Cold Stone Creamery is another one of those chains from the west conquering the east.  In Canada, you may have seen co-branded Cold Stone Creamery and Tim Hortons stores.  Yet there was one special thing that separates an experience in Canada from an experience in Japan.  But before we dip into that, let’s talk menu.  The menus I have seen in Canada are similar to the ones in Japan with a few exceptions that cater to local tastes.  You might be able to find interesting combinations such as Greeeeeeeen Tea Party (spelt exactly that way) which has green tea ice cream, sponge cake, whipped cream, and matcha powder.  Feeling for something fruity and rich, I went for a Love It size Cheesecake Fantasy (¥610).

This is where the special experience begins.  After placing an order, the employees start preparing your ice cream on the frozen granite stone by asking the question, “Can I sing you a song?” to which I answered, yes of course!  It’s not that often where someone asks for permission to sing me a song.  How could I say no?  Before you know it…

It worked.  I had the biggest smile on my face.  After reading up on a few websites, gratuities are what would normally make Cold Stone employees in the Americas sing for you.  But this is Japan – a land where the customer is treated as if they were from the royal family.  There is also no such thing as gratuities.  That is why you have happy singing people.

The ice cream itself was rich with a sweet, cheesecake taste.  The graham crumbs boosted the cheesecake aura and texture.  The frozen berries had a refreshing tang.  Together, the combination was fantastic.  I ordered the ice cream in a waffle bowl (¥60) which I recommend for added crunch and contrast.

The best part of the experience was probably the singing, at least before I had a taste of the dessert.  If there’s a Cold Stone near you, the ice cream is a good reason to visit the store.  But if you end up in Japan, both the ice cream and singing make for a wonderful treat.  Cheers!

I recently returned and for those following the website, you can expect to read about details of the adventures in Japan as well as the journeys elsewhere from here on.  It is my honour to reflect on and recount all of these experiences by sharing with those who have the same love for food and culture.  Updates are coming soon.

To get to this restaurant, simply arrive at Ikebukuro station and make your way out the east exit.  Head right, walking along Meiji street, until you see this restaurant to your left.  Possibly because this was a late lunch, there weren’t other customers aside from my colleague and me.  Having said that, the restaurant was rather quiet which is something to note if you’ve read my spiel on why airplane food tastes bad.  This restaurant has a lunch menu where I saw a salmon and salmon roe rice bowl for ¥788 and ordered one.

I was surprised to see a bowl of miso soup when my lunch came.  Let me rephrase that.  It wasn’t because of the miso soup, but rather what was inside the soup.  It was a clam miso soup that was so wonderfully flavourful.  There was a lovely seafood kick to the miso soup.  Normally, restaurants would serve the ordinary version so this definitely made a great impression.

The rice bowl looked scrumptious.  Six slices of salmon were placed around the bowl with the salmon roe on top of a mint leaf in the middle. The salmon was moist and tender yet had a nice bite – not mushy at all.  Along with a bite of rice, it was a lovely cool and warm contrast.  As for the salmon roe, it was a burst of wonderful in my mouth, literally.  The fun thing about eating these fish eggs is how they pop in your mouth at every bite.

I sampled my colleague’s order of avocado and tuna rice bowl which was also for ¥788.  The fatty content of the avocado with the lean, cool tuna meat was a great bite with rice.  The tuna was dressed with a sweet soya sauce which made it appetizing.  I prefer the salmon rice bowl but recommend ordering either one as you’ll be satisfied either way.

If you stop by the restaurant let me know what you end up eating.  Oh one last thing.  Because this restaurant has absolutely no English, I want to teach a little trick to order something great at any restaurant without any Japanese knowledge.  Simply ask for the ‘おすすめ’ which means recommended item, pronounced ‘O-su-su-meh’.  Each Japanese restaurant has at least one signature dish they call おすすめ that they promote.  My experience is it’s never a bad idea to order the おすすめ.  I’d even say to print out these four words and bring it with you to every restaurant.  Enjoy!

Because I live close to a train station in central Tokyo, I naturally get many establishments to choose from including Tully’s.  Comparing this to the only other huge American coffee chain in Japan Starbucks, their menus show great similarities.  You have the café lattés, mochas, iced coffees, royal milk teas, matcha (green tea) lattés, and some specialty drinks such as soy based drinks.  Unique to Tully’s is their heavily promoted Swirkle, which comes from the words swirl and circle. Why, I still do not understand.  But these frozen drinks come in espresso, matcha, and royal milk tea flavours.

In regards to size-naming similarities, beverages come in fancy short, tall, and grande.  Speaking of sizes, when you see S, M, L you naturally think of small, medium and large, correct?  In Japan, don’t ever ask for anything in small, medium, or large.  Retailers rarely react to the terminology.  They simply recognize ‘S’, ‘M’, or ‘L’.  It makes me wonder whether some even know what those letters stand for.

I stopped by the Tully’s near my house one evening to order an Espresso Shake and Ballpark Hot Dog with Avocado and Tomato.  It’s the exact same combination as the advertisement.  This ad was for Tully’s 14^th Anniversary meaning items are for a limited time.  A tall Espresso Shake is ¥540 and the hot dog is ¥360.

The hot dog came in a submarine-type bun rather than a conventional hot dog bun.  The hot dog itself looks steamed or boiled, and is topped with a layer of avocado paste and tomato salsa.  Both the meat and toppings seemed significantly smaller than the image – a rarity when referring to the resemblance of advertisements and the actual product in Japan.  The hot dog was on the dry end possibly because of the lack of toppings.  The avocado didn’t have a buttery avocado taste, either because it wasn’t real avocado, it was extremely diluted, or avocado tastes different in Japan.  I haven’t figured out what reason yet.  A rather disappointing bite as the bun was cold / untoasted and the hot dog was measly.

As for the Espresso Shake, it was a nice surprise.  A burst of ice cold refreshment followed by an aromatic caffeine flavor finished with an icy crunch.  One of the more flavourful coffee drinks I’ve tasted.  Unlike Starbucks, this isn’t topped with whipped cream or other sugary coatings.  Just a simple icy coffee drink where one can appreciate the flavours of the bean.  I think I’ve found my summer drink.  It’s been over 35°C in Tokyo since the end of June.  Hope this Anniversary drink is here to stay.  At least until the end of summer.

There you go.  A coffee shop where the drinks appear phenomenal and the food reminds us why there are restaurants.  But in reality, if coffee shops also served a few – doesn’t have to be many – sensational dishes, I can see a few patrons including myself frequenting these places.  The atmosphere, for one, is a great place to chat with company, do some reading, or relax.  I wouldn’t mind eating in such a place at all.  Cheers!

Without an English name, it might make finding this place difficult.  But because it’s located on a major street, it shouldn’t be too troublesome to find.  There’s more than one train that can take you to this restaurant but for simplicity and with visitors in mind, I recommend taking the JR Yamanote Line to Otsuka station.  From there, take the south exit and locate the red Mitsubishi UFJ bank.  Keep walking straight along the road (Minami Otsuka dori) to the left of the bank for 5-10 minutes until you see the store.  Map below.

The store is completely English-free.  It is also very small and able to hold about 10 people, but if you want to experience a traditional Japanese ramen restaurant, this would be a nice environment.  I decided to have a tonkotsu ramen (とんこつ or 豚骨 or pork bone ramen) for ¥650.

From where you sit, you will be able to watch the cooks make your noodles.  The noodles are tossed in a netted scoop and placed in a large pot of boiling water.  Once ready, the scoop comes out of the water and is swung hard towards the floor.  I believe this helps get rid of excess water.

The bowl of ramen didn’t look as appealing as some of the other ramen I’ve tried in Tokyo.  Still, the noodles proved to be very delicious.  They were the perfect texture.  On top of that, the broth was super rich it felt as if I was eating ramen with pork bone sauce, not broth.  The ramen included a slice of pork, half an egg, some bamboo shoots, and a piece of seaweed which were all delicious toppings.  But it was no doubt the noodles and broth that made this meal memorable.

If you’re in the area, I’d say it’s worth the try, especially if rich broth is your thing.  Cheers!

Freshness Burger restaurants seem very quaint. They are filled with little wooden tables and chairs and many of them have large patio doors that open during nice weather.  Their menu is neatly organized into several categories and you will immediately notice that contrary to many burger joints, there is no such thing as a burger combo.  You would have to order the burger, side, and drink separately.

After ordering a Classic Cheese Burger (¥590) and a Green Tea Latte (¥340) at the cashier, I took the number tag they gave me and grabbed a seat.  This is usually the way it goes when you dine-in at burger joints such as this or Mos Burger.  They will bring your food and clear your table after the meal.  So I would say it’s a mixture of fast food and restaurant style dining.

They brought the Green Tea Latte first.  I noticed that many places in Japan give you a little container of liquid sugar rather than packets of sugar, even for hot drinks.  One thing I definitely miss is raw sugar packets back home.  I rarely see them available at restaurants or coffee shops here.  Perhaps only the specialty coffee shops have them.  I tried the Green Tea Latte before adding the syrup and it was barely a latte.  It tasted subtle and more like water.  On a similar note, many milk brands in Japan taste just as bland, possibly comparable to 1% milk in Canada.  And did you know that milk only comes in cartons here?  Apparently, it’s a Canadian thing to have bagged milk.  Bagged milk is only in a couple of other countries too.  After I added the sugar, it tasted close to sweet green tea with a very subtle dairy flavor.

The Classic Cheese Burger looked awesome.  The ingredients were neatly stacked together and the burger was almost identical to the picture.  Despite looking all savory and mouth-watering, the first bite proved to be disappointing.  It was missing salt, and lots of it.  Bland burgers have never existed in my mouth, only very salty ones.  This was a new experience.  If there’s a trend to this meal, it’s bland food.  If you visit, remember to BYOS – bring your own salt.

Following the food, I was still hungry.  So I hopped back to the cashier and placed an order of ‘fried potato’ aka French fries for ¥200.  What made the decision to buy these potatoes was a promotional piece that said Freshness Burger has a special farm in Hokkaido that works exclusively to provide them with potatoes.  In short, they should be worth the try.

The wait for these steak fries were a bit long but I didn’t mind.  In Japan, nothing gets made unless it is ordered, so your food will definitely come fresh.  Yes, I can vouch that Freshness Burger provides fresh ingredients and everything is made fresh after all.  When the fries came, the waitress also brought me a glass of water seeing that I finished my burger and latte already.  What I love about Japan is that the service is incredibly attentive and thoughtful that I feel like royalty each and every time.  Contrary to Canada, service is never complained about here.

The fries came piping hot I couldn’t pick them up without particular care.  They were seasoned with salt, thankfully.  They weren’t as crisp as I hoped, but I think that’s partly because they were steak fries.  And perhaps it’s because they were made fresh that it tasted really good, even if there doesn’t seem to be anything special about fried and salted potatoes.  Simplicity at its best.  I recommend trying them out!

If you’re someone looking to eat something with less salt, Freshness Burger is a good choice.  Other than tasting a bit bland in my experience, I still think the burgers are fresh and juicy.  Oh and it’s probably a good idea to skip the Green Tea Latte and go for a beer instead.  Yes, beer is readily available at almost any type of restaurant in Japan.  Enjoy!

To get to Tairyo, take the east exit of Ikebukuro station and walk south along Meiji dori.  It should take about 1-2 minutes and would be on your left.  The restaurant is a tiny establishment with about 15 seats circling the chefs.  Based on its location, it is popular for Japanese workers to grab a quick meal.  Often, they are filled with salarymen.

When I entered the restaurant, there were a few people heading out.  For the first 10 minutes, I enjoyed the meal with less than 5 patrons.  This was good because the chef was able to pile on sushi faster than the rate at which we all ate.  That said, the restaurant was soon to fill up and I found myself in a bit of a hole.  There was only one chef at the time before another came out to help make a backlog of orders requested by customers, meaning if I didn’t call out an order to the chefs, there’s not much left to choose from on the conveyor belt.  That is why I recommend studying fish names in Japanese should you plan on going to kaiten sushi in Japan.

A good start is studying Tairyo’s online menu.  To order, one would generally say to the chefs ‘insert fish kudasai’ which means ‘please give me insert fish’. You can probably get away with simply saying the fish name as they know that’s what you’re trying to order.

The server started off by giving each customer a complimentary miso soup.  This one had loads of seaweed which I adore.  It tasted neither too salty nor bland.  A wonderful way to start the meal.

The first plate of fish I grabbed was a trio of rolls.  Two of them were the same and I believe they were negitoro (ねぎとろ) based on the look and soft, buttery consistency.  Negitoro is the name for a tuna paste sushi topped with green onions and if you enjoy fatty fish, you’ll enjoy this.  The other piece on the plate is a mayonnaise crab mixture.  I have no idea why it’s even placed on the plate as it looks and tastes greatly different than the negitoro.

The eel (うなぎ) tasted typical, with a soft texture and a sweet flavor.  It was perfectly moist.  This was followed by uni (うに) which can be quite exotic for the rare fish eater, as in rarely eat fish.  The uni was moist, soft, and didn’t have a fishy odor.

The squid (いか) was slightly crunchy and smooth.  It was nicely wrapped around the rice that it was almost too pretty to eat.  There were knife scores on the top which made it look like a seashell.

It was only in Japan that I discovered grilled salmon sushi (焼サーモン) could taste so good.  From that discovery, many visits to kaiten sushi would entail trying out the shop’s grilled salmon.  However, I didn’t think this was as good as Ganso’s grilled salmon.

Finally, I grabbed a plate in which I wasn’t sure what it was.  From its looks, I thought it was rare beef.  Upon closer examination and taste, it wasn’t beef.  It was a lot chewier than beef and seemed lean.  From there, I could only hope I didn’t eat some super exotic animal.  Taking a second look at the menu, the only thing I could label it with was duck.  The taste was bearable and had a little kick from the toppings but the texture was super chewy.  That said, I don’t recommend it and if anyone knows if duck is in fact what I ate, please let me know. If it’s squirrel or something equally exotic, then the only thing I’d like to know is that it’s not duck.

Every plate in this store costs ¥126 which makes this restaurant one of the cheapest kaiten sushi in Japan.  I believe the absolute cheapest I’ve seen was all plates for ¥120 a plate.  Others start at just under ¥100 a plate and go up to ¥500-600.  Considering overall quality and value for money, I’d say Tairyo slightly edges Ganso Zushi.  Enjoy!

Taiyaki is something I enjoy eating at festivals.  I see one, I buy.  The only place I remember eating one outside of festivals was at a food court in Japan.  While speaking with a friend, they mentioned seeing a taiyaki shop in Akihabara.  I figured why not.  To get to Akihabara’s main district, make your way to Akihabara station and take the exit that’s labeled ‘Akihabara Electric Town’.  From there, turn left and walk towards the main street called Chuo Dori.  Everything covered in this post is along this street and can be easily found.

It doesn’t seem like I’ve covered anything on Akihabara thus far.  Yet I wonder if that’s necessary because those fond of Japan would know a thing or two about the area, especially if you’re into electronics, anime, manga, or AKB48.  Briefly, Akihabara is a popular tourist attraction mainly because it’s the centre for Japanese pop culture and there are various electronics and duty-free shops.

One particular building worth mentioning is the Don Quijote (Donki) building.  Inside Donki, you can buy all sorts of items such as food, electronics, home supplies, pet items, sporting goods, health and beauty items, etc.  If you plan to drop by this franchise on your visit to Japan, remember to pick up their ‘Yokoso! Passport Card’ which provides discounted prices for foreign passport holders staying 6 months or less.  Essentially, prices would be the same as what Don Quijote members would pay.  You can get this card at major hotel chains in Japan or at your local travel agent.  Don’t forget to keep this card for whenever you visit Japan as it has no expiration date and can’t be reissued.

In recent years, Akihabara became a popular destination for AKB48 fans looking to catch a live performance of this group.  Their dedicated theatre is on the 8^th floor of Don Quijote.  Admission to AKB48 performances is ¥3,000 for males and ¥2,000 for females or students under 18.  You will notice in Japan that it’s not uncommon to have price discrepancies between sexes.  An example is all-you-can-eat-or-drink restaurants.  On a similar note, one might find that there’s still some work that can be done on gender equality in this nation.

The process of acquiring a ticket for AKB48 performances is not as simple as making a purchase.  One would have to win the ticket lottery for a chance at one of 250 tickets per performance by sending an e-mail to organizers.  Only when you send an e-mail and win the lottery would you be able to buy a ticket.  If you are from overseas and wish to attend a show, follow these steps to win a chance to buy a ticket.  AKB48 performances are at 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and 12:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and 7:00 p.m on weekends or public holidays.  But the schedule changes so you might have to confirm with the personnel.  If you go, let me know how it is.  I’ve never been so I can’t comment on this event.  I’m more interested in food.

Ironically, the taiyaki place is a two-minute walk diagonally across the Donki building.  Kanda Daruma (神田達磨) is the name.  Their red beans, or azuki, for the paste comes from Hokkaido like many foods grown in the country.  Batter is placed in a special mold and they make it fresh as you order.  The mold produces a unique shape.  It resembles a fish as any other but has a crust along the sides.  On top of that the taiyaki felt different in my hands.  The batter was smoother than what I knew.

On first bite, I immediately noticed the batter was on the chewy side.  On top of that, it was rather tasteless.  No rich flavours that certain crêpes or waffles would have.  When I reached the azuki paste, it was not as thick as I’d imagine.  This aspect was more apparent in this case because the batter was really thin.  If there’s a valid reason why the Japanese don’t walk and eat at the same time, this would be it.  Else I can imagine ruined dress shirts.

There are apparently five Kanda Darumas in Tokyo and one in Osaka.  Festivals remain my choice of location to indulge in taiyaki, not only because of the atmosphere, but they are actually tastier.  I shall dedicate some time to locate festival goodies outside of festivals and report back!  Let’s continue pushing together Japan!  Ganbare.

To begin, I discovered a report that says food is not only what we taste, see and smell, but things that could affect our perception of food include colour, expectations, and the mind.  This is something we already know.  For example, when someone tells you of a wonderful dish they had at a restaurant, you would go in expecting something delicious.  Setting certain expectations, both conscious or unconsciously, would alter how you think of the food.  In this case, you expect no less than a delicious meal.

This report called Effect of background noise on food perception delves specifically into how noise alters the perception of food.  It basically explains that loud noises affect our ability to taste sweet and salty foods.  Not only that, loud noises would mean that you can’t hear yourself chew, so foods such as chips and cookies might not appear as crunchy as they should.  Therefore, this would have a negative effect on how you perceive foods that should be crisp.  Would you enjoy a chip that’s not crunchy?  You would likely think it’s stale.

So what are my thoughts?  I think back to my dining experiences and wonder if all the happy ones are in quiet environments!  In further posts on my experiences, I may add comments on crowds if something stands out on either extreme, as loud noises may detriment the dining experience and silence may benefit the situation.  To be honest I question if the effect is large enough in a restaurant environment, but I’ll document as best I can and we shall see.

This study may also explain why airlines serve super salty pretzels and instant noodles.  I mean, 200mg of sodium for 14g of pretzels?  That’s almost eating 5-10 pretzels for 10% of the daily recommended sodium intake for the average adult.  Finally, it’s research like this that will help airlines improve their food quality, with particular attention on sweet and salty items.  Not only that, restaurant owners who read this study might be able to alter the sounds that customers hear to offset poor cooking! (I suppose).

P.S.  The above photographs are a sample meal plan for Air Canada Tango Plus’ non-stop flight from Toronto to Tokyo.  While I do notice some improvements over the years, my last flight inspired this piece.  Thoughts, comments, feedback, let me know!  Cheers!

The main area of Ginza where all the big flagships are located is along Chuo Dori (street).  Take either Tokyo Metro’s Ginza Line, Marunouchi Line, or Hibiya Line to get to Ginza Station.  I covered in my mini series of How to Get Around Tokyo by Transit that there is more than one company operating the transit systems in Tokyo.  Tokyo Metro is one of two that operate the subways.  Getting to Ginza using any of those subway lines is pretty hassle free.  Which exit you take will depend on what line you took.  Simply find your way to Chuo Dori.

Plan your trip to Ginza on weekends.  The main section of Chuo Dori becomes pedestrian-only so there’s more space to walk.  Despite being the weekend it won’t feel crowded at all.  Not only that, many stores and such will put out patio tables and chairs in the middle of the road.  On a nice sunny day, how amazing would it be to chat over some coffee with good company so freely?  Sounds incredibly relaxing to me.  Love how weekends are used to enjoy life this way.  This is urban space magic.  You might also catch a few camera crews filming in the area.  It is, after all, the ever popular Ginza district.

Shoppers, other than department stores and major flagships you might be interested in – Apple, Sony, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, etc. – there’s a building in particular that may be just as appealing.  It’s called the Wako store and can be recognized by its distinct architecture and clock on the top.  They sell a variety of watches, jewelry and handbags to name a few.  You might be able to snatch a prized possession to bring home.

Heading south along Chuo Dori towards the Tokyo Expressway, there’s a store called Hakuhinkan Toy Park (銀座博品館).  This is more for the kids but because they sell a variety of fun items, you might be able to pick up some goodies too.  How about some unique KitKat flavors?  I noticed one that is wasabi which I’ve seen before, but two that particularly caught my attention were almond tofu and soy sauce.  Soy sauce?!  Now that’s what confuses the palate.  I like.

Tokyo is home to various museums and art galleries.  There’s everything from the Edo period to 21^st century technology.  So much so that the more I visited these exhibits, the more I look forward to the next.  Ginza is home to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Museum.  This museum shows the history of Tokyo’s police force using displays of art, objects, clothing, equipment, and other media.  It’s located along Chuo Dori but on the opposite direction of Hakuhinkan Toy Park.  So you’ll have to head back north until you hit a different Tokyo Expressway bridge.  Once you pass the bridge it’s on your right.  Admission to the museum is free.  No photography is allowed.  I sneaked one in before I knew.

In terms of art galleries, Nichido Garo is a must visit for anyone into art.  The Ginza location opens weekdays from 10am to 7pm and weekends from 11am to 6pm.  It is away from Chuo Dori but located on another major street called Sotobori Dori making it easy to find.  Map below.

Finally, what’s a full day of activities without food?  How about some gyudon at Yoshinoya?  It’s located right along Chuo Dori.  The menu is rather limited with a few beef bowl choices and a few sides – soups, salads, and egg.  The beef bowl is soft, warm rice topped with a slapping of beef slices drenched in some soy sauce.  Add some pickled ginger to your bowl as you please to get a tangy kick of flavor.

Why do I name this place out of all the restaurants and cafés around Ginza?  Well, Yoshinoya is the cheapest meal you can get in the area and after a full day of shopping, it might ease the wallet.  This bowl of gyudon costs ¥280 and does well for comfort food, which is likely why Yoshinoya is a top choice for salarymen, so don’t be surprised to find stores full of men in suits.  As for this location, you might see everything from young children to seniors.

Without a doubt, Ginza is rather commercialized.  But digging around the area, you may find some pleasant surprises as I have.  It’s a vibrant district and will not fall short of keeping your eyes wandering all over the place like a child in a candy store as soon as you head out of the subway.  A worthy visit indeed.  Enjoy!