A Taste of Tokyo

Okay, so maybe it was more than a taste. Maybe I ate EVERYTHING in Tokyo last week. It was just so darn delicious!  Most people know about the sushi, many are familiar with the noodles, but OMG, the baked goods.  Japan has a magic method for creating textures and unique flavors into puffy, creamy, little adorable snacks.  So, 100-200 yen at a time, Isla and I snacked our way through the city. I’m pretty sure my breastmilk was pure sugar for a few days as a result, so Monroe got to partake slightly.  Let’s start from the beginning, with photos of course:

When I found out Nate had a business trip to Toyko over our anniversary, I decided we should tag along.  As forewarned, Nate worked A LOT, but that didn't stop us from having some fun.  I packed up only the necessities to travel light, strapped Monroe onto me in the Ergo, and popped Isla into the stroller and onto the subway we went!

Day 1

What We Did:
We checked out "old world Japan" in the Asakusa district.  The main site in this area is the Senso-ji temple and then sprouting out in all directions from that temple are streets filled with neat markets and japanese pub food stalls.  A 15 minute walk west of the temple is a street called Kappabashi which is home to 50+ restaurant supply stores. These stores contain everything ranging from tea sets to serving platters to fine china to take-away boxes, and two stores even sell the plastic food that is displayed in restaurant windows all over Japan.

What We Ate:
For lunch, we found a cozy tiny pub on Hoppy Street in Asakusa. I knew it would be awesome because no one understood a word I was saying. I didn't think I ordered a beer, but they brought me one (oh well!)

I managed to order Isla a plate of edamame and french fries so she was in heaven. I lucked out in correctly ordering a bowl of raw tuna and some spicy ramen. Lunch was a shining success until I had to figure out how to take Isla to go pee in the 2 foot by 2 foot toilet room while holding Monroe and both the kids desperately trying to push all the special buttons on the Japanese toilet. (You know - the button for a little butt spray, the button for a huge butt spray, the button that says "privacy" and then plays outrageously loud bird noises for when you take a noisy crap?)  So yeah, by the end of that, we were all sprayed with something once or twice!  We repeated this experience at least 1-2 times daily.

Dinner was also comical. I  was trying to find very local places and stumbled into an ally where there was a tiny restaurant with a little patio out front and a 2 person table on it. I pointed and asked the waitress if we could sit there.  She giggled and said okay, then asked me, "fish cooked for you?"  Feeling brave, I replied, "nope, do not cook please!" We conversed enough that I understood I ordered "fish of today raw" and I was pretty sure I got Isla a plate of rice. As the 15-seater restaurant filled up, I started to understand why everyone who worked there kept giggling at us. This was clearly not a place where females ate.  I peered inside to find only men, all in suits, all eating sushi, smoking, and pounding sake. Sitting on the porch outside, it was like looking through a window into a movie set with all these guys laughing, yelling back and forth in Japanese.  After spying on the good ole' boys club for a while, we called it a night.

Backing up to the snacks though!  On this particular day, the snacks included a fish-shaped baked pocket filled with deliciously creamy sweet potato. Then I came across a mochi stand selling all kinds of flavors that were just as beautiful as they were tasty.  At the mochi guy's recommendation, I went with the traditional red bean paste mochi and threw in a bonus mango one to share with Nate later.  I don't even understand what the ingredients are or how mochi came to be a thing, but I sure am glad it is!

Day 2

What We Did:
Next, we explored Harajuku, a district famous for being the height of teen fashion.  What I quickly learned in walking along the main shopping drag, Takeshita Dori, is that Japanese teens seem to have the exact same taste as my 3 year old - glitter, lace, rainbows, unicorns, cats, and pink!  What’s more, I’m pretty sure Japanese teens must subsist on mostly sugar and air. In between clothes and candy stores, there are tons of stalls selling fluffy sticks of chocolate, massive rainbow cotton candies and crepes filled with ice cream and sprinkles. (Don't mind if I do!)

Next, we threw in some history with a visit to the Meiji Shrine and then went off to find an animal cafe.

Generally speaking, animal cafes are super popular in Tokyo and are exactly as the name would suggest - a little coffee shop where you sit amongst animals and get to interact with them while you drink your coffee or tea. First I tried a cat cafe, then a bunny cafe.  I was told guests needed to be 13 to enter.  Boooo!  I laughed at this later when I realized this meant there is an entire market of adults that pay to enter a coffee shop without kids so that cats can come rub up against their legs.  Our persistence paid off when I found the gem of Harajuku, a hedgehog cafe! I drank a coffee while we fed hedgehogs dried maggots with tweezers. I kept thinking this practice must violate some health protocol...but who cares, it was awesome.  I think it was this day that Isla asked me if we were going to move to “Gapan” and live on this holiday forever.  Sorry darling, no, but maybe we can buy you a hedgehog for Christmas.

What We Ate:
We kicked off the morning with a green fluffy bun that tastes like a flower and ate it at a temple right next to the hotel, which we just referred to as “Elsa’s castle” for the whole trip.  Next, we couldn’t pass up the triple layer sugar heart candies in Takeshita Dori. We also couldn’t resist the massive rainbow cotton candy 5 minutes after that either. When we got to the train station to leave Harajuku, we hadn’t eaten a snack in about 45 minutes, and these Danish baked sticks filled with cream at the station seemed like just the right thing!  Later, Nate joined us for dinner where we had beef udon noodles and a variety of fried skewers, ranging from eggplant to squid with some dynamite dipping sauce. I also tried a sake and soda cocktail which was pretty decent!

Day 3

What We Did: 
It was rainy and cloudy for he first two days and when the sun came out on this morning, I realized I’d forgotten to pack a hat for Monroe who is still too young to wear sunscreen, so I called an audible on our planned itinerary and we went shopping in Ginza. Ginza is Tokyo’s “5th Avenue” but I was able to pass by Gucci and Fendi and Louis Vuitton and find The Gap. Lame, I know, but I got he baby a hat without breaking the bank.  I exited the Gap and glanced across the street when something magical caught my eye...I felt my heart start beating faster with excitement (or maybe that’s a clogged artery?) and as I crossed the street, I became sure that the word I thought I saw did indeed read, “Manneken.”  I shrieked with joy and almost lost control of the stroller!  Outside of Belgium, the only place that has ever measured up to such quality of waffles is Japan. We discovered and fell in love with Manneken in Kyoto late last year.  I didn’t hesitate in buying 2 waffles and just handed one to Isla without saying anything . She cautiously took a bite and the looked up at me with a smile as if I had told her Minnie Mouse was moving in with us.  That moment was briefly shattered when a massive stupid pigeon then landed on Isla’s lap and tried to take the waffle. We both screamed she kicked the moron bird while I gave it a swift punch to the face. (Much to my surprise, he didn't even move in time, so I actually punched a bird in the face!) Then we bought two extra waffles as insurance in case the bird struck again. We then wandered the side streets of Ginza, I did a tea tasting, then felt I needed to wash the tea taste out of my mouth by purchasing a gourmet coffee. The coffee was from a neat brewing cafe that also appeared to only allow men in suits.  Just 3 girls out on the town, punching birds and challenging gender norms in Japan...

For the afternoon, I decided to get a bit bolder and go to Yanaka, a town that feels much more rural with its wooden two story structures, skinny ally ways, and lack of English anywhere.  I had a goal destination of a market I'd read about in mind, but the journey there turned out to be just as interesting. GoogleMaps was only moderately helpful, and then, it took quite a bit of wandering and some attempts at conversation with people on the street to find my way.  It took about 30 minutes, but we eventually found the narrow, quaint market and really enjoyed window shopping and a bit actual shopping...and some snacking, naturally.

What We Ate:
Have I mentioned the Belgian waffles?  I also learned that Japan has phenomenal tomatoes (how does this county do it?!)  We ate a bucket of tomatoes for a healthy break between desserts. I got some street sushi for lunch and then the Yanaka snacks included what I will call, "baked flavor sticks." They were the shape of an Olive Garden breadsticks, but a little crunchier on the outside and then contained a variety of tasty fillings.  I got the chocolate chip one and it did not dissappoint.  The final item on my wish list for this day was to find the tiny shop I read about that sells manju, sweet dumplings with filling.  I searched all the streets surrounding the market until I spotted it - the manju shop!  They sold packs of 10 of these things for the equivalent of $1.60 US.  Since I couldn't understand the names of the flavors in Japanese, I thought it best to get one pack of each color.  After the kids went to bed this night, Nate and I had a wine and manju party in the bathroom. After 11 years of marriage, we know how to keep it classy!

Day 4

What we ALL did: 
And just like that, it was Saturday!  Nate joined us for some crucial Tokyo excursions!  First up was the Tsukiji Fish Market.  This is the market where hundreds of tuna bigger than most humans get laid across the warehouse floor and auctioned off to restaurants at 5:00am.  The restaurant buyers come each day to select all of their fresh seafood (tuna and tons of other freshly caught sea creatures).  By 10:00am, tourists are allowed to walk through the inner market. The outer market is made up of tons of food stalls and mini-restaurants that consist only of sushi-counters. We managed to get Isla excited to sit at a sushi counter by offering her a pack of gummy bears, so, much to our surprise, we enjoyed a sushi-counter breakfast with both kids.

Next, we went to check out Akihabara, the comics / animation and electronics neighborhood.  I'll just say it - I felt completely out of my element walking these streets.  I don't even know if I'd recognize popular American comics, let alone Japanese ones.  Most characters had a common theme though - animated sexy female ninjas with light to medium blue hair and massive boobs.  We strolled, we looked, we giggled.  Then we got back on the train and headed to a nice park in Shinjuku for the afternoon.

This day was our actual anniversary, so we made sure to find a great sushi restaurant for dinner. We pointed to the pictures on the menu, ordered way too many things, and then ate them all.  I only regretted eating one sushi piece that tasted like an explosion of dirty fish intestines wrapped in seaweed.  That piece of sushi may forever haunt me. It was bad.  Really bad.  But all 47 other pieces were delicious and this meal was a great finale for our trip!

What We Ate:  
As mentioned, we ate ALL the sushi...a few times.  We found some killer artisan coffee and got flat whites there...twice. Other treats of the day included a shrimp and onion patty on a skewer, strawberry-filled mochi, "grilled cheese" rice balls, and finally, in the Akihabara train station, more Belgian waffles from Manneken!