Can't stop eating in Tokyo

Like all trips to Tokyo, the eating is non-stop.  Well, it stops when you are so full that you walk it off and then you're ready to eat again.  There's so much to eat and not enough time.

With all our favorite cities, we go back to our favorite restaurants.  Ramen Street in Tokyo Station is a must for every trip.  Some ramen shops change while our favorites remain filled with lines.  The station always has new restaurants and food stalls, plus many food attractions for the kids from burgers to snacks both sweet and savory.

Convenience store eats are another fun place to stock up for breakfast.  I've been pretty obsessed with ikura (salmon roe) lately, so I really enjoyed the 7-11's ikura onigiris (rice balls) every morning.  On the other end of the eating and price range, our hotel Japanese restaurant at the Palace Hotel has such a great ambiance for tradition Japanese dining.

And just when you think you can stop eating, Haneda airport has such a quality selection of eats before getting on the plane.  You have a last chance for tsukemen and ramen; but my favorite is the Japanese curry in the ANA lounge.  It's better than a lot of restaurants.

I got full and hungry again from writing about these eats.  I can't wait to go back to Tokyo!

Shoyu Ramen with Handmade Noodles at Menya Shichisai

Serafina of NYC in Tokyo

Aside from the hotel restaurants, the Palace Hotel Tokyo also offers restaurants in their basement arcade.  They vary from Japanese specialties, like soba or shrimp tempura, to Korean cuisine and Italian American cuisines.  Something for everyone.  The restaurants cater partly to the hotel guests and mostly to the office workers in the nearby buildings.

Serafina is a standard meal each time we check into the hotel.  At least once a visit, and this time we ate there 3 times.  It's satisfying and comforting, while have vibrant taste.  The original location hails from New York City with several branches around the city and continues to grow internationally.

Italian is a cuisine the Japanese have perfected, and here at Serafina Tokyo it's really perfection.  We came for the pizzas, but I fell in love with the pastas.  Perfectly al dente and sauced so well.  After hours of walking around Tokyo and carrying shopping bags and nephews across Tokyo Station, a hot plate of carbs taste so deliciously good.

Margherita Pizza

Rigatoni Bolognese

Izakaya at Teppen

The fun of staying at The Palace Hotel Tokyo is the constant discovery of Marunouchi's restaurants.  Up in the buildings, the ground floors, and countless establishments in the basements - you can't stop eating in this financial hub.

Most of Marunouchi's eats are casual, but casual among the suits from work.  After work restaurants are filled with drinking, smoking, and eating the day's stresses away.  It's a fun environment, and the more crowded the restaurant, the tastier the food.

In one of the many buildings, !iiyo! or the Eiraku building holds countless eats in a matter of meters.  In an attempt to find a smokefree environment for my nephews, we saw an table made of milk crates.  It seemed like decoration, but still function.  And the menu was filled with grilled and fried Japanese izakaya dishes.  Thankfully, the decorative table was indeed function.  So sitting on cushioned milk crates made for a fun night of eating at Teppen.

There are so many great eats in Tokyo.  I love that these restaurants are understated and low key, while shining with overwhelming plates and tastes.

Vegetables to start the meal.  Look at these beautiful colors!

Always revisiting Tokyo

Tokyo is one of those cities that leaves you wanting more.  One trip, two trips, x number of trips are not enough to be satisfied.  It's so repeatable.  You can always discover new areas in the city and constantly go back to the same places which feel familiar.  Japan and Tokyo are always updating and improving.

We made it a family trip with my little nephews, so it was a balance of shopping in Ginza and a journey to Tokyo Bay for the Legoland Discovery Center.

Here are some pictures from our hotel, around Ginza, and at Legoland:

View from the Palace Hotel Tokyo at night

More eating in Grand Front Osaka

My favorite kind of hotel has the conveniences of transportation, shopping, and eating all in a nice higher end area.  The Intercontinental Osaka fits my preferences for location, conveniences, and quality of hotel.

On the ground floor of the hotel is a mall entrance to Grand Front Osaka.  This mall has a few buildings, all with local and import shopping brands and a variety of endless eats.  Adjacent by a short walkway bridge is the Osaka Station, which also has two major department stores, Lucua and Daimaru - both with basement floor food halls, and restaurants on the upper levels.  There's soo much to eat that it keeps us coming back to Osaka for second servings.

One of the many views around Grand Front Osaka

Unagi set dinner at Bincho
Changed and elevated my standards for unagi

Cherry Blossoming in Osaka

Back in Osaka, and this time for Cherry Blossom season!

The last time I was in Japan in April I was a toddler; so my memories are few and far between.  This time around I researched the best places for "hanami", which translates to cherry blossom (sakura) viewing.

If you can only choose one destination for hanami in Osaka, it's the Mint Bureau, or Mint Museum grounds.  In mid-March, dates are announced for the one week viewing in April.  This year, they fell on April 9 to 15.  Just those few days to walk just over 500 meters and view 350 trees with 132 varieties of sakura trees.  It's a cluster of incredible.

My first viewing was on day 2, April 10, when the rains went from a drizzle to mildy heavy with winds.  Despite that, the crowd was decent and the sights made up for it.  The next morning, it was cloudy but rainless.  So I went back again.  It's amazing to see the change in blossoms over 24 hours.  That's why the viewing is only for a strict week.  After that the weather, rain, wind, and heat of the sun, will take the blossoms away until next year.

Parallel is a food festival with vendors that seemed to match the number of sakura trees.  Mainly filled with local street food, like okonomiyaki, the vendors are freshly preparing hot food and snacks to make a day of your cherry blossom viewing.

In the past, Japan gifted countries around the world with cherry blossom trees.  While it is beautiful there, it's truly a sight to see in its homeland.

Massive weekend crowd

Food Chronicling around Japan

Japan is a country where the great eating and drinking never stops.  Something tasty is around every corner.  Some bites are better than others.  And some bites have been the best I've tasted in the course of my food travels.

Here's a look at some of the tastiest bites from my week in Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo:

Afternoon break on the hotel balcony
Palace Hotel Tokyo

Okonomiyaki and Monjayaki in Osaka

Back in Osaka and back to eating some of the city's specialties.  Okonomiyaki is a filling and satisfying meal that packs in flavors and textures.  Momojuu the second time around was just as fun as the first visit.  This time we learned more about monjayaki.

Originating from the Tokyo area, monjayaki is another savory "pancake".  The differences between okonomiyaki and monjayaki are the seasonings and cooking style.  Okonomiyaki is a firmer pancake form, while monjayaki is softer, spread throughout the iron cooktop, and eaten straight from that heat source.

I love both dishes, but if I had a choice I would go for the monjayaki.  It's lighter and more fun to eat because of its interactivity right in front of you on the cooktop.

The table

My best tempura experience to date

At a reputable luxury hotel, it is almost guaranteed that the food will be enjoyable.  The setting, the service, and the quality of food are all top notch.  The Ritz Carlton Kyoto's dining selection is no different.

Below the lobby, the hotel's Japanese restaurant, Mizuki, features 4 kinds of Japanese specialty cuisines: kaiseki, sushi, teppan, and tempura.  You can sit at eat specialized station or in the main dining area to eat a little of everything.

When in Japan and there's a beautiful tempura bar, you must go there.  At these bars, each piece is fried at your eating pace.  I thought my tempura experience in Tokyo was amazing, and this just brought up the bar.  Mizuki's tempura has been my best experience to date.

The seafood and vegetables were all local and seasonal.  The chef, who is a humble genius at the fryer and with his tempura artistry, watches as you dine and eat.  He paces your next bites, fries them according to your pace, and explains how each bite will be best enhanced with sauce, lemon, or salt.  The batter was perfection and paper thin while perfectly fried inside.  So amazing.

Steps down to the Japanese restaurant

Tempura bar

Overnight at the new Ritz Carlton Kyoto

Food is the main feature in every city I travel.  Equally important is the hotel.  It's where I spend a third to half of my time so it's crucial that the hotel is clean, well maintained, and centrally located to the better parts of the city.  If it's a reputable brand name hotel, that adds points.  And massive points go to brand new hotels all with the above criteria.

One of my favorite things to do online is to research new hotels, more specifically new luxury hotels in cities I'll potentially visit in the next couple of years.  If it's a new city to visit, it's all the more important that the hotel is new, or opened within the last two years, to guarantee clean comfort.

The Ritz Carlton Kyoto is the newest in the city.  It was actually supposed to open after the Four Seasons, but the Ritz Carlton stayed mostly on track while the Four Seasons is still delayed.  So on February 2014, the hotel opened along the Kanagawa River.

For one night (thanks to a lot of accumulated Marriott Rewards points), my family and I enjoyed the Zen luxury in one of Japan's most beautiful getaways.  Any time of the year is great to visit Kyoto.  Early fall was perfect as the trees were still lush green and the temperature was perfect for walking.

The hotel's Japanese architecture influence is evident all around in the simplicity, and the establishment's pampering is evident in all the detailed luxury in the rooms and around the hotel grounds, including the friendly service of all the staff.  This overnight break was the perfect pause between the busier cities of Osaka and Tokyo.

Unfortunately, I completely didn't take any room shots - just photos of the rooms details like the coffee and tea sets.  I got to lost in being impressed with the luxurious details, like Christofle silverware, two kinds of tea and coffee stations, and the beautiful Zen surroundings.

Ritz Carlton Kyoto

Kyoto's Natural Beauty

Back to Japan!  Flying back from the Bay Area, we took a weeklong layover in Japan.  It was a long journey to get into a bed - from San Jose, CA to Narita, then a train ride from Narita to Tokyo, dropped off our bigger luggages at our hotel in Tokyo, and then another bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka.  Close to 24 hours.  Whew.  It's a sweaty adventure hauling all our 2 months worth of luggages around.  Which reminds me, advice for packing in Japan: pack efficiently so you can travel from point to point within the country with ease.

After a couple of nights in Osaka, we hired a hotel van to take us from Osaka to Kyoto.  Prior trips to Kyoto we took bullet trains and local trains, about 20-30 minutes each way.  This time around, and with our heavy luggages, we decided to take a little roadtrip to see the sights along the way.

In the 2 hour drive, there really wasn't much to see (unlike roadtrips around Europe where the scene changes frequently).  However, the clean, efficient highways are quite admirable.  Once you enter the Kyoto area, the city is pretty spread out.  Driving around the city, I realized it's actually pretty necessary to get around the city via a vehicle or by the various train lines combined with a lot of walking.

The in-town drive revealed so many hidden enclaves humbly showing off Kyoto's natural beauty.  This city personifies nature.  Clean, orderly, green, lush, mountains, water.. it has it all.  There are endless temples, gardens, and paths.  It's overwhelming if you're in the city for a short stay, in our case for one night.

One of the main landmarks we visited was the city's famous Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion.  Crowds and crowds huddled on designated sides for their best photo opportunity.  And then serene, clean, shimmering beauty of the golden temple on the water.

Another highlight of the trip was a walk along the Kamagawa River, located right next to our hotel, the Ritz Carlton (more on the hotel in my next post).  The wide river has huge step stones to cross the calm water, bridges for cards and pedestrians, and restaurants lining the water for patrons to enjoy the quiet setting.  The small city has so many restaurants along the river, in side streets, along the main roads, and in covered street alleys.  Eating is non-stop and endless.

Kyoto is a beautiful break from the bigger cities like Tokyo and Osaka.  Many parts of Kyoto have modernized over the years, with name brand department stores and shopping brands.  And despite that, the city has managed to preserve its history and natural beauty.

Golden Pavilion
Kinkaku-ji

Kyoto's Kitchen in Nishiki Market

Kyoto bound from Osaka.  And it's so easy by train.  Depending on the train you take, the ride from Osaka station to Kyoto Station can range from 20-45 minutes.

In planning the day trip to Kyoto, temples and shrines were naturally on the itinerary as this is the city to take in the sights and nature's beauty.  When the day arrived, it was soo cold.  We decided to focus on our main purpose, the food market.  The other sights in Kyoto will have to wait for our next visit.

The Nishiki Market is a five block long shopping street filled with over a hundred shops and restaurants.  It's known as "Kyoto's Kitchen," as the shops specialize in everything food related.  Generations of families have been running these shops since it first opened in 1310 when it started as a fish wholesale district.  Today, they sell fresh seafood, produce, snacks, kitchenware, and all these local specialities.  It's a place for locals to shop for their meals, and for tourists to taken in the local foods and atmosphere.

The market is almost ridiculously crowded with people.  There were a number of times when I felt like a was floating in a sea of people who were crammed to every inch of my body.  But as crowded as it was, it was almost...pleasant.  Strange, right?  But I think that's just Japan for you.  The people aren't as rude, they don't smell..and maybe the cold air helped to filter out the potential grossness from the crowds.  In any case, this is definitely a market to check out if you have interest in local culture and food.

The start of Nishiki Market

Hands down the best pizza I've eaten to date, in Osaka

If there's one food I can't do without, it's pizza.  Well, actually I can do without pizza if it's average or mediocre.  What I'm talking about is the Neapolitan pizza.  That slightly charred chewy crust made from quality flour, tomatoes, and mozzarella.  Yeah, I can't get enough of that good stuff.

Last time in Osaka, my brother kept raving about this pizza place called Echi Ponte Vecchio which he claimed to be the best he's eaten.  This time around, I was not going to miss out.  And, boy, did we get our fill of it.

It is, hands down, the best pizza I've eaten to date.  The Japanese have mastered Italian food and made it their own in the best way possible.  These pizzas were flawless and our stomachs were bottomless.

Here's just a sample of the pizzas we had in the two times we were able to eat here.  I think we ordered the margherita pizza at least 4 times...

Margherita pizza

Osaka's Okonomiyaki

The beauty of traveling with a food focus is that you travel to eat every town and city's specialties.  In college, the big traveling dream was to roadtrip around the US to all the ballparks and watch a baseball game in each of those cities.  These days, the big traveling dream is actually two dreams: 1) A wine roadtrip around the old world of wine, and 2) A expedition around Japan discovering the all their ramen origins.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying eating my knowledge around the regional foods of these current cities visited.  Osaka has a few known specialties.  One is the filling and flavor-filled okonomiyaki.  Okonomiyaki is a savory pan-fried pancake consisting of batter and cabbage.  The toppings vary to your preference, as "okonomi" translates to "to one's liking."  It is said that this dish originated in Osaka.  Other parts of Japan have variants of using noodles in the batter.

In Grand Front Osaka Mall, there are a few okonomiyaki restaurants.  Momojuu is a great place to discover the dish or the eat it again in a fun, casual setting.  The pancakes are cooked at your table so you get to enjoy the presentation and the heat of the food.  If you're in Osaka, you have to try out okonomiyaki in a restaurant to fully appreciate the dish and the experience.

The tables

Back for the Beef at M Yakiniku in Osaka

If there's one thing my family loves, it's steak night at home.  It's so hard to eat beef and steak just anywhere.  But when you find that restaurant that serves beautifully marbled, quality cuts of beef and can grill it to the point of slightly charred and glistening, you go back as often as you can.. well, as often as your heart and pocket can take it..

In 2012, I had one of the best meal's of the year in Osaka.  Since we were back in the city, we naturally had to re-live the meal.  Matsusakagyu Yakiniku has a a few locations around the city.  We went to the same location because of the great service of Kuni-san.  He's great with visitors to the city and remembers who you are when you come back.  Food and service, they always go hand in hand.

The beef was just as beautiful as ever.  Complemented with grilled vegetables and kimchee, this was again one of the highlight meals of the trip.  If you like beer, you should also try out Osaka's local bottles of pilsner, pale ale, and double IPA.  All locally crafted and pairs perfectly with the grilled meat.

Plates of meat

Plates and plates of meat

Intercontinental Hotel Osaka

Last time in Osaka, we stayed at the St. Regis Hotel, with convenient walking access to Shinsaibashi all the way down to Dotonbori.  It's a great location if you want to be in that vicinity.

This time around, we wanted to be based around Osaka Station to enjoy the department stores, restaurants, and train access.  The new Intercontinental Osaka is located inside the new Grand Front Osaka mall.  I love hotels that have indoor access to malls.  You get to enjoy the conveniences of nearby restaurants and take out foods which you can bring back to your room.  Plus, if the weather is too cold or rainy or snowy, you can spend time in the mall and enjoy a warm meal without suffering outside.

The view from the room

The bedroom

Train ride to Osaka Station

The best way to see Japan is by getting out and onto the train.  Their train systems are so efficient and allows you to really see the country and other great cities and towns.  From Tokyo to Osaka, the JR Shinkansen (bullet train) takes about 2-3 hours.  The ride goes by so fast, and smooth.  Plus you can bring food from the stations or even buy it on the train.

The winter scenery along the way really changed once we neared Nagoya and into Osaka.  Fresh snow was starting to coat the grounds and roof tops.

From Tokyo, you arrive into the Shin-Osaka station.  From there you can take a cab or another train to connect to your destination.  The main station is the Osaka station.  It's worth a look as there a few great department stores, malls, and a lot of restaurants.  Plus since it was the year end/new year, the spirit of the holidays were beautifully lit around the station.

Katsu sandwich and a beer from the station for the ride.

Snow covered scenery along the way.

Osaka Station dressed for the holidays

Spanish cuisine in Tokyo

Aside from yakitori in Ootemori (the Otemachi tower) in Marunouchi, you can find the world's cuisines in the surrounding restaurants.  There's really something for everyone and for every mood.  Plus, you're in Japan.  And Japanese can make a cuisine even better than the original.  French macarons in Japan are near perfect, and I've heard even better than some of the good patisseries in Paris.  Japanized Italian food is amazing.  The pastas are perfectly al dente and saucy, and the pizzas are perfection (more on the pizzas in my Osaka posts coming up).

So, when we saw a new Japanized Spanish restaurant, we had to try it out.  Spanish food, after all, is one of our family favorites.  La Pesquera has a menu full of classic tapas and entrees, cooked with a Japanese touch - in that, some of the flavors are catered to the Japanese palate.  Overall, the experience was enjoyable in a great atmosphere with good service.  However, after trying this restaurant's interpretation of Spanish food, I prefer the traditional dishes in Spain.  In future trips back to Japan, I definitely have to try out more Spanish restaurants to get a better gauge of Spanish cuisine in Japan.  In all honesty, though, after traveling around in Spain and having a mom who cooks amazing Spanish dishes, it's a high bar when it comes to eating great Spanish cuisine.

Sangria

Chicken and more chicken in Tori Kansuke

There is way too much to eat in Tokyo.  And it seems like every time we go back, even if it was just a few months ago, there are so many new restaurants and buildings popping up.

Because of the cold winter weather, we opted to spend some meals underground so we wouldn't freeze walking around outside.  Marunouchi is one of those places in Tokyo which is perfect for underground walking.  It's a whole city down there that connects to most of the buildings in the area.

The new Otemachi Tower (Ootemori) has a great selection of restaurants with varying cuisines for varying budgets.

For a fun yakitori meal, Tori Kansuke is the spot.  It's a corner restaurant with tables low and high.  The restaurant serves specializes in classic yakitori dishes, like grilled chicken parts and karaage, as well as kamameshi rice.  Plus the drink selection has something for everyone - wine, Japanese craft beer, sakes, sochus, etc.

This is a great place to check out if you're looking for a light meal, or an epic meal where keep ordering and drinking as the night goes on.

Karaage - Japanese style fried chicken

Grilled chicken wings

Japan for the Holidays

Back in Tokyo!  This time, it was for the holidays.  The last time our family celebrated a winter-cold holiday was in New York City right in the middle of Snowpocalypse.  While snow didn't hit the cities we visited this time around, it was definitely a chilly trip.  But, Tokyo is the perfect place for any weather because of it's amazing underground world.

We stayed at the Palace Hotel Tokyo again.  It's the perfect location if you want to be based in Marunouchi and near the Tokyo Station.  Like with all our favorite cities, we revisited restaurants we enjoyed in previous visits.  Some were consistent, and others like Birdland were unfortunately inconsistent with it's quality of food.

We also discovered new eats in our vicinity.  For breakfast I was hooked on 7-11's hardboiled eggs.  It's perfectly cooked and beautifully orange.  Japanese convenience stores serve some incredible food, no joke.  And sometimes there's nothing more comforting and clean than a good plate of soba.  It's so refreshing and satisfying all at the same time.  And because it was winter, we found comfort in hot meals like Japanese curries and tsukemen.  Filling and warms you right up.

The best part about eating in Tokyo is that you walk so much everyday.  My fitness band logged in an average of 20,000 steps each day.  It makes eating all those carbs a reward.

Back in Tokyo!
View of Marunouchi from our balcony in the Palace Hotel Tokyo