Konnichiwa!:D

Hello! We were to two countries in the last four months, and no, I wan't able to update. M was there for work, and I got to tag along! Lucky me. I must say that I have fallen in love with the "Land of the Rising Sun." It is so enchanting, I understand now why some people gush about this lovely country.M was excited to see Fuji-san, while I was thrilled to be witnessing the koyo (fall season).

We got both wishes and more!:)

On our first night, we went to this ramen bar, just a block away from our hotel along Prince Dori. It was a tiny and busy place, with only bar stools for chairs. It was a ramen BAR, but of course! The staff who assisted us outside the outlet didn't understand much English, but did understood that 1. we were hungry 2. we wanted to try good Japanese food. She suggested we order the bestseller on the list ( heaven knows how we understood it was the bestseller!oh, i remember the nodding and the thumbs up sign! :D)

thick, al dente ramen

Shio-based Ramen, with cured pork, leeks and an egg.

YUM! First meal in Japan was a hit!

The next morning, M had to attend a conference, and I had to look for breakfast on my own. Of course, I mustered enough courage to ask the front desk where the nearest McDonald's was! Good thing it was only two blocks away! Yey!

The McGriddle

- mapled flavored pancake sandwich with an egg, bacon and cheese.

Divine!

I walked around Chiyoda-ku, exploring the Walking Map provided by the hotel of nearby tourist spots. By 3 p.m., I took my lunch fro the nearby Family Mart and had some convenience store ramen. Awful. Never again!

Good thing I bought this chocolate mallow cookie

to erase the memory of that ramen.

That evening, M had dinner with the delegates, so I explored the nearby fastfood joints.

Iwamoto-q's Tempura Bento meal.

I loved the freshness of the shrimp and the fluffy rice.

After dinner, I went to Family Mart for some dessert.

Azuki Mochi

and the Blueberry yogurt by Meiji.

This was my lunch the next day, I just got some

Onigiri (rice balls) at Family Mart. I got one stuffed

with fish roe. Slimy but yum. I must say, I love rice balls!

Later on, it rained harder. I was invited by M's boss to join the dinner for later.

Embarrasing as it was to join the delegates, I gratefully obliged.

Dinner was at Shiba Tofu-ya Ukai, a Zagat-rated tofu specialty restaurant.

Fancy.

Sake

Candied yams

Pan fried Tofu with a teriyaki-like sauce.

Sashimi

Soft tofu in soya milk. Slightly salted. The odd one among them.

Grilled salmon

I wasn't able to finish the whole set. All good, but everyone got busy with activities.

The next day, we plotted to have breakfast at Tsukiji, but I failed to see

that it was closed on Sundays. Duh.

We were so hungry, we got into a Family Mart along the area and got these for me.

Warm lemon tea and a doughnut. The Japanese love their sweets :)

Speaking of sweets, we entered Hama-rikyu Gardens since it was a stone's throw away from Tsukiji Fish Market. Inside was a lovely tea gazebo, and we tried their tea special of green matcha and sweets for a traditional tea ceremony.

Lunch was at Sushi no Midori Sohonten. Will post pics at the latter portion, when I took them on the second visit. Yes, that good :)

At dinner time, after hopping from one train to another, and experiencing the lovely Shibuya area, we had dinner near Hachiko station. We ate at this simple ramen bar. I had a chicken noodle soup, and M had curry. The Japanese LOVE curry, we learned.

This beautiful bento dish was what we had for lunch during the Mount Fuji tour. It was a delight to the senses, this array. Almost everything in Japan was beautiful. Even my lunch! Awww.

M and I experienced the lights at Ginza and had some more

dessert and tea at a nearby Starbucks. :P

Hello, Green Tea Latte!

Now, here is the the Sushi No Midori meal that we had on our last night in Tokyo. Thanks to various Japan blogsites, we were able to try this delectable feast!

Oishi!:D

Egg custard soup. Me thinks this was made for the gods!

It was an egg custard soup with tiny pieces of shrimp that had settled at the bottom.

So good!

Various sushi rolls

The popular Ponzu

- teriyaki marinated eel over a rice ball. Nom nom.

Yum.

I was especially entertained by this lovely handful of rustic toothpicks.

The lovely end to a lovely meal-Tiramisu.

Arigato gozaimasu, Japan!

Until we meet again.