Go Ahead, Surprise Me! - April 30

It was a sunny day, so we decided to go to the Meiji Jingu Shrine. The shrine was built in 1920 to honor the Emperor and Empress Meiji, who were instrumental in opening Japan to the outside world. The shrine is located in the center of a large park in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. Here is another oasis of greenery tucked away in the heart of a busy, crowded city. We passed through a large torii, or entry gate, into a wooded area with a main path and several smaller paths. It was crowded because this is a holiday.

We didn't get too far before a group of college students approached us and asked if we spoke English. They said they would like to improve their English and offered to show us the shrine. We were delighted to have tour guides and we learned a lot that we would not have learned on our own. Their English was quite good already, but it was fun talking to them. They had a lot of questions for us, and we had questions for them.

The shrine is a Shinto shrine, and you must purify yourself before entering. The ritual consists of using a special dipper to pour water on one hand, then on the other hand. Then you pour some into your hand, put it in your mouth, rinse, and spit. Finally, you rinse out the dipper. This reminded me a lot of the hand washing ritual performed by observant Jews before eating, sans the mouth rinsing.

When we got to the shrine we saw that a traditional wedding was about to happen.

One of the students showed us how to make a wish at the shrine. You toss a 5 yen coin (about a nickel in US money)  into a wooden offering box. Then make two low bows, clap your hands twice, make a wish, and make one final low bow. 

Our next adventure took us to Tokyo Station to meet up with Tokyo Free Walking Tours. Unlike other "free" walking tours, this tour is conducted by volunteers. The focal point of the tour was the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, but a lot of interesting information was packed into this well-organized tour. This is one of the tours where you just show up without making a reservation. There were at least 50 people who showed up, but the guides were prepared for us. They divided us up into 7 or 8 groups. Our group had 9 people and 3 guides. Most of the guides, men and women alike, were dressed in traditional clothing.

As we walked over to the Gardens we learned about the history of Tokyo Station and some of the other buildings in the neighborhood.

The station has been extensively renovated. The money for the renovations was acquired by selling air rights to neighboring properties.

Samurai hipster

The main entrance, in the center of the building, was intended to be used only by the royal family. A private road ran from the palace to the central entrance.

We crossed over a moat to the first of a series of defensive gates leading to the palace grounds. The royal family still lives in the palace and it is only open to the public two days a year. The East Gardens are part of the palace complex, but are located on a separate island.

We saw the various guardhouses, the ninja quarters (ninjas are a real thing), and the original walls of the palace/castle. There was an elegant tiered building from which the emperor was able to view Mt. Fuji. 

Akiko and Masaka lead our group through the gardens.

In the actual garden area we saw the place where the events depicted in the film, 47 Ronin, took place and Masaka told us the story and showed us anime-style illustrations of the story.

The gardens were lovely, well-designed, and well-maintained. The design emphasized natural shapes and land forms, but in a controlled way.

At the end of the tour we had the opportunity to try on pretend kimonos.

For dinner we opted for halitosis (Note: auto-correct does it again! It's supposed to say "yakitori"), since we had enjoyed it so much the other night. We walked over to a place near Shinjuku Station. It was a nice place on the 11th floor of a building, and, unless you knew it was there, I don't know how you would ever know it was there. It was an attractive place with shoji sliding screens and tatami mats. You had to take your shoes off and lockers were provided for shoes and whatever else.

We had a little room with a large shared table. The table was low to the ground and there was a pit underneath for your feet. You got a flat pillow to sit on.

The menu was pretty minimal. It was mostly chicken, with a few seafood options. Most of the items on the menu did not look that appetizing. We both ordered the mixed yakitori chicken. This concerned me a little because I didn't know what needed to be mixed about chicken. White meat and dark meat?

When you needed a server, you pressed a button, and someone would come very quickly. The male waiters all looked like doctors. The females wore kimonos.

Nobody spoke much English, so we just had to close our eyes and jump in. 

First we were given bowls of a cold custard with pieces of chicken liver (I think) on top. It was actually very good. I think it comes automatically, as we did not order it.

Next, we split an order of eggs and rice and chicken. It was kind of sweet-tasting, but good.

A little hibachi-type of food warmer was brought to the table, along with a tray containing three mystery condiments and a mystery utensil.

We later saw some other people use this utensil to remove yakitori from the skewer. We tried it and it worked very well.

So, the yakitori came. We each got 5 skewers. First was a meatball type of thing. The next one looked like pieces of white meat. The third one looked like hearts or gizzards. The fourth one looked like smaller greasier pieces of white meat. The final one looked like greasy pieces of chicken skin.

I took a bite of the meatball. It was unpleasantly and suspiciously crunchy. It had white stuff in it. I think it was gristle. I think they just ground everything up and made it into a meatball. I decided not to eat any more of it. I ate all of the white meat, and that was it. 

Live and learn. It is good to try to experience different cultures. You won't always like the experience, but you can always get something out of it.

When they brought the check, the brought us some tiny cups of a very light both. It was excellent.

As we walked home we took a slightly different route and found ourselves in a garish but lively area full of restaurants, cheap stores, karaoke bars, and who knows what else.

Good night, Tokyo!

Eat Local - April 29 (updated on May 6)

Turn left, and left again. Go one block and cross the street. Turn right and go about three blocks until it curves around to the left. You will come to a place that looks like Times Square.

Turn left just before the railroad station. There is an alcove between the 7-11 convenience store and the Docomo. Take the elevator in the alcove up to the third floor. You made it to Teppan Nihyakudo, and now you get to have dinner!

We were seated at a counter, right in front of the chefs. They were busy cooking teppanyaki, but it wasn't like anything you ever saw at Benihana's. It was much more down-to-earth, local-style food. The atmosphere was casual. 

There were seats for around 50 people, at booths, tables, and the counter. Under my seat was a cubby for my purse and pullover. Much appreciated because the food odors would otherwise permeate my outerwear. Menus were strategically used as dividers between every two seats to give couples a little more personal space.

They gave us an English menu, but it didn't help. We still didn't know what the types of dishes were. Even with photos. Several dishes could be ordered with "gristle." The desserts were at the front of the menu. I like that idea!

I decided to order something that had shrimp and avocado in it, and not worry about what else might be in it. The menu did not have an English name for whatever it was. Ken ordered "Chinese sweet potatoes" for a starter and "pork steak" for his main course.

They brought us warm washcloths to refresh with and then the show began. We watched one of the chefs cook numerous mounds of food. There were about four basic types. One looked like pancake batter with little green and red things in it. When it was done it would be folded in on itself and sometimes things would be put in the middle. Type two was sort of like an omelet. Type three was a big mound of vegetables and eggs with a few little slices of pork. It looked like a giant latke when it was ready, but then it was plated with a combination of brown, white, yellow and/or red sauce. When I say "plated," I mean it was places on a square of aluminum foil and put on something like a baking sheet with a handle. The fourth type was an egg dish that wasn't very cooked. It was placed on top of a pile of something that might have been shredded cabbage. 

One chef cooked all the meat and seafood, and also that hamburger and egg and gravy thing that looked like a Hawaiian Loco Moco.

It was all so interesting and fun to watch.

The Chinese sweet potatoes tasted like regular potatoes.

The pork steak was delicious.

They brought us some odd bowls with odd little spatulas in connection with my shrimp and avocado order. (It is expected that you will share.)

My dish was good, but I don't think I would get it again. It had a lot of ginger in it.

That was dinner. Now let me backtrack a bit. Today is a holiday - Showa Day. It is the beginning of Golden Week. Everybody gets today (Friday) off, plus all of next week. When we arrived at the subway station at around 11 this morning, this is what we found:

It was a little bit spooky.

Koishikawa Korakuen Garden was built in 1629 by the founder of the Mita branch of the Tokugawa clan as his second residence. It has been designated as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and as a Special Historic Site. It is a true oasis of green and calm in the middle of a city. When you are half a block from it, you wouldn't even know it is there.Tall apartment buildings surround it on three sides Unfortunately, on the fourth side, there is one of those gigantic white puffy sports domes. When we were there, there was loud music coming from the dome. It ruined the ambience of the garden.

Who knew?

Full Moon Bridge: The reflection and the arch form a full circle

After the garden, we rode the subway over to the Yurakucho area to see if we could find the good yakitori place we had been to last night.  I don't know that I would have recognized it if we had walked right by it. It didn't have any distinguishing features.

 

Finally, we decided to make a decision. It was getting late. We were on a downscale street that was full of little bars and lunch places - nothing fancy - and we had to pick something. We picked a place on a corner because it had a lot of people in it. It seemed to be the Japanese version of a diner. The windows in front were plastered with pictures of food and prices. The menu was not in English and the pictures in the menu were hard to see if you didn't know what they were supposed to be. I couldn't figure out what to order. The waiter/cook brought me outside to look at the nice photos on the window. He waited patiently while I looked at all the photos. I ordered something that looked like a big round omelet with gravy on it. I wasn't going to eat it all, but it was so tasty I almost finished it. I still don't know what it was. And we did not take any photos during this part of our adventure.

This is where we did not go for lunch: A five-story glass and steel edifice dedicated to hamburger freshness. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch, it was just a short walk to the Imperial Palace. It was easy to find because of all the tour buses. And because I had a map. I never go anywhere without a map. 

In front of Nijubashi Bridge at the Tokyo Imperial Palace

I think we saw this guy at the museum.

Here I am, trying to scare Godzilla.

Tokyo After 5 - April 28, Evening

This evening we were signed up for a tour called "Tokyo After 5" through Urban Adventures. We arrived at the meeting point in a drizzle. Our guide turned out to be Ikumi from our tour two days ago. There was also another couple from the tour two days ago. (And they had also been on the ship with us and on the Mount Fuji tour, though not on the same bus.)

Businesses under the railroad tracks

Our tour started in an area called Yurakucho, near the Tokyo Station. We walked under a trestle to meet our guide and passed from old Tokyo to a large, almost sterile, plaza with modern stores and restaurants. However, that was not our destination. We walked down a lane parallel to, but below, the elevated railroad tracks.

This was not a glitzy upscale area, but it was all the more interesting. There were narrow passages between the little establishments under the tracks. It was quite colorful and fascinating. Many of the restaurants and cafes were tiny, with only 6 or 8 seats.

In the world under the tracks

When the lantern is lit, the restaurant is open

Simple food

Simple seating

Lively and cheerful

He just threw another shrimp on the barbie

So much atmosphere in this area

As we emerged from the warren of establishments beneath the tracks, we walked alongside the substructure of the tracks where small business were tucked away under the olden arches.

This is a popular sushi place that specializes in tuna

Our first stop was a yakitori place. The smell of the grilling chicken was mouth-watering. It didn't disappoint. 

My appetizer appeared the minute we sat down. It was similar to cole slaw.

Various kinds of delicious yakitori

Ginkgo nuts, shiitake mushrooms, tofu

Hearts and gizzards. Really? Do I have to eat it?

After a satisfying meal, a short walk brought us to the Ginza.


Our next stop would be dessert. Ikumi explained that the bakery was so popular it usually sold out early and she wanted us to get there before that happened.

 
 
Most of the desserts were not easily identifiable, other than as desserts. A lot of them were flavored with green tea.

We took the subway to the next restaurant. 

Commuters commuting in the subway at around 7 pm on the beginning of a long weekend/holiday week.

Our destination was Tsukishima, a man-made island, and our mission was to eat monjayaki, or monja, a dish that can only be had in Tsukishima. The restaurant offered about 8 different versions of monja. Our table chose curry. It was really good.

We arrived at Warashibe and put our stuff in this box under the seat so it wouldn't absorb the food odors.

We watched this guy cooking his own food on the teppan grill and taking his tie off to get comfortable (and possibly to protect it from splatters).

The first step: Ikumi showed us how to cook it. Later we all took turns.

Batter and other ingredients are added

The verdict: Delicious!

For dessert we were served something very similar to a crepe, with green tea ice cream.

Always the wet washcloth. Such a nice custom.

One of the owners of Warashibe

Saying goodbye to Ikumi and clutching my subway map

A map is essential if you are going to navigate Tokyo's complex subway system. Even the locals have to look at the map when they are going somewhere unfamiliar.