One of my go-to tips for finding restaurants in a new city in Japan is to go to the local department stores. In Akita city Seibu department store has one of my favorite udon restaurants, Sato Yosuke. The 8th-generation restaurant serves Inaniwa udon that is stretched out by hand. The noodles are silky and easy to slurp. The menu offers both hot and cold udon, tempura, and a variety of toppings for the udon. Sato Yosuke also has a branch in Ginza, Tokyo, but recently the queue to get in is long so I was so happy that we could walk into the Akita branch. I tried three different toppings to th ..read more

Jajamen Morioka #jajamen is noodle dish topped with a meaty miso, cucumbers , and grated ginger . On the table is a chili sauce for adding heat and vinegar to brighten it up. To finish we tried the chiitantan soup. A raw egg is cracked into the bowl with the last of the noodles. The server brings the bowl to the kitchen where the broth for boiling the noodles is added to the bowl. Pairon 白龍 white dragon restaurant is located in the Morioka Station building. There is also a big shopping area, like a depachika food hall, nearby. The last photo are two shinkansen connected. They separate at t ..read more

Pizza toast kissaten morning in Aomori at Bankamu Sato Kissaten. Opens at 7 a.m. on weekdays. Coffee ground and brewed after your order is taken. There is a selection of toast. Satō Kissaten Bankamu Aomori-ken, Aomori-shi, Chūō 1-26-1 Aomori is in the northern part of Japan. I am a big fan of the Tohoku region. Great food. Lovely people. Off the beaten path ..read more

My go-to omiyage gift for friends is Yoku Moku cigares packed in its signature tin boxes. Starting today through June 14th Yoku Moku has a limited edition matcha cigare with matcha chocolate inside. The sweets are sold in every department store and I believe at both Haneda and Narita airports (last time I checked). The tin boxes also travel well so a good gift to pack into your suitcase as the cigares will not be crushed. Better yet, visit the Aoyama flagship store called Blue Brick Lounge. Diners can enjoy coffee and sweets such as matcha roll cake, pudding with a caramel azuki paste in th ..read more

The infamous Park Hyatt Tokyo will be closing temporarily starting May 7th, 2024. The hotel will undergo a full refurbishment. The hotel is 30 years old.  Sendai tenderloin I went for one last lunch at the timeless New York Grill and Bar. It is one of Tokyo’s top steakhouses. The lunch is a luxurious buffet for appetizers and desserts. Diners select a main course. Buffet Japanese wagyu beef tops the list but there are also other offerings like pork, seasonal seafood, chicken, pasta, and currently a silky white asparagus velouté with a slow cooked egg and pancetta. The buffet itself coul ..read more

Joppari izakaya Spring break in Tohoku. We started in Aomori. Dinner at this very cool izakaya called Joppari. One wall is lined with sake. Diners sit around a c-shaped counter. The menu has lots of photos and features local Tohoku dishes including harako meshi of salmon and ikura over rice, tsukemono pickles, kara agé fried chicken, scallops with eggs cooked on a scallop shell, and more. The pickles came with tags naming the types of tsukemono.  There is a live Tsugaru shamisen performance at 7:00 p.m. so be sure to arrive before that. It’s a smaller restaurant so I recommend reserva ..read more

Gyūtan grilled beef tongue is a local dish from #Sendai in the northern #Tohoku area. #Negishi is a chain here in #Tokyo. This one in the subterranean halls of #Kanda Station. Only ¥1,300 ($8.50). The rice is mugimeshi, rice cooked with barley. Tororo, grated mountain potato with raw egg, is a slippery topping for the rice. Nice with a generous splash of soy sauce. The clear soup includes tender beef tongue and julienned leeks. The #tsukemono pickles are also from Tohoku including a miso cucumber and pickled greens. #foodsaketokyo #kyōdoryōri #japanfood #japantravel ..read more

Ekibenya Matsuri Train travel in Japan is a fun part of holidays. We enjoy eating and drinking while on the shinkansen. We did our routine of picking a bentō at #EkibenyaMatsuri. One of Tokyo’s famous coffee shops, Sarutahiko Coffee, has a branch near one of the shinkansen entrances. It’s a popular shop and may have a queue. Pao Pao If you want a snack for the train ride I love the steamed nikuman pork buns at @paopao_official_staffblog. Hasegawa Saketen Be sure to get some drinks from the vending machines. @hasegawa_sake has a big selection of beer, small bottles of sake, and sak ..read more

@eggg_kokubunji is famous for fluffy pancakes but we also love the omuraisu. This one with tender beef cheeks and a demi-glace sauce. The knife is full so it’s hard to cut into the omelette on top of the ketchup rice. If you’re curious to try the pancakes this is a great spot. The café setting is very simple. On this weekday lunch it was all women customers. I highly recommend making reservations. It is about a five-minute walk north of Kokubunji Station. eggg Kokubunji-shi, Honchō 2-12-4, 3rd ..read more

My favorite shop for #chopsticks in #Tokyo. @ginzanatsuno has a colorful selection of chopsticks, chopstick rests, and some tableware in the heart of #Ginza. I have collected several pieces from here over the years and they all brighten up each meal. Ginza Natsuno Chūō-ku, Ginza 6-7-4 ..read more