Most of us would agree that food can make or break a trip and probably had had experiences where it went either way-either a spectacular meal that left you pining for more (even after many months, post-vacation) or a horrible one that just ruined your enjoyment and fun.
Fortunately for the both of us, our meals in Japan(and basically everything we ate there) was delectable, if not, an amazing party in the mouth like omgican'tbelieveijustatethatthatwasdivine.
Once again, not exaggerating. I promise.
I'm really excited to write this post today and tell you all about the food we ate just because I miss having such good food within reach all the time. In order not to put you through a novel-eque long post, this post only documents like the best of the best stuff that we ate when we were on vacation.
Walking Food
(i.e: stuff you eat while you explore Japan)
Bakeries, Convenience Stores and That Ginza Waffle Shop
Bakeries
When I asked my Japanese Vacation Veteran(ie: Brenda who has been to Japan for countless number of times) what was one of her favorite things to eat in Japan, she immediately told me all about her love for Japanese bakeries. Being the skeptic I was, I commented that bakeries were all about the same and she probably was just being too excited being in her favorite country. But when I tasted Japanese baked goods, I had to eat my words, quite literally. Let me not bore you with melodramatic descriptions. The pictures below can begin to do the talking.
Convenience Stores
If you don't think much of convenience stores because of your mediocre experiences in some of them, let us just say that we totally get it, and we don't blame you. Like most of you, I have been pretty underwhelmed by convenience stores, in terms of variety and how much of a kick I get out of entering one. So when Brendy told me that I would L O V E the ones in Japan, I can honestly admit that I was a tad skeptical. Nevertheless, I told myself that they could prove me wrong like many other things in life and prove me wrong they did. Let me just say they became one of my favorite things of the trip, and we religiously went down to one every morning to get a refuel of coffee(for me) and snacks to last us for our long morning walks. Our photos may not do justice to the awesomeness of Japanese convenience stores but we hope that you'd be convinced to give them a second look and we're pretty sure that they'll be one of your go-to places when you visit Japan. Just saying.
For anyone that can do with or in my case, need a boost of caffeine especially on early mornings, check out one of my favorite parts of the store: the coffee and drinks section.
Check out what Bren found! She can't touch coffee at all, because it makes her dizzy. But if she could, she might just drink this.
Our other favorite part of the store: the savory food section!
Though they definitely aren't exactly the glamorous options or restaurant worthy for some of you discerning food connoisseurs, they definitely pack a punch and have proven to be delicious but not overly heavy all the same. If you're in need of a light snack at a budget, you'd now know where to look for some(This tip has been tried and tested. No problem, you can always thank us later)
Though they definitely aren't exactly the glamorous options or restaurant worthy for some of you discerning food connoisseurs, they definitely pack a punch and have proven to be delicious but not overly heavy all the same. If you're in need of a light snack at a budget, you'd now know where to look for some(This tip has been tried and tested. No problem, you can always thank us later)
If you happen to crave for something sweet, you'd probably like the pretty wide dessert selection available in stores. Bren and I being two curious cats tried a couple of the sweet treats available, including a cheesecake stick and they were yummy to say the least.
Like Japanese snacks? Well, needless to say, convenience stores are full of them!
Waffles
When we got to planning for our time in Ginza, Brendy mentioned the famous Belgium waffles near Ginza station and said that we had to stop by to grab some when we headed there for shopping. That got me interested, I mean, hey it's waffles, and knowing Brend for quite awhile now, let me just say that she does not exactly have a sweet tooth. Many of the sweet treats available locally have fallen short of gaining her approval.
I can tell you, dear reader, the waffles were phenomenal.
Served to us nice and warm, the waffles were full of flavour, crispy on the outside yet chewy and moist on the inside, and suffice to say, I think some of the best I ever had.
You might find it odd that I am writing about this a good 5 months after our trip but let me just say, like many things in life, good waffles ought to be never taken for granted. I am speaking from experience, of course. Just a few weeks ago, I had this crazy waffle craving so Bren indulged me and agreed to go to this cafe around the area we were at (that we were warned about to be overpriced and pretty dismal) to have some waffles. Let us qualify once again, that the only reason why we decided to defy logic good advice was because it was the only cafe/place in the vacinity that served waffles. Let me just say(on behalf of the both of us) for the price of $9.90 we paid for a pretty pathetic sized and soggy waffle,that left both of us unsatisfied to say the least, it got me thinking back about some of the best waffles I've had, you know, as a benchmark. And this came to mind.
So, when in Ginza, eat Belgium waffles. You'd probably love them as much as the both of us, who aren't huge fans of dessert or sweet things.
Angels Heart Crepes
This definitely was one of my favorite sweet things I ate in Japan. Take it from the both of us, you need to get yourself down here to get some if you happen to be exploring Harajuku. I had the Green Tea Cheesecake flavor which was divine. I loved how it was so light and tasty despite its strong matcha taste, and that whipped cream enclosed with the cheesecake in the warm crepe definitely deserves a special mention. Brendy went with the classic custard crepe which was super delish as well.
Needless to say, we left Angels Heart two very happy girls despite the rain.
Japanese Food Hall
Tip to anyone vacationing with your friends: schedule for your travel bud to plan the itinerary for a day(and take turns doing the same) For Brendy's day, she wanted to get to the Isetan food hall because she wanted to get her raw fish fix.
I never got the whole sashimi thing(and basically got lots of flak from my sashimi/fresh-fish lovin' friends who basically said that it was quite a waste that I went to Tokyo and didn't enjoy such an amazing delicacy) but the food hall experience was super fun. Can i just say that almost everything the Japanese put together, decor and store layout wise, is a work of art?! I loved walking around in the hall-with all the intricately packaged and arranged food all around. From tempura to mochi, and salad to sakura flavored biscuits, everything looked delectable. Suffice to say, I wanted to eat them all. Enough rambling on my end, here's our view on the way to and at the food hall.
Dining In Japanese Restaurants
If Brendy ever taught me anything about food, it is to not scrimp on good food. Especially good, fresh, Japanese food.
Sushi Bar Experience at Sushizanmai,Hibiya
(Because nothing screams fresh Japanese food more than sashimi and sushi)
If you remember me saying earlier in the post, I never liked sashimi. I had a really bad first experience with salmon belly sashimi when I was pretty young and it became a 'never again' with me, no matter who raved about it. However, when I was on the trip, I just told myself to embrace a YOLO mindset and just do the stuff I wouldn't normally do because it isn't everyday that I get to be in Japan. And one of those YOLO things I decided to do was, as you guessed, try Japanese raw fish. I didn't go all out(i.e: eating raw fish on its own) and just stopped at eating raw fish sushi.
We were walking around the area(a whole row of seafood restaurants) and just went into the sushi bar just because it looked inviting from the outside;we hadn't decided prior to the trip that we were going to pop by to THIS sushi bar. And it probably was one of the best spontaneous things we did for the trip.
We were walking around the area(a whole row of seafood restaurants) and just went into the sushi bar just because it looked inviting from the outside;we hadn't decided prior to the trip that we were going to pop by to THIS sushi bar. And it probably was one of the best spontaneous things we did for the trip.
Before I get to how I responded to it, Brendy and I loved our dining experience at Sushizanmai. It wasn't just the food that made the night; it was the atmosphere, with the crowd's excitement at the good food and the chefs who charmed the crowd with their lively banter. I still remember our time in the sushi bar vividly especially its warm yellow lights, wooden accents and cosy ambiance. And not forgetting, its amazing food. As Brendy says, it's almost impossible to get served bad food in Japan. And this experience affirmed her belief.
It was quite funny that Brend was so curious about how I'd react when I eat the raw sushi and if I'd actually follow through with my spontaneous decision(and so she started snapping pictures of me :p)
To be fair and not make myself look better than I ought to, I didn't eat only raw stuff that night; I did order some of my favorites including unagi sushi, unagi maki, tamagoyaki(Japanese sweet egg sushi) which was ABSOLUTELYAMAZINGOMGIWISHEDITLASTEDFOREVER.
I didn't go all out and settle for a fully raw rice bowl like Brendy did(she totally digged it and said that it was totally worth its slighty more hefty price tag) but I did order some egg roe sushi and raw tuna maki(and actually went for a second helping)
And it was mindblowing. I actually enjoyed it.
Brend too was surprised that I was smiling while eating the stuff I usually avoided like the plague. I probably started to understand why raw food was so loved by my friends. When done right(and obviously the Japanese would be the ones to get it on point) it could be absolutely delectable and a refreshing package of flavor.
Another Notable Experience: A Japanese Fusion Restaurant
Japanese fusion restaurants were everywhere when we were in Tokyo. Fortunately for us, we chanced upon a really nice one near our hotel, Hotel Grand Arc Hanzomon.
Sorry mates that we can't remember the exact name of the place, because its signboard was in Japanese. I guess what struck us the most about the place, in addition to its beautiful rustic decor(and the sunlight streaming in its big windows) was the warm and hearty meal we had of vegetable stew that filled us up before we embarked on a full day of exploring on our first day of the trip.
It's amazing how food can leave us with so many memories, stemming from a gastronomic experience. Getting to sample Japanese food fare is probably one of the best things that happened to me during this trip and I will always be up for another Japan trip; the food is definitely sufficient to keep me going back for more.
We hope you enjoyed this post as much as we enjoyed putting this together for you all. Once again, have a blessed New Year and many amazing times ahead:)
Love,
Mandy
