typhoon effects

So, it looks like for now, the typhoons (in Japan) have stopped.

The temps have dropped about 10 degrees...whoo.

The overcast skies are a bit dreary though.

One thing I've learned is that typhoons "spin" counter-clock wise (if I am not mistaken so do hurricanes)...

Anything to the east (right side) of the typhoon's eye, will get super high winds.

Which is why earlier in the month, we got all that krazy wind.

And why Osaka got all that krazy wind the month before.

One of the sad effects is that the typhoon brought salty wind and water from the ocean inland.

The weather dude said that most of the gingko trees and sakura (cherry) trees are half brown from all that salty wind and water.

Dunno if these trees will turn color for Autumn because they look dried out.

Crossing my fingers that they will change color and that the trees themselves will not die from all that salt.

Hopefully I'll have beautiful Fall foliage to show you in the coming weeks.

oomasari

Living in Tokyo, we are next door neighbors to Chiba prefecture.

Which means that we are able to get fresh peanuts from there.

The price of peanuts from Chiba are a bit pricey but I like that we can get fresh types.

Most that I'd seen in Osaka were already roasted to protect them from spoilage.

Also most of the reasonably priced types are from China.

The first thing I noticed about these peanuts were that they were HUGE

On the package it says that the variety is called "oomasari".

Apparently it is a hybrid of the "Nakate Yutaka" and "Jenkins Jumbo".

I am assuming that "Nakate Yutaka" is the name of the founder of this special peanut variety.

To prepare these peanuts I used this easy recipe.

The peanuts inside are almost 1 inch in length.

They are a little sweet.

Since they apparently do not last very long, I froze some for us to eat during the winter.

I'm glad we got to try this variety.

nunotsunesarashina

It was our first time having cold soba with a thick dipping sauce in Tokyo.

We were shocked by this huge bowl of tsuyu (sauce) that I received. (In Osaka, usually tsuyu is served in a cup and isn't so thick)

It was like they poured it straight out of the bottle...so thick, so black.

Talk about culture shock.

Even though I was served grated daikon, I refused to put it straight into that thick, black tsuyu and ended up eating most of my soba without tsuyu.

Dunno if we'll be back, but I'm glad I experienced Kanto style soba.

Nunotsunesarashina
3-18-8 Minami-ooi
Shinagawa, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3761.7373
Closed Sundays
Hours: 11:30-15:00, 17:00-20:00

pelican

There is a bakery I have had bookmarked for awhile now...Pelican.

They only make rolls and loaves of bread.

On the day that I went, it was quite late in the day and I expected them to be sold out.

Luckily, they had both loaves of bread and rolls.

I chose their medium sized rolls (package of 5).

I filled some with scrambled egg for our breakfast.

I want to go back to buy their smaller rolls (package of 10) and a loaf of their bread.

They also have a cafe down the street which I want to try too...I'll be back.

Pelican
4-7-4 Kotobuki
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3841.4686
Closed Sunday
Hours: 8:00-17:00

bikkuri-tei

There is a tiny steak house near Hasunuma Station, Bikkuri-tei.

We've tried to eat here, but they were only taking people with reservations on that particular evening.

Luckily, they had a table open on Sunday.

We often choose the prix fixe (set menu) whenever we try a restaurant for the first time, so we can get a feel of their dishes.

We both chose the tako (octopus) carpaccio and salad. (They had 4 other choices and I should've chose something else so we could have shared)

I had their filet.

Satoshi chose their sirloin.

Both cooked to your liking.

Rice or bread, we both chose rice, but will choose bread next time (they serve toasted baguette).

After dinner, I chose their pear tarte while Satoshi had their raspberry sorbet.

Coffee to end.

Great service.

Our only peeve was their wine carafe, with less than 2 cups worth of wine in it and teeny wine glasses to pour it into (teeny glasses does not make it more wine)...3 times the price compared to a glass of wine...

As we saw by the customers around us, ordering wine by the glass (larger than the glasses we received) or by the bottle is the way to go.

Still, we'll be back when we are in the mood for steak.

Bikkuri-tei
7-12-12 Nishikamata
Ota, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3737.1576
Closed Tuesdays
Hours: 11:30-14:30, 17:00-21:00

sunday

Sunday the weather was blazing.

We started our day with a simple breakfast at Misojyu.

Choose your miso soup, a musubi.

All breakfast sets come with an aji tama (seasoned egg), konbu and a glass of iced cold brew green tea.

I chose their ume musubi and miso soup with togan (wintermelon) and manganji togarashi (a type of bell pepper).

Satoshi chose their salmon musubi and miso soup with chives and daikon (long radish).

After checking out, we searched for the Kabuki statue of Ichikawa Danjuro, which was located at the very edge of Sensoji.

And on the way to the Sky Tree, we got to catch a glimpse of a wedding party on their way to their reception...see the video here

We crossed the Sumida river over one of the many bridges and got some pictures of Tokyo Sky Tree.

We caught a community bus to the Mukojima area and had lunch at Santini.

It was nice to get out of the heat for a bit.

Lunch was eggplant with meat sauce pasta, while Satoshi had their seafood pasta.

The owner had a reservation called in and asked us to move tables.

It was no problem as we hadn't even been served our lunches yet.

They felt bad about moving us and gave us iced teas...so nice!

Next to Santini is Mukojima Hyakkaen, one of the nine metropolitan gardens in Tokyo.

Not many flowers in bloom this time of year...though there were these gourds...hebiuri (snake gourd)

And this type of gourd.

We caught the community bus down to the Ryogoku area and checked out the sumo sights along the Sumida River.

There are different objet that decorate the railings depicting the various throws in sumo.

We also stumbled upon the Tokitsukaze stable, one of the many in the area.

It was a blazing Sunday, I think they said the temps went up to 32C (89F)?!

I'm glad we got to explore this area, though I wish the weather wasn't still so summery.

Misojyu
1-7-5 Asakusa
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.5830.3101
Hours: 8:30-19:00
Closed Mondays

Santini
3-29-10 Higashi Mukojima
Sumida, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3610.1323
Closed Mondays
Hours: 11:30-14:00 (lunch), 17:30-21:00 (dinner)

Mukojima Hyakkaen
3-18-3 Higashi Mukojima
Sumida, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3611.8705
Hours: 9:00-17:00

saturday

Instead of traveling outside of Tokyo for the 3-day weekend, we decided to stay in Asakusa.

Walking from Ueno to Asakusa, we passed Kappabashi, where they have all sorts of gadgets and equipment for the kitchen.

I noticed this building that had cups for balconies...so cute!

Kappabashi was also having their big sale, so it was krazy crowded!

We've been trying to eat at Yoshikami, a well known yoshoku (western) shop, but there was always a long wait.

This time we got there just before they opened, the line in front of us got the first seating and we ended up waiting about 30 minutes for a table.

Satoshi had their fried shrimp, which he felt were "just okay"...he already wants to come back to try their katsu next time.

I tried their recommended beef stew...so melt in your mouth tender pieces of beef, rich demi-glace sauce and super soft veggies.

If you want rice or rolls, they are a la carte...also, if you want to pay by credit card, tell the staff before your order, so they can note it on your bill.

Lunch time can get a bit krazy here, but it is neat to watch everyone doing their part in the kitchen to get the food out fast.

After lunch, we bought Matsukaze (black sugar "cake" rolled with sweet bean paste in the middle) and Dorayaki from Kameju.

It was our first time trying these...both were so light and fluffy!

This place always has a line too, but so worth the wait.

After checking in, we took a cruise on the Sumida river.

I never realized how wide, long and deep the Sumida river was.

Also, there are many many bridges for everyone to get from one side to the other.

Saturday was the last day for Tsukiji.

They moved the fish market over to Toyosu on Sunday.

Many of the shops that are located outside of Tsukiji (Jo-gai) will remain where they are, but everything within the boundaries of the fish market itself have moved.

Since moving to Tokyo, we haven't had a chance to get back to Tsukiji and ended up taking a last glimpse of Tsukiji from the boat...If you'd like to see our last glimpse of Tsukiji, click the link here

Dinner was at Hatsuogawa.

They have been grilling unagi (eel) since 1907!

You start off with some unagi "crackers"...the back bone of the eel fried up...super crunchy and great with beer.

The menu is simple, unagi with or without rice...I went with the smaller portion without rice while Satoshi got the bigger portion.

Super rich!

I prefer the Kansai way of grilling unagi, which makes the skins get crispy.

If I am not mistaken, the Kanto way is to grill then steam the unagi, which "fluffs" it up.

Cash only here.

Not many tourists, mostly locals.

Even though I don't really like unagi, it is Satoshi's favorite and I'm glad we got to try this place and experience their history.

We explored Sensoji after dinner.

Have you ever looked underneath the huge chochin (lanterns)?

If you do, you'll see a dragon.

The weather was summery, a bit uncomfortable, but it was nice to be out and about.

Yoshikami
1-41-4 Asakusa
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3841.1802
Hours: 11:45-22:30
Closed Thursdays

Kameju
2-18-11 Asakusa
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3841.2210
Hours: 10:00-19:00

Tokyo Cruise
1-1-1 Hanawakado
Daito, Tokyo

Gate Hotel Kaminarimon
2-16-11 Kaminarimon
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.5826.3877