June 5, 2008
I finally gave in and bought the Tokyo Michelin Guide. Luckily, I was able to come across the English version with no problem. Tokyo was awarded a total of 191 stars earning the crown, by far, for best place to eat in the world according to Michelin (compared to the second: Paris with 65 stars, […]
May 12, 2008
Live Yobuko squid cut up and staring at you while you eat it. Tentacles periodically lash out at you. This guy was just beautiful and the best squid I have ever had. Culinary gold – my precious awabi simmered to its death in front of my eyes. Its resemblance to a vagina is uncanny. The […]
May 7, 2008
Over Golden Week I went to Kyushu for some R & R. And when you go to Kyushu, you eat ramen. Hakata is where the original Ippudo and Ichiran are. We decided to go to Ichiran. We arrived at Ichiran (Tenjin location) at 11:50am. Located in a tiny alleyway we were met with a guy […]
March 20, 2008
Unplanned excursions should be celebrated. Whoever made up the phrase “Spice of Life” was probably a fan of spontaneity. Last Sunday, my boyfriend and I decided to go to Ueno park after getting up around noon. I took the Nikon D200 that I am borrowing from a coworker hoping to capture the scenes of the […]
February 12, 2008
What: Mid-winter ryokan getaway tripWhere: Seiryuusou ryokan, Shimonita, Gunma Prefecture (about 3 hours from Shinjuku station)When: Saturday February 9 to Sunday February 10, 2008Why: Thaw out, eat, wash away the grub of Tokyo The food:In general, the food was unpretentious and featured local ingredients native to the region – big, thick, sweet green onions, mountain […]
February 5, 2008
Buying bulk is like sex without a condom. There’s nothing between you and the food, no plastic, no obstruction. Grab a little, taste a little, spill a little and push your way to the front. During my lunch break on Monday, I set out to Tsukiji (like I do at least once every two weeks). […]
January 17, 2008
While I was in Tokyo, we went down to Hakone. Hakone is sort of like Hamptons for New Yorkers. About 90 minutes from Tokyo, easy getaway, and instead of ocean, there are tons of onsens (hot springs). Ryokans (traditional inns) are famous for their 13 course dinners, which you eat in your room. It’s prix […]
October 23, 2007
After hearing this NPR story about the last horse slaughterhouse in the US closing, I thought to myself ARE there such things as horse slaughterhouses in the US? Growing up in California, certain animals seem to be OFF limits, meaning, animals included in “Save the insert animal – usually a mammal with pretty eyes – […]
August 3, 2007
Despite the year’s first and hardest raining typhoon hitting on the same day as the first day of our one-night onsen trip to Yugawara, we got to the ryokan in one piece (after a lot of wrong turns – Japanese maps do NOT help in any way, also given that they don’t name the goddamn […]
July 3, 2007
In Japan, 49 days after one dies, their loved ones bring their cremains to the gravesite. It was a beautiful day for a beautiful life – and one more Kumano was laid to rest. After hearing prayer from a bald man in the burning sun over my father and my grandfather, we went to the […]