Feasting My Way Through Japan

[rarerollingobject]

In December, I spent 3 glorious weeks eating my way through Japan; Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Sapporo, Hakodate and back to Tokyo. It was my 11th (!) trip to Japan but my mother had never been, so I thought I'd take the old girl over for a good time. We did not kill each other, surprisingly.

 

I'll come back and caption these a little more informatively over coming weeks, but as you can see, we ate rather a lot. 

Midori Sushi, Mark City, Shibuya (always my first stop when I arrive in Tokyo, as my preferred hotel is directly above it)

 

Toro tuna belly,  Midori Sushi, Mark City, Shibuya

 

Squid gristle for snack time (as you do)

 

Uni tempura, Tsunahachi, Shinjuku

 

Uni tempura, Tsunahachi, Shinjuku

 

Eel, fish and scallop tempura, Tsunahachi, Shinjuku

 

Clam meat, chopped, stuffed back in clam shell and tempura'd, Tsunahachi, Shinjuku

 

Crab leg tempura, Tsunahachi, Shinjuku

 

Maitake mushroom (a cluster of them) tempura, Tsunahachi, Shinjuku

 

Squid, prawn which had been alive right up until this point, lotus root tempura, dipping sauce, radish and green tea salt, 

Tsunahachi, Shinjuku

 

Prawn head tempura, 

Tsunahachi, Shinjuku

 

Evening hotel room snack - an AUD$15 tray of uni from Isetan depachika (food basement), Shinjku

 

Amaebi (sweet raw prawn) gunkan sushi from Umegaoka Sushi No Midori Sohonten, Shibuya

 

'

Engawa (flounder fin), lightly grilled, 

Umegaoka Sushi No Midori Sohonten, Shibuya

 

Otoro, chutoro and akami tuna, 

Umegaoka Sushi No Midori Sohonten, Shibuya

 

Marinated raw baby squid sushi, 

Umegaoka Sushi No Midori Sohonten, Shibuya

 

Otoro fatty tuna belly and minced daikon (takuan), 

Umegaoka Sushi No Midori Sohonten, Shibuya

 

Fried oysters, 

Umegaoka Sushi No Midori Sohonten, Shibuya

 

Negitoro - fatty minced tuna belly and green onion,

Umegaoka Sushi No Midori Sohonten, Shibuya

 

Salmon, flounder fin and tuna belly aburi (lightly grilled), 

Umegaoka Sushi No Midori Sohonten, Shibuya

Edited April 11, 2017 by Smithy
Adjusted title, which originally indicated a single trip (log)

[rarerollingobject]

Isomarusuisan, Shibuya - a grill your own seafood place. You get a portable grill and a pair of tongs and have at it. They even have a 'catch your own squid' pool in the middle of the restaurant.

 

Grilled tuna collar, 

Isomarusuisan, Shibuya

 

Bukkake (ahem) sushi, with uni, whitebait, tuna belly and salmon roe, 

Isomarusuisan, Shibuya

 

Grilling our own sazae (turban shell) and scallops,

Isomarusuisan, Shibuya

 

Grilling kani miso (crab tomalley served in its shell) and clams, 

Isomarusuisan, Shibuya

 

Happy peoples, 

Isomarusuisan, Shibuya

 

And more 

Isomarusuisan, Shibuya

 

The all-important business of choosing our ekiben (filled lunchboxes to eat on the train) for our trip to Kanazawa

 

Kanazawa sashimi don, with minced tuna belly, salmon roe, chopped cucumber and sesame seeds on sushi rice,
Omicho Market, Kanazawa

 

Snack for me; eating a raw sweet spot prawn with its roe, 

Omicho Market, Kanazawa

 

Snack for me: uni,

Omicho Market, Kanazawa

 

Crab-lookers

Omicho Market, Kanazawa

 

Oysters,

Omicho Market, Kanazawa

 

Oysters, uni and scallops,

Omicho Market, Kanazawa

 

Squid, crab, chunks of fish, 

Omicho Market, Kanazawa

 

Clams and whelks,

Omicho Market, Kanazawa

 

Shirako (cod sperm sacs),

Omicho Market, Kanazawa

 

Fresh wasabi root, 

Omicho Market, Kanazawa

 

Crabs and uni,

Omicho Market, Kanazawa

 

Raw spot prawns with roe,

Omicho Market, Kanazawa

 

Omicho Market, Kanazawa

 

Edited June 17, 2016 by rarerollingobject (log)

[rarerollingobject]

Grilled fish stall,
Omicho Market, Kanazawa

 

Unagi grilled eel stall,

Omicho Market, Kanazawa

 

More crabs

Omicho Market, Kanazawa

 

 

The hotel in Kanazawa had a sashimi buffet for breakfast, as well as a Western bacon and eggs style spread. So the only thing for it as far as I was concerned was a make-your-own sashimi kaisendon (seafood bowl) bacon abomination.
 

Sashimi breakfast buffet, ANA Kanazawa Hotel

 

Matcha and red bean sweets, Higashichaya teahouse, Kanazawa
 

Tonkotsu Ramen and gyoza, A1 Ramen, Kanazawa

 

Grilled salmon
Michita Izakaya, Kanazawa

 

Sashimi omakase,

Michita Izakaya, Kanazawa

 

 

Gold leaf soft serve, Kanazawa

 

Onto Kyoto. Baby octopus stuffed with a hard-boiled quails' egg (of course)
Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Clams, 

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

 

Cold icy cucumbers on sticks, very good

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Wasabi roots, 

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

 

Pickles of various sorts - some in sake lees, some in fermenting miso

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Grilled things, mostly unagi (eel)

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

 

Baby octopus, braised in sweet sauce, stuffed with a quails' egg

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

 

Fugu (pufferfish) shop

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

 

Rice cracker-maker

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

 

Shops various

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

 

Chestnut shop, freshly roasting

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

 

Dried fish/bonito shop

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

 

Dried fish shop,

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

 

Pickles and things

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

 

Eggs of all sorts (such beautiful, yellow-yolked eggs too, Japanese eggs taste amazing)

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

 

 

Fresh warm tamagoyaki (sweet/salty omelette) on a stick

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

 

Sake shop (I bought quite a bit to drink in the bath in the house we rented)

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

 

 

 

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

 

Edited June 17, 2016 by rarerollingobject (log)

[rarerollingobject]

Tamagoyaki (omelette) maker
Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Cucumbers pickling in sake lees

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Unagi (eel) stall

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Grilled fish - that says kamasu, which Google tells me is whiting
Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Obligatory photo of the plastic food key rings

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Grilled things

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Wagyu/kobe beef of various grades, to be grilled on the spot

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Kameboko/fish cake stand

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

More fish cakes

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Roasting sweet potatoes

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Oysters, turban shells/sazae

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Sashimi on sticks

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Nikuman (beef bun), snack for me

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Shop!

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Grilled and simmered fish stall

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Warabi - mochi/pounded sticky rice sweets, usually rolled in roasted soybean or green tea powder

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Grilled buri (yellowtail) and baby squid

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

More pickles

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Chief Pickle Inspector

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Lemon tuna sashimi, snack for me 

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Now we're onto to Sapporo, the snowy capital of Hokkaido. We arrived and immediately realised that we're pathetic Australians who are shithouse at dealing with snow, so we stood outside for approximately 30 seconds of the whole trip. This is at a kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) place in Nijo Fish Market, Sapporo

 

SO GOOD. This had salmon roe, uni, sweet amaebi prawn, salmon belly, scallops, squid, tuna, ark shell clam and a raw crab leg (not shown, I ate it before remembering to take a photo)

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

 

Akami (lean) tuna
Nemuro Hanamaru Kaiten Sushi, Sapporo

 

Engawa (flounder fin)

Nemuro Hanamaru Kaiten Sushi, Sapporo

 

Aburi (grilled) salmon

Nemuro Hanamaru Kaiten Sushi, Sapporo

 

Scallop grilled in its shell and eaten standing in a gutter on our second trip to Nijo Market, Sapporo

 

Flower crab,

Nijo Market, Sapporo

 

Snow crab,

Nijo Market, Sapporo

 

Hairy crab

Nijo Market, Sapporo

 

Giant octopus leg

Nijo Market, Sapporo

 

Crab tank

Nijo Market, Sapporo

 

Spiny crab

Nijo Market, Sapporo

 

 

Nijo Market, Sapporo

 

This was then in Hakodate, a town south of Sapporo. At an uni-specialist restaurant. Uni gratin - uni, in uni custard, grilled in its shell. After.

Uni Murakami, Hakodate Morning Market

 

Before.

Uni Murakami, Hakodate Morning Market

Uni and shiso leaf tempura.

Uni Murakami, Hakodate Morning Market

More uni and shiso tempura (I ordered a second serving!)
Uni Murakami, Hakodate Morning Market

 

My mother's uni tempura rice bowl.

Uni Murakami, Hakodate Morning Market

 

 

Raw uni don 

Uni Murakami, Hakodate Morning Market

Edited June 18, 2016 by rarerollingobject (log)

[rarerollingobject]

[rarerollingobject]

And that's it! Happy travels, from her and me!

 

 

[ElainaA]

That is beautiful. I love all the pictures even though (or because) I can only identify, at best, half of what I am looking at. Thank you for posting this. 

Edited June 17, 2016 by ElainaA (log)

[rarerollingobject]

I know, I'm sorry I haven't captioned them..the enormity of the task is tiring just to think about. I'll get around to it. But if there's any picture in particular that intrigues, let me know in the meantime.

 

I also have approximately a billion pictures of the inside of the local supermarket next to the restored machiya house we rented in Kyoto I could post if anyone's interested - I love to cook, and so does Mum, so I wanted at least one of our stops to be somewhere we'd have a kitchen and could shop and cook together. That was a highlight.

[Wayne]

 

Wow! Beautiful photography.

I'm impressed with the many ways uni is served. Do post some supermarket photos as one of the things I do on trips is check out local markets and supermarkets (and inevitably buy more than I can possibly use or take home).

 

Cheers.

 

 

[liuzhou]

Fascinating pictures. Some I can guess, but I'll look forward to any captions, as you get round to them.

[rarerollingobject]

I've captioned the first few sets now..luckily for me, I have a steel-trap mind when it comes to a good meal and remember everything I've ever eaten and where. 

Edited June 17, 2016 by rarerollingobject (log)

[catdaddy]

Wonderful series of photos. I'm looking forward to the captions! In the meantime I'm curious about the white protein? a couple photos above the knives. It is next to some salmon roe and some fatty fish. Is it milt perhaps?

[rarerollingobject]

Just now, catdaddy said:

Wonderful series of photos. I'm looking forward to the captions! In the meantime I'm curious about the white protein? a couple photos above the knives. It is next to some salmon roe and some fatty fish. Is it milt perhaps?

 

Yes, it's shirako; cod milt/sperm. One of my favourite things. I hardly know anyone who likes it; everyone's all, "Ewww, sperm.." But me? I looooove it. 

 

Ahem.

[rarerollingobject]

Here you go, @Wayne and fellow supermarket-lovers.

Edited June 17, 2016 by rarerollingobject (log)

[Smithy]

I feel as boggled by the abundant unfamiliarity as if I'd landed in those markets myself!  Thanks for posting these.

 

What was the combination of baby octopus and quail egg like?  Did they play off each other well?   

 

I wondered about the gold leaf on the soft-serve ice cream cone and, until your caption, thought it was some new drip-saving method.  Does the leaf add a flavor, or is it more about the texture and color (and luxury)?

[rarerollingobject]

7 minutes ago, Smithy said:

I feel as boggled by the abundant unfamiliarity as if I'd landed in those markets myself!  Thanks for posting these.

 

What was the combination of baby octopus and quail egg like?  Did they play off each other well?   

 

I wondered about the gold leaf on the soft-serve ice cream cone and, until your caption, thought it was some new drip-saving method.  Does the leaf add a flavor, or is it more about the texture and color (and luxury)?

 

I personally loved the octopus. I tend not to like eggs very much in general, and I wished it was soft boiled, but apart from that it was delicious..sweet soy mirin glaze.

The gold leaf is ONLY for luxury/novelty; that part of Kanazawa is very famous for its gold leaf production. Added absolutely no flavour, and melted to nothing in the mouth, so no texture either..though the by-products later that night were rather, uh, sparkly..so that was fun.

Edited June 17, 2016 by rarerollingobject (log)

[Wayne]

@rarerollingobject

Thanks for posting the photos. The wasabi in the fifth photo would have found its way home with me.

Beautiful seafood. Impressed by the variety available, especially the abalone.

 

 

 

 

[demiglace]

It's all just amazing. Thanks for posting this and great photo of your Mum and you!

 

p.s I'd love to see any meals that you and your Mum cooked.

Edited June 17, 2016 by demiglace (log)

[cdh]

Wow!  I really need to take a trip to Japan some time.  Thanks for the masses of inspiration.

[Tere]

Japan is amazing for a foodie. I miss it sometimes.

 

I'm in the love shirako camp, too - I like the hot stone bowl / rice / shirako treatment. "Very good for your husband" I got told by one of our regular haunts  

[kayb]

Oh, how these photos make me long to go back! I believe my favorite place in all of Tokyo is the Tsukiji fish market. 

 

Thank you for posting these. I could almost taste many of these delicacies. 

[FrogPrincesse]

Fa-bu-lous. I need to go back to Japan immediately! Thanks for sharing.

 

[rarerollingobject]

Aaaand more. From a very vociferous sushi train place in snowy Sapporo, video here: https://www.facebook.com/kpritch515/videos/10153785907019122/

 

 

[Shelby]

Thank you SO much for showing us all of this.  

 

Every picture had me leaning forward to soak it all in and I was saying "wow"  "OH wow" "wow" over and over and over.

[heidih]

What a series of deliciousness. I am in major seafood craving mode now. Were it not Fathers Day in the US tomorrow I would be down at the better fish market going nuts