So .... I've definitely eaten more than 26 kinds of food in Japan, but this should be a good enough reason for you to visit this foodie's paradise!
No trip to Japan would be complete without eating Japanese food. Usually, I do not write a separate post on the food scenario in a country that I visit, however for Japan, I'm making an exception. I need to convince people why they should visit Japan. I may have not known the names of all the things that I ate there (because it was all written in Japanese) or the names of all the restaurants that I dined at, however, I do have some mouth-watering pictures to share. Any info. I have about a food joint will be shared along with each picture.
1) Creamia - This is one rich, creamy and full-fat milk flavoured thats very common in Japan. Even the cone if made from Japanese wafer.
2) Gyoza - Probably a very common Japanese food. However, in UAE, I'll have to pay atleast four times the price to enjoy 6 pieces. I stopped at a random food joint at Namba station in Osaka just after I landed, and I got this treat for a steal!
3) Rikuro's Cheesecake - This wobbly piece of heaven has been making rounds on the internet, and I was determined to try it out. Its light and fluffy but does have a strong smell of egg. We bought an entire cake and both of us had half each for brekkie the following day.
4) Okonamiyaki - This Japanese style pancake is available throughout Japan. Everyone boasts that theirs is the best. In order to know the reality, we tried them in every city. Just watching them prepare it is an art.
5) Takoyaki - These crispy octopus filled balls are a popular street food in Japan. They taste really good! Just make sure not to pop it into your mouth immediately!
6) Oysters - I have never had a cooked oyster in my life, that was until I visited Japan. The first one I had was in Miyajima, and there was no turning back. They cook them in various style - char grilled, deep fried, etc. In some of the markets in Japan, like the Omicho Market ... they have entire stalls dedicated to oysters. Each size in priced differently. Just pay for it, season it and pop it in!
7) Fish cake- A maple leaf looking thing which is a popular street food in Miyajima.
8) Cream Puff Pastry - I have no idea what they call these in Japan, but I had these in Kyoto. Its a pastry filled with cream. We tried the ones filled with matcha, sakura and something else!
9) Ichigo Daifu - Mochi is very common in Japan. We had this one while we were on our way to the Todaiji temple in Nara.
10) Green Beer - Because ... how many people get to have a beer thats green? We had this somewhere in Kyoto.
11) Sushi - This is something we all associate Japan with. Sushi train restaurants are very common in Japan, and while the regular fishy sushi is available everywhere, some of the restaurants even have them with meat. The meat ones are really good!
12) Grilled Bamboo Shoot - We usually have little slices of bamboo shoot in Chinese or Indian cuisine, however, I've never had a big chunk all by myself. We tried this in one of the little stalls at Maruyama Park in Kyoto.
13) Grilled Rice Balls - We found this at the Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto, however, you'd probably find it anywhere. They are basically rice balls, brushed with sweet sauce and dusted with soy bean powder.
14) Gold Leaf Ice cream - Only in Kanazawa, will you find an ice cream thats covered in real gold leaf. You're sure to feel like a million bucks!
15) Omurice - I became a fan of this dish when I had it in Kanazawa. Its basically an omelet stuffed with whatever you choose and smothered in a sauce of your choice. Omurice = Omelet + Rice!
16) Japanese Curry - You do not need to be a fan of curry to try out Japanese curries. They are different from other curries and are really comforting. We tried one at the Shirakawago bus station and another in Tokyo. In some restaurants in Japan, you can choose your fave curry from a machine thats located outside the restaurant, pay for it and then enter. Make sure you try out the hashed beef curry!
17) Dumpling looking things! - I have no idea what these were called or what they're filled with. We saw a long line at a certain restaurant at Yokohama Chinatown and knew that we had to try it. Its got a dumpling texture on top and a pastry texture at the bottom. We burnt our tongues when we tried to stuff one in our mouth. Its filled with hot soup!
18) The actual dumplings - Okay, these were normal dumplings that we found at Yokohama Chinatown. They're there everywhere!
19) Tokyo Banana - The cutest little cakes shaped like a banana and filled with banana cream, choco- banana cream, etc. They are available at a couple of stations in Tokyo and even at the airport.
20) Ikinari Steak - When in Tokyo, make sure you visit this steakhouse. They are so welcoming and the steak is to die for!
21) Totti Candy Factory - for the largest, fanciest and most colourful cotton candy you'll ever see ... atleast for me. They are located in Harajuku, Tokyo.
22) Japanese breads - The Japanese sure know how to get creative with their bread. We ditched the regular breakfast in Japan and headed to bake shops to try out their assorted breads. Black bread, green bread, panda shaped breads ... they have them all!
23) Seafood in a shell - That's the best name I could give this shell filled with all kinds of seafood. I found this at the Tsukiji market in Tokyo. Trust me, its worth every yen!
24) Pablo's Cheesetart - We tried out 3 mini tarts filled with matcha, cheese and chocolate. I personally loved the chocolate tart and its no surprise why.
25) Scallops - In UAE, scallops are a delicacy that come at a price. In Japan, they're sold almost everywhere and are dirt cheap. I don't think a day passed by when I didn't eat a scallop!
26) Yakiniku - Last but not the least, I loved the concept of grilling my own meat. Japan has one of the best beef (Kobe beef) that I know of and we weren't afraid to unleash our inner carnivore.
Phew !!!!
So .... I've definitely eaten more than 26 kinds of food in Japan, but this should be a good enough reason for you to visit this foodie's paradise!
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When we think of Japan, the first thing that comes to our mind are big cities like Tokyo or Osaka. Smaller cities like Kanazawa do not usually make it to a tourist's itinerary. However, it was a part of ours. We spend 1.5 days here, the other half was a day trip to a picturesque village called Shirakawago (which will be covered in a separate post).
In Kanazawa, we stayed at Hotel MYSTAYS. Japanese hotels are usually small, and this had to be the biggest among everything we stayed in so far. Moreover, it was just a 5 minute walk from the main train station ... which was very convenient. To get to Kanazawa, we used our Japan Rail Pass.
As compared to other cities, Kanazawa was less crowded. Somehow, everything here was associated with gold. The moment we checked into our hotel, the first thing I saw were gold dusted strawberries. I seriously wondered what was next! Kanazawa happens to be Japan's gold capital and their main gold producer. That explains the gold everywhere.
We bought a 1-day pass for the Kanazawa Loop Bus and used it to get around the city. Here are a 7 places you should consider visiting if you're there for 2 days or so.
1) Kenroku-en - One of the three most beautiful landscaped gardens in Japan. We could have easily spent half a day here if we had more time. Instead we just went around seeing as much as we could. Expect plenty of trees, picturesque ponds, pretty flowers and more. Just before leaving, we had a nice little meal in the garden's cafeteria.
2) 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art - We are no "museum" nor "art" lovers, but this had to be done. Some of the exhibits here are really worth seeing ... like this swimming pool for instance. You wouldn't understand how it works unless you visit.
The museum isn't too big and can be easily completed in a hour.
3) Kanazawa Castle - The Kanazawa Castle grounds were one of the few places where we could saw beautiful cherry blossoms in Kanazawa. From the grounds, we just looked up and had a glimpse of Kanawaza castle.
4) Omicho Market - Because we arrived here past 5pm on Day 1 and everything was closed, we woke up early on Day 2 just so we could have breakfast. And boy! what a feast we had! Gold doughnuts, oysters, scallops, sea urchins were just a few things that made it to our stomachs! Besides food, the market also had clothing, footwear, etc. However, we were there just for the food.
5) Higashi-Chaya District - This happens to be one of Kanazawa's main geisha districts. And we were lucky enough to spot three of them. This well-preserved district is filled with tea shops, restaurants and shops selling edible gold in food.
6) Ninja-dera temple - We heard that this temple was unique so we wanted to visit. It requires a pre-booking by phone. We arrived there right in time for a short briefing (in Japanese) followed by a guided tour. The tour is in Japanese, however, you are given an English booklet for better understanding. You'll find unexpected things at each corner of the temple. That's what makes it different! Its mandatory to go with a guide and you are NOT allowed to take photos inside.
7) Nagamachi District ( A Visit to a Samurai's Home ) - Not much to see here except for a couple of traditional houses. Its a nice walk through the narrow lanes. Nagamachi also happens to be the area where samurais lived ... once upon a time. We visited a Samurai house.
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