"Cowabunga, dudes!"
Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Current Location: West Inn Nakano
Time of Entry: 1:06 JPN (8:07AM US)
Just a quick update about my status. I know that I have stopped posting for quite a while now, over a month. It doesn't mean I've abandonded my blog, I've just been incredibly busy. School has eaten up a huge chunk of time, and now due to new circumstances back at home, I have changed my return flight back to November 21st. The good news is I get to go home. The bad news is I have to leave Japan. Since this weekend is my departure, I have been up to my neck in things to do, and most likely I'll only have time for a new post after I get back. I'll still keep posting in America, catching up on my various adventures and thoughts that I failed to post earlier. Anyway, I regret not keeping up with my blog, and I know that all you fans out there are dying for another entry on food or something. Keep visiting, I can assure that another post will come soon.
Date: Saturday, October 11, 2009
Current Location: West Inn Nakano
Time of Entry: 23:53 JPN (7:53AM US)
*Edit: if you think I'm gushing, check out this paragraph found on wikitravel.org
According to the world famous Michelin Guide, which rates restaurants in major cities around the world, Tokyo is the most "delicious" city in the world with over 150 restaurants that received at least one star (out of three). In comparison, Paris and London received a total of 148 between them.
It has been two weeks since my last post but I swear it feels more like it has been five days. Time is starting to go faster, and I fear my stay here will end before I'm able to blink twice. Anyway, this post is, predictably, the food post. This topic is actually never done, since every week I try so many new things. The discoveries are endless. One of the best parts about Japan is that there are so many nooks and crannies that anywhere you go deserves more than one or two visits. I could probably eat at a different restaurant every day just here in Nakano, and not visit the same place twice. Also it was requested that I make a post about desserts. Now that I think about it, they definitely deserve their own section, since there are just as many "meal foods" as sweet things. Sweet stuff will come later. Food here is fantastic all around. There's a nice simplicity to the dishes that make them easy to eat and non-fatiguing. Their basic nature allows the food to be eaten time after time again, while still being delicious. Also, low prices and extremely fast (and polite) service help to enhance the experience. I try to take pictures of whatever I eat, but usually I'm so hungry and the food looks so good that I take a few bites before I remember. Thus, many of the pictures show food in a not so pristine condition. You get the idea though. Katsudon is good. Period. No matter where you go. Apparently there are amazing places out in Shibuya that I've yet to try. Hard to imagine katsudon that's even better than what I've had so far. For the uninitiated, the bowl is a slab of chicken or pork coated in bread flakes and deep fried. After the frying the meat is placed in a broth consisting of soy sauce, sugar, and cooking sake. Egg and onions are also placed in the sauce which is set to boiling. After being cooked, the whole thing gets placed over a bowl of rice.The dish is all at once sweet, juicy, soft, crunchy, filling, and just plain satisfying. I haven't had too much yakisoba yet, but from my limited exposure it's still pretty darn good. One of the more oily dishes that I've had, I feel like yakisoba is more rustic and festival-oriented than other foods. Other festival foods include okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and yakitori. In other words, they're the foods that can be cooked out in the open on big grills and hot plates, and don't require broths or special preparations. Like other carnival foods it tastes great, but perhaps it's bad to eat it every day. Matsuya is quite a place. It's a large chain restaurant with low prices, fast service, and great taste. The gyuudon beef bowl combined with salad and miso soup is utterly fantastic. Many dishes in Japan are served with raw egg. I'm surprised my stomach has handled it so well, and pouring it over the beef makes the meal taste that much better. It seems like cabbage is plentiful in Japan, but not iceberg lettuce. Therefore, many salads comprise almost entirely of shredded cabbage, much like the one in the picture. Oh yeah, and mayonnaise is a popular salad topping. Just wrong. I'll stick with the traditional miso dressing. One horrendous thing about Japanese food is the portions. After each meal I never feel full, whether due to the quantity of food or just the "lightness" of each meal. It is extremely satisfying to go to a tabehoudai (all you can eat) restaurant every now and then. Shakey's was the first buffet I've been to, and I ate until I was ready to explode. The pizza was okay, but the nicest part was, oddly, the salad bar, which had some fresh fruit, lettuce, and amazing melon jello. Jello in Japan is slightly different. It's not nearly as sweet, but they're almost always super transparent and have very soft, smooth textures. Jello is better here. Sheesh. I also have to note that the Mojos were a little disappointing. They just don't make them the same. 900 yen coffee, which is over $9, at the Hyatt Regency in Shinjuku. It was okay. Strangely not as funny, though, as an $8 clam chowder cup that my brother once got in Hawaii, which was also just okay. I just don't have that sophisticated taste I suppose. Traditional Japanese breakfast. Very expensive but very nice. Unlike an American breakfast of eggs, bacon, and sausage, this food makes you feel clean and refreshed after eating it. Here we have Saba fish, miso soup, an egg, some sashimi, rice, little pickled side dishes, and a dessert of clear jello and fruit. Super delicate, super cool. If I could afford/wake up early enough to eat another one of these meals I would. One of my favorite Japanese dishes is udon. It's fast, cheap, and unbelievably good. The dish is not so much about the broth as it is about the noodles. Best udon ever was a little place in Shinjuku where they make the noodles right in front of you like an oldschool Krispy Kreme. The noodles were hot and chewy, cooked just right and textured but not slimy. The restuarant also had unlimited green onion, tempura flakes, and sesame seeds. A real winner, all for about 500 yen. The first two pictures are the restaurant. While the other udon I've had are good, they just dont compare. Ahhh melon soda. Probably my favorite soda at this point. Japanese food has the art of moderation. Nothing I've had so far has been too salty, too sweet, too oily. Everything is balanced perfectly, and that trait crosses over to their sodas as well. Japanese soda is much more subdued, giving melon soda a chance to rely on original flavor, rather than sugar. The best I can describe it is that it is like the melted slush of a rainbow snow cone, except fizzy and controlled. Also the green hue of the drink has a certain brillance, a certain glowing aura that just can't be captured on camera. I don't know what I'm going to do when I can't get it back in the States. One Japanese dish I don't particularly care for is okonomiyaki, which is basically a pancake served omelet style with random stuff cooked inside. The texture, and the fishy taste just don't do it for me. Then again, I'm told that I haven't had the real stuff. We'll see. I think this is very interesting. These are the first and only California rolls I've seen here in Japan. It's literally a Japanese take on an American take on Japanese food. They were pretty typical California rolls, except that they were covered with fish eggs, inside and out. Even their sandwiches are cute. This little guy here is actually a very popular character, like Hello Kitty or Batz Maru. A lot of things count as sandwiches here, including yakisoba, katsu, and hot dog sandwiches. All you can eat shabu shabu. Like Shakey's, I stuff myself silly, except it was probably worse this time around. One of the best meals I've had in Japan so far. The meat was good, the ponzu sauce was awesome, and it's not just water you cook the food in, it's actual broth. Cooking shabu shabu here is the same. You dump a pile of vegetables and meat into a boiling pot. We also had unlimited refills of coke and melon soda which simply completed the picture. Unlimited delicious food and drink is pretty hard to beat. Finally, we come to the burgers. Burgers here are much smaller and much more expensive. McDonalds is no longer the fast food king here, it's actually quite costly. McDonalds is the same as always: unhealthy and poorly assembled. It still tastes good, but the best part is that Japan McDonalds is constantly putting out new promo burgers. The one pictured is the Chicken Tatsuta sandwich, only available until October 15. Before that it was the Tsukimi burger and Tamago Double Mac. Also I noticed these kinds of places have a lot of "shake" things. An example is the Shaka Shaka Chicken, which has quite the eating process. You get your chicken and your choice of powdered flavoring. This here is black pepper seasoning. You pour the powder in the bag.... You shake vigorously.... Then tear off the top half for easy eating. It's cool at first, but after a while you notice how loud the shaking is and I'm almost embarassed to do it. First Kitchen is a good burger joint with the unique distinction of being nicknamed "Fa-kin." Many things are abbreviated here - McDonalds is Maku, a big store Don Quixote is Donki, a convenience store is a konbini, and such. The burger was really good. The melon soda was really good. And the fries were the "shake shake" fries with delicious seasoning. There are still many burgers I have yet to try, such as the R Burger's char siu bun burger, and Mos Burger's rice bun burger, as well as the McEbi shrimp burger from McDonalds. I'll get there one day. Wow, I know I say this every time, but this was long. And there was so much I left out too. I figure though that since my blog-writing time is limited, I might as well make it worthwhile. I know I'm almost getting into 'novel' status, so if these posts are just too ridiculous please tell me. Otherwise, hopefully I'll be posting soon once again.
Date: Saturday, September 27, 2009
Current Location: West Inn Nakano
Time of Entry: 23:53 JPN (7:53AM US)
It has been eleven days between posts and the fans are restless! Oh, if only. Anyway, last week was Silver Week, a big national holiday where schools are supposed to get off Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. But for one reason or another, ICU decided to make us still attend class on Monday. Because we had so much time off everyone has been doing a ton of stuff and consequently I was busy out of my mind. I couldn't even find the time to check my email for 2 or 3 days. That said, things have finally calmed down and I have now a very precious commodity - a little peace and quiet. I try to keep my blog topics varied, but since I did so much these past few days I'm thinking it imperative to have another 'adventure' post before I forget all the details. I wanted to write something about food, but that will have to wait for another day, as this entry may be quite long. I should warn you now. Sunday, September 20th
This day a friend and I went to check out Roppongi, a Tokyo district famous for nightlife and upscale, luxurious property. I didn't expect to find much there, but I was once again surprised. Roppongi, like the other districts, has a unique style and flavor all its own, and is packed with more things to do than a one day trip can provide. I'll have to go there again. The day started out in the back of my apartment in Nakano where the participants of a religious festival had set up camp. All across Tokyo people have been carrying around small shrines, making noise and commotion as they crossed probably entire districts. I think in the end they all the shrines converged at one temple, but I don't know where or if that even happened. Heck, I don't even know what the festival was called. All I know is that a lot of booths selling festival food were right outside my room for cheap prices. We got some good yakisoba for 100 yen but we had to leave soon after to meet someone at Nakano Station. I wanted some yakitori and shaved ice but there just wasn't enough time... Only two of us ended going to Roppongi, and right from the start we knew the others had missed out. From the subway station it was easy to tell that this place was high end. Upon exiting the station we saw open spaces and very refined architecture. Huge glass windows and frosted metal sheen glistened in the sun as we made our way through a fancy mall to get to the Ritz-Carlton. The Ritz is huge, nice, and brimming with beautiful cars in front of the lobby. A deep blue Lexus LS600h was parked outside. Not your everyday car for sure. A large park was located right across the street, out of the shadow of the Ritz skyscraper and basking in the warm autumn sun. I have to say that even the weather felt more luxurious around here. It was perfect. A small lake and creek with dozens of hidden paths complimented the flat expanse of low-growing grass and neat expensive-looking playgrounds. It was quite beautiful. After wandering around the Ritz, we sought out our ultimate destination, which was the fabled aquarium. We stumbled upon the Mori Skyscraper in a shopping section called Roppongi Hills. The aquarium was located on the 52nd story and came with admission to their observation deck and art museum. The view was incredible, and we got there at the time when the day was transitioning to night. Slowly but surely, the lights started to come on as the sun began to set until all you could see was the glow of a million shining bulbs. The Mori also has awesome souvenirs for sale. Although small, the aquarium still managed to offer something totally different. The fish tanks used were bizarre and playful. One display used kaleidoscopes, others looked like gemstones, while another was arranged like a decorative water fountain. Most of the species were admittedly mundane, but the unique fish tanks were quite entertaining. Last up was the art museum, filled with the works of a single artist Ai Wei Wei. His works include random, pretentious stuff that's neat to look at, but are ultimately useless. It used to be that everyday items with an actual purpose, like a decorative painting hung on a wall, were endowed with artistry. Nowadays I feel like it's art for the sake of art. It was definitely neat looking stuff, but in the end I just didn't get it. We ended the day by walking around Roppongi Hills, marveling at the expensive shops and restuarants. We entered the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which was in many ways even nicer than the Ritz-Carlton. The whole area was simply gorgeous. For dinner we ate at First Kitchen, a burger chain that's really good. It was my first time there, but definitely not the last. Tuesday, September 22
We spent all day in Yokohama, my first destination outside of Tokyo. Yokohama is located by the ocean and is very different from Tokyo. All the buildings were modern and lacked those cramped alleyways filled with hole-in-the-wall shops. It also felt very spacious and open, like the city had room to spare. It was a refreshing transition from Tokyo's endless congestion. Bordering the ocean is a small theme park with a huge ferris wheel. I went on my first ever Japanese roller coaster here, Diving Coaster: VANISH! The ride was short and probably not worth the 700 yen, but it was still fun. The main drop takes you through an underground tunnel, hence the "VANISH!" Yokohama has some striking architecture, most notably the Landmark Tower, a futuristic and immense structure that also looks super buff. I couldn't stop taking pictures of it, this building was too cool. At night the windows started lighting up like some Star Wars spaceship. Wednesday, September 23
Silver Week ended with a trip to Tokyo Dome City, a small amusement park located next to a huge indoor baseball stadium. While small, Tokyo Dome City somehow houses the fifth tallest roller coaster in the world, Thunder Dolphin. Other neat things include a centerless ferris wheel and a bunch of smaller carnival attractions. Thunder Dolphin was fun, although as the fifth tallest ride in the world I was hoping for just a tad more. Given the space restrictions as well as taking structural safety into consideration, I think the coaster does the best it can. It goes on the roof of the shopping mall, passes through the ferris wheel, and twists and turns quite a bit. Near the end of the ride the track drunkenly sways side to side before dropping back into the station. It was as if the designers had a section of track they just didn't know what to do with. I've never experienced anything like that before, so for me that was one of the most amusing parts of the ride. After Thunder Dolphin we rode the centerless ferris wheel, which provided a nice view of the city. The bad part was that the windows were all scratched and blurry, slightly defeating the purpose. The structural system used on the wheel was really neat. That night, since it was my birthday, many of us went to Shibuya to hang out. Shibuya is crowded, especially on a holiday like this day. Sadly, no pictures were taken. Saturday, September 26
Although not part of Silver Week, I thought I would include the baseball game we attended the next weekend. Baseball games here are nothing like the games back in the States. The stadium was really small, and the fans were much more energetic and enthusiastic. It reminded me of hockey, although the fervor was a lot less. The game we saw was the Tokyo Yakult Swallows vs. the Yokohama Bay Stars. The Swallows won 5 to 4 after an unnerving 9th inning where the Bay Stars scored three runs. An example of Japanese baseball food. The line was really long for piles of these sausages, probably because then they get to use the 'Poo Japan' machine. The katakana above reads ke-cha-p-pu, hence the 'poo' part I suppose. Other foods sold there were takoyaki, yakisoba, yakitori, fried chicken, french fries, and of course melon soda. I'll talk about melon soda next time. Whenever the Swallows scored all the fans pulled out these clear plastic umbrellas and sang a victory chant. It was pretty cool. Japanese baseball players are worse than US players, but the game was no less exciting, mostly due to the fans. Each player had their own unique chant. Where's that in American Baseball? Boy, that was long. I'm all caught up now which is nice. Btw, I have now been in Japan for about a month. I can't believe it, my stay is already a third of the way done. Where does the time go and why does it go so fast? Oh well, stay tuned next time when I get into detail about the wonderful world of udon, melon soda, and overall deliciousness. Bai Bai.
Current Location: West Inn Nakano
Time of Entry: 1:06 JPN (8:07AM US)
Just a quick update about my status. I know that I have stopped posting for quite a while now, over a month. It doesn't mean I've abandonded my blog, I've just been incredibly busy. School has eaten up a huge chunk of time, and now due to new circumstances back at home, I have changed my return flight back to November 21st. The good news is I get to go home. The bad news is I have to leave Japan. Since this weekend is my departure, I have been up to my neck in things to do, and most likely I'll only have time for a new post after I get back. I'll still keep posting in America, catching up on my various adventures and thoughts that I failed to post earlier. Anyway, I regret not keeping up with my blog, and I know that all you fans out there are dying for another entry on food or something. Keep visiting, I can assure that another post will come soon.
Date: Saturday, October 11, 2009
Current Location: West Inn Nakano
Time of Entry: 23:53 JPN (7:53AM US)
*Edit: if you think I'm gushing, check out this paragraph found on wikitravel.org
According to the world famous Michelin Guide, which rates restaurants in major cities around the world, Tokyo is the most "delicious" city in the world with over 150 restaurants that received at least one star (out of three). In comparison, Paris and London received a total of 148 between them.
It has been two weeks since my last post but I swear it feels more like it has been five days. Time is starting to go faster, and I fear my stay here will end before I'm able to blink twice. Anyway, this post is, predictably, the food post. This topic is actually never done, since every week I try so many new things. The discoveries are endless. One of the best parts about Japan is that there are so many nooks and crannies that anywhere you go deserves more than one or two visits. I could probably eat at a different restaurant every day just here in Nakano, and not visit the same place twice. Also it was requested that I make a post about desserts. Now that I think about it, they definitely deserve their own section, since there are just as many "meal foods" as sweet things. Sweet stuff will come later. Food here is fantastic all around. There's a nice simplicity to the dishes that make them easy to eat and non-fatiguing. Their basic nature allows the food to be eaten time after time again, while still being delicious. Also, low prices and extremely fast (and polite) service help to enhance the experience. I try to take pictures of whatever I eat, but usually I'm so hungry and the food looks so good that I take a few bites before I remember. Thus, many of the pictures show food in a not so pristine condition. You get the idea though. Katsudon is good. Period. No matter where you go. Apparently there are amazing places out in Shibuya that I've yet to try. Hard to imagine katsudon that's even better than what I've had so far. For the uninitiated, the bowl is a slab of chicken or pork coated in bread flakes and deep fried. After the frying the meat is placed in a broth consisting of soy sauce, sugar, and cooking sake. Egg and onions are also placed in the sauce which is set to boiling. After being cooked, the whole thing gets placed over a bowl of rice.The dish is all at once sweet, juicy, soft, crunchy, filling, and just plain satisfying. I haven't had too much yakisoba yet, but from my limited exposure it's still pretty darn good. One of the more oily dishes that I've had, I feel like yakisoba is more rustic and festival-oriented than other foods. Other festival foods include okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and yakitori. In other words, they're the foods that can be cooked out in the open on big grills and hot plates, and don't require broths or special preparations. Like other carnival foods it tastes great, but perhaps it's bad to eat it every day. Matsuya is quite a place. It's a large chain restaurant with low prices, fast service, and great taste. The gyuudon beef bowl combined with salad and miso soup is utterly fantastic. Many dishes in Japan are served with raw egg. I'm surprised my stomach has handled it so well, and pouring it over the beef makes the meal taste that much better. It seems like cabbage is plentiful in Japan, but not iceberg lettuce. Therefore, many salads comprise almost entirely of shredded cabbage, much like the one in the picture. Oh yeah, and mayonnaise is a popular salad topping. Just wrong. I'll stick with the traditional miso dressing. One horrendous thing about Japanese food is the portions. After each meal I never feel full, whether due to the quantity of food or just the "lightness" of each meal. It is extremely satisfying to go to a tabehoudai (all you can eat) restaurant every now and then. Shakey's was the first buffet I've been to, and I ate until I was ready to explode. The pizza was okay, but the nicest part was, oddly, the salad bar, which had some fresh fruit, lettuce, and amazing melon jello. Jello in Japan is slightly different. It's not nearly as sweet, but they're almost always super transparent and have very soft, smooth textures. Jello is better here. Sheesh. I also have to note that the Mojos were a little disappointing. They just don't make them the same. 900 yen coffee, which is over $9, at the Hyatt Regency in Shinjuku. It was okay. Strangely not as funny, though, as an $8 clam chowder cup that my brother once got in Hawaii, which was also just okay. I just don't have that sophisticated taste I suppose. Traditional Japanese breakfast. Very expensive but very nice. Unlike an American breakfast of eggs, bacon, and sausage, this food makes you feel clean and refreshed after eating it. Here we have Saba fish, miso soup, an egg, some sashimi, rice, little pickled side dishes, and a dessert of clear jello and fruit. Super delicate, super cool. If I could afford/wake up early enough to eat another one of these meals I would. One of my favorite Japanese dishes is udon. It's fast, cheap, and unbelievably good. The dish is not so much about the broth as it is about the noodles. Best udon ever was a little place in Shinjuku where they make the noodles right in front of you like an oldschool Krispy Kreme. The noodles were hot and chewy, cooked just right and textured but not slimy. The restuarant also had unlimited green onion, tempura flakes, and sesame seeds. A real winner, all for about 500 yen. The first two pictures are the restaurant. While the other udon I've had are good, they just dont compare. Ahhh melon soda. Probably my favorite soda at this point. Japanese food has the art of moderation. Nothing I've had so far has been too salty, too sweet, too oily. Everything is balanced perfectly, and that trait crosses over to their sodas as well. Japanese soda is much more subdued, giving melon soda a chance to rely on original flavor, rather than sugar. The best I can describe it is that it is like the melted slush of a rainbow snow cone, except fizzy and controlled. Also the green hue of the drink has a certain brillance, a certain glowing aura that just can't be captured on camera. I don't know what I'm going to do when I can't get it back in the States. One Japanese dish I don't particularly care for is okonomiyaki, which is basically a pancake served omelet style with random stuff cooked inside. The texture, and the fishy taste just don't do it for me. Then again, I'm told that I haven't had the real stuff. We'll see. I think this is very interesting. These are the first and only California rolls I've seen here in Japan. It's literally a Japanese take on an American take on Japanese food. They were pretty typical California rolls, except that they were covered with fish eggs, inside and out. Even their sandwiches are cute. This little guy here is actually a very popular character, like Hello Kitty or Batz Maru. A lot of things count as sandwiches here, including yakisoba, katsu, and hot dog sandwiches. All you can eat shabu shabu. Like Shakey's, I stuff myself silly, except it was probably worse this time around. One of the best meals I've had in Japan so far. The meat was good, the ponzu sauce was awesome, and it's not just water you cook the food in, it's actual broth. Cooking shabu shabu here is the same. You dump a pile of vegetables and meat into a boiling pot. We also had unlimited refills of coke and melon soda which simply completed the picture. Unlimited delicious food and drink is pretty hard to beat. Finally, we come to the burgers. Burgers here are much smaller and much more expensive. McDonalds is no longer the fast food king here, it's actually quite costly. McDonalds is the same as always: unhealthy and poorly assembled. It still tastes good, but the best part is that Japan McDonalds is constantly putting out new promo burgers. The one pictured is the Chicken Tatsuta sandwich, only available until October 15. Before that it was the Tsukimi burger and Tamago Double Mac. Also I noticed these kinds of places have a lot of "shake" things. An example is the Shaka Shaka Chicken, which has quite the eating process. You get your chicken and your choice of powdered flavoring. This here is black pepper seasoning. You pour the powder in the bag.... You shake vigorously.... Then tear off the top half for easy eating. It's cool at first, but after a while you notice how loud the shaking is and I'm almost embarassed to do it. First Kitchen is a good burger joint with the unique distinction of being nicknamed "Fa-kin." Many things are abbreviated here - McDonalds is Maku, a big store Don Quixote is Donki, a convenience store is a konbini, and such. The burger was really good. The melon soda was really good. And the fries were the "shake shake" fries with delicious seasoning. There are still many burgers I have yet to try, such as the R Burger's char siu bun burger, and Mos Burger's rice bun burger, as well as the McEbi shrimp burger from McDonalds. I'll get there one day. Wow, I know I say this every time, but this was long. And there was so much I left out too. I figure though that since my blog-writing time is limited, I might as well make it worthwhile. I know I'm almost getting into 'novel' status, so if these posts are just too ridiculous please tell me. Otherwise, hopefully I'll be posting soon once again.
Date: Saturday, September 27, 2009
Current Location: West Inn Nakano
Time of Entry: 23:53 JPN (7:53AM US)
It has been eleven days between posts and the fans are restless! Oh, if only. Anyway, last week was Silver Week, a big national holiday where schools are supposed to get off Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. But for one reason or another, ICU decided to make us still attend class on Monday. Because we had so much time off everyone has been doing a ton of stuff and consequently I was busy out of my mind. I couldn't even find the time to check my email for 2 or 3 days. That said, things have finally calmed down and I have now a very precious commodity - a little peace and quiet. I try to keep my blog topics varied, but since I did so much these past few days I'm thinking it imperative to have another 'adventure' post before I forget all the details. I wanted to write something about food, but that will have to wait for another day, as this entry may be quite long. I should warn you now. Sunday, September 20th
This day a friend and I went to check out Roppongi, a Tokyo district famous for nightlife and upscale, luxurious property. I didn't expect to find much there, but I was once again surprised. Roppongi, like the other districts, has a unique style and flavor all its own, and is packed with more things to do than a one day trip can provide. I'll have to go there again. The day started out in the back of my apartment in Nakano where the participants of a religious festival had set up camp. All across Tokyo people have been carrying around small shrines, making noise and commotion as they crossed probably entire districts. I think in the end they all the shrines converged at one temple, but I don't know where or if that even happened. Heck, I don't even know what the festival was called. All I know is that a lot of booths selling festival food were right outside my room for cheap prices. We got some good yakisoba for 100 yen but we had to leave soon after to meet someone at Nakano Station. I wanted some yakitori and shaved ice but there just wasn't enough time... Only two of us ended going to Roppongi, and right from the start we knew the others had missed out. From the subway station it was easy to tell that this place was high end. Upon exiting the station we saw open spaces and very refined architecture. Huge glass windows and frosted metal sheen glistened in the sun as we made our way through a fancy mall to get to the Ritz-Carlton. The Ritz is huge, nice, and brimming with beautiful cars in front of the lobby. A deep blue Lexus LS600h was parked outside. Not your everyday car for sure. A large park was located right across the street, out of the shadow of the Ritz skyscraper and basking in the warm autumn sun. I have to say that even the weather felt more luxurious around here. It was perfect. A small lake and creek with dozens of hidden paths complimented the flat expanse of low-growing grass and neat expensive-looking playgrounds. It was quite beautiful. After wandering around the Ritz, we sought out our ultimate destination, which was the fabled aquarium. We stumbled upon the Mori Skyscraper in a shopping section called Roppongi Hills. The aquarium was located on the 52nd story and came with admission to their observation deck and art museum. The view was incredible, and we got there at the time when the day was transitioning to night. Slowly but surely, the lights started to come on as the sun began to set until all you could see was the glow of a million shining bulbs. The Mori also has awesome souvenirs for sale. Although small, the aquarium still managed to offer something totally different. The fish tanks used were bizarre and playful. One display used kaleidoscopes, others looked like gemstones, while another was arranged like a decorative water fountain. Most of the species were admittedly mundane, but the unique fish tanks were quite entertaining. Last up was the art museum, filled with the works of a single artist Ai Wei Wei. His works include random, pretentious stuff that's neat to look at, but are ultimately useless. It used to be that everyday items with an actual purpose, like a decorative painting hung on a wall, were endowed with artistry. Nowadays I feel like it's art for the sake of art. It was definitely neat looking stuff, but in the end I just didn't get it. We ended the day by walking around Roppongi Hills, marveling at the expensive shops and restuarants. We entered the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which was in many ways even nicer than the Ritz-Carlton. The whole area was simply gorgeous. For dinner we ate at First Kitchen, a burger chain that's really good. It was my first time there, but definitely not the last. Tuesday, September 22
We spent all day in Yokohama, my first destination outside of Tokyo. Yokohama is located by the ocean and is very different from Tokyo. All the buildings were modern and lacked those cramped alleyways filled with hole-in-the-wall shops. It also felt very spacious and open, like the city had room to spare. It was a refreshing transition from Tokyo's endless congestion. Bordering the ocean is a small theme park with a huge ferris wheel. I went on my first ever Japanese roller coaster here, Diving Coaster: VANISH! The ride was short and probably not worth the 700 yen, but it was still fun. The main drop takes you through an underground tunnel, hence the "VANISH!" Yokohama has some striking architecture, most notably the Landmark Tower, a futuristic and immense structure that also looks super buff. I couldn't stop taking pictures of it, this building was too cool. At night the windows started lighting up like some Star Wars spaceship. Wednesday, September 23
Silver Week ended with a trip to Tokyo Dome City, a small amusement park located next to a huge indoor baseball stadium. While small, Tokyo Dome City somehow houses the fifth tallest roller coaster in the world, Thunder Dolphin. Other neat things include a centerless ferris wheel and a bunch of smaller carnival attractions. Thunder Dolphin was fun, although as the fifth tallest ride in the world I was hoping for just a tad more. Given the space restrictions as well as taking structural safety into consideration, I think the coaster does the best it can. It goes on the roof of the shopping mall, passes through the ferris wheel, and twists and turns quite a bit. Near the end of the ride the track drunkenly sways side to side before dropping back into the station. It was as if the designers had a section of track they just didn't know what to do with. I've never experienced anything like that before, so for me that was one of the most amusing parts of the ride. After Thunder Dolphin we rode the centerless ferris wheel, which provided a nice view of the city. The bad part was that the windows were all scratched and blurry, slightly defeating the purpose. The structural system used on the wheel was really neat. That night, since it was my birthday, many of us went to Shibuya to hang out. Shibuya is crowded, especially on a holiday like this day. Sadly, no pictures were taken. Saturday, September 26
Although not part of Silver Week, I thought I would include the baseball game we attended the next weekend. Baseball games here are nothing like the games back in the States. The stadium was really small, and the fans were much more energetic and enthusiastic. It reminded me of hockey, although the fervor was a lot less. The game we saw was the Tokyo Yakult Swallows vs. the Yokohama Bay Stars. The Swallows won 5 to 4 after an unnerving 9th inning where the Bay Stars scored three runs. An example of Japanese baseball food. The line was really long for piles of these sausages, probably because then they get to use the 'Poo Japan' machine. The katakana above reads ke-cha-p-pu, hence the 'poo' part I suppose. Other foods sold there were takoyaki, yakisoba, yakitori, fried chicken, french fries, and of course melon soda. I'll talk about melon soda next time. Whenever the Swallows scored all the fans pulled out these clear plastic umbrellas and sang a victory chant. It was pretty cool. Japanese baseball players are worse than US players, but the game was no less exciting, mostly due to the fans. Each player had their own unique chant. Where's that in American Baseball? Boy, that was long. I'm all caught up now which is nice. Btw, I have now been in Japan for about a month. I can't believe it, my stay is already a third of the way done. Where does the time go and why does it go so fast? Oh well, stay tuned next time when I get into detail about the wonderful world of udon, melon soda, and overall deliciousness. Bai Bai.