Tongue Restaurant

I love tongue.

However, I am used to the ultra slim sliced tongue they serve at the Korean BBQ joints back home.

This is not the same. No lemon needed. No sesame oil infused with salt required. Just good old tongue!

We took the train down to Umeda for some shopping and, since I expressed my affair with tongue, a visit to Rikyu was arranged.



If you followed the link for Umeda above, you understand what a major transportation hub it is. The tunnels underneath the station and streets in the area are filled with all sorts of stores - eating, drinking, whatever. Sorry, but you need to go to really understand how vibrant it is.

At the end of one of these subterranean malls is Rikyu.

If a restaurant doesn't have a waiting line, don't expect anything fantastic. The queue is a sign of something good to come. Additionally, if you wait for more than 10 minutes an employee will come out every 5 minutes to apologize for the long wait. And to think how patient I have been to wait for 40 minutes to eat Outback steakhouse...

We did request special seating, so the apologies came twice - in other words a 20 minute wait for something I could wait a life time for...

This is by no means impressive. I think it is beef, maybe even tongue. I have no idea. They brought it out before our order and I ate it - it was delicious.

THIS. Tail soup. This was impressive. Buried in a forest of onion are succulent pieces of beef tail. The broth was delicate. A serious appetite stimulate.

Yamaimo, Dioscorea japonica, shredded and topped with a raw egg. Muddy, melty, ooze ooze - how to describe the texture? Mix it all up and pour in on top of a bowl of rice for a special treat.

Finally, the main dish. Tongue - in all of its glory. No anemic paper thin slices of meat here. No, this was the tongue of a cow - thickly sliced and charcoal grilled over high heat. No sauce required - absolutely impressive. The smudge of green goo on the top right of the plate was some miso pickled jalepeno. The heat of that with the meaty flavor of the tongue will stay with me for a long time. The rice was cooked with barley adding some additional texture to set it apart from your normal bowl of rice. All in all, awesome.

I figure any of the restaurants in the bowels of Umeda would provide some level of satisfaction for sure. However, this was an unexpected treat. If you get a chance, get some.

Nabe

The first home cooked meal in Japan = NABE.

Hot pot, stew, whatever you want to call it, nabe is a very satisfying meal. Easy to prepare, easy to clean up, and delicious. It comes in all styles and flavors, today is fish nabe.

However, while everything is being prepared for the pot, we need something to enjoy the first couple of beers with.

First up: Namako

Served freshly sliced with ponzu and yuzu zest, the almost crunchy texture and briny flavors compliment just about any beer.

Tsukemono... this one has heavy flavors of miso.  Basically pickled daikon. Again, very good with beer - better with shochu (we'll dedicate a post to that later I think).


Next up, the ingredients for the nabe:

The fish liver in the aluminum pan in the top right of the above picture is the prize.  Then again, any of the fish in this picture is a prize if you are coming from midwest USA...

After three meals on an airplane, we were very happy to have so many vegetables in the nabe. Ratio of veggies to fish was about 3 to 1.

Today's nabe was pretty simple - kombu stock (kelp). Let it get up to boiling, take it out, done.

The final picture before assembling all of the ingredients. I love that the houses here have gas outlets with rubber hoses attached. That is how we got the stove to the living room.

It doesn't look like much, but this bowl of fish and vegetables is worth dreaming about.

Bowl after bowl was served until only broth remained. I didn't take a picture, but we added rice and egg to what broth did remain and made a porridge out of it.

You cannot be shy when it comes to eating out of the nabe - if you hesitate, you'll find your self picking out the remains of whatever everyone else didn't already take and having to go buy a snack later alone.

Thoughts while traveling at 186 mph

In my mind travel by train defines transportation in Japan. That and walking, but I can't walk this fast.

The ease of use, clean facilities, punctuality, and professional demeanor of the crew never cease to amaze me.

We rode the Hikari from Tokyo to Kyoto, then local trains to our final destination Ibaraki.

The smooth ride lulls one to relax. The lady selling sandwiches, ice coffee, and beer is always there when you need her. Really, is there  better way to travel?

Look out the window and see the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other.

Dark peaks in the distance covered in bamboo slope down into the sprawl crammed in what little flat space remains until the cemented coast drops into the sea.

Looking forward to finally getting to drop of our luggage so we can start moving around with more ease...

Christmas Eve

After settling into the Prince Hotel, we decided to go celebrate Christmas Eve.

Neither of us knowing the area we wandered until we found an area filled with Izakaya, Pubs, Karaoke Clubs, and more.

The streets are just slightly wider than US alleys, filled with salary men looking for a drink and suit wearing kids trying to convince you their izakaya, pub, karaoke club, etc is where you want to be tonight.

We finally decided on Yakitori (which I had been hoping for all along). 

Entering the store, とり鉄 品川店, smells of grilled meats and vegetables mixed with cigarette smoke and shouts of irasshaimase immediately brought me back to memories of previous visits.

 Shitake mushroom and peppers.

Chicken livers.

Chicken skin, quail eggs, chicken meat balls & raw egg to dip with.

Chicken thighs and more chicken thighs.

All of the above washed down with draft beer.

After dinner, although now having been on the move for 26+ hours, we decided to visit the Top of Shinagawa Prince Court Sky Lounge.

Sitting there, drinking a double of Caol Ila 18 year old , I reflected on my first trip to Japan. Almost exactly 15 years ago ( I believe I arrived Christmas day in 1999), I was broke and clueless. Thanks to my parents and several good friends in Japan, I was able to visit Tokyo, Okazaki, Shizuoka, and Matsumoto. Not speaking any Japanese or knowing anything about Japan, I remember considering sleeping in Ueno Park to 1) save money & 2) because I was tired, lost, and didn't have the means to fix my situation.

Now though, as Yuki and I sit looking across Tokyo (Ueno Park is out there beyond Tokyo Tower which is lit up for the holidays), I'm thankful for how far we've come and look forward to what's next! 

Merry Christmas from Tokyo!

Ready to leave already...

Plenty of gifts... Half of my suitcase and half of Yuki's required...

 Samantha knew something is up. Thanks to the folks for looking after her!

My last meal in the states at Park Tavern. Good food and beer selection - just don't be stupid like me and get a jalapeno sandwich 12 hours before your flight.

It was a cold, rainy and gloomy Monday night. Not the kind of weather you want to deal with after work. Big thanks to Mr. Aoyama for driving us to our hotel.

Introduction

Set this up to share my upcoming trip to Japan. First time back with Yuki in many years. After several three or four day trips to Japan for work, it will be nice to travel for pleasure this time!