Japanese food: successes
A while back, I wrote about some memorable fails from our experience trying out many different foods in Japan. Here are some dining experiences that turned out a little bit better:
We ate a lot of sushi
Japan is, of course, known for sushi. While I've enjoyed stuffing my face with sushi at the all-you-can-eat places back home, I was excited to try the "real thing" in Japan. Just like back home, there are places that range from relatively cheap to pretty extravagant. The cheap ones tend to be the "conveyor belt" sushi places, or kaiten. Here, there's one large bar with a small conveyor belt that everyone sits around, and moving along it are plates containing a few pieces of sushi each. The plates are differently coloured, with a code on the wall matching colours to prices. If you go for the cheapest ones, you can eat 20 pieces of sushi for around $10 - not bad. We tried to mix it up between some of the cheaper, plainer options, like tilapia and some mystery whitefish, and the nicer options like salmon and eel.
We wandered into two pricier places, where we were able to sit at the chef's counter, looking and pointing at the selection of fish behind the glass. The chefs didn't speak much English, but they did recognize some words for different fish (salmon and tuna were pretty reliable ones). We were able to point and communicate for the most part, but we also asked the chefs to let us try some of their catch that we didn't recognize. Two of the more interesting ones were sea urchin and pickled herring roe, both of which no one particularly liked. Some turned out to be things we had in fact tried before, like octopus and calamari, but just looked a little different. Some were totally new and either the chefs didn't know the English words for them, or we forgot what they were a few minutes after he told us. Whatever we had, there was no mistaking the quality of all of it, and we certainly paid for what we got. Both times, we tried to guess the price of what we had eaten, and we underestimated pretty significantly each time. We even roped an unsuspecting hostel roommate into joining us and shelling out $40 for dinner, which was more than his entire daily budget. Oops. (Worth it.)
We had weird things for breakfast
Most Asian countries don't eat western breakfasts, and if they do it's usually different somehow. However, some hostels serve free breakfast, where you can get usual western staples like eggs and toast. When we didn't get a free breakfast, we had to find something local, which was often an adventure. Most of the time there was a noodle soup to be had somewhere, which is pretty typical in several Asian countries, but we had some pretty heavy, unusual things a few times. Some of the most memorable were a giant plate of delicious tempura (shrimp and vegetables), and pork curry with rice. The one that took the top prize though, was one morning around 10:00-11:00am when we were heading out to catch a train, and couldn't for the life of us find a place that was open and served food (because restaurants just aren't open from 6:00am-noon or 10:00am-midnight here). Finally, we happened upon a fast food place called Mos Burger, which Jordan had been wanting to try for days, and the two of us convinced Casey to go. We were the only ones in there, but damned if those brunch beef burgers topped with tomato, mozzarella, and marinara sauce weren't tasty. The onion rings weren't bad either. Breakfast of champions.
We ate at 7-eleven
Since Japan is relatively expensive (basically Canadian prices), we tried to save money where we could. Going out for drinks and food at night was expensive, so we frequented the 7-eleven to stock up on sake, beer, wine, and weird chips to take back to our hostel and share over chats or games of kaboo. The best snacks were the pizza chips, which were legendary. Instead of getting a bag of pizza chips and a few new ones to try, by the end of the week we were just getting two or three bags of pizza chips and decimating them.
7-eleven also had sushi, usually eaten on the go in the form of nigiri. Nigiri are large triangular shaped clumps of rice with different types of fish in the middle, wrapped in seaweed. They are about $1 each and two of them easily fill you up for lunch (or just one for a snack or light lunch(. I wish I had tried them before my last days there, as they were one of the more affordable options for lunch. 7-eleven also had pretty great single-dish dinners, which I ate almost every night after Casey and Jordan left. These were large bowls of noodles, meat, and sauce for about $4-5, and they actually tasted really good after they were heated in the microwave. I wouldn't have believed it or tried it if so many people hadn't told me about it, and when I saw many local people buying them I figured they had to be good.
We went to unique restaurants
In addition to the aforementioned sushi places, there were three unique standout restaurant experiences during my short stay in Japan.
In Tokyo, Casey, Jordan and I were taken out for a fun night by my friend Chad, who I worked with 10 years ago at Mac. His girlfriend, Nao, also came, as did her friend who was visiting. Chad has been living in Tokyo for several years since he graduated from Mac, so after a chat on Facebook, we organized dinner together. We went to Torikizoku, a chain restaurant in the Tokyo area which is very popular with locals. We had to wait for a little while to get a table, but once we did, we enjoyed dish after dish of delicious comfort food. The chain specializes in all things chicken, so we ate things like fried chicken cartilage and chicken liver, in addition to more "usual" dishes. Everything was 298 yen (a little over $3), which is very cheap for Japan, and ordering was done through an iPad at the table, so it was easy to keep the food coming. All in all, the five of us ate for about $20 apiece, which was amazing value considering we'd also had several beers each. It was a really fun night and the travelers were super grateful to get shown around by some locals. Thanks, Chad and Nao!
After Casey and Jordan left, I met up with Wes, another friend and former housemate from Mac who I hadn't seen since graduation, after I found out he was living in Tokyo as well. I was late getting to the train station to meet him after I got confused with train lines and unwittingly cheated the Japanese metro system out of $2, but once I found him, we rushed down some narrow streets and alleys of Shimokitazawa to a bustling upscale izakaya. The way this place worked, which I learned is typical of traditional izakayas, is that you pay $40 for a multi-course meal and unlimited alcohol for an hour and a half. We immediately got a bottle of sake in an elaborate bamboo bottle and some beers, and were soon enjoying everything from soups to sashimi to grilled food to dessert. We left much more full and much less sober than we had been a few hours prior. At most izakayas, rather than the usual language barrier, there is a notorious language stonewall, so it's very rare to see tourists there. I was really lucky that Wes spoke enough Japanese to communicate for both of us and take me out for a night on the town. Thanks, Wes!
The last memorable dinner was in Fujiyoshida, where we found a place called Shuju one night, which was so far in the middle of nowhere that we thought our map was lying and it was some sort of trap. Sure enough, though, when we found it, we were enthusiastically greeted and invited to sit down at the chef's counter. We were the only ones there. The thing to do there was to order the "chef's choice", which meant you pay about $17 apiece and the chef, Masahiro, makes whatever he wants for you. We had done something like this a few times already by asking servers to "order for us", so it was a welcome change that this time it was actually an option on the menu. The chef and owner was an eccentric guy who chatted with us in broken English as he cooked, and shared some sake with us. We ate a natto bean salad (which Casey was forced to finish), grilled meats and veggies, an egg-based dish that had to be scraped off the pan a certain way with a certain tool, a cabbage pancake, and dessert, among other things I'm probably forgetting. After dinner, Casey pointed to the guitar behind the counter and asked, "Do you play?", which he took to mean, "Can you play for us right now?", and he enthusiastically answered yes. He grabbed the guitar and played a few songs for us, then showed us the one music video his old punk band had on YouTube. He was one of the most entertaining hosts and chefs and easily made our night.
Although we had some lots of weird food in Japan, some of which wasn't very palatable, we had way more positive experiences and were lucky to enjoy lots of amazing, unique dishes with great people, making some of my favourite memories from my time there.
We ate a lot of sushi
Japan is, of course, known for sushi. While I've enjoyed stuffing my face with sushi at the all-you-can-eat places back home, I was excited to try the "real thing" in Japan. Just like back home, there are places that range from relatively cheap to pretty extravagant. The cheap ones tend to be the "conveyor belt" sushi places, or kaiten. Here, there's one large bar with a small conveyor belt that everyone sits around, and moving along it are plates containing a few pieces of sushi each. The plates are differently coloured, with a code on the wall matching colours to prices. If you go for the cheapest ones, you can eat 20 pieces of sushi for around $10 - not bad. We tried to mix it up between some of the cheaper, plainer options, like tilapia and some mystery whitefish, and the nicer options like salmon and eel.
We wandered into two pricier places, where we were able to sit at the chef's counter, looking and pointing at the selection of fish behind the glass. The chefs didn't speak much English, but they did recognize some words for different fish (salmon and tuna were pretty reliable ones). We were able to point and communicate for the most part, but we also asked the chefs to let us try some of their catch that we didn't recognize. Two of the more interesting ones were sea urchin and pickled herring roe, both of which no one particularly liked. Some turned out to be things we had in fact tried before, like octopus and calamari, but just looked a little different. Some were totally new and either the chefs didn't know the English words for them, or we forgot what they were a few minutes after he told us. Whatever we had, there was no mistaking the quality of all of it, and we certainly paid for what we got. Both times, we tried to guess the price of what we had eaten, and we underestimated pretty significantly each time. We even roped an unsuspecting hostel roommate into joining us and shelling out $40 for dinner, which was more than his entire daily budget. Oops. (Worth it.)
We had weird things for breakfast
Most Asian countries don't eat western breakfasts, and if they do it's usually different somehow. However, some hostels serve free breakfast, where you can get usual western staples like eggs and toast. When we didn't get a free breakfast, we had to find something local, which was often an adventure. Most of the time there was a noodle soup to be had somewhere, which is pretty typical in several Asian countries, but we had some pretty heavy, unusual things a few times. Some of the most memorable were a giant plate of delicious tempura (shrimp and vegetables), and pork curry with rice. The one that took the top prize though, was one morning around 10:00-11:00am when we were heading out to catch a train, and couldn't for the life of us find a place that was open and served food (because restaurants just aren't open from 6:00am-noon or 10:00am-midnight here). Finally, we happened upon a fast food place called Mos Burger, which Jordan had been wanting to try for days, and the two of us convinced Casey to go. We were the only ones in there, but damned if those brunch beef burgers topped with tomato, mozzarella, and marinara sauce weren't tasty. The onion rings weren't bad either. Breakfast of champions.
We ate at 7-eleven
Since Japan is relatively expensive (basically Canadian prices), we tried to save money where we could. Going out for drinks and food at night was expensive, so we frequented the 7-eleven to stock up on sake, beer, wine, and weird chips to take back to our hostel and share over chats or games of kaboo. The best snacks were the pizza chips, which were legendary. Instead of getting a bag of pizza chips and a few new ones to try, by the end of the week we were just getting two or three bags of pizza chips and decimating them.
7-eleven also had sushi, usually eaten on the go in the form of nigiri. Nigiri are large triangular shaped clumps of rice with different types of fish in the middle, wrapped in seaweed. They are about $1 each and two of them easily fill you up for lunch (or just one for a snack or light lunch(. I wish I had tried them before my last days there, as they were one of the more affordable options for lunch. 7-eleven also had pretty great single-dish dinners, which I ate almost every night after Casey and Jordan left. These were large bowls of noodles, meat, and sauce for about $4-5, and they actually tasted really good after they were heated in the microwave. I wouldn't have believed it or tried it if so many people hadn't told me about it, and when I saw many local people buying them I figured they had to be good.
We went to unique restaurants
In addition to the aforementioned sushi places, there were three unique standout restaurant experiences during my short stay in Japan.
In Tokyo, Casey, Jordan and I were taken out for a fun night by my friend Chad, who I worked with 10 years ago at Mac. His girlfriend, Nao, also came, as did her friend who was visiting. Chad has been living in Tokyo for several years since he graduated from Mac, so after a chat on Facebook, we organized dinner together. We went to Torikizoku, a chain restaurant in the Tokyo area which is very popular with locals. We had to wait for a little while to get a table, but once we did, we enjoyed dish after dish of delicious comfort food. The chain specializes in all things chicken, so we ate things like fried chicken cartilage and chicken liver, in addition to more "usual" dishes. Everything was 298 yen (a little over $3), which is very cheap for Japan, and ordering was done through an iPad at the table, so it was easy to keep the food coming. All in all, the five of us ate for about $20 apiece, which was amazing value considering we'd also had several beers each. It was a really fun night and the travelers were super grateful to get shown around by some locals. Thanks, Chad and Nao!
After Casey and Jordan left, I met up with Wes, another friend and former housemate from Mac who I hadn't seen since graduation, after I found out he was living in Tokyo as well. I was late getting to the train station to meet him after I got confused with train lines and unwittingly cheated the Japanese metro system out of $2, but once I found him, we rushed down some narrow streets and alleys of Shimokitazawa to a bustling upscale izakaya. The way this place worked, which I learned is typical of traditional izakayas, is that you pay $40 for a multi-course meal and unlimited alcohol for an hour and a half. We immediately got a bottle of sake in an elaborate bamboo bottle and some beers, and were soon enjoying everything from soups to sashimi to grilled food to dessert. We left much more full and much less sober than we had been a few hours prior. At most izakayas, rather than the usual language barrier, there is a notorious language stonewall, so it's very rare to see tourists there. I was really lucky that Wes spoke enough Japanese to communicate for both of us and take me out for a night on the town. Thanks, Wes!
The last memorable dinner was in Fujiyoshida, where we found a place called Shuju one night, which was so far in the middle of nowhere that we thought our map was lying and it was some sort of trap. Sure enough, though, when we found it, we were enthusiastically greeted and invited to sit down at the chef's counter. We were the only ones there. The thing to do there was to order the "chef's choice", which meant you pay about $17 apiece and the chef, Masahiro, makes whatever he wants for you. We had done something like this a few times already by asking servers to "order for us", so it was a welcome change that this time it was actually an option on the menu. The chef and owner was an eccentric guy who chatted with us in broken English as he cooked, and shared some sake with us. We ate a natto bean salad (which Casey was forced to finish), grilled meats and veggies, an egg-based dish that had to be scraped off the pan a certain way with a certain tool, a cabbage pancake, and dessert, among other things I'm probably forgetting. After dinner, Casey pointed to the guitar behind the counter and asked, "Do you play?", which he took to mean, "Can you play for us right now?", and he enthusiastically answered yes. He grabbed the guitar and played a few songs for us, then showed us the one music video his old punk band had on YouTube. He was one of the most entertaining hosts and chefs and easily made our night.
Although we had some lots of weird food in Japan, some of which wasn't very palatable, we had way more positive experiences and were lucky to enjoy lots of amazing, unique dishes with great people, making some of my favourite memories from my time there.
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| Sushi, obvi |
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| Tonkatsu (deep fried pork) |
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| Giant sushi boats. Not pictured: Jordan's tiny plate of noodles |
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