Tsukiji; Sushiko; Tokyo

I had a chance to go out to Tsukiji this weekend.   By chance, the new landlord's office was located in Tsukiji and we needed to go there to sign the paperwork.   For those of you not familiar with Japan's rent system, you often need to pay around 3-4 months of rent just to move, and often this includes 1-3 months of money as "gift" money to the landlord.  You don't get back any of the gift money.  Luckily, ours didn't require any gift money, but there was a 2 month deposit plus half a month as a guarantee and one month to the real estate agency.  That is a lot of cash just to get the apartment.

Back to Tsukiji, Tsukiji is the most famous fish market in the world for sushi.  Freshly caught tuna is brought in and auctioned off in the wee hours of the morning.  Quite a few tourists go out there at 5 in the morning to see the auction, however, I've never done it.

The station area has become known as a place where you can get fresh fish and great sushi too.
  

You can see the homage to the tuna as seen by this giant tuna indicating the shotengai area.

Here is the remainder of our scaled friend Charlie (it's the one on the right).  The little one is a huge maguro (tuna) fan and we always end up donating our maguro sashimi and nigiri to her.

You can get crabs too at the Tsukiji shotengai.

And piping hot tamago (as shown below) too.

This one was quite yummy, the sweet tamago.  Never had it freshly cooked like this.

Sushi donburi can be bought there as well.  Really fresh.

Since we had two kids in tow and the shotengai area was too congested to bring a stroller around, we ended up eating at Sushiko, one of the sushi shops a bit away from the Tsukiji shotengai.  Yeah, I know that Sushiko is a chain, but this is where the shop originated in (I think).

 

They have quite a selection of sushi.

They have some pretty good lunch specials too.

Here are the sushi maestros in action.

Here's a kid's sushi set. 

Here is a Hokaidon donburi.  The ikura was the freshest I'd ever had.

Here is my sushi set, the "Sushiko."  It was awesome.  I'm used to eating cheap 100 yen sushi at those kaiten sushi places, so this was quite a treat.  The unagi was to die for, still warm.  The salmon melted in my mouth and the toro was awesome.  The set was well worth the 2,000 yen price tag (a bargain compared to the States).

Our lunch was not cheap, 5,000 yen (about 52 bucks at the current rate), but it was well worth it.  If we come back here without the kids, we'll definitely try one of the stands located in the shotengai.  But for now, Sushiko hits the spot.  I give it 5 nigiris out of 5 nigiris.

160 dollar cherries!? WTF!!!; Precce Supermarket, Roppongi

Yep, I couldn't believe it either.  That's 40 cherries, cherry picked from the rest (I couldn't help it but, I had to use that one); roughly 3 dollars and 75 cents per cherry (15,000 yen is about 160 dollars at the current exchange rate).

Remember that dialogue between John Travolta (Vincent Vega) and Uma Thurman (Mia Wallace) about that 5 dollar milkshake in Pulp Fiction?  Well, if not, here it is:

Vincent: Did you just order a five-dollar shake?

Mia: Sure did.

Vincent: A shake? Milk and ice cream?

Mia: Uh-huh.

Vincent: It costs five dollars?

Mia: Yep.

Vincent: You don't put bourbon in it or anything?

Waiter: Nope.

Vincent: Just checking. 

If my wife would have bought the cherries, the conversation would have been like this:

Me: Did you just buy some 160 dollar cherries?

Her: Sure did.

Me: Cherries? The fruits that are picked from trees?

Her: Uh-huh.

Me: They cost 160 dollars?

Her: Yep.

Me: They don't come with a 150-dollar gift certificate or anything?

Grocery Store Clerk: Nope.

Vincent: Just checking.

 

Awwwww... Shit!!! Free Bruce Lee Figures; Aeon, Tokyo Area

While searching for a Sunday night dinner, I came along these treasures.  I wasn't able to "figure" out what they were from this view:

I picked up a can and thought maybe I was looking at some wrestling or soccer figures.  To my delight, they were of the man himself, Bruce Lee.  As a result, I snatched three cans, each costing me 89 yen or roughly a dollar.  This is where the marketing at Dydo coffee paid off.  There is no way I would have bought the can coffee w/o Bruce.  In this regard, Japan is still like how breakfast cereals used to be in the U.S.  Remember that sticky octopus that rolled down the walls, the baking soda submarine and the dinosaur that grows when you put it in the water?  Sure you do if you grew up in the U.S. in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.  Those were the premiums that helped you select Frankenberry, Corn Pops or Fruity Pebbles from the rest of the bunch.  Well sure enough all those crybabies decided to pass legislation that limited premiums (so that kids actually picked healthier choices) and poof the promotions were either gone or not as good.

I actually never wasted my cereal.  Half of the time, I poured it out into a bowl and took the prize (putting the cereal back in the box afterwards of course) and half of the time I patiently finished my cereal to get my treasure.  

Well, this type of marketing transcends children here in Japan.  I've seen One Piece figures with shaving cream and razors, AKB48 mugs with ramen noodles and even some anime figures with condoms here as promotional goods aimed toward adults.  So, back to the figure, the actual cans look like this:

I drank the coffee and here is the figure in its packaging:

Here is the advert that comes with the figure:

And here is the figure after I built it, ready to collect dust and be given to another lawyer here or a secretary when I get tired of it:

Us Chinese Americans all know the importance Bruce has.  There have never been any Chinese heroes that have replaced Bruce in America, or even Asian heroes for that matter.   Jackie Chan and Jet Li are possibly a distant second and third as Asian heroes in America.  Does Keanu Reaves count?

Since my Dad and uncle grew up in the 60s and 70s, Bruce is even more important to their generation and as a result, the other 2 Bruce figures above will be packaged and shipped to them in Chicago.

The Bruce Lee figure with coffee is one more reason I like living here.

油そば Abura Soba; Shinjuku, Tokyo (various locations throught the Kanto Region)

 While wandering around Shinjuku, the noodle craving hit me hard.  Luckily, Shinjuku is a good place to be when you want noodles with many, many noodle shops.  Abura Soba is right across from the Sega Game center on the west side of Shinjuku station, not far from the post office and the Yodobashi Camera branches.  Like Yodobashi Camera with a game branch, camera branch, toys branch, computer branch, etc., Abura Soba has various branches in the west side devoted to different types of noodles.  I chose my favorite, tsukemen.  Tsukemen is cold noodles (or hot, as Abura Soba offers) that are to be dipped in the broth.

I ordered the large size for about 1000 yen.  The noodles were absolutely delicious and I will definitely go back.  The noodles were a bit hard and chewy, just how I like them.  The broth was a winner too, slightly vinegary with a thick consistency and hearty meaty (actual fish) taste.

Feel free to slurp and make a mess as this sign says that they will give you a paper apron to protect your clothing, if you ask.  I give Abura Soba's tsukemen five slurps out of five slurps.

Namja Town Part 2; Ikebukero, Tokyo

When Mom and cousin were in for the holidays, we brought them to Namja Town to enjoy Ice Cream City, Desert Kingdom and Gyoza Stadium.  For a rundown of a previous Namja Town trip, please see my post here. 

We ended going on the day before New Year's Eve.  To our delight, it wasn't overly crowded.  We commandered a table and ordered our gyoza from the Gyoza Stadium and... waited a real long time.  In somewhat typical Japanese fashion, the folks at each of the gyoza stands are not running things in the most efficient manner.  Each stand has maybe two-three workers, one taking orders and well, the other two, cooking batches of gyoza- one at a time.  As a result, each stand takes 20 minutes or so to make their gyoza.  So if a typical family wants to try gyoza from 3 different stands, it will probably take an hour.  These folks have to realize that faster gyoza cooking means more gyoza sold.  It's just simple economics.  I saw numerous occasions where people looked at a long line and decided not to order.  Oh well...  McDonalds can't teach efficiency to everyone.

So this time, we got lots of gyoza.  A warning here, the gyoza at Gyoza Stadium are not cheap.  The food below cost us at least 4,500 yen (about 50 dollars).  Not cheap and not really enough to make us full.  But it is fun and when family is in, fun takes priority over value (and patience waiting).

So here are the gyoza we got:

Chick gyoza- these were your standard pork filling gyoza but were shaped like little chickies.  Pretty standard, but fun to eat.

 

Piggy gyoza- Pretty disappointing.  These guys were 5 bucks for 2, so the 4 above cost us about 10 bucks (800 yen).  The taste wasn't so bad, standard pork filling, but they aren't a fraction as cute as the picture on the menu.  It looks as if the workers haphazardly threw the piggy parts on these guys.  Give me my 10 bucks and 20 minutes back!

 

Juicy gyoza- These guys are shaped in way that holds in the juices, like little pots.  Pork filling here, but nice and juicy.  These guys were winners.

 

Steel pan gyoza- Yummy, yummy, yummy!!!  These little guys are packed in a tiny steel pan and fried until they are crispy on the bottom.  Pork as usual, but chockful of garlic.  Lovers stay away, but these guys are super yummy.

Maruman gyoza!!!  Read about them in my previous Namja Town post.  Yummy bread-like pockets of pork.  Good as they are, White Gyoza is better and much cheaper. 

Last but not least, pepper cheese gyoza-  there guys were the champions of the group.  Everyone liked these guys the best.  Cheese and pepper are so untypical when one has gyoza.  The cheese wasn't too heavy and the pepper wasn't too spicy.  As I type, I want them oh so much!!!  Thanks for reading and please go to Namja Town!!!

More Battle Beasts

As promised, here is my post on the additional Battle Beasts that Santa got me.

  

Going from left to right, you have a coelacanth (a rare breed of fish that was thought to be extinct until caught sometime in the 1930's), a sea turtle, a giraffe and a piranha.

They all look cool of course, but I wish they didn't put the captain's hat on the sea turtle guy.  He definitely loses toughness points for that.  

Other Battle Beast: Let's battle to the death, Mr. Sea Turtle!!!

Turtle Battle Beast: Arrr... You will get death....after I steer the Love Boat to port. 

All of the Other Battle Beasts: (Heavy laughter and back slapping) 

Thank you Santa and thank you for reading this one.

Christmas Gifts Continued: Sexy One Piece Figure Part Two

As discussed earlier, I got a pretty funny One Piece figure from Santa Claus.  Well, here is the unveiling/opening of the figure.

It's....

Boa Hancock!!!

The figure comes in parts and you have to put it together like a sexy puzzle.

Got some nice cleavage shots, but like one of the guys I work with says... It's so cute!!!!

Like so many things here, this is something that is soooo Japanese.  I love her innocent and vulnerable look.  Well, I have to admit, I did have a crush on Pocahontas a bit when I was younger, so I guess it might go across cultures.