-sashimi squid, an earthquake struck. Apparently it was 6.1 in magnitude, but because it was off the coast, we only felt a 4 or 5. I remember feeling no fear, just slight amusement at how long the shaking went on! I had time to register that an earthquake was happening, marvel at the shaking, glance up at the lights swinging above me, and wonder when I’d be able to eat my squid. (Probably not the best response in an emergency situation...) People in the restaurant were quick to shut off all the gas burners and then once the shaking stopped, every other person was on their cell phone. (Eating soon resumed and the squid was awesome!)
Dinner #2: Ramen
I probably didn’t need a whole one to myself after Dinner #1, but it was really, really good ramen! Not bad for about 650 Yen (~$8). I can't say I'm enough of a ramen connoisseur that I can really appreciate the difference between authentic ramen and instant noodles, but it was good stuff nonetheless.
For breakfast the next morning, Tante June made me an amazing okonomiyaki – my first, in fact. Okonomiyaki is like a savory pancake with seafood and vegetables mixed into a batter; it is pan-fried. You drizzle special okonomiyaki sauce over the top and then sprinkle katsobushi (dried cuttlefish?) on top. Delicious!
Lunch, and my last meal in Japan: Tempura. Three months ago, when I asked Tante June about her favorite place to eat, she named this tempura place. I was skeptical because I pretty much only eat tempura when I can strip the ebi (shrimp) of its batter. But this tempura was incredible! I don’t know how they make it so good, but it was the best tempura I’ve ever had and probably ever will have…
After lunch, Tante June and Catherine put me on a limousine bus bound for the Narita International Airport. I was extremely sad to leave Japan.... I loved getting to spend time with Tante June and her friends and beyond that, I just love Japan! What’s not to love? My visit was way too short and getting back here is high on my future travel list.
Up Next: My Heart and Seoul
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