After a couple weekends of sticking around town doing all those responsible grownup things (Jesse's first Japanese Haircut! Woot Woot) we were itching to get out of town and explore somewhere new to us. Woke up Saturday morning to ponder important life questions: nature or city? City won out and within an hour a last minute hotel was booked, backpack filled with supplies and we were on the train headed south to Tokyo!
We got to our first neighborhood destination right at lunch time. We've been collecting recommendations from just about everyone and walked into a friend's favorite restaurant in Shinjuku. We sat at the counter and excitedly were offered an English Menu. Our menu decoding skills are a work in progress, but it's definitely nice to take a break from the language translating/googling and relax and just enjoy the food.
Apparently while I was in the ladies room the chef asked Jesse if it was okay. Not fully understanding what he was asking Jesse said yes of course! He then proceeded to take the still wiggling in his hands shrimp, break them in half, then dredge ALL THE PARTS in batter for frying. The waitress brought us condiments and gave us tips on which sauces and salts to use with which pieces. She made sure to let us know that when shrimp are super duper fresh, like in this case as they were pulled alive from the tank next to the counter, you can eat all the parts, it's good that way.
Apparently while I was in the ladies room the chef asked Jesse if it was okay. Not fully understanding what he was asking Jesse said yes of course! He then proceeded to take the still wiggling in his hands shrimp, break them in half, then dredge ALL THE PARTS in batter for frying. The waitress brought us condiments and gave us tips on which sauces and salts to use with which pieces. She made sure to let us know that when shrimp are super duper fresh, like in this case as they were pulled alive from the tank next to the counter, you can eat all the parts, it's good that way.
Among Jesse's Coworker friends there is a tradition of a Food Challenge. One in which they order interesting things to see if they can get the newby to taste. Normal cuisine like all sorts of fish, but also more extreme foods like raw horse and raw chicken. Oh and there was that one time they dared a college to eat the chunk of fat that is supposed to be used for greasing down the grill, not eaten. He did it.
I have declared myself a non participatory bystander at these events, but today I decided to take on my first food challenge. The beautiful tempura fried fish came onto our plates, complete with tentacles and tails. I said no face and tentacles (which Jesse declared delicious) but quickly scarfed down the tail section. It was fine. Crunchy. Nothing horrible but not something I would seek out to order.
I have declared myself a non participatory bystander at these events, but today I decided to take on my first food challenge. The beautiful tempura fried fish came onto our plates, complete with tentacles and tails. I said no face and tentacles (which Jesse declared delicious) but quickly scarfed down the tail section. It was fine. Crunchy. Nothing horrible but not something I would seek out to order.
Clams in the Miso Soup- Yum! Bundle of tiny itty bitty fishies all fried up in one delicious bundle- Double Yum! We thoroughly enjoyed all the beautiful fish (even those that wiggled) watching everyone's meals get prepared in front of us and the tasty, tasty condiments! So much did we enjoy these condiments and we bought some! Japanese Salt which tastes like the most wonderful combination of salt and wasabi- tart with a kick at the end. Since getting home I've added to eggs. veggies and rice. I see many more bottles of this in our future!
With full bellies we began wandering around the neighborhood. Shinjuku is one of the busiest neighborhoods in Tokyo. Known for it's flashy lights and variety of shops, it's a big draw for tourists. The architects have fully embraced this busy neighborhood- glitzy out the buildings with shiny lights (music loudly playing in the street!) and awesome sculptures.
Sculptures tucked into plaza, the side of buildings and even on top of buildings. Walking through the different streets, trying to avoid bumping into all the crowds of people, finding hidden treasures everywhere.
As we wandered we had a plan to head generally towards our hotel to drop off our backpack so we could continue our wandering with less on our backs. Imagine our surprise when a familiar sculpture turned out balance precariously halfway up our building. #bestsurprisehotelbookingever
a quick break in the glorious AC (the #curseofJesse continues) and we're back on the streets. A quick metro ride to Shinjuku Garden and another glorious piece of nature carved among the busy city streets.
These trees sprouts roots up from the ground, reaching towards the sky like stalagmites from a cave. A beautiful meadow filled with these fragile roots.
Our view from the 20th floor. A much needed AC break and shower before we walked to another recommended spot- one of the few places that survived the firebombings of WW2. Old houses crowded on narrow streets. Many turned into tiny bars seating 10 folks each. We're quickly discovering that it's the tiny locations that serve the best food. Wandering through alleys, peering in windows before settling on a location.
Tasting local(ish) booze and people watching. Creeping up the narrow staircase to find the "bathroom" perched on the top stair. Wondering about the stories these walls have heard.
Still on the hunt for good coffee in Utsunomiya, grateful for all the shops in Tokyo. Fueled up and ready for another day and another neighborhood.
Asakusa has this great park along river, looking across to see iconic Tokyo skyscrapers. Fun Fact: the gold building is one of the local brewers. It's supposed to represent a can of bear. The gold part poking out? Folks refer to that as the Golden Turd #designfail
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More beautiful shrines, more amazing architecture, more tourists ambling slowly in the midst of our paths. Choosing to venture down the side streets instead of the main drag, finding quieter corners to capture these moments and this new to us culture.
Tokyo, thanks for a Roaring good time! We'll be back soon.