Tonkatsu

Tokyo - After coming back from Yasukuni shrine visit, I rested and then out again for dinner.   This time to my favourite restaurant nearby - a delicious Tonkatsu meal.

For Y1350, I had a succulent and delicious 150g Tonkatsu (Pork), soup (meaty portions of pork, potatoes), bowl of rice and free flow of raw cabbage (salad).  Free flow of green tea and water is part of the price.   I have been coming to this restaurant for years and this was the first time, the old waitress spoke to me...

Yasukuni Shrine

Tokyo -  After all the morning meetings, I took the afternoon to visit this shrine shrouded in controversy.  I took the Tozai line from Toyocho (T14) and got off at Kudashita station (T07).  Upon reaching the T07, directions to the shrine was very simple and I just follow accordingly and reached it without any problem.

Statute of Omura Masujiro

Main Hall of the Yasukuni Shrine

taken from another angle

Yashukan

The museum was opened in 1882.  It is a facility to store and exhibit relics.  The building was repaired and expanded in 2002.   I visited the expanded museum and its exhibits.

zero fighter plane

military train

Walking further outside, there were many statues honouring animals and this one for their one million military horses lost in battle.

Statute of war widow with children

Monument of Dr. Pal

From here, I walked the vast gardens to the pond - Shinchi Teien (Sacred Pond Garden).

a lone Koi

reflections of the pond

I spent the afternoon here and then back to the hotel.

First for all...

Tokyo - Terry brought me to a quaint restaurant which she too had not visited.   Upon reaching the street it was tucked in a corner with a non nondescript sign.

We were their first patron for the night and the chef cum owner welcome us.  After much talking, Terry 'family name TAKENAKA' is a respected name in the food industry and evidently knows some of Terry's relatives.  This proves to be good as the treatment and service was top notch.

This is our chef extraordinaire serving our Fugu shashimi with extra care.   Terry said "Look! the certificate issued by the Government to serve Fugu".   Fugu is so poisonous that in the wrong hands, it is an immediate death sentence.

An expensive Fugu shashimi

My first taste of Japanese Fugu shashimi which is the shashimi laid out like in flora display.  The taste was smooth and very delicious.

We had beers and then hot Sake.  Terry gave me an introduction to Japanese culture - because we are special guest to the restaurant.  The Chef /owner took out their sake cups with his family emblem and I was told it was an honour being served in one.

Besides the special cup, the hot Sake was one of the best I have tasted evidently; he gave Terry his best sake in the restaurant.   We had 3 bottles...still sober.

Succulent fried oysters - 2 each.  Well in fact it was so good I could have had a dozen.

Red bream fish head with cooked roe

This dish was one Terry was beaming with joy and excitement, exclaiming how succulent, soft and so delicious.  And she was rightly so.

Our vegetables

Deep fried Fugu

When it was deep fried the meat tasted like chicken.  It's actually bone part of the Fugu fish deep fried so had to be careful with the fish bones.

Pickle

 Our finale, rice in soup with generous seaweed and sesame seeds...it was a delicious meal.  Thank you, Terry...

A good Sushi dinner

Tokyo -  I found out that Tokyo snowed heavily last week and you can see evident of fallen snow along the road and walkways.   The weather is still cold thus the snow has not fully melted.  I arrived on SQ newly A380 and the landing was hard but the ride was smooth.  It is a great plane and I love the absence of engine noise, cool gadgets to charge my iPhone and the vast cabin space.

The night was a cool 15deg C and had my usual sushi which tasted so delicious.

# 7 - Strange Korean Food - Fermented Skate - MUST TRY!

reference: my last experience with Hong Eo

Seoul - It was great to meet up with Ki-Won again.  I was asked to choose between pork and fermented fish - being adventurous, I chose Hong Eo.   This is my second time eating this fermented skate - a kind of fish that looks like ray.  This is a expensive dish in Korea.  Hong Eo is fermented skate (a family with the sharks).  As with the shark family, the passing of urine is through their skin and so when raw skate is kept at room temperature to ferment, the uric acid from the skin keeps the meat from rotting and over time kills all bad bacteria.  So, this dish is meant to keep your digestive system in balance.

Hong Eo

# 7 - Strange Korean Food - Fermented Skate - MUST TRY!

reference: my last experience with Hong Eo

Seoul - It was great to meet up with Ki-Won again.  I was asked to choose between pork and fermented fish - being adventurous, I chose Hong Eo.   This is my second time eating this fermented skate - a kind of fish that looks like ray.  This is a expensive dish in Korea.  Hong Eo is fermented skate (a family with the sharks).  As with the shark family, the passing of urine is through their skin and so when raw skate is kept at room temperature to ferment, the uric acid from the skin keeps the meat from rotting and over time kills all bad bacteria.  So, this dish is meant to keep your digestive system in balance.

Hong Eo

Cafe Mou on the Lake

Seoul - Just outside Seoul @ Anyang City, there is this coffee joint that overlooks the lake and mountain.  It was surreal and so beautiful, with the music and cold Korean winter sipping a cup of coffee.

Mountains reflecting on the lake

Frozen Lake with the mountains 

My cuppacino

Coffee Mocha

# 6 - Strange Korean Food - Puffer fish for dinner

Seoul - To my knowledge this will be my second time having raw poisonous puffer fish.   All restaurants in Korea serving this special dish has to be certified.

Puffer fish in the tank

 This raw puffer fish dish must be carefully prepared to remove the toxic parts and to avoid contaminating the meat, as this fish is lethally poisonous due to the tetrodotoxin.

This restaurant specializes in preparing this raw puffer fish and different dishes of this puffer fish kept coming to our table, from raw puffer fish skin, sashimi puffer fish, puffer fish in soup, etc..

Puffer fish skin (raw)

Raw sashimi puffer fish

Puffer fish sushi

Puffer fish sperm sac

Weird but actually it taste like good quality cheese...I checked the website to find out what was that I am eating because my Korean friends does not want to tell.   I thought it was liver or egg but those are really poisonous and did not look like anything of google search.  So this puffer fish sperm sac matches 100% on google search.   It does taste really good.

Puffer fish soup

By this time, I was really full and this was the last dish with rice to go with this soup.  The soup tasted good and the puffer fish too.