Continuing on from my last post,
Japan Trip '16: Osaka, when we left Osaka, we travelled up north to
Kanazawa then travelled to Tokyo where we stayed for the remainder of our trip.
We made a stop at
Kyoto to do some sightseeing and snacked from bento boxes before we went on our trek:
The Japanese make cute stuff out of everything. Yes, even food. Kawaii desu ne:
After a long walk seeing the
Arashiyama Bamboo Groove, we saw
Taiyaki for the first time! This fluffy fish-shaped cake is made out pancake or waffle batter and is usually filled with green tea, custard, or red bean paste (from sweetened
adzuki beans) as seen here:
Hacchoya was the first restaurant we ate at when we arrived in
Kanazawa. This was a very nice and chic izakaya (Japanese tavern). When we arrived it was crowded with business people dining and had a smoky atmosphere. I hate smoke, but it won't stop me from trying new foods! Other than eating, be sure to try the local sakes that Hacchoya has to offer. Here are some of the small dishes we had:
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| Hacchoya |
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| Pickled Vegetables |
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| Soba Noodles |
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| Sashimi |
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| Grilled Wheat Gluten w/ Citron Miso |
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| Chicken Meatballs w/ a side of Yolk |
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| Steamed Dumplings in Soymilk Skin |
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| Matcha Ice Cream w/ Rice Flour Balls |
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At the
Kanazawa Station we stumbled upon a restaurant serving
curry. I've seen Japanese curry in Las Vegas and California, but none of them looked as dark and dense than the curry we had in Kanazawa! It just blew me away haha, so glad to have tried real Japanese curry from the motherland:
When we arrived in Tokyo, it was a bit chilly so ramen was the perfect choice as our first meal in the metropolis! Luckily,
Ippudo was near where we were staying at and checked it out. At Ippudo and at other ramen shops, the first serving of noodles is not big, so if you'd like a second helping of noodles, just say the magic words to the staff, "Kaedama onegai shimasu (Kaedama please)" and more noodles will be on their way!
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| Cucumber w/ Sesame |
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| Shiromaru Classic |
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Chicken teriyaki food stand at
Yoyogi Park:
We went to
Heiroku Sushi Omotesando in Shibuya to grub on some sushi. There's a lot of sushi to pick from the conveyor belt, but there's some items that won't appear on there so don't hesitate to ask for a certain item from the staff:
After lunch, we had craft beer from
Baird Taproom Harajuku. I recommend trying the Harajuku Ale and Rising Sun Pale Ale:
At
Tsukiji Market, we went to Daiwa Sushi for
breakfast at 5:30am. Yes, they are open at the crack of dawn and I can't believe I woke up early to eat sushi! Does that make me a true foodie?? When we arrived there was already a long line forming. Luckily, after it opened, we waited about 30-40 min until it was our turn to eat. They only do omakase here, but the sushi chef will offer you a few a la carte items at the end:
French pastries from
Vie de France Bakery located in the
Akihabara Station:
Me next to an, "American Hot Dog" haha:
We were craving for desserts again in Akihabara and saw a
PABLO mini shop selling cheesecake tarts. This by far is our favorite place to get cheesecake from! We went here one more time and bought a case before our flight back home:
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| In Akihabara |
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| Chocolate |
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| Original |
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We spent time with my husband's cousin one day and she showed us around the
Chiba Prefecture. We all ate at a grocery store/cafe and it was one of the best place I had for sashimi and tempura. It was so cheap, our
Aji sashimi plate only cost about $10! We also tried Biwa (
loquat) frozen yogurt for the first time. The taste of this fruit is like a cross between a mango and apricot:
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| I can't translate the name of this place! |
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| Wonderful presentation |
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| Shrimp Tempura |
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| My husband and I |
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| Biwa frozen yogurt |
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Before we left Tokyo, we had Italian-style ramen at
Taiyo-No Tomato Ramen. I had a green ramen- chicken broth based
pesto with ripened tomato. The broth is what made this dish and both of the cuisines truly blended in this one. This ramen shop is located at
MY LORD Shopping Center in the Shinjuku Station:
To be continued, again! I have to make a special post just from our dinner at
Sushi Bar Yasuda, stay tuned! :)
