Izakaya Showdown in Tokyo: The 35 Steps v. Gonpachi

23 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan, Tokyo

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35 Steps, Asia, Food & Drinks, Gonpachi, Izakaya, Japan, Kill Bill, The 35 Steps, The Thirty-Five Steps, Thirty-Fivew Steps, Tokyo

Mr. Selfish and I certainly enjoyed dining at izakayas while in Japan. The casual atmosphere and the abundance of drinks and food undoubtedly lead to a good time. We visited two well-known izakayas in Tokyo to see which one was better.

The 35 Steps

First, we went to the 35 Steps (B1 Shibuya City Hotel, 1-1 Shibuya), which is located near the love hotel district in Shibuya. As you may have guessed, the 35 Steps is in the basement, and you have to walk down thirty-five steps to get to there. But it’s certainly worth the trek. The 35 Steps is known as one of the friendliest izakayas around, and it didn’t disappoint. The service at the 35 Steps was impeccable, and it was clear that the staff enjoyed their jobs.

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Touring the Main Sights in Tokyo: Meiji Shrine, Asakusa, and Imperial Palace

22 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Japan, Tokyo

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Asakusa, Asia, Imperial Palace, Japan, Meiji Jingu, Meiji Shrine, Nakamise, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Sensoji, Tokyo

Mr. Selfish and I had visited Tokyo in 2009, so this time, we decided to take it easy during our 2-week stay. Nevertheless, we still had to visit some of the main attractions.

Meiji Shrine

First, we visited the Meiji Shrine, which is near Harajuku. The Meiji Shrine is dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his consort, the Empress Shoken. We had already been here in 2009 so we just casually wandered around. Soon after walking through the large wooden torii gates, Mr. Selfish and I happened upon a wedding.

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Other Eats in Kanazawa

21 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan, Kanazawa

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Chochinya, Japan, Kanazawa, Omicho Market, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Turban Curry

While I would have gladly spent every meal at Otomezushi, sadly that option was not open to us. Fortunately, Kanazawa has a number of good eateries around town.

The Omicho Market

Our first stop on Kanazawa’s eating extravaganza was the Omicho Market – an outdoor shopping arcade for fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, and seafood.

Man those hairy crabs look good.

The market is also home to many small restaurants. Since the seafood was a local specialty Mrs. Selfish and I decided to try a rotary sushi restaurant. The fish was fresh, and tasty – though more expensive then the rotary sushi in Kyoto.

We ended up special ordering a few orders of tuna belly, since I couldn’t get enough after Otomezushi. Unlike our last rotary experience, they added up the bill by a color-coded system. The color of your plate indicated the cost. While I’ve seen that done in a few rotary sushi joints, I’ve never seen them add it up via the use of a sushi-plate scanner.

The total came to around 1700 yen (~$17), which was pretty good for a sushi lunch.

Verdict: Tasty and well priced, but nothing special.

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Visiting the Diverse Sights in Kanazawa

20 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Japan, Kanazawa

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21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Asia, Japan, Kanazawa, Kanazawa Castle, Kenroku-en Garden, Oyama Shrine, Selfish Years, The Selfish Years

Mr. Selfish and I spent three lovely days in Kanazawa. While I initially thought that three days would be too long, it proved to be just the right amount of time in Kanazawa, which had quite a few sights to visit.

The most notable sight in Kanazawa is Kenroku-en Garden, which is considered to be one of the three best gardens in Japan. Admission was only 300 yen a person, and you can definitely spend at least half a day strolling around.

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Otomezushi: The Best Sushi in the World

19 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan, Kanazawa

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Japan, Kanzawa, Otomezushi, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Sushi

When Mrs. Selfish and I started our Selfish Year, we decided we’d try to eat the best of what every country had to offer. After watching Jiro Dreams of Sushi, what better place to eat than Jiro Sushi in Tokyo?

After all, the man does have 3-Michelin stars. It’s gotta be good at $350 a head, right? That’s what I thought at first. I even went as far as to make reservations via the Park Hyatt Tokyo. But then we started talking to a friend about sushi in Japan, and she clued us in to Otomezushi in Kanazawa.

Nestled in between the ocean and the Japanese Alps, Kanazawa is in the perfect location for sushi. The Pacific Ocean’s proximity ensures an abundant supply of fresh fish, while the alps provide the area with fresh spring water, and near-perfect conditions for rice.

Whatever the reason Otomezushi is good. Really good. Wake up in the middle of the night like a food-crazed maniac good.

And man, that meal did not disappoint.

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Heading to Kanazawa: Geisha, Samurai, and Ninjas

18 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Japan, Kanazawa

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Japan, Kanazawa, Myoryuji Temple, Ninja Temple, Nomura Samurai House, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Yogetsu

After spending 23 days in scenic Kyoto, Mrs. Selfish and I packed our bags and boarded a train for Kanazawa, a delightful city on the northern coast of Japan.

Kanazawa was home to the second most powerful clan in Japan during the Edo period and was one of the bigger cities to come out of World War II largely in tact. As a result, Kanazawa is a beautiful city with a number of historic buildings including: Kanazawa castle, the ninja temple, samurai houses, and a historic geisha district.

Kanazwa is also home to one of Japan’s three best landscaping gardens, and arguably some of the best sushi in Japan. While I’d like to tell you we went for the culture, the sushi played a large role in our decision making.

That is until I saw pictures of our ryokan.

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Slurping Udon, Soba, and Ramen in Kyoto

17 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan, Kyoto

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Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan, Kakutani, Kissyoumaru, Kyoto, Marugame Udon, Noodles, Ramen, Soba, Udon

Mr. Selfish and I certainly enjoyed our fair share of noodles while in Kyoto. We loved the variety of udon (thick wheat flour noodle), soba (thin buckwheat noodle), and ramen (thin wheat noodle) shops all around the city. In particular, we enjoyed the following three noodle shops.

First, we loved the customizable udon at Marugame Udon (located at Kyoto-shi, Nakagyo-ku, Kawaramachi-dori, Sanjo-sagaru, Daikoku-cho 54-1). The first step is to choose the type of udon you want from ten different types. Mr. Selfish and I tried three types: (1) udon with a raw egg and a dipping sauce, (2) udon with a curry broth, and (3) udon with broth. They were all delicious and made fresh on the premises.

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Visiting the Temples in the North: The Golden Pavilion, Ryoanji, Ninnaji, and Myoshinji

16 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Japan, Kyoto

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Asia, Golden Pavilion, Japan, Kinkakuji, Kyoto, Myoshinji, Ninnaji, Ryoanji, Selfish Years, The Selfish Years

Mr. Selfish and I visited the iconic Golden Pavilion (aka Kinkakuji), which is a Zen temple covered in gold leaf. Just like everything else in Kyoto, the temple has burned down several times during its history. This latest version of the Golden Pavilion was built in 1955.

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Getting Fishy in Kyoto

15 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Food & Drinks, Japan, Kyoto

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Eel, Japan, Kyoto, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Sushi

When a lot of us think of Japanese food, our first inclination is to think of sushi. And it’s true. Sushi is very popular outside of Japan – chances are that the city or town you live in has at least one sushi restaurant, if not dozens.

It turns out the type of sushi we have in the States, is not true sushi (shocker!). In the States, rolls rule, and while you occasionally see them in Japan they are not the multicolored-monstrosities stuffed with cream cheese and avocado you find in North America. Nor is Japanese seafoor just sashimi and sushi.

So Mrs. Selfish and I decided we’d undertake a crash course in Japanese seafood, for the sake of our readers, of course.

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Nothing Says Japanese Night Life like Whiskey and Karaoke!

14 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Japan, Kyoto

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Hello Dolly, Japan, Kyoto, Samurai Cafe & Bar

Pontocho-dori is a street in the historic Gion district of Kyoto that looks like it’s been there since the city was founded. It probably has, in all honesty, but the fact that it still looks that way is an sign of how expensive it can be.

The street is narrow and windy, and while it gives off an old-world Japan feel, the restaurants are surprisingly modern and often international. Mrs. Selfish and I ended up eating one meal here just for atmosphere, but after getting hit with an unexpected sitting fee (and really, where else are you eating?), we decided to save it as more of a late night destination.

Good thing, too, since it Pontocho-dori is gorgeous at night.

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Reliving the Johnnie Hillwalker Tour in Kyoto

13 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan, Kyoto

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Asia, Food & Drinks, Higashi-Honganji, Japan, Johnnie Hillwalker Tour, Kyoto, Kyoto Station, Nintendo, Nishi Honganji, Ramen, Selfish Years, The Selfish Years, Toyokuni Shrine

Back in 2010, Mr. Selfish and I went on the Johnnie Hillwalker tour of Kyoto. It’s a five hour walking tour taking you through the back streets of Kyoto. The tour starts at Kyoto station and ends in Higashiyama near Kiyomizu Temple. It was a fun walk and only cost about 2,000 yen per person. I highly recommend it.

This time around, we decided to primarily visit the same sights on our own. Our apartment was in Higashiyama so we did the tour backwards and ended at Kyoto Station. First, we went to Toyokuni Shrine, which was built in 1599. This Shinto shrine is dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was a famous warrior and general and was best known as being responsible for the restriction that only the samurai class could bear arms.

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Monks, Monkeys, and Moss: Visiting Arashiyama

12 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Japan, Kyoto

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Adashino Nenbutsuji, Arashiyama, Japan, Kyoto, Otaginenbutsuji, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

When looking up pictures of Kyoto, I kept stumbling across the same picture – an arresting grove of bamboo.

Having previously visited Kyoto, I felt this couldn’t be accurate. After all, if Kyoto had had something this beautiful, shouldn’t we have heard of it and visited last time?

No, apparently. The bamboo grove was just one of the many spectacular sites of Arashiyama – a beautiful area located on the western outskirts of Kyoto.

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Sake it to me!

11 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Food & Drinks, Japan, Kyoto

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Japan, Kyoto, Sake, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

Prior to coming to Japan, I knew absolutely nothing about sake. Oh, I’d ordered it a few times from our local sushi restaurant, but all I knew was that sake was made from fermented rice, and that you should always drink good sake cold (and drink bad sake hot to hide the impurities).

So when Mrs. Selfish told me she had booked a tour of the Yamamoto Honke Sake Brewery, I was pretty excited.

Be warned – there is a lot of educational information about sake ahead!

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Climbing Mount Kurama Near Kyoto

10 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Japan, Kyoto

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Asia, Japan, Kurama-dera, Kyoto, Mount Kurama, Selfish Years, Tengu, The Selfish Years, Yuki Shrine

Mr. Selfish and I decided to take a short day trip to Mount Kurama, which is about a half an hour train ride away from Kyoto. Mount Kurama is a mountain that is northwest to the city and is the birthplace of Reiki practice, which is a form of alternative medicine.

The most popular attraction on Mount Kurama is the Kurama-dera, which is a Buddhist temple. Apparently, Kurama-dera is quite popular with Japanese tourists since it has an aura of mystery and occult associated with it. In particular, it is still believed today that tengu and other mountains spirits live in the area. Tengu are mythical creatures with human and avian characteristics, which are often depicted with large noses.

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Will the Real Wagyu Beef Please Stand Up?

09 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan, Kyoto

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Asia, Beef Cutlet, Beef Cutlet Sandwich, Food & Drinks, Hafuu, Inoda Coffee, Japan, Kobe Beef, Kyoto, Selfish Years, The Selfish Years, wagyu, wagyu beef, Wagyu Cutlet, Wagyu Cutlet Sandwich

After all of the controversy about Kobe beef not actually being Kobe beef in the States, Mr. Selfish and I decided to have some wagyu beef while in Kyoto. Wagyu beef is notoriously expensive. We decided to have some katsu wagyu beef sandwiches, which are a little less expensive but still a bit costly. We tried two place, and both were delectable.

First, we went to Hafuu (located at 471-1 Sasayacho, Nakagyoku, Kyoto), which was well-know for its wagyu takeout sandwiches. Each sandwich was 1,800 yen and completely worth it.

The beef was perfectly cooked and melted. The sandwich also had lettuce, tomatoes, and a heavenly sweet but savory sauce. It was as wagyu should be. I’ll be sad when we leave Japan and all we have our supposed “Kobe” beef.

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