Hakata Ippudo

Having developed a taste for ramen in milky pork bone broth when I lived in Bangkok, I'm always on the lookout for good Japanese restaurants that serve this comfort food. An American friend introduced me to Hakata Ippudo in Causeway Bay(2F, 8 Russell Street, Causeway Bay). She had eaten at the Ippudo in New York City and was pleased to find Ippudo in Hong Kong. This Japanese chain which can now be found globally does not disappoint and remains one of my favourites ramen restaurants in Hong Kong. They have restaurants in Central (3F, Century Square, 1-13, D'Aquilar Street) and Tsim Sha Tsui (2F, SilverCord, 30 Canton Road).

For the mother of all ramen dishes, try the Akamaru Shinaji ramen, its latest signature dish which has a really flavorful pork bone broth and comes with soft-boiled egg, char siu, seaweed, black fungus, bamboo shoots and bean sprouts.

On a recent trip to Tokyo earlier this year, I was determined to check out the Ippudo in its home country. After getting lost for a while and asking for directions from numerous people, I finally managed to find the Ippudo in Ginza. Unlike the spacious, up-market branches in HK, the Ippudo in Ginza is a typical Japanese ramen shop. Located in a small basement, there are a handful of counter seating and a few tables. I love it as this is what I remember of the other ramen shops we ate in our previous trip to Japan. In Japan, the Ippudo provides complimentary appetizers such as the spicy bean sprout, which is chargable in the Hong Kong branches. However, I am pleased to say that the quality of the food in Hong Kong is on par with the Japanese locations. I think it's time for a visit to Ippudo soon!

 

The Best Of Tokyo - Ramen

I love a bowl of steaming hot ramen noodles. Apart from the springy ramen noodles, crisp fried garlic slices and sliced roast pork served in creamy white miso soup, I love the Japanese hard-boiled egg, with its bright orange yolk. Here are 2 places which I found for good ramen in Tokyo. The first ramen shop which came recommended by the Lonely Planet is called Komen. It has a chain of 12 ramen shops in Tokyo. For non-Japanese speakers, look out for the 2 Japanese words encased in a large circle above the shop. I went to the Komen in Shinjuku (3-32-2, Shinjuku-ku, corner of Meiji-Dori and Koshu Kaido). This two storey ramen shop is big by ramen shop standards. They also have a branch in Harajuku.


Komen Ramen at Shinjuku


Big pots of stock for the ramen soup


Ramen with roast pork and white miso soup set - 990 yen

I stumbled onto the second ramen shop quite by accident. We were window shopping on the busy streets of Harajuku when this sign caught our attention. Walk down the stairs to a cosy little basement shop. Unfortunately, I don't know what the English name is but this shop is further down the street from the Lotteria at Takeshita Dori. The ramen is served in a stone bowl, which keeps it piping hot. In summer, the cold ramen is also quite popular. Personally, I found the ramen at this shop better than Komen.





Sigh...I wish I was back in Japan!

"We are noodle folk. Broth runs through our veins."
Mr. Ping, Kung Fu Panda (2008)

The Best of Tokyo - Cirque De Soleil's ZED

A friend recommended us to watch Cirque De Soleil in Tokyo, a recommendation that we were glad to have followed. Tokyo's Cirque de Soleil features the performance - ZED, a program that is shown only in Japan. Located at the Tokyo Disney Resort (10 minutes walk from JR Maihama Station on the Keiyo Line or Musashino Line to the Theatre via IKSPIARI and the Disney Ambassador Hotel), the Cirque du Soleil Theatre Tokyo is a resident theatre for Cirque du Soleil, designed specially for ZED.


We opted for the non-peak show at 4 p.m which is cheaper by 1,000 Yen compared to the 1 p.m. peak show performance. For foreigners, if you want to book your tickets on-line, go to the HIS Travel website which caters to non-Japanese speaking clientele.

Since the Cirque du Soleil Theatre Tokyo is located next to the Ikspiari shopping mall, you could spend the whole day here, enjoying some live entertainment shopping and eating first before catching the Cirque de Soleil performance later in the afternoon.


On a hot summer day, pop by Folletti Gerutta for a cool gelato. It's worth your while to brave the queues.


Be sure to look out for the Mickey Mouse buses and trains which ferry hotel guests to Tokyo Disneyland.



As with the theatre, the story of ZED was specially developed for Japan. The main character is ZED, a blonde afro-hair-styled "living poem" in the imaginary world of Arcana. The performance opens with a pair of hilarious clowns, and progresses to various breathtaking acts comprising high wire, bungee, flying trapeze, juggling, lassos, etc, etc. While not a flawless performance, the show is highly entertaining with outstanding special effects and high energies levels. One can't help but be drawn to ZED's adventures.





All in all, catching the Cirque de Soleil performance makes for a nice day trip out of Tokyo city!

The Best of Tokyo - Gardens, Markets & Temples

Despite the towering buildings that crowd Tokyo city, pockets of green oasis can be found to get away from the crowds. Located alongside Tokyo Bay and within walking distance from Tsukiji Market, the Hama Rikyu is a wonderful garden to visit for a change of scenery. It also has historical significance as it was once the garden of the shogun lords during the Edo period.

After a fresh sushi breakfast from our early morning visit to Tsukiji Market, it was very pleasant to stroll around the well-landscaped garden. The garden opens at 9am and has an entrance fee of 300 yen. The jewel in the crown in the Hama Rikyu garden is probably the historic 500 year old pine tree.

To preserve this piece of living history, support beams have been built to hold up its sprawling branches, not unlike a bent old man needing a walking stick to support his weight. With skyscrapers in the background, this is a classic example of the harmonious relationship of modern and old Tokyo.


We were thrilled to discover a cherry blossom tree that was still flowering in mid-May. We can only imagine how spectacular the garden would have looked during peak cherry blossom season...


We found a spot on a hill to enjoy the full splendour of the Hama Rikyu Garden whilst enjoying our dessert picnic of Mochi (Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice) which we picked up from Tsukiji Market.


If you're tired from all the walking (during our entire trip, we did the most walking in Tokyo!), catch a Tokyo cruise (720 yen) from Hinode Pier to Asakusa.

Whilst, it may not be the most scenic city cruise, it is nice to give your aching feet a rest and enjoy the breeze on your face during the 40 minute ride. If you like, you can even count the number of bridges you pass (Hint: it's more than 10).


At Asakusa, we headed to the Nakamise shopping street, a delightful area for souvenier shopping and more food tasting! We even managed to pick up a treat for our beagle from one of the stalls.


The Nakamise shopping street leads to the main grounds of Sensoji Temple.

Take some time to admire the intricate designs of the lamps on the red entrance gate.


We finished off our half day outing with a late lunch at Kagetudo, a rather cramped traditional restaurant. The small interior is decorated with old pictures. Tacked on its wooden walls, bags of toys (some of them reminds me of toys from my childhood days) are for sale.

This restaurant specializes in two main items. The main meal is a selection of cold or hot udon/soba noodles with tempura.


To finish off the simple meal, try the sweet Japanese bun (similar to polo bun). All in all, good value for money and a nice way to end our half day trip to Hama Rikyu Gardens and Asakusa.

The Best of Tokyo - Tsukiji Fish Market

The Tsukiji Fish Market ranks highly on my Tokyo to-do list. Generally, I am not a big fan of wet markets because they're crowded, dirty, wet and smelly. The Tsukiji Fish Market surprisingly is not dirty or smelly. It is busy and the floors are slippery, so do be careful and wear covered shoes with good grips.


When you're planning your holiday in Tokyo and want to include Tsukiji Fish Market in your itinerary, check out the calendar on the Tsukiji Fish Market website to make sure that the market is open on the day you plan to visit. Most tourists visit Tsukiji to see the tuna auction in action. On certain busy periods of the year, the tuna auction is off-limits to tourists. If you're lucky enough to be in Tokyo when viewing the tuna auction is permitted, make sure you're there early (officially 5.30 - 6.00 am, although I'm aware that some people are there even earlier). Even if the tuna auction is closed off to public, it's still worthwhile to make a trip to the market. The plus point is that you don't have to be there so early.

The closest train station to Tsukiji market is the Tsukijishijo Station on the Oedo line, which is about 1 minute walk to the market. You can also access the market via different stations served by the Hibiya, Asakusa, Ginza and JR Yamanote lines but be prepared for a 10-20 minute walk. Also take note that if you plan to be at Tsukiji before the trains start running in the early morning, you would need to take a taxi.

Outside the market, we came across a map of Tsukiji Market on the wall. To be honest, it wasn't much use to us in the end because once you're inside, it's easier to just wander around than to try to follow a map!


Tsukiji Fish Market is a working market. This means that for the vendors and buyers, this is business. As a result, a lot of them have very little patience with visitors getting into the way because they are too engrossed with taking pictures or admiring the fresh produce! So, do be mindful when you are in the market. The narrow pathways narrow are shared by both buyers and special market "trucks" that resemble steam rollers.


When we entered the market, we came across this stall selling dried seafood. We couldn't resist the wonderful selection of anchovies and Hokkaido scallops and walked away with a couple of bags.


We then wandered around the stalls (always mindful not to get in the way) admiring the wonderful and sometimes strange (to us anyway) range of fresh seafood.






When your stomach rumbles for breakfast, head outside to one of the many restaurants for a fresh sushi breakfast. I know it sounds strange to have raw seafood for breakfast, but it's one of those unique experiences when visiting Tsukiji Market, so we dived in. There were a couple of restaurants with long queues but we didn't want to wait so we opted for a cosy place nearby which was busy but was able to accomodate us. Once seated, we took a look at the picture set menus.



J opted for a Bentomi don (a variety of raw seafood topped on a bowl of rice)...

...whilst I chose a more traditional Sazanka sushi set. In the end, we both agreed that the sushi set was a better option for our taste.


To top off our delicious sushi breakfast, the chef, who was really intense when he was preparing our meal turned out to be a real sport, serving our trays with much gusto and musical accompaniment. He happily posed for us with a cheery "Cheeso" (the Japanese variation of "Cheese").


We later walked around the shops surrounding the market, wishing we had room in our stomachs to sample the tantalising snacks.


We rounded off our outing to Tsukiji with a cup of brewed coffee at Yonemoto, a local coffee shop. Somehow, breakfast isn't complete without a cuppa!


Our next stop for the day - the nearby Hama Rikyu Gardens.

The best of Tokyo - Culture

Tokyo - you either love it or hate it. Some say it's way too busy and crowded. Others love the hustle and bustle. I personally think that there is something for everyone - from shrines to palaces, haute couture to street fashion, Disneyland to Cirque, electronics to gadgets, sushi to ramen...just take your pick! The next few posts lists what I really enjoyed about Tokyo.

Culture - Meiji Jingu (Shrine)
Whilst Tokyo is very much a cosmopolitan city, surrounded by tall buildings and neon lights, there are pockets of culture that is very much a part of this multi-faceted city. One of my favourites spot for culture is Meiji Jingu. To avoid the crowds, make an early start to this Shinto shrine which is located in a lovely garden (take the Fukutoshin line to Meijijungumae, JR exit, South Shrine Gate). At the start of the park, you will be greeted by tall imposing wooden gates that are typical of Shinto shrines.


Along the way, witness the face-off of sake drums versus wine barrels.




If you're wondering why there are wine barrels on the road to a Shinto Shrine, read about the philosophy of Emperor Meiji on Japanese Spirit and Western Knowledge.



After a lovely stroll shaded by tall trees, you will arrive at the entrance of the shrine.


Typically, before you enter the shrine, visitors will perform a ritual cleansing of hands and mouth. As a foreigner, don't worry if you don't know what to do. There is a sign to assist you. Whatever you do, don't drink the water from the ladle. We saw some visitors doing so - not very hygenic at all!





For 500 yen a piece, Shinto believers can offer up prayers and gratitude written on a wooden tablet to the deities.


As with places of worship, Meiji Jingu is also a place where weddings take place. We noticed that Japanese wedding family and guests typically wear black for weddings, which is a big no no for Chinese weddings.


And if you don't mind tourists snapping away, you can also take your wedding photos at Meiji Jingu!


Meiji Jingu gets my vote for an experience of Japanese culture and religion in Tokyo.