And On to Japan

We are slowly getting to the end of my Russian travel blog. I may have returned a month ago, but that does not mean my blog posts are at an end. Almost, but not yet. So, let me bring you closer to the finish line with my trip to Japan.

When I planned my Transsiberian journey, I only bought tickets to Vladivostok. I still was unsure of what I would be doing after my Peace Corps gig ended. If time allowed, I had thoughts of taking a cruise from Russia to either Japan or Korea and from there flying over to Canada and taking the train from west to east. Another idea would have been to take a train to China and then move on down to Vietnam. My ideas were endless. Things were settled in late June/early July when I received my new position, teaching in Peru. I would only have a couple of weeks before shoving off again, so it was either Japan or Korea. I more or less flipped a kopek and decided on Tokyo. I thought I'd just tool around

Capsule Hotel - My Room

for a couple of days and then fly back to the United States. After spending two and a half incredible days in Tokyo, I wish I had scheduled more time there. It was one incredible city. I know many folks have visited Japan so I will not concern myself with the touristy spots; rather, I will concentrate on my main priority: food. 

My flight arrived several hours late. Since I was flying from Vladivostok, very near to North Korea, I have no doubt that that morning's missile launch had something to do with the delay. I didn't even realize what had happened until I landed in Tokyo and the launch was all over the news. I just took it in stride and headed to my hotel. After getting a bit lost, I made my way to the capsule hotel right in the middle of the Ginza Bay district, one of the most expensive places in Tokyo. By the time I got settled in it was past 2000 and I was starving. While looking for the hotel, I spied an

First Japanese Meal 

eatery just below the railroad tracks. So I made my way over and sat down to eat. The restaurant was not very large and it was open to the streets. There was a grill and a counter that surrounded it, much like in a diner. I grabbed a seat and ordered a beer. The chefs did not speak English so I had to rely on pointing, until two gentlemen next to me helped translate the menu. Much to my delight, the restaurant served everything from sushi to various parts of the pig and the cow. I started with a bowl of steaming tripe soup and went from there. My new friends were extremely helpful and were able to make sure I got my chicken skewers, octopus, tuna, and other animal/fish pieces. The food was delicious and I felt that I got an authentic Japanese experience. It seems like I was the only non-Asian in the place and this seemed to impress my friends. We spent the next few

Octopus 

hours talking, drinking beer, and eating, eating and eating. I felt the warm glow of hospitality (or was that the chicken gizzards?) as I walked back to my capsule hotel. 

New Friends 

The other great food experience occurred my last night in the city. After eating at a Korean restaurant the previous evening, I was determined to find a offal restaurant, somewhere outside the center of the city. The Korean place had primed my taste buds with a combination of raw beef heart, pig aorta, and cow stomach; much of which I cooked on my own individual grill. Now I was navigating the bustling and rainy streets of Tokyo, hoping to find a place that was not on the tourist maps. By the time I got on my way, I was a bit exhausted from walking around the city. By four o'clock in the afternoon, I had already had sushi for breakfast near the fish market followed by a visit to a local buddhist temple. Although I had mapped out the trip, I was still having problems with wifi connectivity so I was unable to see my location. When I got lost I would go into a Starbuck's, dry off a bit, and try to reorient myself. I did ask for directions but had trouble describing the name (Saiseisakaba) and the location (Shinjuku), I couldn't really specify exactly where I wanted to go. Finally, after my second Starbuck's stop, I realized my coveted location was just down the street. I wandered three blocks in the misty rain, and entered the offal restaurant.

Finally Found My Destination 

Not unexpectedly, I was the only non-Asian in this tiny, yet cosy standup restaurant. I couldn't fully gauge the rest of the room as the clientele was mixed. Though mainly filled with men, there were a few women present. Several customers appeared quite inebriated; yet most others were only having a drink or two. So this wasn't a total alcoholic bar nor was it just a bunch of dudes watching sports on television. It appeared to be what was advertised: a place for locals to go and eat various parts of pigs and cows. And there was plenty of eating going on. As I walked through the door, the smell of smoke filled the air. Much like the restaurant on my first night, customers were in the midst of conversation, choosing their dishes using the labeled wooden tiles hanging on the wall and over the bar. Since I don't read Japanese, I used their English language menu and pointed. No one seemed to want to help the poor foreigner out. Still, I forged on...

Let the Games Begin!

Cooking Away

The menu was a 'Bizarre Foods" aficionados delight. The majority of the dishes consisted of pork; although, there were enough beef dishes. The portions were not huge (usually just a small skewer of four pieces of meat) but they were invariably tasty and filling. The only 

Offal Menu

questions were: where to start and how much could I eat? The best thing I could do was just dive right in with an order of pork temple. As I waited, I sipped a beer and looked around the room. Several patrons were cautiously watching me between sips of beer and bites of food. When my temple arrive, a few more sets of eyes looked my way as I tasted my first skewer. As a chewed, I realized that it basically tasted like pork, albeit with a slightly chewier texture. What made the difference was the teriyaki glaze and the salt, pepper, and other spices on top. I finished and gave a satisfactory smile. My neighbors smiled as well, seemingly happy that I survived. Not only did I survive, but I thrived! My orders

came fast and furious after that: Pork - Hatsu (heart), Harami (diaphragm), Shikin (gullet), Shiro (cartilage), Teppo (rectum), Kobukuro (womb); Beef - Nodobue (tracheal valve), Nodogashira (Throat), Rappa (Birth Canal), and Gyarashin (stomach). After ninety minutes of full on offal, I was full and ready to go.

Would I recommend this kind of food to anyone? Probably not but it is definitely worth a try for the adventurous. Although the parts might not sound appetizing, they basically taste like all other parts of the animal you usually eat. But I'm pretty sure the teriyaki sauce had a lot to do with it. One thing is certain: I will have an offaly hard time finding a better place to eat when next in Tokyo.