Japan Epilogue: Sapporo's Shiroi Koibito

I'm usually not much for sweets, but I do like this stuff. These featherlight little cookies are from Sapporo, where milk from local cows goes into the white chocolate that is sandwiched inside. And while we didn't go up to Hokkaido on this trip, I was surprised to find them for sale at Narita airport on the way out of the country (I'd only seen them in Sapporo previously).

I think I know why I like these so much. They are more rich than they are sweet, and the cookie portion appears to be made with a crapload of butter, if my palate read it correctly. No wonder why these things are so darned addictive.

Another Indian Vegetarian Meal on UA

Here was the Indian vegetarian meal on the return run out of Narita. It wasn't as spicy as the one on the leg from Singapore, but they did include pickles and yogurt to make it a bit more complete.

In fact, they also gave me a piping hot piece of flatbread. It was yellowish in color, so I presume that it was a variant of the darker-colored chapati that I'm used to seeing?

Well, I liked this enough that I'd really like to eat the inflight Indian meals more often...I just hope that I'm not abusing the system here.

Ramen Kagetsu Arashi, Narita Airport

Mmm...that was tasty. This outlet at the airport (Fifth Floor of Terminal 1, 0476-33-5920) was a good chance for us to try out the chain's goods before heading inside to clear immigration today. I loved the smooth and tasty broth of my shio ramen, although only did I realize later that they offered some bowl dedicated to garlic, which I'll have to try next time.

Meanwhile, I clumsily threw an entire clove of raw garlic into my bowl, which can fuel some major dragon breath for people on the plane to appreciate. Either way, I'm definitely hitting these guys again on my next run out of Narita. Thanks again for the tip!

Beer Museum Yebisu, Tokyo

Another day, another brewery. The beer here at the Yebisu one (4-20-1 Ebisu Garden Place, 3-5423-7255) wasn't free though; this taster set cost 400 Yen (US$4). And the facility was more of a "museum" that utilized display equipment rather than brewing on site, as this area has since been transformed into a posh retail development. Well, I'm a bigger fan of Asahi and Suntory anyway, so hopefully we'll find ways to hit up those guys next time we're up here.

Breakfast from Yoshinoya Japan

We stopped at Yoshinoya for a quick breakfast today. My local friends insist that yoshigyu is much better in Japan than it is elsewhere, and I definitely tasted the difference this morning. The beef was not only more tender, but also much deeper in taste, such that you really got the fragrance of the rice wine and the resultingly mild sweetness. Yum.

The fish in this set was a bit dry and salty though. Well, this was just another one to tuck under Japanese breakfasts.

Another Japanese Drink Roundup

Here's another rundown of some local drinks encountered over the past few days. OK - the first one on the left was not an actual drink, but it was interesting since those marshmallows pretty much tasted just like Calpis. The one in the middle was a Calpis competitor, while the last one was just some grapefruit soda. I was rather fond of this little red bottle though - it was some kind of tarty cherry drink called Acerola.

Not pictured here was the shikwasa biiru that we got at one of the ramen shops. Shikwasa is some kind of Okinawan lime that is squeezed into a glass of beer before drinking. That made it sound a bit like a Mexican michelada, but this one was kind of sweet (almost like lemon into a German wheat beer) rather than the salt and hot sauce taste of a michelada. I wasn't a big fan.

Want some hot corn soup? I once bought some corn soup that was pre-heated in the can from a vending machine here in Japan, but haven't seen one in a vending machine for quite some time now. Tonight, I found this at a 7-Eleven, where it was sitting on the pre-heated rack next to all of the coffee, tea, and lemon drinks. The taste of this one was a bit boring to me though.

Finally, here's one that is hot on the heels of our wine-in-a-juice-box discussion: how about sake-in-a-box instead? This one featured one of my usual brands from years ago called Onikoroshi, which literally translates into "Devil Kill" (or as it seems to be called on the Internet these days, the "Demon Killer"). But it's been so long since I've had this stuff that I can hardly make a comparison. Either way, it was mild enough that it made for easy sipping.

Shaka Shaka Chicken from McDonald's Japan

I know, I know - the past few meals haven't exactly been the healthiest things in the world. But there were so many promotions for this Shaka Shaka Chicken stuff from McDonald's that curiosity got the better of me when we passed by yet another one of the Golden Arches here in Tokyo.

The instructions on the wrapper pretty much explain it already: choose a powder mixture (in my case, cheese), dump it into the bag where your deep fried chicken patty rests, seal the bag and shake it up, and then open it and eat away. In that sense, it was a bit like Typhoon popcorn from Hawaii. And I suppose that if you got the spicy flavor, then it might taste like those Taiwanese chicken things. Then again, one could also say that it was nothing more than one of their chicken burgers sans the bun.

It wasn't exactly anything that I'll eat again, but it was amusing as well as easy on the wallet at only 100 Yen (US$1). Anyway, let's file this under localized McDonald's items.

Ayu Shioyaki from a Yatai

One of my favorite things to do on the road is to hunt down street food. And while Japan has an overwhelming number of places to eat, it's not often that I've been able to come across street vendors. But today, the cherry blossoms were in full swing in Tokyo, so a number of yatai had been setup in for the hanami matsuri festival.

All sorts of things were being sold, ranging from takoyaki to yakisoba and even candied strawberries. But the thing that really got me excited were the little trout skewers inserted upright around little fire pits where they roasted away with nothing more than a little bit of salt. I grabbed one for 500 Yen (US$5).



Actually, it wasn't a little bit of salt...it was a lot of salt. It was so salty that parts of it were nearly inedible. But when I managed to get to other parts where salt had fallen off, it did end up being a tasty treat, complete with bones soft enough to eat. Looking back, I guess the proper practice would have been to scrape off some of the excess salt with my finger first...is that right?

Teppanyaki Akasaka, ANA Hotel Tokyo

Whew! That was quite a meal. A friend of ours suggested meeting here at the teppanyaki place at the top of the ANA Intercontinental today (exit the Tameike-sanno station, 03-3505-1437) not only because of the views of the city, but also because lunch prices were much cheaper than dinner. Of course, the food was also supposed to be spectacular.

And spectacular it was indeed. Similar to that meal we had in Kobe a while back, the A-4 grade of Japanese sirloin that we had was bursting in juicy fat with every bite, not even requiring any of the sauces that they provided. I also got quite excited to see them do things such as trim the fat from the sirloin and dice it into little cubes for use in the garlic rice afterwards, as well as smear a thin layer of rice onto the hot grill to make a crispy skin companion to our rice bowls. Nice - that was definitely making the most of everything at hand.

But how much cheaper was it really? Well, it wasn't exactly a shockingly cheap meal; our set ran for about 6,000 yen (US$60), with other choices dropping down to 2,600 Yen (US$26) for lower grades of beef - or well past 10,000 Yen (US$100) for throwing in seafood and other items. But all of that compared to dinner rates that could clear 20,000 Yen (US$200) for some options - whoa! Either way, our selection today was cheaper than that meal in Kobe. I don't know which part of Japan this beef came from, but at 6,000 Yen, it provided around the same level of satisfaction for almost half of the price. And that was definitely nothing to complain about.

Orochon Ramen at Rai Rai Ken, Yokohama

This photo may look familiar. It looks similar to a bowl from a couple of days ago, right? Look a bit closer though and you'll notice one huge difference: how much more red the broth is. Yep - thanks to the help of a friend, we finally realized that this shop was indeed selling orochon ramen, the former word of which is a reference to some fire festival from the Ainu people in Hokkaido. And you specify how spicy you want the broth, all explained in an amusing sign overhead (albeit in Japanese).

Presumably last time they gave us the lowest #2 grade, which anyone should be able to eat. #4 is a bit spicier, while #6 is supposed to be able to scare off a bear. The sign said that if you order #10, then you have to cover your own medical bills, while they absolve all responsibility if you go for the top #20.

This bowl here was #6, which was just enough to be enjoyable to me without being excessive. We probably could have pushed it to #10 with no problem, although that might not necessarily be as fun to eat. Either way, it's always cool to see these kinds of shops with scales of spiciness.

P.S. I don't have the exact address nor phone number, but if you come out of the JR Kannai station, then head toward Isezaki Mall. The shop is located on a small street sandwiched between the big Route 16 and the Isezaki Mall Shopping Street, perhaps two blocks inward from the Metropolitan Expressway on the east side of the street. The sign is in red with yellow lettering and features a black bear wearing yellow clothes.

Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum

I absolutely detest museums. You could offer to pay me a million dollars to go stand in line at someplace like the Louvre and I still wouldn't do it. (Well, OK - maybe I'll do it for a million, but on the condition that I only need to stay inside for 15 minutes after checking out what kind of treats are being sold at the cafes inside.) There are some museums that I will happily go to though, and many of them are here in Japan. Why? Well, these are museums dedicated to food, and the Raumen Museum is a quintessential example (2-14-21 Shin-Yokohama, 045-471-0503).

"Museum" may be a bit of a euphemism here. One could argue that this is no more than an overglorified food court put into a Pirates of the Caribbean-like faux-outdoor setting. (I seem to remember years ago that they had display cases showing the history of ramen, the invention of instant noodles, etc. up on the ground floor, but I did not see it today...did they get rid of it for some reason?) Still, "food court" would be a total insult to this place, considering that these guys pulled some of the best ramen proprietors around the country to showcase all of the regional variations in one spot. You get to sample the goods...just pay for your selection from the little ticket machines and hand them in. "Mini" sizes are available, which liberated enough stomach space for me to try three of the eight shops today.



My favorite type of ramen is from Kyushu, so my first choice easily went to Komurasaki, which sprinkled grilled garlic onto its bowls. The full-tasting tonkotsu broth was done just the way I like it, and the bowl also featured a thin - but very tender and tasty- slice of chashu. Thumbs up on that one. What's next?



Hachiya was another one that caught my eye. From Asahikawa, these guys added grilled lard to the broth, which gave it a musky/smoky aroma that was a bit peculiar at first but became rather addictive after a few slurps. A green garlic paste was also available on the side for one to add to taste. Good stuff - and a perfect example of how drastically these bowls will change depending on which side of the country it's from.



And what seemed to be the most popular vendor here with lines forming outside its door was Ryushanhai, known for its Akayu karamiso ramen, the spicy red karamiso topping being the key. The broth struck me as a bit sweet at first, but the taste was also very complex, and was very enjoyable once mixed up. Even in the "mini" bowl, they were very generous with their noodle portions, and the springy texture was a delight. That one was worth the wait.

No, the "burned ramen" guys were not here. Sadly, we also found out the hard way the other night that the Curry Museum in Yokohama shut down last year. But on this note, it would be interesting if a similar museum could be started in the US featuring hamburgers: showcase the regional differences between SoCal's In-N-Out versus Chicago's Billy Goat Tavern and even the abomination known as White Castle all in one spot. Vegas would be a great place for something like that, wouldn't it?

Kirin Yokohama Beer Village

Cool - Kirin has a big factory here in Yokohama and offers free tours of the brewery (1-17-1 Namamugi, 045-503-8250). Even though Kirin is my least favorite Japanese beer, I wasn't exactly going to refuse the two free beers at the end of the tour. After all, free beer is free beer. (Snag any unused coupons from anyone else in your party and you might get even more!)

And unlike the Taiwan Beer factory, the facilities here were very nice, with overhead views of the brewing and packaging floors (one could almost see Laverne & Shirley down there putting that glove on one of the bottles). We even got to sample some of the sweet wort before the yeast had been added; perhaps not surprisingly, it tasted like liquified bran flakes. They weren't selling any beer-based soap in the gift shop though.

If you come out here, take the Keikyu line to Namamugi station and just follow the multiple signs all over the station pointing to the Beer Village. You'll see the big Kirin building from a distance once you get out of the station anyway. No reservation was needed for us today...we just walked in.