31 minutes ago, helenjp said:You went to Itoya, I imagine?
I try to stay away from there, because I have a leetle problem with paper lust.
Seriously approve of the ankimo/prawn roe tofu breakfast. We didn't get further than finding some central Japan "oyaki" - fried/steamed dumplingish buns filled with miso-flavored vegetable mixes.
I did go to Itoya..I might've spent five hours and $200 on stationery.. 
On the other hand, I'm now sorted for presents for every kid I know (and considering I have 5 godkids, that's an achievement).
Seriously amazing shop, look at this Rube Goldberg machine made solely out of stationery supplies!!
Plus, on a food-related amazement, they have a hydroponic farm on the 11th floor!
Other food the things of the day; a simple beef gyudom (thinly sliced, well-marbled beef simmered in soy, mirin and sake on rice), with a raw egg, green onions, kimchi and all you can eat pickles..for ¥670! Which is US$6 or AUD$8. Amazing. And that was the large size! Like everything else in Japan for which I cannot make sense of the economics, I can only presume it's down to scale.
I do love that they give you your own egg separator and empty bowl, lest you not want the raw egg white (which I didn't.)
Then a kouign amann and biche aux citron from Maison Kayser in Matsuya Ginza, a stop at Mariage Freres for some yuzu and indigo flower green tea, and home.
Predicting (correctly, as it turns out) that my Saturday evening would go to hell with work dramas back in Sydney and that I'd be doglocked to the laptop all evening, I stopped in at the local supermarket on the way home and bought this pack of lovely, fatty salmon belly strips for US$3/AUD$3.50, and pan fried them till the skin was blistered and crispy, and ate with some simple rice and spinach.
And my ubiquitous (beloved) sake, of course. 
