Tales (and pictures!) of trips in Japan

[torakris]

I hope you don't mind but I just had to post my favorite picture here!!

This was from page 4, do remember where this was taken?

The pictures are all really incredible!

Did you have any favorite places you visited or any new favorite foods?

[Hiroyuki]

Thanks for sharing all those terrific photos!

My questions are:

Did you buy any knives while you were in Japan?

What was your pourpose of your sivit to Japan?

Do you remember any particular food items you like or hated?

And, finally, which of the three men is orangeman747?

[orangeman747]

I hope you don't mind but I just had to post my favorite picture here!!

This was from page 4, do remember where this was taken?

The pictures are all really incredible!

Did you have any favorite places you visited or any new favorite foods?

←

This picture is from Kyoto, from the large street market there (I don't recall the name of the market...)

I don't know if I had any favorite place because they were all so amazing! Going from the city of Tokyo full of technology and lights to Magome and Tsumago, which are rural towns in the Kiso valley that still practice many of the old ways of life, was really amazing. If I had to choose I would probably say Kyoto was my favorite, we had some incredible meals there and the temples and gardens there were amazing, but everything was amazing, so its hard to say!

So many new favorite foods too! I tried o-toro for the first time at the Tsukiji fish market, which was truly unbelievable!!!!! But everything was great (I got a little tired of fish for breakfast every morning, but...). I just loved how the food is so embedded in the culture. I loved the noodles, the fish, the sushi, the okonmyaki (which I now make at home a lot), the miso, the tofu. Everything was so wonderful! (One thing i was NOT a fan of: gelatin, which we found everywhere... ew)

[orangeman747]

Thanks for sharing all those terrific photos!

My questions are:

Did you buy any knives while you were in Japan?

What was your pourpose of your sivit to Japan?

Do you remember any particular food items you like or hated?

And, finally, which of the three men is orangeman747?

←

We did not buy knives, but did buy some other cooking utensils (these metal spear like chop-stick things, among other things). We were tempted to buy some knives, but when we got to a good shop they were all upwards of $1000, which we weren't particularly interested in, but seeing all the knives there was cool!

The purpose was a food-focused trip for pleasure.

I loved pretty much every food there (see my response above).

[SheenaGreena]

not food related, but I loved the picture of the red sox daisuke matsuzaka lighter.

I'm watching the 2nd game of the sox indians game right now <3

great pics btw. Also what is in the 5th photo on the first page? Looks like brown block with some kind of miso sauce and a whole thing of ginger on top

[Hiroyuki]

Thanks for sharing all those terrific photos!

My questions are:

Did you buy any knives while you were in Japan?

What was your pourpose of your sivit to Japan?

Do you remember any particular food items you like or hated?

And, finally, which of the three men is orangeman747?

←

We did not buy knives, but did buy some other cooking utensils (these metal spear like chop-stick things, among other things). We were tempted to buy some knives, but when we got to a good shop they were all upwards of $1000, which we weren't particularly interested in, but seeing all the knives there was cool!

The purpose was a food-focused trip for pleasure.

I loved pretty much every food there (see my response above).

←

Sorry to hear about knives. I'm also thinking about buying a deba and a sashimi slicer. I still cannot decide whether to go for Global (> 7,000 yen) or Kaijizushi (2,000 to 3,000 yen). $1000?? You mean $100?

[v. gautam]

Thanks for the wonderful photographs and commentary.

I could not believe my eyes when I saw the Col. Sanders in a kimono and a watermelon slice. I laughed till I cried, then looked carefully to verify if I had really seen right:: WATERMELON, southern fried chicken, Col. Sanders!

I know that all this is very, very innocent in Japan, where the subtext is missing, but in the US, the proximity of these particular cultural+gastronomic tropes ---- a few sensitivities would have been trodden upon!!!

In these days of globalization and increased cultural sensitivity, maybe the management of KFC Japan can find something more striking and less fraught with cultural baggage than a watermelon slice to place in the Colonel's welcoming hands?

gautam

[orangeman747]

Thanks for sharing all those terrific photos!

My questions are:

Did you buy any knives while you were in Japan?

What was your pourpose of your sivit to Japan?

Do you remember any particular food items you like or hated?

And, finally, which of the three men is orangeman747?

←

We did not buy knives, but did buy some other cooking utensils (these metal spear like chop-stick things, among other things). We were tempted to buy some knives, but when we got to a good shop they were all upwards of $1000, which we weren't particularly interested in, but seeing all the knives there was cool!

The purpose was a food-focused trip for pleasure.

I loved pretty much every food there (see my response above).

←

Sorry to hear about knives. I'm also thinking about buying a deba and a sashimi slicer. I still cannot decide whether to go for Global (> 7,000 yen) or Kaijizushi (2,000 to 3,000 yen). $1000?? You mean $100?

←

Well the knife store that we were told to go to was very expensive, so most were over $1000, but there were other knife stores with much cheaper, but we just didn't get around to buying any.

I have some globals and though I don't own a Global sashimi slicer I have used one before, and though I am certainly no expert on this subject I remember it being a wonderful knife.

[Ohba]

Thanks for the wonderful photographs and commentary.

I could not believe my eyes when I saw the Col. Sanders in a kimono and a watermelon slice. I laughed till I cried, then looked carefully to verify if I had really seen right:: WATERMELON, southern fried  chicken, Col. Sanders!

I know that all this is very, very innocent in Japan, where the subtext is missing, but in the US, the proximity of these particular cultural+gastronomic tropes ----  a few sensitivities would have been trodden upon!!!

In these days of globalization and increased cultural sensitivity, maybe the management of KFC Japan can find something more striking and less fraught with cultural baggage than a watermelon slice to place in the Colonel's welcoming hands?

gautam

←

I didn't even make the connection until you mentioned it. Now I see what you mean, but this would definitely have been done just as a seasonal gesture (hence the yukata). Watermelon has strong associations with the days of summer in Japan, nothing more.

[torakris]

Thanks for the wonderful photographs and commentary.

I could not believe my eyes when I saw the Col. Sanders in a kimono and a watermelon slice. I laughed till I cried, then looked carefully to verify if I had really seen right:: WATERMELON, southern fried  chicken, Col. Sanders!

I know that all this is very, very innocent in Japan, where the subtext is missing, but in the US, the proximity of these particular cultural+gastronomic tropes ----  a few sensitivities would have been trodden upon!!!

In these days of globalization and increased cultural sensitivity, maybe the management of KFC Japan can find something more striking and less fraught with cultural baggage than a watermelon slice to place in the Colonel's welcoming hands?

gautam

←

I didn't even make the connection until you mentioned it. Now I see what you mean, but this would definitely have been done just as a seasonal gesture (hence the yukata). Watermelon has strong associations with the days of summer in Japan, nothing more.

←

Wow! I didn't make a connection either. The picture just screamed SUMMER at me. I guess I have been in Japan too long...

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

Thanks for the wonderful photographs and commentary.

I could not believe my eyes when I saw the Col. Sanders in a kimono and a watermelon slice. I laughed till I cried, then looked carefully to verify if I had really seen right:: WATERMELON, southern fried  chicken, Col. Sanders!

←

I just about spit oreo cookies all over my keyboard when I saw that picture. Too funny.

For me, it was less about the fried chicken and watermelon thing and more about how my friends always tell me that my Dad looks like a younger, blue collar version of Col. Sanders.

[v. gautam]

I kid you not, so strange or interesting have we become here : were that picture to receive widespread publicity, say in a David Letterman show, you may be sure of a major storm in a teacup. At least some heads would roll at KFC USA because it [Pepsico?] is connected to too many other fast food brands, and potential losses would be large.

g

[helenjp]

?? There is some reason why watermelon is a bad food?? I mean, I know that it's popular in the southern states, but I didn't know it had any more or less baggage than other southern foods? Why watermelon and not okra, peaches, or corn??

Culturally illiterate, I am, and as long as anybody's not eating their share of watermelon, they can send it to me!

P.S. Sorry if I'm being insensitve, just massively curious!

Edited October 16, 2007 by helenjp (log)

[prasantrin]

?? There is some reason why watermelon is a bad food?? I mean, I know that it's popular in the southern states, but I didn't know it had any more or less baggage than other southern foods? Why watermelon and not okra, peaches, or corn??

Culturally illiterate, I am, and as long as anybody's not eating their share of watermelon, they can send it to me!

P.S. Sorry if I'm being insensitve, just massively curious!

←

Check out this article. I think it will explain it to you. As far as I know, the problem only exists in the US, however, and the same associations are not made elsewhere (at least not in Canada, and we're right next door). Mountain. Molehill.

[helenjp]

Poor, innocent, watermelon. I hope somebody starts a "reclamation" project on it.

[orangeman747]

not food related, but I loved the picture of the red sox daisuke matsuzaka lighter. 

I'm watching the 2nd game of the sox indians game right now <3

great pics btw.  Also what is in the 5th photo on the first page?  Looks like brown block with some kind of miso sauce and a whole thing of ginger on top

←

Not completely sure, some type of gelatin-tofu like thing with an unknown sauce... we were curious at the sushi bar as to what it was, as it was quite good, but no one there spoke English so we didn't find out.

[orangeman747]

I kid you not, so strange or interesting have we become here : were that picture to receive widespread publicity, say in a David Letterman show, you may be sure of a major storm in a teacup. At least some heads would roll at KFC USA because it [Pepsico?] is connected to too many other fast food brands, and potential losses would be large.

g

←

hmmm.... funny/interesting idea. Maybe I'll just have to be sending it off to one of those shows?....

(I wouldn't mind getting some fast food chains in trouble... sounds quite fun actually......)

[Cadbury]

?? There is some reason why watermelon is a bad food?? I mean, I know that it's popular in the southern states, but I didn't know it had any more or less baggage than other southern foods? Why watermelon and not okra, peaches, or corn??

Culturally illiterate, I am, and as long as anybody's not eating their share of watermelon, they can send it to me!

P.S. Sorry if I'm being insensitve, just massively curious!

←

Helen, I had the same reaction, in fact had to google to find what all the fuss was about.

[HKDave]

Just got back to HK after 6 days in Tokyo, based in the Aoyama area. Many of these places have websites but they're often only in Japanese, so for more detailed addresses, hours and maps (which are pretty much essential for locating anything in Tokyo) check bento.com. Our visit was timed so we got in and out before Japan's new 'we're going to fingerprint all visiting foreigners' thing, which I find absurd and degrading, so I guess that's my last Japan visit. And a tasty one it was. Here goes:

Katsu:

Tried both Maisen (Aoyama) and Tonki (Meguro), which are generally said to be the #1 and #2 katsu places in Tokyo. Hmmm. Am I allowed to say I wasn't impressed and that I prefer the katsu at the restaurant across the street from me in HK? I guess I just did.

They're very different styles. Maisen has an unusually thick layer of breading which I found overpowering, and while the pork was delicious, in my case it was undercooked. No English but they do have a photo menu. About Y1500 - Y3000 for a katsu set, and since one photo of katsu looks much like another, good luck figuring out what you're ordering. Credit cards.

Tonki's breading is much more eggy (they use a flour-egg-flour-egg-flour-egg-Panko breading sequence) but it doesn't stick to the meat; you feel that the breading and pork are 2 completely unconnected things on the plate. The pork's not as tasty as Maisen but it is properly cooked. I loved the atmosphere around the downstairs katsu kitchen/bar at Tonki, especially watching the guy with the world's most heat-resistant fingers slice up all the katsu immediately after it comes out of the deep fryer. No English and no menu; when you come in a guy will ask you what you want. The 2 most common orders are 'rosa katsu' = loin = fattier, or 'hire (that's hee-ray) katsu' = fillet = leaner. Sit down and wait at the bench on the side, you will be called to the bar when your order is ready. Free refills of rice and cabbage. About Y1500 for a katsu set. Credit cards. Not easy to find. Take the west exit from Meguro Station, turn left and walk downhill along Meguro-dori for a minute. Turn left again just before the Gaia pachinko parlour. Tonki is 3 doors down with the sliding door and blue curtain (no English sign).

Noodles:

I only tried a few places. Umeiya (as recommended by Torakris) for a white miso/sesame/burnt onion raman Y650 plus gyoza Y250 for lunch. Good. No English and not many photos. I was unable to communicate enough to order their recommended shiso or garlic gyoza and just got plain ones, which were still very tasty (and were being made in-house, by hand). They have several locations, I was at the one on Aoyama-dori just south of the Kotto-dori intersection.

My favorite was another chain called Shinamen ('Chinamen' transliterated) Hasigo. Several locations; were at the one just across the street from Ginza Line Tameike-Sanno Exit 7. No English, but the thing to order here is spicy dandan mein with daro=roast pork slices or paiko=breaded pork cutlet. They will make it more or less spicy if you can communicate that. They also have a cold deconstructed dandan called (I think) reimen that looked good. I was told they had gyoza but they didn't, at least at this location. No credit cards, about Y1100 for a bowl of dandan.

Burgers:

I make no apologies for going to Japan and eating hamburgers. I like burgers. No credit cards at any of these, I think.

I had to try some of the local chains, so... MOS Burger. Hmmm. I had a chili cheeseburger and my companion, The Delectable Ms A, had an ebi-katsu burger. Mine was... well, not bad; the bland chili was helped by the jalapeno slices. TDMA's was pretty good, not that we've had any other ebi-katsu burgers to benchmark it against. We were at the location in Ryogoku, the sumo district, but they have about a zillion other locations. No English but lots of photos and very friendly staff. This was the cleanest fast food place I've been in on Earth. About Y350 for a burger.

Next, Freshness Burger. Or more truthfully, Frozen Burger. And frozen fries. And microwave clam chowder. I had their standard Freshness Burger, which was (I think) a chili/tomato burger. It was ok but the best thing was that they had a selection of hot sauces, so mine tasted like Mexican hot sauce, which is a good thing. We were in the Harajuku location, so the staff were all kids with great hairdos and facial piercings whose mothers had told them that if they looked like that, they'd end up flipping burgers. What do you know, Mom was right. About Y350/burger, no English, many photos. Freshness just opened in HK so I guess I'll see what they're like here.

Fujimama's is a very American place near the Harajuku end of Omotesando; they have a full English website with maps and menus etc here: http://www.fujimamas.com/ The staff all seemed to be from the Philippines so English wasn't a problem. TDMA had a swordfish burger, which she liked, and I had a cheeseburger. It was bloody in the middle, which is fine with me, and had a really nice chewy texture and was also well seasoned. Good burger, but for Y1500 it came with... nothing. No fries. I thought that was a bit bogus for the money.

Best burger was Kua Aina; thanks again Torakris. Y1500 for a 1/3 lb bacon cheeseburger with a small portion of 'homemade' (no they're not; but they're good-quality frozen) fries, and a nice little salad, and a soda. The meat is less seasoned than I like but there's salt and pepper and ketchup and mustard on the table. Beautiful lettuce, tomato and onion garnish; no iceberg here. English menu. Many locations; I was at the one just across the street from Umeiya, above.

Neighbourhood food:

These are not places I'm suggesting are worth making a special trip to find, just places we went to because we were hungry and there they were.

Our one buy-tokens-from-machine and eat-noodles-standing-up experience was at the noodle shop between Aoyama Bell Commons and the Gaienmae Metro station. It was, I'm sure, no different than any one of a zillion other similar places in Tokyo, but still nice and exotic for visiting gaijin. No English or photos, but a helpful cook and another customer were able to help us get the right tokens from the machine. About Y600 for soba (me) or udon (TDMA) with 3 tempura toppings, all of which tasted much more of deep fried batter than anything else.

On our Kappabashi day, we smelled something good as we emerged from exit 3 of Tawaramachi Station. It turned out to be a small concrete-floored mom-and-pop (and grandpa; he mans the stall outside) shop that sold yakisoba. They also have onigiri and inari-sushi. That's it; 3 items on the menu. We sat down and Mom asked if we wanted yakisoba (at least that's what I think she asked), which we did. Y300. It was one of those places that's clearly been there forever and although the yakisoba was just ok, I loved the place and will certainly go back if I'm in the 'hood again. And I will be, because Kappabashi is well worth a repeat visit. It's cookware porn heaven. The shop under the big plastic chef is great.

Expensive gaijin food:

I was psyched for good pizza, something Hong Kong lacks. Pizzeria Sabatini came well recommended, but it was hands-down the worst meal we had in Japan. The pizza was simply awful. A (good) shared salad; one soggy, undercooked 30cm pizza that wasn't garnished as described but it hardly mattered because it was barely garnished at all; and a couple of beers: Y5000. Crap. Not remotely 'authentic' (HKDave knows pizza; he was chowing down on the real thing in Italy before our genuine Italian waiter was a tickle in his Daddy's underpants). Pizza Hut would have been better.

Best meal of the trip was at Lauburu. This is a well-hidden, chef-owned, vaguely Basque restaurant. 24 seats; reservations essential. No English. The chalkboard menu is in Japanese or French, the latter of which worked for us. If you love pork, this is your place. If you're a vegan, umm, go home and make yourself a salad because there's not much for you here. House-made charcuterie, choucroute garni, cassoulet, pork confit, boudin noir; you get the picture. The highlight (which we didn't order, but over 50% of the tables did, and we will next visit) is their cote de porc, which is the porky equivalent of prime rib. I'd heard about the supposedly huge portions here but they're not that big. Apps around Y2000, mains Y3000. We dumped Y14500 on dinner for 2 with a bottle of French pear cider, and let me put it this way: we tried to book again for the next night (they were full). Credit cards. Tel 3498 1314, and you're not going to find it without directions, so here goes: Ginza Line, Omotesando Station. Take exit B1 and walk straight down Aoyama-dori. At the Max Mara store, turn left on to Kotto-dori and walk until Papa's Cafe (it's on the right hand side of the street). After Papa's, take the next right in to the lane, and then immediately take the next left into the even smaller dead-end lane that runs parallel to Kotto-dori. Lauburu is at the end of this lane. If you somehow end up at Roppongi-dori, you've gone too far.

Edit: spelling

Edited November 5, 2007 by HKDave (log)

[Ohba]

Good report.

Tried both Maisen (Aoyama) and Tonki (Meguro), which are generally said to be the #1 and #2 katsu places in Tokyo. Hmmm. Am I allowed to say I wasn't impressed and that I prefer the katsu at the restaurant across the street from me in HK?

You're not just allowed to; you should, if that's what you think.

We dumped Y14500 on dinner for 2 with a bottle of French pear cider, and let me put it this way: we tried to book again for the next night (they were full).

I don't think recommendations come much higher than that. On my next trip to Tokyo, I'll be trying that place - or trying to book, at least.

[smallworld]

Great report, HKDave. Aoyama is not an area I frequent, but your description of Lauburu has convinced me to pay a visit.

Tried both Maisen (Aoyama) and Tonki (Meguro), which are generally said to be the #1 and #2 katsu places in Tokyo. Hmmm. Am I allowed to say I wasn't impressed and that I prefer the katsu at the restaurant across the street from me in HK? I guess I just did.

←

I'm with you, I've enjoyed the tonkatsu at just about any random Mom & Pop place to the stuff at the more famous restaurants. But I think tonkatsu is one of those foods that people tend to disagree on, with everyone having their own favourite levels of crunch, amount of grease, thickness of batter etc.

So you're lucky to have a place you like right accross the street from you.

I've never heard of Shinamen before, but I'm guessing the name is not a transliteration of Chinamen. "Men" means noodle in Japanese and "Shina" is an old Japanese word for China, so the name most likely just means "Chinese noodles". Shina has rather racist connotations and is no longer really used, but for some reason a few ramen shops use it in their name or on their menu.

[prasantrin]

I love Kua'Aina, too! But I find the one I frequent tends to be inconsistent. Sometimes it's juicy and scrumptious, and other times it's dry and cardboard like. The one in Omotesando is the original one in Japan (can you believe they have more Kua'Aina in Japan than they do in Hawaii?), and I've never had a bad burger at that one.

I wonder how Katsukura would have compared to the tonkatsu places you tried. They don't have one in the Aoyama area as far as I can tell. They're still my favourite, and I much prefer them to Kimukatsu (though to me, Kimukatsu isn't really tonkatsu).

No cake shops visited? I'm always on the look-out for good cake suggestions!

[HKDave]

No cake shops visited?  I'm always on the look-out for good cake suggestions!

←

Pastry is TDMA's department; I'm a meat cook and don't have much of a sweet tooth. She did hit a few bakeries and sweet shops but usually ate the purchases before I had a chance to see them, let alone report on them.

Smallworld, I think you're right about the transliteration of 'shina men'; it is probably noodles, not men. I can't read katakana, so I was going by what someone told me. Nice blog, btw.

[nakji]

I'm just back from a fabulous, food-oriented trip to Takayama, in Hida ken.

If you're looking to eat some beef, do some sake tasting, and enjoy some seriously hospitable people, Takayama's your town.

I first saw Takayama featured in the JR travel ads on the Yamanote line last fall. Those ads really do their job, because I can never look at one without wanting to surrender all my cash to the fine people at JR and hop on the next train. The ads featured that actress lady - anyone know her name? - on some traditional looking streets. I like traditional, and to be honest, I haven't seen much of it in suburban Kanto, and it's been four years since I've been to Kyoto. My kanji wasn't up to scratch back then, so I had no idea where she was, and I sort of filed the memory and went about my life. Fast forward eight months, and I'm in Nikko, absorbing some fresh air and history. In the guest house's travel recommendation book is a long sloppy love letter from another traveller to Takayama. Looking at the postcard they've pasted next to the letter, I realize they're discussing my train town. Score!

Fast forward another four months, and my time and money status have clicked into a similar enough orbit to fund an expedition. When I first planned the trip, I thought I would have the chance to chill out in a peaceful atmosphere - little did I know I'd stumbled onto a town that was serious about their food. Being snowed in a lot will do that to you, I guess.

The local specialty is beef, and...it's good. It's also all over town.

We had:

Beef "tako"yaki:

Which frankly, we ate while they were too hot, and thus didn't enjoy them as well as we should have.

Beef sushi:

I thought the wasabi underneath was great. Very "roast dinner".

Beef ramen:

Everybody and their brother had beef skewers, so we tried those, too. We had these in the morning market with a fresh jibiru on the side - it's okay to drink before noon in public if they're selling it, right? The beef was so tender the bamboo stick was earning its pay holding it all together.

Our first night in town, we had dinner at Suzuya, popular with the guidebook set, and justifiably so. We had sukiyaki, and were able to communicate with the staff, in halting Japanese that has taken more than a year's work, that it was our first time having it. And what better way than with such gorgeous beef:

We also had hoba miso, a specialty of the town - miso and vegetables are grilled over a brazier on a magnolia leaf. My husband commented: "I'm not entirely sure I can continue living without my own charcoal brazier". I told him he could be responsible for carrying it home, and he got quiet. We also had a couple of local microbrews with dinner - Korikori, which was very crisp and refreshing; and another, which I bought entirely because of the stubby bottle.

Our poor language skills were hardly needed, though, as the cheerful staff were fluent in English. Getting featured in the Lonely Planet and the Rough Guide will do that for you, I guess. All through my visit here, I couldn't get over how forthrightly friendly everyone was - the sort of friendliness that I usually associate with extreme poverty, but the town was clearly prosperous - it's most famous for its semiannual matsuri, which features elaborate floats from the various merchants, including the numerous sake breweries that are located here.

Oh, did I mention you could go sake tasting here? I was too completely inept to take any notes, but we were recommended by friends to go to Sansha, so we did. And we tasted in their wood-paneled snug with wood fire that must be super cosy in the winter. In the end, the sake we tried there was too heavy for me, and I purchased a bottle from another brewery, which I have sitting here next to me, but am completely unable to read. I also tried a third bottle, which I couldn't face toting home but plan to look for locally, called Yumeyuuyuu. Worth a try if you ever see it.

The local area is also famous for its red turnip pickles, and I am such a sucker for pickles. I picked up a couple of packs from the morning market, where I struggled to understand the local accent while chatting with the obaachan who sold me them. I bought two packs at her suggestion, one sweet and one - not sweet. I have already eaten half a bag, I am ashamed to admit.

The local markets were full of flowers and fall fruit - pears and apples, especially, but there were lots of nasu as well, and I snapped up some small pickling ones, to the bemusement of the vendor, along with red peppers, six for 200 yen. The vendor I bought them from was the only lady there under sixty - she was my age, I think, and was making an effort to have a variety of vegetables. Very smart, since almost everyone walking by stopped to exclaim over her white nasu.

Somebody also had a couple of boxes of these, which I could not identify. What are they?

Dango are also famous locally, and the little mochi balls are dipped in simple locally-made shoyu before being grilled, and are a steal at the price-fixed level of 70 yen a stick.

At the end of the river market, there was a lady making her own shichimi togarashi, which - I mean, how can you resist? I bought a bag, and I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, but I was so overcome by the novelty I couldn't resist.

Speaking of novelty, there was a guy selling grilled meringue. Yum.

There were also a lot of senbei vendors, which my mind tends to filter out due to painful teen years spent on diets which heavily featured rice cakes. Sorry, senbei. Maybe in another life.

Long story short: If you're visiting Japan, and want to see some pretty scenery and eat some good food - Takayama.

[prasantrin]

I'm just back from a fabulous, food-oriented trip to Takayama, in Hida ken.

Do you mean Gifu-ken? There is no Hida-ken in Japan, as far as I know...

Somebody also had a couple of boxes of these, which I could not identify. What are they?

I think, but am not sure, that they're just purple potatoes. Not like ube/murasaki imo, but regular potatoes that just happen to be purple (or blue).

Speaking of novelty, there was a guy selling grilled meringue. Yum.

←

Grilled meringue??? I have to try that!

Takayama has been on my "to-go" list for many years, but I never get there for some reason. Now that I've been to Kurashiki (awesome little place, by the way), I have to try to get to Takayama!