NW Montana is too cold so I flew into Narita on my way to Cebu and then Palawan. I usually do a lot of walking and even more eating in Tokyo. That does not seem to be changing…
There is something oddly comforting about revisiting a foreign city that has good memories and Tokyo is one of those for me. From the older gentleman bowing and repeating Konnichiwa to us as we arrive to the friendly team at the Airport bus platform, it is just familiar and welcome.
Drove by Disney Tokyo and failed to get the phone out fast enough to get a shot of their light show. Nothing spectacular by Tokyo standards but nice. One of the things about Tokyo I enjoy are the sky bridges and elevated rail systems. Most American cities are boringly 2 dimensional. Tokyo is 3 dimensional. Roads go where they need to be, disregarding height and air rights in a way that is almost, though not quite, reminiscent of the Jetsons.
Bus dropped me at Tokyo Station and it is just an 8 or 9 minute walk to Hotel Intergate Kyobashi. Small, simple newer place. Very friendly and nice. Tiny rooms but a nice shower. Hit the bed and FELL OUT!! Woke 9 hours later still groggy but refreshed.
Love the kadomatsu displays of bamboo for New Years! Thank you Tokushima Cook for letting me know what they are called!
I hope i spelled it correctly.
Immediately hit Tully’s coffee for the drink I never remember the name of and a small tiramisu. Royal Cream Tea? Royal Milk Tea? Not sure, but I enjoy it every time I have it. It is like desert in a mug. Add a tiramisu for sweetness overload. Nothing succeeds like excess sugar.
Then it was a walk around the station so that I could wait long enough for the Hoshino SouffleDoria to become available at 11am. Funky dish, white rice with ketchup, ham and beaten egg whites (?) but it is delicious! The coffee is fairly good, not great. There is something about both Tully’s and Hoshino. Neither is really great at what they do but they are consistently good, and that is good enough.
Dinner was at another Google_Gourmet reco, Torikizoku Yakitori up on the 8th floor of a nondescript building near the Nihombashi Takashimaya department store, a place that is worth a book all on its own… But the yakitori was good and the recommended highball was outstanding. Odd how some trips are remembered in part due to Aperol Spritz, some to Pisco Sours, this may be my Whiskey Highball vacation. Never had one, they are pretty darned tasty! Had the edamame, boiled eggs and the pickled cucumber which is a favorite of mine plus the fried gristle and the chicken thighs with leeks. All good but the cucumber and the thighs were outstanding.
Staggered home a bit, December winds making the walk south a bit frosty. Large numbers of locals with the odd tourist mixed in, most pushing a wheeled steamer trunk of sorts.
The next day was a quick set of errands followed by a return to Ichiran Shimbashi, one of my favorites from last year. Followed my now standard technique of ordering whatever is at the top left of the ordering machine, not sure if that was Google Gourmet or Tokushima Cook who recommended that technique to me, but in the absence of a recommendation, ordering what the house thinks is there strong suit seems to work.
I ordered it with spicier sauce and softer noodles, but it was not that spicy and the noodles were still slightly al dente. I wonder how much those order sheets are followed by the chef?
But the beer was cold and the extra soft boiled egg was nicely jammy. The wait was slightly claustrophobic in that spiraling stairway but the line moved fairly quickly.
I liked the wooden notes to the server. One of the ones i did not turn over was “It is too noisy in here!” Not sure what the server is supposed to do about that…
Then I just walked around the downtown part of Tokyo, mostly Ginza but Kyobashi and Shimbashi as well. What a great city!
An incredible number of high end cars, plus the odd Morris Mini or the English 3 wheeled car that Top Gear had so much fun wrecking. The Reliant?
Right hand drivers seat means old English cars are pretty popular here, apparently.
I love this city.