Tokyo
Spending the first few days in Tokyo and quickly wanting to adjust my body clock to local time, I booked on a food walking tour, hosted by a Tokyo local, which would take us on a nice little tour of non touristy places and include the key foodstuffs of Japan: sushi, wagyu beef, sake, whisky and ramen.
Our little group met the guide outside a Starbucks(!) in Ueno, Tokyo (5 Americans and me) and were each handed a shot glass (concealed in a Pringles tube!) and had our first taste of plum wine, right there in the street. I knew I was going to like this tour...…
Warmed by our plum wine we then followed the guide into a catacomb of streets which were mostly lined with eateries and bars, a temple in the middle of the bustle and market stalls.
First food stop was a sushi place where a table was all ready for us laid with what I thought was a glass of iced water and a beer...…...turns out the water was a Japanese spirit called Shochu, not dissimilar to vodka and the beer was actually non-alcoholic but was used as a mixer for the spirit. Alrighty then, bottoms up! A trio of sashimi was also put on the table for us all to share (red snapper, Jack Fish and tuna) which was really well paired with the voddie/zero percent beer combo.
New concept for me, you go to a vending machine on the wall of the ramen bar, select which type of ramen dish you want, the chilli strength, the type of noodle and then pay for it. It dispenses a ticket which you hand to the chef, take a seat and he brings your food over when ready - simple and a concept I would love to see over here.
I went for medium chilli heat which was perfect for me and the broth was superb - a rich beef bone broth with egg noodles.
The next noteworthy food extravaganza was in a tiny little place called Kinosaki Onsen which was a natural springs town in the Hyogo region of Japan. The whole town is set up around 7 public hot springs baths and guests of each hotel or Ryokan (Japanese guesthouse) are provided with a kimono and clogs and you are then set to wander around the main canal which runs through the centre. If that wasn't impressive enough, what also lines the canal paths are little street food stalls and beer hatches so you just have a dip in the baths and then nibble on the goodies that are being cooked nearby. I sampled a fresh prawn cake on a skewer and a Tajima beef bun which was a lovely encased bao bun filled with the beef of the Kinosaki region in a thick almost gravy like sauce.
Sukiya Sannomiya Restaurant
I had a great kobe beef dish post rugby match which was a Beef Gyudan - Gyudon is a Japanese dish consisting of a bowl of rice topped with thinly sliced beef and onions simmered in a mildly sweet soy based sauce topped with grated cheese and an egg.
Wabiya Zanmai Restaurant
A great little find when searching for a restaurant that was open past 9pm in Kyoto, I had the mixed skewer selection (chicken, pork, beef and veg) along with excellent gyozas.
Sushi Kenzan - ANA Intercontinental Hotel
This sushi bar was fantastic and had 22 different choices of fish to have sashimi or nigiri style. I opted for a variety of fish which were swiftly made by the personal sushi chef in front of me. A superb ending to a trip where I got to sample the best that the country had to offer.