Looks delish!!!
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Ain’t gourmet. But, hits certain spots. In good ways.
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That’s what I love about eating in Japan. You are totally clueless and hungry, meander into any spot, and almost always get good food and beer. At least that’s our experience.
Edited to add: didn’t mean to suggest that you @Google_Gourmet are clueless. WE were clueless trying to find anything specific. 
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So very true!
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Hotel breakfast again. Saba (Mackerel) was today’s FOD. Added chilled tofu w/Katsuobushi (Bonito flakes) and Miso Soup.
Subway’d to Shin Osaka Shinkansen (Bullet Train) station to reserve tickets to Nagoya. The Bento Box displays were mind boggling! Must be at least a couple hundred shops and outlets tempting the riders with simple to full on Kobe Beef boxes.
Ain’t getting nachos w/plastic cheeze or 99c hot dogs at this 7-11. Thank heaven!!
Wish our Shinkansen ride to Nagoya was longer so we can bring more goodies.
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Many food options walking back to hotel. Warrens under train overpasses are usually a treasure trove of good eats. This signage drew us in.
No English menu. Lovely server spoke NO English. Good for me, pics of beer on menu. Ordering cold sake for wife was…. not so easy. Server understood sake, but not cold. Folding our arms to our chests and shivering didn’t work. iPhone translator did.
Folks around us all having the lunch special. ¥700 with free refills of rice, udon, cabbage and cod roe.
Tonkatsu (Pork Cutlet) for me, Fried Chicken for she.
Udon was a nice change from wife’s ramen FIXATION.
Admittedly, not a big roe lover. I enjoy Ikura and tobiko in smaller quantities. This Tarako (Salted Cod Cod) was mind opening, for the both of us. With fresh white rice, heavenly!!
I hesitate to add this, but this was the deal maker that drew us into this store.
Basashi. Horse Sashimi. The meat was so sweet and almost velvety. A must have treat for us whenever we are in Japan.
Delicious lunch. Only regret? Too full to avail ourselves of the complimentary refills, especially the Tarako w/rice. I could make a meal with just that, and maybe an Asahi or three.
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Interesting. There are special horse shops here in France, I only had a few times, and never sashimi.
Oh, communication with google translate is a must, we survived in Korea like this. People even typed back answers.
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I recall seeing horse on a menu or two in France (Nice?), yet to try. Above our pay grade at the time.
Did sample grilled donkey skewers in Beijing. Was ok for novelty, but would definitely have benefited from a different prep.
Poisonous Puffer Fish. FUGU-LICIOUS!!
Sake the drink of choice. Fugu Fin steeped Sake in traditional wooden caddy.
Paper thin Fugu Sashimi, clean sweet taste with a delicate bounce. Fugu skin in a citrusy soy dressing. A bit rubbery.
Fried parts. Lightly coated pieces with delicate morsels. Yam and a nicely spicy 
Shisito good complements.
Next up: table grill. Definitely a Nose to Tail dinner. Recognized some stomach, intestines and bladder? Very nice.
Nabe with Fugu. Shitake, Napa Cabbage, Leek, Green Onion, Tofu and Noodle.
The “pot” was a Parchment lined Wicker with a metal Disc. The disc generates the heat from the Induction source. Great presentation. Gelatinous cubes added for body and Gold Flakes…just because??
The stock is then made into a Congee, a hand whipped thickened Egg Yolk is extruded into the pot thru a slotted spoon. Excellent theater and delicious with the elements of the fish and vegetables.
Lemon 
Sorbet and a Mochi-esque Ice Cream with Green Tea to finish a truly epic meal.
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Wow looks amazing. With a hint of danger? Curious if you experienced any tingling when eating the fugu sashimi?
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No tingling, only ephedrine high from drinking flaming fugu fin sake?!
We’d brought home fin before, need to do the flame next time to expose the essence. Also, I’m a closet pyro. 
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This has me wishing I was back in Japan! I spent just a few days there but ran into one great meal after another. One of my favorite spots was a Donburi chain place called Yoshinoya opposite the Matsuya Ginza. Nothing fancy, just great bowls of beef and rice. And cheap too!
Another favorite Gyudon place was the Tsukiji Donburi Ichiba in front of the old seafood auction area. It was a bit better and had dishes Yoshinoya did not have but it was 2 to 3 times as expensive, too.
I miss Japanese food!
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No shite!! Wander by this place early this morning. Walked by a few times before we screwed up the fortitude to venture in. English menu? Haha.
Noodle master could not have been more cool. Tried to decyher the wall menu but with 7 max standing counter spots, pressure on.
Did the Meg Ryan thing. I’ll have what SHE IS having!!!
Udon on! Spied the tray of Soba. Sumimasen, Soba also!! My pronunciation of “soba” pretty darn good.
Game on!
FOMO (fear of missing out) kicked in. Side eyed folks having “supplements” left and right. Using the universal language of pointing and looking hungry, we SCORED!!!
$3.59 for a meal I will always treasure. Priceless!!
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Gotta say that any RTW food-centric trip needs to build in more time for Japan.
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Next stop: Nagoya.
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Missing Japanese food on a RTW trip is just not on, so I have been looking at the price of flights from Denapasar to Tokyo and then on to Bangkok instead of traveling up through Singapore like I had originally planned. DPS to Narita is just $300US in February. Narita to BKK is just $300US a week or so later.
Problem with that is that there are places I want to go to in Singapore and Malaysia. Guess I can take a train from Hua Hin to Malaysia…
Now I have to go check and see what the price of a flight from Singapore or KL to Istanbul would be.
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That’s a great price!! We confirmed flight to Tokyo for February at multiples of that. This was before news of relaxation of inbound restrictions.
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Does anyone remember Air Asia? We used them to puddle jump our way around SE Asia using Bangkok as our hub (and bought carbon offsets to allay my guilt). Man, those were some cheap flights.
Edited to add: they still exist! I didn’t know.
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Puddle jumping from BKK, sounds great!! We’re hoping to do that using Taiwan as a base. After air fares settle down.
Intra Asia fares spiked considerably last few days since Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan relaxed.
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All you can tarako? Sweet as!
By the way, the name of that horse meat place was “nekketsu tarou,” or “hot-blooded Taro” (熱血太郎), if you wanted to return.
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