Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 70

December 15, 2023: Tokyo Day #8!

I took Akemi up on her rather bizarre suggestion last night and lined my six pillows along my side of the bed and slept on them as a mini mattress, hoping for a more comfortable night’s rest.  Surprisingly, it worked.  Sort of.  While my back and shoulders weren’t as sore this morning as they were previous mornings, my throat felt like I had inadvertently swallowed a pack of razor bleeds.  A quick check by Akemi using her handy smart phone flashlight app confirmed the back of my throat resembled akagai sashimi.

Fortunately, I came prepared for any such eventuality and popped the Vitamin D and Magnesium (along with the Nattokwinase, Serrapeptase, Bromelin, and NAC) I brought with me.  In no time at all, I was feeling not at all different – but we were running late, so we stopped by a local Lawson and picked up some throat candy.

Wonder if this place has a Stargate?

Lunch on this day was Butagumi, one of my go-to spots for pork tonkatsu and their famed sammie (three day cooked) pork.  We arrived at opening on this rainy day, were seated, and checked the menu to discover…they had sold out of sammi pork the night before and wouldn’t have any on the lunch menu.  Strike one for me.  Hugely disappointed, I tried to make do by selecting a couple of alternate appetizers – only to be informed that the entire starter menu was unavailable.  Strike two.  Somewhat disappointed, I shifted focus to the rather abbreviated tonkatsu menu and chose a cut that the menu proclaimed the #1 choice of customers.  Only to be informed said cut was not available but I was free to choose from the remaining handful of selections.

It was that kind of meal – meaning really weird.  They seemed reluctant to give us tea when we asked, explaining that they usually only served tea at the end of the meal because they didn’t have enough.  We ended up getting our tea after assurances we would do our best to nurse to them the duration of our stay.

The complimentary grilled tomatoes were pretty good.

The pork tonkatsu was very good, but not as crispy as I expected.  It was served with pickles, miso soup, rice (that Akemi raved about), and endless shredded cabbage.

Overall a fine albeit underwhelming meal.  I think that I’ll scratch Butagumi off my go-to list and  look to check out Aoki on my next trip.

Always amazed by the offerings of Japanese vending machines.  Came across this one that carried dashi (not the whole dried fish) and crab hot pot with rice.

I drowned my post-lunch sorrows with chocolate – specifically, three types of chocolate cakes at Jean-Paul Hevin at their Roppongi Midtown location.  The portions have gotten smaller, the prices have gotten higher, but the cakes remain decadently delicious.

Celebrate the holidays with a couple of buckets of chicken and the gals from Twice.  Ooh-Ahh tasty!

Ginza at night

Wall art – Ginza, Tokyo

While visiting the Sanrio store, Akemi absolutely fell in love with this character who reminds her of our dog, Sharky.  Apparently he’s not a regular Sanrio character and is part of a recent collaboration, so if you know anything about him, Akemi needs to know.

For dinner, we went to a place Akemi had been looking forward to since discovering its owner on instagram.  She has brought her style of home-cooking to Ginza (and to our kitchen as Akemi has made a few of her recipes part of our regular rotation) at a restaurant that is at turns homey, charming, and downright festive as the drinks start flowing.

 

 

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December 14, 2023: Tokyo Day #7!

This hotel mattress is brutal. Every morning I wake up feeling like I’ve been worked over for failing to pay the vig on my loan.

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) December 14, 2023

Did some laundry at the hotel this morning.  While Akemi and Dr. Blackjack were finishing their coffees, I went down to retrieve the laundry only to find myself incapable of opening the damn thing, even after entering the code Akemi gave me.  After spending five full minutes pushing random buttons, the door finally popped open.  Later, while expressing my frustration to Akemi, she pointed out that it says “Press this button after entering code” clear as day.  In Japanese.

Then, at 10:30 a.m., Akemi saw me off, like a doting mother bidding adieu to her son on his first day of school – except that instead of school I was going to Pizza Serinkan in Naka-Meguro with my old friend Moro-san.

Naka-Meguro

There were about a dozen people already waiting for the place to open when we arrived.  Fortunately, there were plenty of seats.

At Akemi’s insistence, I finally got around to eating some vegetables on this trip – a plate of sautéed broccoli.  But the main show was, of course, the pizza.  They’ve added a third to the rotation.  In addition to the Margherita and the Marinara, you can also go Bianca.  I, however, elected to go with the class Margherita.  And it was as good as I remember it.  It’s the dough that makes this place special.

Moro-san and her new best friend, Victor.

Akemi tipped us off to a place called I’m Donuts that purportedly makes some unbelievable donuts, chiefest among them their pistachio cream.  And it was only a five minute walk from the station.  After a ten minute wait in line, we had our donuts – lemon for Moro-san, and pistachio for me.

Honestly?  The best donut I’ve had.  Fairly bursting with pistachio cream and the donut itself incredibly soft but possessed of a mochi springiness.  I have to go back.

Moro-san and donut.

We took the metro to Roppongi and, in no time at all, I was back in familiar territory – Roppongi Hills, where we headed to the Mori Art Museum for a very special exhibit…

Yes!  An exhibit dedicated to one of my favorite anime, Tokyo Revengers.

I regret to report neither of these outfits were available at the museum gift shop.

Alas, nothing caught my eye at the Marky Market tie-in shop, so will have to satisfy myself by resuming the manga at some point.

But I was tempted by this wood-carving that would have set me back a cool 14 G’s.

Tokyo skylineWe then took a walk up to Azabu Hills where we strolled through the high-end shops (Meh) and the Christmas Market before meeting Akemi in Shinjuku for dinner at Nakajima…

A comparatively smaller meal than we’ve had to date in Japan, but no less tasty.

We got in a little later than usual and had some of the sake chocolates we stored in the hotel room fridge.  Tomorrow, it’s tonkatsu at Butagumi and, if I’m feeling up to it, the triple threat chocolate dessert trio at Jean Paul-Hevin in Roppongi, Midtown.  Wish me luck!

 

 

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December 13, 2023: Tokyo Day #6!

Between this hotel room’s hard mattress, and its paper thin yet contradictorily lump pillows, I hardly slept a wink last night.  Finally, at 2:15 a.m., my back and shoulders sore, I had to get up and find the Tylenol I had packed away in my suitcase.  An hour later, I was sleeping – better, but not altogether comfortably.  As a result, I felt like a zombie for most of the day.  Akemi suggested we take it easy, but we only have less than a week to go before we wrap up this Japan trip.  And so…

The line up was too long at Glitch Coffee so we ended up at Costa for latte and the driest matcha cookie I’ve ever eaten.  The, we checked out a bookstore…

Thinking of checking out Book-Off, the second hand bookstore on Friday, so I can pick up some manga and practice my reading.

Another stroll through Ginza and then it was lunch at Uchiyama, an Akemi favorite.

A few of the dishes we enjoyed…

We wrapped up lunch at 2:30 and, on our way back, happened across this restaurant – San Bun – and made a reservation.  We could only book early, so ended up with a brief two and a half hour window between meals!  On the plus side, the bottarga air-drying outside the restaurant offered the promise of good things…

More walking…

Gojira!

A visit to our old haunt, the Imperial Hotel.

Award-winning cake displays…

Finally, dinner at San Bun where we were taken care of by the boisterous okami.  Lots of sake and small plates.  This place was a blast…

The first thing we were served: congee, three turmeric pills and some diluted vinegar to help prep our stomachs for the heavy night of drinking ahead.

The sake.

Giant oysters on the half shell, sashimi, shirako tempura and grilled shiitake and maitake mushrooms.

Grilled chicken, bottarga mochi, beef tendon curry, and chestnut pie for dessert.

By the time we got back to our hotel, we were ready for bed.

But it was only 7:30 p.m.

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December 12, 2023: Tokyo Day #5!

We woke up to rain and decided to stick close to the hotel that morning.

I felt like having breakfast and with Tsuikiji Market just a ten minute walk away, our decision was made.  There was the usual line-up for Kitsunaya, a place that serves horumon (offal) stew out of a giant simmering pot.  I do wonder if they clean out the pot at the end of the day or if it’s one of those kombucha mother cases where the ingredients keep getting added and there are remnants of the very first pot made decades earlier.  Anyway, it was delicious.

We had to wait in line for about twenty minutes to get into the Ginza location of Glitch Coffee.  The space is smaller and the vibe isn’t as cool, but the coffee was equally great…

Akemi was kind of bummed her cappuccino wasn’t served in one of the cool ceramic cups.

The Cartier Building, Ginza.

Some cool bookmarks at Ito-ya.

My favorite pens on display going for about $1500 a pop.

While these ones range from about 4-8k each.

To be honest, the only thing holding me back from buying these pens is my poor handwriting.

That and the fact that cost upwards of $8,000 a piece.

We had lunch at one of our old favorites, Esquisse.  Its chef, Lionel Beccat served us our first meal (on our first date) back in 2009.

Us, fourteen years later!

The house bread.  Nice and crusty, like Akemi likes it.

And a few of the dishes we enjoyed…

After which, we went for a stroll…

Akemi scores some complimentary wood chips.

In the Christmas spirit.

A visit to Omotesando.

Well, okay then.

Who wants me to pick them up an adorable baby-in-ramen-broth miniature?

Guys!  I need this!

For dinner tonight, we went for yakitori at Toriyoshi.  We sat at the bar, watched the grilling action, and ate way too much chicken…

I left that place so full, I couldn’t eat another bite.

Of savory food.

Ice cream, on the other hand…

Good ole Cremia.

Mind the Mesozoic gorilla.

All this walking around is catching up with us.  We’re averaging about 20 000 steps a day and we’re beginning to feel it.  Think I may need to book a massage.

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December 11, 2023: Tokyo Day #4!

And we’re back in Tokyo!

Akemi, who noted how much I love to sleep on the day I woke up at 7:00 a.m. woke up at 8:00 a.m. this morning!  We checked out of the Zentis, the boutique hotel Akemi absolutely fell in love with, then headed to Osaka station to purchase tickets for the shinkansen (bullet train) that proved a tad more complicated than expected.  BUT, Akemi figured it out and we eventually boarded and made the two and half hour trek back to Tokyo.

After checking into our hotel in Ginza, we made the short walk to Tsukiji market for a late lunch…

Akemi enjoying a fish cake thing on a stick.

Following up on a recommendation from Dr. Blackjack, we checked out Seagen, apparently owned by the biggest and most popular meguro.  And so I had – of course – meguro, while Akemi opted for the grilled fish.

Sometimes I think I’d like to move to Japan and open a business that offers English proofreading services to clients in the restaurant and retail business.

On the way back, I stopped to pick up these delectably bittersweet nama matcha chocolates.  I have a feeling I may need to pick up a few more for the trip back to Canada.

We met up with Dr. Blackjack (who babysit our big suitcase for us while we were in Osaka) and visited G-6, an uber upscale department store.

I thought this was interesting.  At first glance, it looks like a digital display but upon closer scrutiny, the movement and transformation is achieved by the simple flipping of the myriad surface points –

We were going to browse the Van Clef & Arpels but were informed we would need to make an appointment and the first available slot was 2-3 hours away.  As much as I would love to wait around for the opportunity to peruse some watches I won’t by, we passed and ended up going for cremia!

Delicious.

The Dior building in Ginza.

Dr. Blackjack informed us that our old haunt, Bar Goya, opens at 3:00 p.m.  It has been ages since I’ve seen my good friend Yamasaki-san, so we headed over for a few drinks.  Seven to be exact.

The day’s specials, most featuring fruit from Yamazaki-san’s hometown..  We sampled a Moscow Mule, an Irish Coffee cocktail, a pear gimlet, a strawberry cocktail, and a pomelo cocktail.  But our two favorites…

Akemi’s tomato cocktail – sweet, savory and full of umami flavor.

My incredibly refreshing orange cocktail.

Yamazaki-san.  Go visit him at Bar Goya (6 Chome-4-16 Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0061).  Except Wednesdays when he’s closed.

Then it was time to visit the local toy store!

I need these Disney shot glasses.

Passed this place that had some sort of immersive element.  Too tired to stop and check out on this day, but maybe later this week.

Ginza at night.

Akemi stops by Uniqlo for some late night shopping…

I love Ginza this time of year.

By the time 8:30 p.m. rolled around, I was ready to call it a night.  But an early night was not in the cards as we were scheduled for a late dinner at Tokihami, a place Akemi has been dying to check out (that only had late seatings available).  To be honest, I was exhausted and left the ordering to Akemi and Dr. Blackjack.  What I didn’t expect was that I would be served the best meal of this Japan trip so far (if not my favorite meal of the year)!

We started with a tofu mochi served grilled with a sesame sauce.  The flavors were as delightful as the texture.

Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), uni (sea urchin) and yuba (tofu skin).  A surprisingly fantastic combination.

The foie gras wafer sandwich – with a holiday theme.

The cream crab croquette.  Akemi said she was only going to have a taste as she is allergic to shellfish – and ended up eating half, allergies be damned.

Fried fugu.  Holy smokes was this good.  In taste and texture, more akin to incredibly moist chicken than fish.

The horumon (offal) bowl with white miso was the dish of the night.  Outstanding.  I probably could have ordered another one.

Uni, ikura, caviar, and massago on rice.  What a way to end the meal!

We got back to the hotel for a little after eleven.  I was still exhausted, but very content.  A few chocolates later and I was ready for bed.

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December 10, 2023: Osaka Day #2!

Akemi: Wow. You really like to sleep in.

Me: it’s 7:00 am!!! pic.twitter.com/s70NOvIkJf

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) December 9, 2023

By the time I had dragged myself out of bed, brushed my teeth, and changed, it was 7:30 a.m. and Akemi had already worked out, gone for a walk, and researched and booked our day’s outing.  We walked around for a couple of hours, checking out the local Family Mart convenience stores (There seems to be one on every block) and the surrounding architecture…

Interesting mail box

The library looks closed.

The smoking fishbowl

Buy your curry here

I grab breakfast at venerable salary man-haunt Yoshinaya –

Beef Bowl

Then sample some of those sake chocolates…

Every one of them a delight.

Akemi was hankering for coffee so, after some research, found this place called Glitch in the Conrad Hotel.  A refined but relaxed space.  They take their coffee seriously.  Unlike me who was looking for a mocha or a latte.  They instead suggested one of their dozens of coffee selections, an Ethiopian brew.  It was excellent, probably the best coffee I’ve had in recent memory.

Pricey though.  The two coffees came out to a grand total of $25.

Akemi in her new dress and boots.

After that, still buzzed, we made a brief stop at the hotel to recharge my phone, then headed back out for lunch.  Today, it was sushi at the Osaka outpost of Yamashiro…

We walked off lunch with some more strolling (averaging about 20k steps/day on this trip).

Cat-themed teas (Ocha-chat?)

On Akemi’s insistence, we check out Mister Donut for the regular mochi donut and the double chocolate mochi donut.  The former was excellent and slightly less sweet than the version I’m used to back home.  The chocolate version was quite a bit less sweet.  Maybe a little too less sweet.

Of course it wouldn’t be a two week vacation without emails notifying me of immediate actions that need to be taken in relation to my finances, like sorting out the overpayment to my utility company, paying my tax installment prior to year end, and filling out the complex paperwork related to the delisting of one of my stocks owned on the LSE.

We had time to kill before dinner, so we did a lot of walking…

I checked out the uniquely customized Osaka manhole covers  –

Akemi stops off at the local Life grocery shop to stock up on essentials.

While I am drafted into basket duty.

Then, it was soba dinner with the in-laws…

I went with the roast duck broth despite this picture adorning the restaurant window…

Interesting choice.

By the time we got back to our hotel, night had fallen and the Christmas illuminations were on full  display.

Akemi and I ended our night with a couple of Dassai chocolates.  My favorites!

A great final day in Osaka, marred somewhat by the fact our pocket device abruptly stopped working.  Sent off an inquiry to the company to find out what’s up.  In the past, they’ve been great at responding quickly and general troubleshooting, so we’ll see how this goes…

Well, no sooner do I finish writing that sentence than an email pops into my inbox with instructions for a work-around.  GlocalMe has never let us down.

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December 9, 2023: Osaka Day #1!

Another fitful night’s rest, this one due to the stomach issues I experienced as a result of…

That greasy heat lamp fried chicken?

The “healthy” side salad with the pure red vinegar dressing I had for lunch?

The late night pistachio cake snack?

Whatever it was, I was NOT feeling great this morning.  But there was no time to wallow (or recover) as we had to catch an early morning train to Osaka!

We arrived at Tokyo Station with plenty of time to pick up something for the trip.  Originally, I had planned to pick up a medley of bentos and assorted treats but because I was feeling a little under the weather, I opted to go easy…

This Berkshire pork bento.

Deliciously rich and fatty.  Served on a bed of rice and accompanied by some ginger (I ignored) and a square of tamagotchi.  It was also nice of them to include that single tiny shishito pepper to help balance out all that meat with some veggie.

The bullet train was surprisingly smooth, roomy, and comfortable.  It stopped at Nagoya along the way, a place, according to Akemi, that is famed for its eel.  Thinking we should do a day trip the next time we come to Japan.

Upon our arrival to Osaka, we checked into the Zentis, a surprisingly nice (and relatively inexpensive) three-year-old boutique hotel.  Then, we took a stroll –

I was feeling munchy, so we stopped off for a beef tend curry pan –

Then we stopped by one of my favorite chocolate shops, Palet d’Or, where we picked up an assortment…

of mostly sake-flavored chocolates.  Akemi picked up her favorites, the dark chocolates flavored with honey and maple syrup instead of sugar, using soy milk over regular cream and sesame oil instead of butter.

Yes, that’s a Palet d’Or chocolate vending machine.

After picking up a black buta bun from the local 7-11, we relaxed in our hotel room (where I mostly updated this blog) before heading off for dinner with Akemi’s mom, sister, and brother…

This place looked promising.

Finally, we went for unagi dinner with Akemi’s mom, sister, and brother…

Akemi went with the crispy shiro unagi while I went with the classic mahogany lacquered.

The Aotas.

What follows up barbecued eel better than waffles and custard.  Just a peach tea for me though as I don’t want a repeat of last night.

And that’s a wrap on Japan Day #4 – Osaka Day #1!

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December 8, 2023: Tokyo Day #3!

This morning, we slept in, waking up at 7:00 a.m. and then heading over to nearby Tokyo Station to purchase tickets for the Saturday’s Shinkansen (bullet train) trip to Osaka.  While there, we browsed the massive station and perused the seemingly endless food stalls offering everything from bento boxes to butter-themed sweets…

I really these exhibited minimal effort…

Tobacco-themed teas…

The works of local artists…

We arrived in Meguro two hours before our scheduled lunch.  Having skipped breakfast, I was feeling a might peckish so stopped by local convenience store Family Mart so I could try their spicy fried heat lamp chicken…

Over-battered with pockets of fat and oil that fairly oozed out when squeezed, Akemi was grossed out, but I found it kinda tasty.  I look forward to checking out the spicy fried heat lamp chicken versions of Family Mart competitors 7-11 and Lawson in the coming days.

Is your room drafty?  Well why not pick up this “draft stopper” to stuff beneath your door.

Meguro

In retrospect, I should have had a couple of more of those greasy fried chicken things as lunch proved less than satisfying.  For me anyway.  Akemi and Dr. Blackjack enjoyed their sesame soy broth and  chicken meatballs as well as their matcha-themed desserts.  My pork tonkatsu and matcha desserts (not pictured) were underwhelming.

So I consoled with a melty white Starbucks pistachio.

Watch your step, drunk Japanese salaryman!

Maybe next time.

We then headed to dog-friendly Daikanyama where we picked up some fancy dog treats at Green Dog.

Dinner was sushi at Sushi Takumi Makoto in Shinjuku.  Sadly, the quality of my pictures on my iPhone are craptastic and, while Dr. Blackjack was kind enough to forward her far better shots, I  can’t seem to find a way to transfer them from the Line app so you’ll just have to trust me that the meal was spectacular.

No photos of the sushi, but here’s a photo of the Cremia soft ice cream I grabbed on the way back home.  Apparently, it’s 25% cream and 15% fat.  The remaining 60% is, I assume, pure deliciousness.

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December 9, 2023: Tokyo Day #3!

This morning, we slept in, waking up at 7:00 a.m. and then heading over to nearby Tokyo Station to purchase tickets for the Saturday’s Shinkansen (bullet train) trip to Osaka.  While there, we browsed the massive station and perused the seemingly endless food stalls offering everything from bento boxes to butter-themed sweets…

I really these exhibited minimal effort…

Tobacco-themed teas…

The works of local artists…

We arrived in Meguro two hours before our scheduled lunch.  Having skipped breakfast, I was feeling a might peckish so stopped by local convenience store Family Mart so I could try their spicy fried heat lamp chicken…

Over-battered with pockets of fat and oil that fairly oozed out when squeezed, Akemi was grossed out, but I found it kinda tasty.  I look forward to checking out the spicy fried heat lamp chicken versions of Family Mart competitors 7-11 and Lawson in the coming days.

Is your room drafty?  Well why not pick up this “draft stopper” to stuff beneath your door.

Meguro

In retrospect, I should have had a couple of more of those greasy fried chicken things as lunch proved less than satisfying.  For me anyway.  Akemi and Dr. Blackjack enjoyed their sesame soy broth and  chicken meatballs as well as their matcha-themed desserts.  My pork tonkatsu and matcha desserts (not pictured) were underwhelming.

So I consoled with a melty white Starbucks pistachio.

Watch your step, drunk Japanese salaryman!

Maybe next time.

We then headed to dog-friendly Daikanyama where we picked up some fancy dog treats at Green Dog.

Dinner was sushi at Sushi Takumi Makoto in Shinjuku.  Sadly, the quality of my pictures on my iPhone are craptastic and, while Dr. Blackjack was kind enough to forward her far better shots, I  can’t seem to find a way to transfer them from the Line app so you’ll just have to trust me that the meal was spectacular.

No photos of the sushi, but here’s a photo of the Cremia soft ice cream I grabbed on the way back home.  Apparently, it’s 25% cream and 15% fat.  The remaining 60% is, I assume, pure deliciousness.

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December 7, 2023: Tokyo Day #2!

As expected, a somewhat fitful night’s sleep on our first night in Tokyo.  And, as expected, I slept better than Akemi who woke up at 2 am and stayed awake until 4 am before dozing off for another hour.  In any case, we were both up and 5:30 a.m. and, by 6:00 a.m., heading to Tsukiji Market.

By the time we got there, at 6:30 a.m., there was already a line-up for my favorite breakfast place – a little shop that serves up, among other things, a horumon-gutsu bowl (aka offal stew on rice).

Dr. Blackjack had hers with an onsen tamago.  Akemi went with the nikku-dofu bowl instead.

We spent the next couple of hours strolling through the relatively quiet fish market, Akemi taking note of all of the dried mushrooms, bonito, and sea kelp she wants to pick up before our return flight.

There’s a place that offers five different types of sea urchin.  I wanted to check it out, but a tour group beat us to the seating.  I didn’t feel like waiting so we ended up grabbing one of these instead, a milkshake made with egg yolk, white chocolate, and vanilla beans.  Pretty tasty!

The shops wouldn’t open for another two hours, so we strolled back to our hotel, admiring the sights along the way.

We have discussed the possibility of moving to Japan for a few months.  In that case, maybe I would get a part-time job.  I wonder if Dandy House is hiring.

Check out the absolutely adorable Peanuts-themed luggage.

Alas, the carry-on case I have my eye on would set me back a cool 250 000 yen (roughly $2500) so I think I’ll stick with what I got.

Following a brief stop at the hotel so that Akemi could do her stretches while I started up dating this blog, we headed out for more shopping (Akemi has her eye on some dress which is a big deal as she rarely ever buys herself nice things) and lunch at Sushi Taichi.

But first, a quick stop to check out the Police Museum…

20 pieces of sushi at Sushi Taichi…

Followed by a double chocolate Mannekin pre-dessert…

Followed by dessert at Toshi Yoroizuki…

After heading back to our hotel for a little R&R, we set out once again as Akemi needed dress boots to go along with her new dresses.  She picked them up at the nearby Takashimaya and then we grabbed dinner – oden for her, scallop tempura and soba for me.

We walked the Tokyo Station basement…

Came across this rice gallery that was, unfortunately, closed for the day…

Came across this ice cream shop that features five flavors of sake ice cream…

And finally headed back to the hotel for the night…where we sampled this rich pistachio dessert we purchased at Takashimaya’s Pista & Tokyo…

Sharky, meanwhile, has settled in nicely at his vacation home and is being all sorts of spoiled.  He may went to extend his stay!

 

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