Japan! My journey home.

[Loupey]

Now to the food! Everyone was convinced that I was trying to eat my way out of Japan.

Everywhere you look there is something delicious to try. The train stations alone are filled with fine cuisine, noodle counters, extravagant desserts, Starbucks, and sushi stations. Each restaurant and shop vying for your attention and welcoming you in.

The restaurants can range from the ordinary (ramen counter shops for lunch or even McDonalds) at extremely reasonable prices to the exorbitant. My first morning trek allowed me to follow the busy businessmen around Tokyo. Seeing what they were eating, I ate a hearty breakfast consisting of a BIG bowl of steaming hot udon noodles with a side of rice topped with egg and pork – all for about $7 and served in less than a minute. At the other extreme, we were hosted to a shabu-shabu lunch on the 35th floor which directly overlooked the Emperor’s residence in Tokyo. Seated at the best window-side table and tended to by a very attentive server, the lunch of a lifetime easily cost our host over $100 a head. And eating at a hotel is financial suicide as they are often geared for businessmen/women entertaining clients. We had no choice when we arrived late to one hotel when every other restaurant was already closed for the night. We had a “light” dinner of club sandwiches, a few salads, and two desserts. The bill? $140. But the price of the moment, priceless

Like the shopping, each outing is an indulgence in being treated like a guest. You are graciously greeted at the door, every worker within earshot welcomes you in, you are “presented” back your change or credit card, and everyone thanks you as you leave. When dining, the server will not bother you until you are ready. Many restaurants have a buzzer that you press when you are ready to order or if you need anything – and they are there in seconds.


Image 1) A “shoe locker” (with wooden keys) in a traditional style restaurant on the top floor of a high rise in the Ginza district (Tokyo)
Image 2) A shabu-shabu lunch preparation in Tokyo (the thinly cut slices of beef are boiled for a few seconds)
Image 3) Uniquely decorated settings typically balancing space efficiency with function
Image 4) A Yakitori chef doing his thing (not for the casual diner; even though yakitori translates to “cooked bird”, they use some weird parts of the bird - if you know what I mean)
Image 5) A red snapper overlooking his own sashimi along with some tuna pieces in a Miyazaki buffet