Quick Business Lunches and a Tasty Yakiniku Dinner and Some Scenes From Tokyo

Here are some pictures from our recent trip to Tokyo.  This was the view from our hotel room.


On my first day in town, I got a super quick lunch at a little restaurant (just a small booth) at the bottom of the building in which our Tokyo offices are located.  This is the beauty of Japan - the quality of food served in any old stand or stall in a department store or basement of a mall is superb.

 Neat little chairs and tables and a vending machine, which is how you pay for your meal.   I didn't realize there was a special button you had to hit to get a receipt - and the waiter had to help me unlock the vending machine and "re-order" my meal for me so that I could get one.  Ooops. 

I was not really sure what I was ordering, but I was so hungry that I was willing to try anything.  Plus, like I said above - the beauty of food in Japan is that there is about a 99.9% chance that it will taste good.  It helped that there were pictures next to each item so I could get a good idea.  I ordered a shredded chicken with wild vegetables and rice, over which I then poured a dashi broth (in the little kettle in the upper right hand corner).  It was very good.  The little cup on the side contained a scoop of fresh tofu paired with miso sauce.  I know it sounds a bit odd to eat straight up cold tofu, but it had the creaminess and consistency of a yogurt.

Here is the beautiful bullet train that I boarded, as mentioned in my prior post.  It is cheaper than Amtrak and about 1000x more efficient and clean.

 This is the lovely omakase dinner that Michael and I enjoyed at Nihon Yakiniku Hasegawa Ginza.  I probably would have preferred a more casual yakiniku place with more meat and salads and veggies, rather than this formal set course, but our hotel arranged everything for us and made it easy so I guess I can't complain.  Plus the meat was still good.  I just could have done without these little "frou frou" starter dishes, like the vegetable mousse and the chilled vegetables with crab.

 Dessert was so yummy - soft serve with Japanese mochi paired with rice tea.

 On our last day, I had a chance to grab a quick lunch and do some shopping.  I again went to a restaurant in the basement, this time of our hotel (what can I say, these basement places are awesome for a quick meal!) and this time tried an udon restaurant that looked very popular.

I think I ordered their best dish (a fish sausage tempura udon) because everyone around me was eating the same thing.  The fried tempura coating probably does not make this the healthiest meal, but it was tasty and satisfying.
Sitting amongst these Japanese office workers eating during the peak lunch hour made me feel like I a classic Japanese salarywoman.  It was a fun experience.

Despite being a huge metropolis, Tokyo has tree lined streets and wide avenues and some classic architecture.  It still strikes me as a mish mash of everything but overall it feels pleasant.  We were lucky to be there when the skies were blue and clear.  

Right before leaving for the airport, I managed to squeeze in about an hour of shopping at Mitsukoshi where I was thrilled to discover a children's brand called "Sense of Wonder."  They partner with Liberty Print and make shirts and dresses using the finest Japanese cotton (so light, so breathable) but with the beautiful and distinctive floral prints that Michael and I love.  I went a little bit overboard and bought Lola 3 dresses, a pair of shorts and two pairs of pants.  Then I threw in a pink jinbae (traditional children's kimono top and shorts set), for fun.  The department stores in Tokyo also make it very easy for you as an international shopper - I went to their duty free counter two floors below immediately after making my purchase and got my VAT refund in cash instantaneously.  So rewarding!  Shopping is so much fun!