Japan Series - Food

This time, for a change, I had some pretty poor Japanese food. This is due to catering to the lowest denominator when there are five of us and each of us has different tastes and preferences. Once, we evaluated at least 6 restaurants and ended up at a chicken place that served the most awful food. Even the yakitori was hard and unyielding, and the chicken pieces on my rice was all skin and little meat.

Sushi on conveyor belt.

This is a popular sushi restaurant at the Yokohama station. On a Saturday night, it was overflowing with diners, all patiently waiting on benches on one side of the restaurant. Inside the restaurant, there are metal shelves for diners to deposit their coats and shopping, all left unattended on an honesty system. All over Japan, I see things being provided to customers, e.g. spectacles at the ticket centre, umbrellas at a bus stop, without being chained to an unmovable object for fear of being appropriated by customers. The honesty system is quite humbling. For once, the hotel would lend me an umbrella without a signature in case the item is not returned and then a charge would be levied in the bill.

Kaiseki

This kaiseki is a simple version for a mere 38,000 JPY. The more elaborate versions start at 80,000 JPY. I've seen kaiseki advertised for 100,000 JPY. This time, I have learnt to mix the turnip paste into the sashimi sauce, courtesy of instruction from the waiter.

A sushi counter

I ate at this sushi restaurant - a really old fashioned place where the diners know the chefs and would buy the latter a drink or two. As you can see, the diners can smoke with impunity. There was an English menu but unfortunately the chef could not read English! So I asked him to decide for me. It was the first time that I was introduced to sea urchin and raw shrimp, an experience that I am not likely to repeat in a hurry. I also witnessed the menu for locals written in oblong pieces of paper - nothing like the laminated variety offered to visitors like me.

Japan Series - Yokohama

I was in Yokohama in 2013 as a tourist and returning here to work is a bit of a shock to the system. The pace of life is hectic and coping with the crowd everywhere is often disconcerting. And this despite the courtesy and politeness of the Japanese! The cavernous underground walkways at the Yokohama station, at B1 and B2 levels, through well signed, took some getting used to. There there are also ground level and upper ground level walkways between Yokohama station and the Minatormirai area, a spider network linking the station with shopping malls and offices. It is possible to lose one's way and encounter a new route everyday. At night time, at about 22:00 when the shops are closing, the density of the crowd diminishes, and it is then possible to take stock of the space.

The walkway linking Yokohama Station to Nissan HQ
This is a daily scene when I finish work typically well after 21:00

The walkway from another angle.
The luminescence in the background is the Nissan HQ.
The car showroom exhibits a whole range of vehicles not seen in the UK.

View of Yokohama Bay from hotel window

Sunset from hotel window, with Mt Fuji in the background.
This is the only occasion that I was able to see the sunset
on account of the long working hours

Cherry blossoms in the city centre, Yokohama
I was on way to the dry cleaner and this cheered me up.

An unusual sight of a barge in the city centre, Yokohama

Yokohama near the Station with the unmistakable sign of
Takashiyama department store in the background.
This is a high end department store with all the well-known global labels,
but often stocking only Japanese sizes (i.e. small)

Mural in the underground network near Yokohama Station

Young girls seen hanging out in one of the many malls at the Yokohama Station.
The variety of malls, shops and goods make one dizzy and giddy.

Waiting for the shinkensen at Shin-Yokohama, or was it Shin-Osaka?
The Japanese public transport system is noted for its punctuality.