Breakfast in Japan

I know this might get long so before I start I’ll give you a summary so you don’t die of boredom. I’ll talk about what I’m eating, why I’m eating it, how things are different, oatmeal, and 15.7 Yen!

Japanese BreakfastBreakfast in Japan is very different from what I’m used to in America. After arriving here when I ate breakfast it was usually a variety that changes daily. Sometimes it was toast… but huge pieces of bread aka ‘Texas Toast’. Other times it was a bakery breakfast sandwich that tastes more like lunch to me. Sometimes it was rice with mackerel. And sometimes a restaurant style breakfast which includes pancakes, eggs, and some bacon. When I ate breakfast alone and I was on my own I would to end up with some toast or some fruit (as a side note – bananas kick ass!) and some coffee.

What food am I used to in the United States? I would usually whip up some instant oatmeal (I’m a big fan of this), cream of wheat, cereal, or some toast with peanut butter. I usually included 8 oz of orange juice (236 ml) and 20 oz of coffee (591 ml). Albertsons usually had the 10 for $10 deal that included a good selection of cereal, granola bars, or instant oatmeal. Continue reading

Sea urchin cream soup

Sea urchin soupI know after you see this you’ll be rushing down to the local coop to grab as much of this as you can! How does it taste you ask? Well… I haven’t tried it… but I did take a picture of it. This is the first time I’ve seen this and it’s pretty different. I’ve had sea urchin sushi (not very good) and I can just imagine what creamy sea urchin soup tastes like (bleh!)..

Not sure what a sea urchin is? Here’s a brief explanation. They’re tiny sea creatures in the shape of a ball with 1-3cm spines sticking out but they’re not that sharp. I’ve eaten it on sushi and it looks disgusting to me… brown ish… with a taste that I don’t care for. Continue reading

Ice Cream Ramen

Sure sure you might be saying “Only in Tokyo” but you should be saying “Only in Japan” because there’s crazy stuff all over the place. Anyway there’s a restaurant in Tokyo that has created the ultimate ramen + desert in one package. Looks simple enough. Take some ramen (ラーメン), add some ice cream (アイスクリーム), and then eat as much as you can before puking. Nice! You can hit up this dish at a local ramen shop called “Kikuya” by taking a 15 minute walk north Kitasenjyu Station in Tokyo. If you want ramen it up and need to find Kikuya ASAP! To help you get lost I’ll include a map of Kitasenjyu Station (might not work) and I think this is a map showing where Kikuya  is located.

Address: 10-3 Senjuookawa-cho, Adachi-ku, Tokyo
Business Hours: 11:00-15:00, 17:00-20:00 Tuesday – Sunday (Closed Monday)

That flavors can you expect? Vanilla Ice Cream Ramen, Chocolate Ramen, and every bodies favorite… Green Tea Ramen (LIKE WHOA!) Something to remember is that ice cream ramen could be a limtied summer time edition this year (like I heard it was last year) and if you show up too late in the season you might end up with some Coffee Ramen (a.k.a. kohii gyunyu ramen). Other items on the menu include white ramen (yogurt), red ramen (tomato), natto ramen, milk ramen, hot cocoa ramen, pork kimchi ramen, and other crazy combinations. Regular ramen is 500 Yen but if you choose that option I’m sure people will look at you funny.

Here’s a review if you can read Japanese (a friend gave me the link). I found out about this restaurant from this blog (it’s in Japanese too). He seems to only visit strange restaurants and post about his past crazy experiences so check it out. Here’s a quick review taking from the blog about the restaurant.

変り種ラーメン満載!白汁ラーメン(ヨーグルト)、黄汁ラーメン(ウコン)、青汁ラーメン(ケール)、赤汁ラーメン(トマト)、納豆ラーメン、牛乳ラーメン、珈琲牛乳ラーメン、ココアラーメン、カルビラーメン、豚キムチラーメン、エビチリメン、アゲヤキメンなどがある。すべてを食べた人って店主だけなんじゃないの?ちなみに、アゲヤキメンとは固焼きそばのように、揚げた麺が入る。暇があると一生懸命、麺に体重を乗せて縮れさせていた。メニューの多さも努力の賜物なのか・・・。

ラーメン 注文品:ラーメン¥500

変り種ラーメンをたくさん出すわりには悪くないが、ちょっとインスタントチック。しっかりと縮れた麺も茹で方が悪いのかかなりまずい。大きい海苔はスープがしみこんでも崩れないため、食べるときはちょっと大きさが気になった。チャーシューは柔らかく旨いね。

If you eat this, come back and let me know!

Page 7 of 71234567