The very first meal Rob and I ended up having in Japan was breakfast at McDonalds, because there wasn't anything else open in the Asakusa streets at 7 a.m.! The sandwich paper was decorated with sakura blossoms but the coffee cups had the identical branding from home.
Later in the day we had noodles at the cafe in Meiji shrine with a yummy French pastry for dessert, and at night we wandered the back alleys trying to find an open izakaya among all the 'closed' signs.
That first day typifies our style of eating while we were on our trip; not usually planning where we would eat ahead of time but grabbing whatever was nearest when we got overly hangry. 7-Eleven turned out to be a great sandwich option, tasty and budget friendly. One night we even resorted to some instant package ramen in our hotel room. So, it wasn't always fine dining.
Izakaya were usually close at hand. Noodles, yakatori, gyoza, fried tofu, tempura, sashimi served alongside saki, beer or shochu and highball. The food was tasty and generally good value for money, but often the izakaya would pull out an English menu, which I am convinced sometimes charged a bit extra to their foreign guests.
Despite our general lack of planning, we lucked out with some truly memorable meals. Here are some of the highlights:
Hoppy Street in Asakusa
Hoppy street is lined with cheap, old-fashioned taverns that offer a beverage of the same name. Hoppy is a cheap, almost non-alcoholic beer that was popular in post-war Japan. It is usually mixed with shochu which is like vodka, but distilled from yam, rice or barley and packs a wollop of 25%-35% alcohol. Mixing hoppy and shochu together was a tasty and refreshing combination, akin to a highball.
We ate in two different izakaya here, one offered wagyu we cooked at our table Korean grill style, and the other a yakatori place. As we wandered the night streets there were lots of closed signs, while other places just looked closed - if you pulled a curtain aside they were open for business. We ended up in places where English wasn't spoken, however English menus were on hand. Although smoking in restaurants is now banned in Japan, not all the izakaya bother to enforce the edict.
Bento Box on the Shinkansen
This was iconic!
Savouring the scenery as well as each morsel in the bento box as we zoomed through the hillside on the bullet train to Kyoto .
Mount Fuji in view.
Nakamura Tokichi in Uji
Uji is considered the birthplace of matcha. Situated between Kyoto and Nara, it's regarded as a benchmark for high-quality tea leaves. First founded early in the 5th century, Uji provided a key setting in the literary masterpiece The Tale of Genji written in the 11th century by Murasaki Shikibu, an influential court lady-in-waiting.
When we arrived in town we wandered by Nakamura Tokichi noticing very long lines - a queue's a cue, right? We went in to get on the waiting list and were assigned a number with the approximate waiting time of 3.5 hours. The restaurant used a real-time online booking system so we could see availability and keep an eye on the table status. With ample time to tour Byodin Temple and its beautiful gardens, as well as poke about in the shops, we were enjoying ourselves so much we almost missed our timed reservation!
Once we were seated they brought tea to the table while we read through the menu. Nakamura-cha is a blend of seven types of Japanese green teas, and the flavour changes subtly as the temperature of the water changes. Truly delicious!
I ordered the Uji Tencha Buckwheat noodles cold, Rob ordered them hot. What's special about these is that the 'uji tencha' are rare and fresh tea buds hand-picked once a year in small amounts; "the matcha is carefully combined with buckwheat flour for thick-cut noodles that interweave with the soup to create an unami taste that spreads throughout your mouth." There were some thoughtful instructions in English that encouraged us to enjoy the noodles before adding tencha (ground tea); then squeeze a bit of citron into the soup; then add some Usucha Oil to taste, to experience the umami of tea. I loved the subtle layered flavours of the cool noodles as they played with the tencha and oil. The texture was smooth and slippery, a perfect noodle for slurping.
Musoshin Ramen, Kyoto
A sign outside this restaurant mentioned Toronto as well as Michelin, so we stepped inside for lunch. The ramen was excellent, as was the chashu pork. Turns out there is a sister Musoshin Ramen location in Toronto with a mention in the Michelin guide.
As we sent a photo to Alex to share this remarkable coincidence, he sent us another of the Toronto-Japanese sushi restaurant Shibui he was eating in at the same time. It's good to know when we get cravings for Japanese food in Toronto we'll be able to answer the call.
Lorimer, Kyoto
This place was only open for breakfast and it offered a beautifully plated set menu of traditional Japanese cuisine.Ichiju-Sansai is the basis of Japanese cuisine. It means “one soup, three dishes”, and describes the quintessential Japanese meal. The set menu that combines "rice," the staple food of the Japanese, with "soup", "main dish" and two side dishes. It is a well-balanced meal that provides the body with the three nutrients it needs: energy, body-building, and body-conditioning. Ichiju Gosai = "one soup, five sides."
Moshimoya, Kyoto
This female run restaurant served small Obanzai dishes, which are a traditional style of Japanese cuisine native to Kyoto. For food to be considered obanzai, at least half of its ingredients must be produced or processed in Kyoto.When my sake was poured, it was poured in a way my cup runneth over... I later learned this practise traditionally signals the wealth and generosity of the restaurant, demonstrating that the host is providing more than enough for the guest. The sake in the masu (wooden box) is also intended for drinking. People often even pour the contents of the sake glass into the box and drink from there, but this will alter the flavour a little. This ritual is deeply rooted in Japanese culture and is often performed during ceremonial and celebratory occasions.
Setre Naramachi Nara
The hotel offered a traditional Japanese breakfast of local ingredients, many from Soni Village, Uda District, Nara Prefecture cultivates organic rice 'grown in delicious waters.': grilled fish, sakamoto poultry farm Hakuho egg rolls, Kamada farm Nara soybean tofu, Asuka miso soup, Japanese pickles, Soni Village mixed leaf salad, yoghurt and Soni Village granola, fruits, and Omosubi rice balls with ingredients from Nara Prefecture.
Kyo Kozuchi, Nara
This was one of our most adventurous meals, described on the English menu as 'Japanese style medicinal cuisine using Nara's local ingredients.' Not exactly sure what we actually ate, although I think turtle jelly may have been involved. There was a small squid side that both of us left untouched.
Okonomiyaki Kiji, Osaka Station
Osaka is famous for okonmiyaki, which is a savory pancake dish some call 'Japanese pizza.' Inside Osaka calls Kiji's version the best in town, and Michelin granted Kiji a Bib Gourmand a few years back, so I really wanted to try visit. The first night in Osaka we went to Dotombori instead; the second night Kiji was scheduled to be closed; the third night we found it. After a few wrong turns we sat down in a restaurant and asked if this was the right place as it didn't have tepanyaki tables. The kind owners directed us further up the stairs and around the corner. When out front of Kiji we hesitated, due to the lack of a line-up and no English sign. This little hole in the wall was our final destination
The chefs cooked the okonomiyaki on the teppanyaki table as we sat at the counter watching them cook one pancake after another. The basic batter was at the ready and fillings were customized by order. It was interesting watching how they maneuvered around each other, as well as how they moved the pancakes to different hot spots on the cooking surface. They also made yakisoba, stir-fried noodles pressed in pancake form; as well as modanyaki, which is a hybrid between yakisoba and okonomiyaki. Judging by star ratings on Trip Advisor, those versions are just as tasty as the ones we enjoyed.
Chikko Men Kobo Udon Studio, Osaka
Osaka is famous for okonmiyaki, which is a savory pancake dish some call 'Japanese pizza.' Inside Osaka calls Kiji's version the best in town, and Michelin granted Kiji a Bib Gourmand a few years back, so I really wanted to try visit. The first night in Osaka we went to Dotombori instead; the second night Kiji was scheduled to be closed; the third night we found it. After a few wrong turns we sat down in a restaurant and asked if this was the right place as it didn't have tepanyaki tables. The kind owners directed us further up the stairs and around the corner. When out front of Kiji we hesitated, due to the lack of a line-up and no English sign. This little hole in the wall was our final destination
Han no Daidokoro, Shibuya Tokyo
I was determined to have some good wagyu beef before leaving Japan, so made reservations at this highly rated restaurant to celebrate our anniversary. The place was a two minute walk from Shibuya station, but that didn't make this any easier to find, as it ended up being located on the seventh floor of an office building. I made the reservations online, but when we arrived discovered they were made for another city entirely. Thankfully the staff were still able to accommodate us in a private room. A buzzer at the table signalled the server, and when they brought the food they explained we should cook it for just seconds on the Korean grill.
We enjoyed a mix of Kobe and Yamagata beef, all highly marbled and perfectly sliced. The different cuts were identified, and there really was quite a difference in taste and texture from piece to piece. Most of the cuts were exceptional quality, but unfortunately one (I can't remember which) was extremely chewy and not at all melt-in-your mouth, which made me wonder whether a substitute of a lower grade beef had been used for that portion.
Overall this restaurant satisfied my craving for an authentic wagyu meal.
