anpanman

If you're interested in having fugu, I would try to get that while in Fukuoka. It's more of a local specialty there than in Osaka. Or better yet, take the 30 minute shinkansen ride to Shimonoseki and get it at the source of the best fugu in Japan.

That about sums up the Tsushima experience. And like Shimizu, they're doing a lot to bring in a good expat lunch crowd as well.

Here's a website for Tazuru Annex with descriptions of the various multi-course menus. In case you want to review.

Um. This is great, but why is it on the Japan board?

Komatsu in Torrance, or Thousand Cranes in Little Tokyo

Just wanted to correct you on your rosukatsu error. Rosukatsu is loin and hirekatsu is tenderloin. I also think there's some grade inflation going on here as Katsuhama puts out a decent product, but it doesn't really come close to the quality you can get in Japan.

You could try Acqua Pazza around Ebisu. I've been to their restaurant in Hiroshima and was pretty impressed. Their Shizuoka restaurant was recently featured on Gochi ni Narimasu, the off-shoot show from Guruguru99. Acqua Pazza is the flagship restaurant, but they have other specialty Italian restaurants around Tokyo as well.

What about the egg custard in the casserole? It usually comes to the table mid-meal, mostly unexpected on my part, but I do love it.

I think it might be useful to have a section on the myths and realities about MSG. It seems that there are so many people who feel the need to avoid MSG or have self-diagnosed themselves with MSG sensitivity, when it's probably something else. It seems to be a contributor to some Asian food phobias.

Just so you know, I'm Japanese, I know one of the managers, and they still don't take reservations. I believe their policy is to take reservations until 7pm, and then it's the waiting game. It seems your assumptions are on the wrong track.

Your version of melonpan is a specialized variation the standard melonpan, which is not a filled pastry, but a slightly dense and chewy bread. Here's a wikipedia page on the melonpan (with a couple factual errors). The Japanese Wikipedia entryhas more information. According to this entry, the filled melonpan was introduced in Hiroshima. For some pictorials on the melonpan, here is a melonpan blog. And here's another page with a pictorial of varieties of melonpan. Nonetheless, the most likely place you'll find a yakitate melonpan is at Cafe Zaiya on 41st St and Madison. I doubt that you'll find a filled version of melonpan in NYC, unless you find a packaged version in the refrigerator section of a Japanese grocery.

I had my first white curry at an odd 70s style kissaten in Okayama about 4 or 5 years ago. My friends who took me there seem to have been eating it for a while. It was very good.

I'm not sure if Ariyoshi is one of the best izakayas in NYC, but they are pretty decent. The Ariyoshi in Queens and the one on 53rd St have nothing to do with one another. The one in Queens is just a general Japanese restaurant serving dumbed-down Japanese food, while the one on 53rd is more of a watering hole with food. The Ariyoshi on 53rd changed ownership about a year ago, which has something to do with how inconsistent they've been, but it seems to be better than it was during the transition. Many of the signature items from a few years ago aren't as good or even on the menu. I don't think these guys were around from the 80s. Also, the aozora site is badly in need of an update. The info is pretty outdated.

The closest places for homemade soba near Grand Central is Hatsuhana Park. I like their really light version. Another very good place is Hyo Tan Nippon (or Restaurant Nippon) on E. 52nd St, near Lex. They're associated with Soba Nippon, so maybe they make the soba for both restaurants. Here's their website. Check out the part describing where they source their buckwheat.

Lunch no joou was very entertaining. It revolves around a yoshoku restaurant, so there are some great scenes and dialogue around things like Omu-raisu (I think from the very first scene), and attempts to make the best demi glace, among many others. Takeuchi Yuko's great in the title role, as were Eguchi Yosuke and Satoshi Tsumabuki, and one of Japan's favorite hotties, Ito Misaki. Here's a link to a Jdorama site on Lunch no Joou. Another great food drama is Oosama no Resutoran (King's restaurant). This story is set in a struggling French restaurant, and it really goes into the culture of French cuisine. And there's plenty of food scenes to enjoy. Here's the Jdorama link: Oosama no Resutoran Another worthwhile comedy/drama is Manhattan Love Story, which is a parody of a love story, set in a kissaten. Not too many food scenes, but there's just enough. It's more serious about coffee, actually. Here's the Jdorama page: Manhattan Love Story

You can find Shirataki noodles at any of the Japanese markets in NYC, like Yagura or Katagiri in midtown, any of the JAS marts (which are outlets of Mitsuwa) around town, and Sunrise mart, or Family mart in Astoria. In fact, you can find Shirataki at many of the Korean markets like Han au Reum in Koreatown, maybe M2M as well, or the Korean markets in Queens like Chong Hap or Hanyang, or the main Han au Reum stores in Flushing. I've also seen shirataki at some chinese markets, at least the ones in Queens like New York Supermarket in Elmhurst, or Pacific Mart in Jackson Heights. It might be worth looking for in Chinatown as well. If you feel you have to spend the time and money to get out to Mitsuwa in NJ, that's your call. The ramen chain there is called Santouka, and they do have an excellent shio tonkotsu ramen. They're a chain based in Sapporo.

I would also recommend getting a JR pass to travel with. I'm not sure what the eligibility criteria are for students, but here's the JR Website with a list of prices. Also realize that you'll be there at the dead of summer, and if the last couple years is an indication, it'll be really hot and humid. I find it kind of difficult to eat tonkotsu ramen in those conditions. Probably isn't the best time to visit an onsen either. And since you'll be close enough, try Nagasaki Champon or Sara Udon, both Nagasaki specialties, but there are outlets in Fukuoka too.

I've never tried to make tonkotsu ramen, but I always thought the white milky broth was made by keeping the broth at a rolling boil for a key few hours, instead of a simmer. At least that's what I've seen at several tonkotsu ramen shops too. Simmering keeps the soup clear.

Cream stew is basically a stew thickened with a bechamel (white) sauce. You can make it yourself by cooking butter/oil with flour, then add milk and bring to a boil while stirring. Most all Japanese stews are French-influenced fusion cuisine from the early 20th century. Notice that meat stews you get at good yoshoku restaurants use homemade demi glace, or at least an espagnol sauce. My favorite among these yoshoku stews is tongue stew.

A few things difficult to find in the US from the top of my head: Umi budo (sea grapes) from Okinawa. Many kinds of yoshoku dishes like tongue stew, a good omu-raisu (never found a good one in the US) with a good homemade demi glace or beef hayashi, or a really good homemade hayashi rice for that matter. Fresh wasabi. While some places in the US (in NY and LA) might have access to fresh wasabi (for a price), it's much more common in Japan and worth seeking out, if you've never had it with your sushi. Fresh Ayu: Fresh unagi (not the frozen stuff) at an unagi-ya -- kabayaki or unaju. Chicken sashimi Horse meat sashimi (mostly in Kyushu) Fugu Whale meat Matsutake mushrooms

For restaurant magazines, I really like Otona no Shumatsu. They concentrate on Tokyo, but do features on other areas. Dancyu, as you probably know, have great features. I'm enjoying this June issue about all kind of Tachi-gui (eateries without seating) places. I also like Serai (Sarai if read in Japanese) for their features. Serai is a biweekly lifestyle and food magazine that concentrates on highly seasonal and regional foods, with really good features.

For at least the last year, since Yoshinoya has discontinued the gyu-don, they changed their main item to the pork don. The honten (original) store in Tokyo is the only shop to keep the gyu-don going through the US beef ban.

What do you all think about this recipe? Curry from scratch

The local guide called Guia del Ocio usually has an "open on sunday" restaurant listing. Guia del Ocio also has a short English section in the back as well. If you read Spanish, it's a great resource to find out what's going on around town.

The show you described was the hour-long new year special for Kuishimbo Banzai! From what I understand, Kuishimbo Banzai is a short magazine program used to fill in time between programs. The male host of the new year show is that tennis player (forgot his name), and the panel were former Kuishimbo hosts, including the guy who has a phobia for snakes, who was forced to eat some.