Eclectic Trips

Japanese are often viewed as being very polite and courteous, and we witnessed example of this on daily basis while visiting Japan. The attention to details in Japan is uncanny, and it was a great insight into the culture.  For instance in public restrooms I often noticed how the toilet paper was folded into a triangular shape. I originally thought it was the cleaning ladies that did this, but soon realized that women do it themselves after using the tp- just to make it prettier for the next person using it. How nice is that? Talking about public restrooms- they are so abundant and so well maintained that I was constantly surprised.

Yellow courtesy line for the blind

A sign for "courtesy seats"

We stayed in several different hotels, and they were relatively similar- small rooms, very clean and simple with state of the art toilets. In case you haven’t heard of TOTO-Japan’s number one brand of plumbing equipment- most toilets in Japan have a bidet, seat warming and deodorizing features, and a feature that plays a soft ” flushing ” like sound throughout your restroom use. The first hotel we stayed at was Shinjuku New City. Simple diggs, but immaculately clean, and the whole ” attention to details” thing was very much at play here. There were robes and slippers in our room, as well as a flashlight and shoe polish. In the bathroom  there were packages with a toothbrush and tiny toothpaste, razor and tiny shaving cream. I have stayed at much nicer hotels in the US and Europe but have never gotten an unsolicited toothbrush before.

Our second hotel was also in Shinjuku- we loved the area, and found it super convenient to everything. Rose Garden Hotel was also a simple business hotel. What really impressed me was- when it rained there were two hotel employees standing at the entrance and handing out towels. They also had umbrellas they lent out to people going out. These were such nice gestures, and so helpful. There was a typhoon somewhere outside of Tokyo, and it rained pretty hard for several days. Coming back to our hotel and getting a towel after being rained on for hours was a very welcome end to the day.

It’s fascinating to me that in a city that is so densely populated, so fast paced and busy people find time for little gestures of politeness. I appreciated it so much more so just because it would be so easy for the Japanese to go on with their busy lives and dismiss the small gestures.  And yet they find the time to fold the toilet paper, pass out umbrellas and pay their respects to the elderly. Witnessing this part of Japanese culture made my stay a lot more meaningful and pleasurable.

We were in Tokyo for 2 weeks, and as much as I enjoyed Japanese food, and all the great Izakaya, I longed for some variety. Ah, who am i kidding- I wanted Russian food.

When we stumbled upon Baikal in Roppongi, my heart rejoiced. Borscht, “vinegret” and maybe even crepes with red caviar! I had the biggest smile on my face, and very high hopes for this Heaven sent establishment. So we made our way to the third floor in the tiny elevator. A lot of Tokyo restaurants are not street level- they are located on the 2nd or 3rd floors, and are relatively difficult to find, unless you speak/read Japanese. But this particular reaturant sign was in English and in Russian

The place was small, and warm. Baby blue table cloths, and a wall of “Matryoshkas” , “samovar” and other old world Russian memorabilia. They had one of those Russian soap operas playing on the large flat screen and the waitress seemed to mesmerized with it. So was the kitchen staff- they were watching from the open kitchen. Within 20 minute I found myself enthralled in the soap as well, and making comments about the character’s actions to my husband.

I ordered “uha” – a fisherman’s soup, served with yummy “black” bread and it  warmed my soul. Then we got very fresh vinegret- a salad of beets, carrots, potatoes and pickles, and finally crepes with sour cream and caviar. Everything was perfect- just the way I imagined. While in “Baikal” we learned that there are many Russian expats from Baikal in Tokyo, as it is so geographically close. I guess I would not have known that had we not stumbled upon ” Baikal”

"Cheburashka" and alligator "Gena" beloved Russian cartoon characters

I suddenly had a realization that my favorite cuisine in the world is Russian, I miss it so much when I travel. It was so nice to find this slice of  “home” in the middle of busy Tokyo.

Our host at Himonoya Asakusa

My favorite thing about Tokyo was all the different Izakakya we dined at.  Izakakya is something along the lines of a tapas bar, and literally translates as  ”a place where there is Sake”. But other than tons of varieties of sake and beer there is all kinds of fun yummy food, small plates that everyone shares. It’s great to go with a group, so you can taste a large variety of  different things, but even if it was just me and my husband, figuring out what to order and sharing the small dishes was so much fun. They all come at different times, and are served on fantastic and funky ceramic plates or in cool pottery. We must have gone to at least 10 different Izakaya while we  were in Tokyo, and some we went back to several times. My friend who visited Tokyo several months before asked which one was my favorite, and I really can’t decide- each one offered something  unique and special, and each was perfect in it’s own way.

Himonoya- dried fish

The first one we stumbled upon was in Asakusa, called  Himono- Ya - “dried fish”. It had a water/fisherman theme with fountains and water  pouring over the rocks at the entrance, and dried fish hanging at the open kitchen counter. It had small private booths and a kind of an artificial rustic feel to it. We were hungry and ordered too much food- but it all got consumed, not sure how- it was the three of us and I think we ordered enough for 6. There was everything from a huge crispy salad, to cabbage leaves with mis mayo dipping sauce, to simple roasted potatoe with butter,  to ” grilled juicy salmon of enough fat” (quoting the menu). This was our first Izakay experience in Tokyo, and I was hooked- everything from the atmosphere to the service to the food instantly appealed to me. We later found another Himono-ya outpost in Shibuya, which was decent but not as good as the one in Asakusa.

Himonoya

Gonpachiis a Tokyo expat institution. Supposedly Quentin Terrantino got the inspiration for ” Kill BIll” after visiting Gonpachi, and they have a whole display commemorating the film. Gonpachi ia 3 story townhouse type building, with an excellent sushi restaurant on the third floor, and a large, rowdy izakaya on the first and the second. We ate at both places, and they were equally as good, though entirely different both in food and atmosphere. The sushi restaurant is more subdued and sophisticated, with dim lights, simple  and clean decor, and warm  atmosphere. They served beautifully presented super fresh sushi, very cool day specials and  several fun authentic appetizers. Their “international” sushi rolls were obviously created for the “western” taste- too large, and too many ingredients- I was not a fan of these. Though the place was packed with a very eclectic and trendy crowd, we had a quiet lovely evening here.

Love the Lighting fixtures upstairs at GonpachiThe freshest sahimi ever

The Izakaya part is smoky and extremely rowdy- a large open space with 2nd floor balcony booths, very rustic decor, and about 80 percent expat and tourist crowd. Each new group of people that walks into the place is greeted very loudly by the entire staff, which seems a bit  overdone, but you get used to it.  The food is typical Izakaya fare- was solid, with a few creative touches. As usual the group of us ordered tons of stuff to share all of which was delectable. I particularly loved the agedashi tofu, black cod miso and the omlette.  Dessert was uninspiring- some mushi unknown item that was supposed to be red bean and mochi but fell waaaay short of my expectations, especially after the great dinner. My friend ordered the black sesame ice cream, and thought it was delicious. Gonpachi is a really fun place to go with a group, and seemed like the place Tokyo dwellers take their Western visitors to.

Gonpachi- view from upstairsOpen kitchen and grill at Gonpachi

Black sesame ice cream

a tribute to " Kill BIll"

While we were in Japan, we stayed at a small town called Hachioji, just outside of Tokyo. We stumbled upon an Izakaya there, which ended up being one of our favorites. The name of this particular establishment remained unknown to us. The girl that served us each time was just so awesome, it was almost worth it to keep coming back here for her enthusiasm. She  studied in Glasgov, and spoke English really well, with an Irish accent, and seemed so genuinely happy to see us every time we were here, that I seldomly elicit  such excited reactions to my arrival from even close friends. She loved chatting and practicing her English with us, and we loved it too. The simple food here was fresh, tasty and arrived fast. Though we varied our orders, our staples were the scallops on the skewer, mushroom soup in hot pot  and simple sliced avocado with seaweed shreds. The kind of food you don’t tire of.

Messy but good at Hochioji Izakayascallopin Hochioji

Ruslan loves his hotpot

Kampai!

Now, back in the US I miss Izakaya dining- there is something about this way of eating that appeals to me so much more than ordering an appetizer and entree, or a bowl of pasta. So the search for US Izakaya begins, and I will keep you updated on what I find, where it’s located and how they compare to my favorite Tokyo spots.