tokyo-osaka

Satoshi wanted to research some things for an upcoming tour, so on Friday, we headed to Osaka

This building, Osaka Shochikuza was slated to be torn down, but many people protested and has been saved!

We stumbled on this cute 3D screen right across of the big crab in Dotombori.

so much sensory overload...and tons of people...

we needed to wake up early for the reason we were here...will post about it tomorrow.

Osaka Teikoku Hotel

2-8-17 Nishi Shinsaibashi

Chuo, Osaka

toranoko

We’ve passed by Toranoko many times, but only got to try them the other day

I ordered their lu rou fan…980 yen (tax included)

This was tasty but I wished it wasn’t swimming in the gravy

Thank goodness for a spoon

I didn’t think the spicy bean sprouts matched with this dish

Satoshi ordered the kikurage (wood ear) with pork & veggies…980 yen (tax included) (no photo)

and an order of gyoza…580 yen (tax included) (no photo)

His lunch also came with a slice of tofu and that same spicy bean sprout 

Both our lunches came with a little bowl of soup that had no flavor

The gyoza did not pass gyoza snob's criteria...the wrappers were too thick

Not sure if we’ll come back but we were glad we tried this place

Toranoko

2-1-4 Shinkamata

Ota, Tokyo

Hours: 11:00-23:00

tokyo metlocker plus

You probably already know about this, but I recently learned about these lockers that will send your luggage to your hotel

The lockers are located in several metro stations around Tokyo.

Apparently if you put your luggage in these lockers by 14:00, they will be delivered to your hotel by about 19:00 the same day

I think this would be good to use if you land in Tokyo too early for check-in and don't want to lug your bags around

For more info, please check out their site

this and that

tried 7-eleven's chocolate strawberry smoothie...love!
 

more chocolate than strawberry, would get it again

chinese peony season!

glad that the other 2 bloomed

that krazy lady from across the street was "cleaning" our planters...hoping she didn't pull out any of the plants

Tried Asahi's Mirai no Lemon Sour, previously we tried the original and non-sweetened version, and recently, they came out with a strong version that is a limited edition

This one is sweetened and still has the fresh lemon slice in the can, but instead of 5% alcohol it is 7%

I hope they come out with an unsweetened version of this too

Weather is so wonky, rainy and cold (fahreezing) one day, blazing and a little "h" the next...

Okinawa started their rainy season, almost two weeks early!

I tried the Kaka'ako Nutty bowl from Lanikai Juice...1090 yen (tax included)

This one had an acai base, pistachio paste, mixed nuts and coconut chips

I enjoyed this one and am glad I tried it, would get this one again 

I recently bought some chocolates from Lindt, they have a thing called "Pick & Mix", of course they give you a BIG bag, so that you take a lot, then they weigh it and you pay.

I picked all the ones with dark chocolate and also added some that I had not seen before

this amount was 2117 yen (tax included)

Kashiwa mochi for Children's Day or what we grew up knowing as Boy's Day

Okuniya had yomogi filled with chunky sweet bean paste and one filled with chestnut and smooth bean paste...delicious!

Chirashizushi also to celebrate the day

and we reconnected with the koinobori (carp) that is made by elementary students in our area and hung over the Nomi river.

Our area is often used for J-drama locations, this bike shop is currently being used in "Gift" 

Love it when I can use the points from a point card to pay for stuff...this bag of dish detergent was only 44 yen because I had points to pay for the rest...whoo!

Have a safe weekend.

bruh

so the knobs on the closet doors in our apartment entry way are old

dunno if it is as old as the building (40+) but they are old

and because they are plastic, well, they were already cracked when we moved in

the other day, when I opened my closet door, part of the base cracked off 

so I removed it and took it to the DIY shop to find another knob

I found one, but not the same color as the door

my plan is that whenever we move, I put back the cracked knobs on the closet door, and take the knobs that I bought with us...

I wiped the door, but the ring doesn't come off...boo!

and guess what?! "someone" still hasn't noticed that I changed the knobs..ha!

goto

Finally tried Goto, a monjayaki/okonomiyaki/teppanyaki shop. 

We always pass this place, but never have tried them because they aren't open for lunch on Saturdays and open late for lunch on Sundays
 

Let Satoshi do the cooking again...look at that concentration!

Seafood yakisoba

And beef kim chee tenkasu (tempura bits) okonomiyaki 

Everything was delicious...chef did a good job

Total for dinner was 3250 yen (tax included)

I was telling him that when we lived in Kansai, the okonomiyaki, yakisoba was always cooked for us

Satoshi said that growing up, they always had to cook it themselves.

I told him, since we've been in Kanto, we've had to cook it ourselves, so I hadn't known that Satoshi could cook these dishes...so he's in charge the next time we eat at places like this...

Dunno if we'll be back, but glad we tried them.

Goto

7-52-10 Nishikamata

Ota, Tokyo

Closed: Tuesdays

Hours: 16:00-23:00 (Mondays, Wednesdays-Saturdays), 12:00-23:00 (Sundays)

cafe ciel

A new cafe opened in the space that Colombia was in, Cafe Ciel

The new owners got rid of the booth type of seating and replaced it with tables and chairs

They do have free wi-fi, which is nice

The big screen isn't a television, but a big board that shows slides of weather and some news 

I ordered the napolitan, and ordered it with an iced coffee…1000 yen plus tax

This had way too much sauce/ketchup…blah

The iced coffee was delicious

Satoshi ordered the daily hamburg and ordered it with a hot coffee…1000 yen plus tax 

Satoshi‘s patty was so teeny, in fact, when his food came out, his first words was "kawaii"

They also have karaage (fried chicken) or curry as lunch choices

They don't have small/light items on their menu like sandwiches or desserts, so I'm not too sure how this cafe will fare

We don't know if we'll be back but wish them all the best of luck

Cafe Ciel

7-16-1 Nishikamata

Ota, Tokyo

Closed: Sundays & Holidays

Hours: 10:00-20:00