Day 19
It was our last full day in Japan....so we decided to make a spontaneous trip to Tokyo Disney Sea. The weather also decided to create a huge typhoon with 37 mile per hour winds that day. But that's okay...we grabbed some rice balls from a convenience stores and headed towards the train station....
 |
| Salmon Seaweed Onigiri |
 |
| Wasabi Flavor Onigiri |
Yay onigiris! They are great cheap snack items (only a little over $1!) that come in a lot of flavors here in Japan...whether it's mayonnaise tuna, seaweed, chicken kara-age, sour plum, beef....the possibilities are endless! I always get the seaweed ones...their seasoned flavor has a special place in my heart. Meanwhile Ducky's soft spot is for wasabi things...but he got a little disappointed since his onigiri tasted more like soy sauce chicken. It was good, just not the wasabi goodness he yearned for.
 |
| Katsu Sandwiches |
The railway to Tokyo Disney Sea was suspended due to the typhoon so we opted for the bus. Everyone had the same idea so it was a very long line. While we waited I spotted a bakery...and my vision zoomed in on these delectable looking, perfectly shaped with crusts cut off katsu sandwiches. Insta-buy! They had a light tonkatsu sauce that was enough to flavor the pork but not make the bread soggy. We devoured them during the bus ride.
 |
| Maple Churro |
Once we got to Tokyo Disney Sea we had to battle storm winds and some rain....so perhaps a churro would cheer us up. It was supposedly maple flavored but we didn't taste much maple.
 |
| Strawberry Popcorn Stand |
On the other hand though, Tokyo Disney Sea is very known for their popcorn. You can buy a souvenir bucket and bring it back every time you go back to the park and have it refilled at a discounted price. There are several of these popcorn carts scattered all over the park and each cart has a different flavor.
 |
| Strawberry Popcorn |
 |
| Curry Popcorn |
 |
| Milk Tea Popcorn |
We thought the strawberry, curry, and milk tea were the most interesting ones to try. The other available flavors were black pepper, sea salt, and caramel. Overall Tokyo Disney Sea (and I assume Tokyo Disneyland) has a number of special snack carts that are only available at certain parts of the park, making it a little food scavenger hunt. Perfect for foodies.
 |
| Tiramisu Ice Cream Sandwich and Sea Salt Monaka |
 |
| Tiramisu Ice Cream Sandwich and Sea Salt Monaka Unwrapped! |
The ice cream was less harder to find...these were everywhere. The sea shell layer was really cute....though didn't taste too much sea salt..perhaps a hint of it. The ice cream sandwich was decent as well. The sandwich did not taste too much like tiramisu, but tasted more like coffee.
 |
| Black Gyoza Halloween Bun |
We were pretty confused what the gyoza bun was, so we decided to get it because we read that it was one of the more popular snack items. It's basically a steamed bun with gyoza filling inside, but this one was decorated for Halloween. The little pumpkin had a slightly sweet filling inside. This was great especially on a cold typhoon day.
 |
| Ukiwaman |
 |
| Otherwise Known As: Life Saver Shrimp Bun |
This was too cute to pass up. The way they packaged it made it look like Donald really was reaching out to us through that lifesaver. It was basically a steamed bun with minced shrimp filing. Another warm and delightful snack.
 |
| Little Green Men Manju |
Lastly we hit up the Toy Story area. We were able to ride nearly every ride except for this one because of its usual long wait, plus we were running out of time. But we were able to snag us one of these. They were manjus of the Toy Story UFOs! They each came in a different flavor: Cream, Red Bean, and Strawberry.
Hands down we were impressed by Tokyo Disney Sea's creativity in the food arena. There were other snacks and foods as well but in interest of riding rides as well we had to pass some of them up, but we were glad to catch some of the more popular items that the park was known for.
And because we didn't want to go back home with just popcorn and sweets in our bellies. We swung by Shinjuku quickly on our way home and scrounged around for some traditional Japanese cuisine. After all, we were leaving in a day!
 |
| Set Meal Side Dishes |
We ordered 2 set meals and they both came with the following appetizers: Pickled Cucumber, Tofu, Tororo (aka slimey yam paste), Tofu and Beans, Sauteed Vegetables and Tofu Skin. They also came with salad and red miso soup.
 |
| Fish and Karaage Set Meal |
 |
| Pork and Crab Cream Croquette Set Meal |
These meals were incredibly satisfying...it was a $17 set meal. Although not as cheap was the $6.30 meal of a family style restaurant, the price definitely reflects the quality and amount you get as well. Kitty ordered the chicken karaage and fish set and Ducky ordered the pork and crab cream croquette set meal. The restaurant also had the option of white rice or other more decorated rices. Kitty got the seasonal rice and Ducky got the other rice (we don't remember what it was called ). The karaage had a thin crispy crust and was not greasy. Each piece was dense, but not dry. The fish was nicely grilled and had a crispy skin layer. The fish was only lightly seasoned with salt, but that was all that it needed. Ducky's croquettes had a crispy panko crust on the outside and hot creamy center. They were some of the best croquettes either one of us had ever eaten. The pork was served with onions and ginger. Apparently, pork and ginger was a popular combination in Japan. The pork was thinly sliced, but had a rich hearty flavor.
Day 20
This was our last and final day....but that didn't stop us from getting some last minute Japan in our belly. We scrambled around Tokyo Station with our luggage, battling through salary men and office ladies on their lunch break until we found this quaint little restaurant with a seaside theme...possibly Okinawan.
 |
| Goya, Spam, and Egg Champon with Stewed Pork, Salad, and Soba in Ginger Soup |
 |
| Tuna Rice Bowl with Soba in Ginger Soup |
The restaurant had a menu with pictures for each of the set meals available at lunch time. Kitty chose the goya and spam set and Ducky chose the tuna rice bowl set. We weren't quite sure if this restaurant was Okinawan until we got the set meal and noticed all the large wine bottles. The set meals feature pork or goya heavy dishes much like the other Okinawan place we ate at a couple days ago. Kitty's goya and spam dish was a bit simple, but was nonetheless delicious. It was also served with a side of pork belly and soba noodle soup. Ducky's meguro bowl had two pieces of tuna sashimi, two pieces of grilled tuna, and two pieces of lightly seared tuna. The rice was sweet and sour much like sushi rice. The rice bowl was served with a side of seaweed and pork and a bowl of soba noodles. Overall, the set meals were what we wanted for our last real Japanese meal before we get on the plane.
 |
| Hand Made Udon At Its Finest |
Despite being full from lunch....Kitty STILL wanted to try the hand made udon that we have been passing by. At first it was too full but after the meal, the line died down and there was more space...and believe it or not she went for it...
 |
| Kitsune Udon |
It's because I have a soft spot for noodles! Especially udon noodles! And especially especially for kitsune udon noodles! Watching them handcraft these noodles instantly allowed me to grow a mini stomach to fit an extra bowl of carbs in. Everything was self serve at this restaurant, save for the noodles being placed in your bowl. From filling your bowl with broth to the toppings of green onions, side orders of tempura or onigiri...it was the epitome of fast food. The noodles themselves were just the right amount of firm and chewiness that I loved and coupled with the inari tofu and simple dashi broth....I was in bliss. And this piece of bliss was only $3....too good...too good....
And that concludes our eating adventures in Japan. Until we meet again!!
No comments:
Post a Comment