Today’s photo is from the basement of a department store in Shibuya. This man is making imagawayaki which is basically a thick pancake filled with bean paste or custard. The picture on the right is of taiyaki, a variation which makes imagawayaki look like a fish.

Imagawayaki have been sold in Japan for over 230 years. I had my first one from a street vendor in Kofu over 22 years ago and can still remember the happiness biting into a hot one filled with custard brought on a cold winter day.

Posted on February 22nd, 2010 under Japan. Tags: food, people. Comments: 4

This random picture showed up on my SD card. I’m guessing Ellie took it while Ryan was breaking down our cartons to recycle.

Truth be told, there isn’t a cheap grocery store within walking distance of our apartment, although there are nearly half a dozen of them. There probably isn’t one in all of Tokyo or even all of Japan for that matter. Sure, a few things are cheaper and a few more can be had for similar prices to those found in the USA, but most supermarket items are priced higher and many are much higher. One example are the beverages shown above. In a regular Japanese supermarket these cost between 180 and 300 yen ($2 – $3.50) each for 1000 ml (1 liter). In the states we are used to purchasing a gallon of milk for a similar price. Unfortunately a gallon is nearly 4 liters, meaning we would pay four times as much.

To make matters a bit better we shop for many of our groceries at a convenience store. I know; that sounds crazy. People don’t shop for groceries at convenience stores in the states. But we go to Lawson 100 here on a daily basis. Everything is 105 yen once you include tax.

Posted on February 19th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: food, nishi-waseda. Comments: None

Ryan has grown about six inches since we arrived in Japan six months ago. He can eat continuously. So, for his 14th birthday a little over a week ago, it wasn’t a big surprise when he said he wanted to eat at Shakey’s Pizza.

“All-you-can-eat” in Japan was referred to as tabehodai (食べ放題). It still is called this, but, increasingly, all-you-can-eat buffets are referred to as “viking” or “viking lunch” so we went to eat like vikings at Shakey’s. I don’t think the vikings ever imagined the toppings that would be found on pizza in Japan. Seeing what is created in the Shakey’s oven is as fun as eating there. Nearly everything placed on the buffet is different and unusual, even if you visit Shakey’s frequently. They must have a hundred toppings to choose from in the back, which they seemingly throw together randomly.

On this day some of the toppings I remember included mango, BBQ chicken, corn, cabbage, potato, anko (red bean paste), strawberries, marshmallows, corn flakes, onions, squid, shrimp, brownies, hot fudge, cheese, mayonnaise, nuts, beans, pineapple, ham, peppers, and seaweed. I meant to take pictures of some of these pieces of pizza, but I was so hungry for the first plate (having skipped breakfast) that I forgot. My plate looked a little too gross for photography after several helpings when I remembered I had a camera in my possession.

You’ll be quite sick of pizza for a week, or more, after eating here. (This is a picture of the Takadanobaba store; there are many others including Shinjuku, Harajuku, Kichijoji, and Ikebukuro.) Give it time and you’ll be ready to go back.

Posted on February 7th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: food, takadanobaba. Comments: 1

The New York Times published an article on ramen in my neck of the woods today. Don’t miss the 14 pictures. Linda and Ellie actually met the blogger of Ramen Adventures that day on his way to Ganko Ramen (がんこラーメン), the ramen place highlighted for much of the piece. We call the place “The Bone” for obvious reasons. It’s less than a minute from our apartment. You may not spot it if you are looking to eat there. Head for Yamituki to find Ganko (頑固).

There are detailed descriptions of the place on other blogs that are better than that given in the article. Suffice it to say, when you duck under the tarp you are entering the twilight zone.

Posted on January 30th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: food, nishi-waseda. Comments: None