My Neighborhood Chinese Restaurant

I rarely list the names of local places because most would either forget the name, or never visit them. The reason for this post is simple - I want people to understand the importance of Chinese cuisine in Japan! A lot of people living here have probably passed by a few dozen local Chinese restaurants one time or another, and have probably never taken the time to stop by one for one reason or another. I think this is a pity since many of them really are pretty good! This picture was taken across the street from Negishi station, and is a true local favorite of this area. Their lunch sets are very reasonably priced - 850yen for an entree, rice,soup, and salad. My two big favorites are tsubuta ( pork stir fried with vegetables), and ebi chili( fried shrimp with a sweet chili sauce).

Girth and Beauty

She's a nice and well aged Jukujo. I love the sepia tones, too. The quads do it for me all the time. I love them plus the hams. And she even has hips and good teeth. A delicious beauty.

The Horses of Cape Shiriya!

The Horses of Cape Shiriya !, originally uploaded by Tony Alexander.

Cape Shiriya is at the most northeasterly point in Honshu, the main island of Japan. The "Kandachime" horses, which originated in Aomori Prefecture, graze here. The horse's name comes from the fact that they stand straight and still throughout the frigid winters of northern Japan, which at times can reach record low temperature of around minus 30 degrees Celsius. These are strong stout horses that become aggressive when they see stranger people walking around. I was chased away trying to get up close to these gorgeous creatures. The sight of the grazing horses set against the lighthouse in the cliffs is a particularly impressive scene, especially during winter.

Tokyo Station Select Bento

Tokyo Station Select Bento, originally uploaded by Tony Alexander.

This was the most expensive bento on display at Tokyo Station, so I purchased it. The key thing to remember about this bento is its theme: Food from all four directions of Japan; sea,mountains,rivers,valleys,. In this bento there's eel(river),mushrooms(mountain),octopus(sea),rice(valley), and so on. And then, the beer, which I take is from heaven. Delicious as hell! Cost me about 1300 yen.

Hippari Dago

Hippari Dago is the name of this "not Tako", originally uploaded by Tony Alexander.

If ever in doubt about what bento to try then eat what the Romans in Japan eat; Hippari Dago! This bento lunch is the signature bento of Kobe city, and is recognized as one of Japan's greatest bento lunches. The contents are spinach, boiled octopus, bamboo, rice, and some mushrooms. These also sell out very quickly! www.awajiya.co.jp/prod/prod_ekiben.htm

Kobe Beef Bento Box

Awhile back, I remember trying this delicious bento. I think it's one of the more popular choices, especially amongst train geeks like myself. There are a few others which I will post a bit later. This Kobe Beef bento box is hard to keep stock as they sell out very quickly. Kobe Beef is a kind of premium grade marbled fatty beef that's extremely expensive. However, there are other notable greats like Yonezawa Beef which is a bit less expensive, but tastes just as good, probably better in my opinion since I like fatty beef. What's interesting is that Kobe Beef is a 100% Japanese creation whereas Yonezawa Beef was brought over from the West by a certain Englishmen who then popularized it and gave it international recognition. It's important to remember that the Japanese have been making premium grade beef long before the West did, in fact Kobe Beef has its origins in Shikoku then it gradually became popularized in Kobe and then recognized all over the world. Nice lunch!

Samurai Tea House

Samurai tea houses are one of my favorite subjects to photograph.

Geso or Fried Squid Legs!

This and chicken karaage(Japanese fried chicken) are two of my main favorites. Either can be enjoyed with beer or Japanese rice wine. Preferable after a nice dip in a hot spring.

Garlic!

There are only two ways to enjoy garlic; deep fried or microwaved. After frying, a sprinkling of salt and miso paste and AWwwesome is the word.

Yosuko's of Mejiro Station

yosuko5, originally uploaded by Tony Alexander.

I would normally never blog about Chinese food because my blog is mainly about Japanese cuisines, onsen, and sake. The reason for choosing to post this is because of the historical relevance of this restaurant, which  has  long historical ties to some members of the Royal Family of Japan, plus my blog is a bit Tenno  centered.


 Prince Naruhito, to be exact, used to frequent this Chinese restaurant back when he was in junior high school, and his favorite dish of all time was and still is ebi-chili.   Not sure if he still comes here or not, but for a fact this restaurant has been a family favorite for many years, possibly decades.


 NHK aired a special on this restaurant two years ago highlighting some of the many delicious cuisines offered.  Luckily for me, I was able to research and save the information from the original program and now, two years later I embarked on a long train ride from Yokohama just last week and finally found this place. Very expensive; delicious food!   Perhaps the finest Chinese food I ever had, and I've eaten Chinese food in China, Taiwan, and in Hong Kong a few times.   A plate this size will cost about 2000 yen( high in price;big on taste; small in portions), which is equivalent to about $25.00 U.S.  I enjoyed the food so much I went back the next day and brought my friend with me. Even my friend loved the taste.


I've always been a big fan of Chinese food made in Japan with Japanese ingredients.   Personally, I think Chinese food made in Japan with Japanese ingredients tastes better in Japan than in China.  I call it Chinese food with a Japanese taste.

Sougen of Ishikawa Prefecture

The way it's pronounced is SO-U-GEN. I chose this sake for tonights blog post because it's an established local favorite of Ishikawa prefecture. It is served cold and it's a daigenjyo, premium grade sake. Another solid point is that, and one that should be considered when trying nihonshu, is the rice being used to make it. Rice lends subtle textures and certain unique regional characteristics to nihonshu that should never go unnoticed. The rice used to make this sake hails from Hyogo prefecture and it's called Yamadanishiki. Actually, yamadanishiki is not exclusively grown in this area, but in many different prefectures. The reason why a brewer may have chosen to grow is own yamadanishiki in this part of Japan probably has more to do with the climate than anything, and because temperature does have an effect on the final product, thus the climate in the southern parts of Hyogo are moderate with little rain, while the cloudy and rainy north receives seasonal winds from Siberia in the wintertime and has a lot of snowfall. Nihonshu that is produced in colder and drier climates yield lighter and more floral scents and aromas. Sougen is the kind of sake that embodies a lot of the flavor characteristics many professionals look for in a great sake. So if in doubt about what to recommend or drink then try this one.

Local Commuter Train Ride in Tohoku

An early misty morning train ride through some of Tohoku's vast and seemingly endless network of rail lines can be a nostalgic experience.　 Looking from my train window I can see remnants of the past; houses, farm lands, and rusty sign boards. The train line I was using is called a 'commuter express,' which is frequented by many commuters from Niigata to Aizu Wakamatsu city in Fukushima Prefecture every morning starting at around 8a.m. The nice thing about this commute is that there're very few people who commute to work by train at this distance, as most people drive their own cars to major cities such as Fukushima in order to work. As a result of fewer people, lots of empty seats are made available so that one may lay down and sleep the whole way during the very comfortable three and a half hour train ride bound for Fukushima. I chose to walk the entire length of the train as it wound itself around miles and miles of railroad while taking pictures. This was of course after I had a nice ekiben(train lunch).

Back In Minato Mirai, Yokohama, Japan

minato mirai2, originally uploaded by Tony Alexander.

After returning to this city after a short vacation I am reminded of the little things I do like most about this city, like 24-hour convenience stores and ATMs. Minato Mirai is located in a city called Yokohama, which was the first major port opened by the West, in Japan and is considered one of the most modern cities in the world. It is also the birthplace of tennis in Japan as well, along with having the Landmark Tower which boasts having the fastest elevators in the world. Minato Mirai city was made for couples and people who just want to take nice long night walks along the promenade while taking in the surrounding beautiful night views. You see, it's a safe city. You never have to worry about getting mugged or held up, or anything like that. Women can walk home safely without fear of being accosted by some stranger. Even the homeless are nice and well mannered as they never beg nor ask for money! It's like a dream city with all the modern conveniences of an Isaac Asmovian type city.

From the picture below you can see another night view taken from a place called Osanbashi Pier which is a real hot spot for couples at night. From this pier one can capture a full 360 degree view of the Port of Yokohama, which in my opinion is priceless.

Shooting pictures from here at night is a photographers heaven. I recommend coming in September or late Autumn. Perfect.

I also recommend the nightly dinner cruises where you can toast the night away while enjoying the harbor views and beyond even to Tokyo if you choose.

There are also many observatory decks around this area, too. People enjoy walking their dogs, and even cats - on leashes. I have seen everything here.

I can't think of any other cities with so many conveniences. Did I mention that the vending machines sell beer? And that drinking beer from a can or a bottle while walking in public is totally legal? In some major cities in North America you can be arrested for drinking out of a bottle while walking around in public. As long as it's being drank from a cup it's fine.

Another nice thing is all the nightly entertainment. The bottom picture displays a ferris wheel spinning next to a roller coaster.

The building off to the left is call World Porters which is famous for having a large variety of stores selling just about anything from all over the world. I especially like this place because of its food court and movie theater on the fifth floor.

A perfect blending of Japanese and Western conveniences.

They also have a very small but nicely stocked wine and cheese selection here too. And if you purchase a bottle of wine they'll open it for you and provide you with drinking glass free of charge. They'll even let you drink it right there in the food court.

Ishikawa Prefecture: Crab Legs!

After finally leaving Gifu the highway condition improved. I was finally able to remove my snowchains and drive my normal 120 k/m an hour. Once we arrived in Ishikawa the first order of business was Ishikawa crab, which a lot of the locals tout as the 'holy grail' of crab in Hokoriku. After trying several of the leg portions I wasn't sold on the 'holy grail' part, but I was finally convinced that Hokkaido offers the best crab for the best price, albiet a little pricey, but neverthless the best in overall terms of taste and size.

Winter Vacation Conti.

Lunch on the first was a nice pork cutlet over at the Alpine Center, which is a major transportation hub for people taking the night bus to and from Nagano and Takayama City. We needed to fuel up for our drive to Kanazawa.

Winter Vacation Part4

On the morning of the first,2009, New Year's morning, just before breakfast, I headed down again the creaky stair case to the annex building. There I found some fantastic ice sickles dangling from the roofs and gutters of the hotel building. Front Entrance Fron inside the building

Winter Vacation Part 3

At dinner, I was thinking about what would be a good time to enter the open air bath. Normally, on a weekend, when it’s the most crowded, I wait until after midnight. That’s of course if the open air bath is available for 24 hours, in which case it was for this hotel, so with that in mind I was able to take my time and enjoy the delicious spread that was in front of me. First, there was the Hide Beef sashimi in picture one, which had a very interesting texture to it; smooth, beefy and wonderfully fatty. In the second picture in the green bowl is the raw nose flesh of a salmon which is regarded as rare and full of collagen. As for taste, well, to each his/her own. It was a bit crunchy and tasty. The third picture we have a classic winter dish neatly garnished with seasonal delights like salmon, lotus root, and a young potatoe in the shape of a mushroom. The entire course menu which consisted of six dishes was delicious as was the jizake which is called "Tenriyo," and is a seasonal sake that came highly recommended. Awesome taste!

Soon after midnight fell upon us I slowly slid out of bed, grabbed my camera bag and sake and headed down to the bath. Walking down the hallway as quickly as possible trying to avoid being noticed and old man was leaving the changing room. We nodded our heads in a gesture of respect toward each other and then quickly he scurried off to his room. Now was my chance. I was alone in the dressing room, not a robe or a slipper in sight. I quickly got undressed, arranged my tri-pod and camera and dashed to the outdoor bath. I think the temperature that night was 7 below zero. I was dancing around naked trying to fidget around with the camera’s settings; slow shutter, timing, DOF, and so on. Finally, found the best setting and took the shop. By the time my whole body was shivering then I quickly jumped into the water to regain myself:

Winter Vacations Diary

I'd like to continue from the 31. So, after check out we headed up to Takayama City to enjoy some fantastic Gifu beef, then headed back to Hirayu onsen for check-in.. The drive back through Gifu's icy roads on summer tires was a heart pounding experience for me, you see, I'm from Southern California, so this is not my kind of weather.

At any rate, things worked out well and we made it back safely. We were allowed to check-in 30 minutes early, which was good cause' I needed to freshen up a bit before dinner and I needed a little more time to whined down. Also, for me, whenever I check\in to a hotel I like to reserve the private bath since there are usually no people, and it's nice too because you can enjoy the person you're with.

On that day, the 31^st of December, there were so many people, families, friends, lovers – full occupancy that night. I have a slight aversion to being around so many people. There's a common belief that an onsen should be enjoyed with other people and that you should socialize and chat the night away. While all of this may sound good often times a person misses out on the real purpose of being in an onsen.

The water, the surrounding nature, the sounds, and quiet solitude that I find to be the most memorable experience for me. It's the water I remember the most, not the stranger I just met.

I am there because I want to get away from people and enjoy my time with someone special. I think many people forget this and wonder why they haven't fully relaxed and enjoyed themselves, it's because they had gotten so worked up chatting the experience away. I guess everybody is different.

Just about every night I had a delicious steak. Before dinner it's always nice to take a dip first, drink beer or nihonshu second then eat something really nice.   Dinner was excellent! The beautiful taste of nihonshu buried in white powdery snow.