Japan Trip 2013 - Day 17

Day 17

I think I have gotten into the bad habit of getting a Pon de Ring from Mister Donut everyday now. These days the Banana Pon de Ring has been released but I am quiet hesitant to try it because it's the last few days and I just want to enjoy my original flavor. Anyway....we headed off for a day trip to Yokohama. Ducky decided to whip out a snack at the station.

Green Tea and Chocolate Sandwich

We bought this a while ago, but we finally got around to eating it today.  It is a green tea and chocolate wafer sandwich.  Imagine a box 1 inch in height made of wafer with green tea and chocolate flavored cream in the middle.  That is pretty much what this snack was.  The snack was interesting, but not something I would get again.  It was a little too sweet as well.

Gyu Don

We arrived too early and had some time to kill...so we spent our free 40 minutes finding a Yoshinoya just so we can say we ate it at its motherland. It came fast and it came cheap. 10% beef and 90% rice...that's how Japan likes to fill you up, but it's only $3 a bowl....for this tasty morsel. The bowl contains a layer of thinly sliced beef and onions all flavored with gyudon sauce.  No complaints here.

Moyashi - Yaki Tonkotsu Ramen

Tonkotsu Seaweed and Egg Ramen

We took the train from Tokyo to Yokohama for another enriching experience at the Ramen Museum! After looking at all the different types and styles of ramen from Japan, we got hungry and decided to eat some, you guessed it, RAMEN.  The museum also hosts 9 unique ramen restaurants from across the country.  We settled on Men no Bo-Toride.  This shop specializes in tonkotsu ramen.  The pork bone soup is supposedly simmered for 20 hours for the ramen.  My ramen had slices of chashu, a soft boiled egg, and some bean sprouts and seaweed.  It was a nice rich flavored soup and the ramen noodles were done nearly perfectly. I also thought it would be funny to use a "ramen fork" instead of chopsticks.  The fork actually does work and helps in eating ramen.  The mounds on the fork keep the noodles from sliding off as easily.  The fork probably works equally well with any form of noodle or pasta. Kitty's bowl was hearty, filled with both chashu and soft pork simmered in soy sauce for a long time. You can't go wrong with any of the ramen restaurants in the museum.

Green Tea Iced Latte

 After the Ramen Museum, we walked around Yokohama for quite some time.  We decided to take a break at a cafe in the World Porters building.  I ordered a green tea iced latte but it was too bland. Drinks were too expensive and not worth it...but the toast box Kitty ordered was another story.

Ultra Honey Toast Box

Can't leave Japan without indulging in one of these suckers. This was decorated with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, condensed milk, and fruits. What I really liked about this toast box was that the inside toast pieces were buttered! That slightly salted savory contrast tasted so good before diving back into this sugar Everest. We had three people though so this was gone in no time.

We were back on our feet exploring Yokohama well into the evening until we got hungry, so we grabbed a train to Shibuya and see what this fashionable district had to offer us. We decided on Okinawan food! Although we didn't get a chance to visit those lovely islands...I guess this will be the closest it will be.

Pork Ear Salad

 The pork egg salad was given to all of us as a mini starting appetizer.  The salad had pig ear, goya, and some other pickled vegetables.  The goya added a bit of bitterness and a nice crunch to the dish.  The ears were savory and also added a bit of a crunch to the dish.  Overall, the salad was very refreshing and a great way to start off our Okinawan meal experience!

Peanut Tofu in Soy Sauce

 Next, we ordered some peanut tofu.  The tofu was very interesting.  The tofu had an almost gummy mochi-like consistency.  Each bite of the tofu filled our mouths with a nutty flavor from peanut powder added to the tofu.  Recommended for anyone that loves tofu or want a gummy textured food store. Those with nut allergies should stay away.

Soy Sauce Grilled Pork

 This tasted very much like the typical Japanese stewed chashu but its Okinawan counterpart was a little sweeter. The meat was very tender...almost as tender as the fat itself which melted in our mouths. Combined with the green onions, this dish was a pleasant experience.

Simmered Pork Feet

More pork. We are starting to suspect that Okinawan cuisine is heavy on the pork. This time it's pigs feet that's been simmered in a very mild dashi broth. It was very tender and had a light taste. We did not find this dish particularly strange since we often seen it in our own culture's cuisine, but we still recommend this for the adventurous foodie.

Sauteed Goya and Eggs and Tofu

 The goya, eggs, and tofu dish was healthy and refreshing. The dish was savory and had a nice variation of soft from the eggs, firmness from the tofu, and a crunch from the goya.  The goya added a bit of bitterness that works well with the savoriness of the dish.  Although it was delicious, Ducky noted that this dish was something similar to what his father would make, so to him it was a bit "common".

Stewed Pork with Sesame Paste

 This one caught us by surprise. The meat itself is similarly prepared to the dish we ordered above, so the meat was very tender. In addition there was sesame paste on top which turned out to be sweet. It was definitely different...sweet and salty...not a bad different at all though....since we at it all anyway!

Deep Fried Taro Paste

 This was our favorite dish. Normally I am not fond of taro, but somehow molded into this round mochi like shape and then deep fried with a very light and crispy crust....it became incredibly appealing.

Okinawa Style Pancake

For our final dish, we ordered an Okinawa Style Pancake.  The pancake is covered in bonito flakes and topped with some pickled ginger in the middle of the bonito flakes.  The pancake is very similar to an onion pancake in Chinese or Korean cuisine.  However, the pancake is more soft and flimsy than those found in other cuisines.  The pancake itself was nearly flavorless except for a little hint of green onion and bonito flakes. It went great with the slightly sour soy dipping sauce that came with it. We would recommend this dish for anyone that wants to try a different style of pancake.

Overall Ducky and I found Okinawa food kind of similar to Chinese food...but it definitely had its own original taste. Perhaps next time we could enjoy the actual islands themselves.

Convenient Store Pudding

On our way back we picked up a pudding. Ducky wanted to try it...but it tasted too much like the flan I made so he didn't like it. I however really liked it...soft wiggly cold pudding with a little bit of caramel syrup on the bottom. I think I got a premium cup since it had absolutely no artificial flavor at all. Mmmn....