Day 13 & 14-The last days…
I know this is a long time coming (like a few months…) but here is the last installment of the Japan trip. It was bittersweet, and I dream of going back daily!
I left off with returning to Tokyo and enjoying my new neighborhood! I also booked a food tour through the Golden Gai (also known as “Piss Alley” because there are numerous micro bars and izakayas throughout. If you go, go to Bar Albatross-great vibe and delicious drinks!) and Shibuya. The host was wonderful and we were able to try out numerous dishes at various places. I only took a couple of photos that night, as well as a video of the 3D cat in the square near the meetup point, because I had too much fun with everyone!
The next day was infamous, in that meant one thing…
The BEST sushi of my life!
Now, I will preface that I will not include all of the pictures of this meal. There were 20 courses in total and while all were great, there were some that really rose above the rest! Each course was included in the total price, while drinks were an added cost. I opted to add in a couple glasses of champagne as this was a celebratory occasion! The following are a few of my favorite pieces of sushi/nigiri/courses, but that was even difficult to narrow down.
Champagne of the evening
Seared bonito
Mackerel roll
Mackerel roll wrapped in kombu
Shrimp from Hokkaido
From here are four different types of tuna (as the sushi chef described)-”low fat”, “medium fat”, otoro, and (my all time, personal favorite) reverse barbecued tuna!
I also was able to try some different items that I was not akin to, such as squid (I’ve had it before but it was always chewy-not this time!), uni soup, Spanish mackerel, and hairy crab-apparently it was in season in Hokkaido when I was visiting! The meal ended with a cup of green tea and a slice of tamago. This is a sweet egg custard with a hint of shrimp as it is made with shrimp paste! An oddly tasty finish to the meal.
This shop only seated 8 people, which made for a more intimate meal. I will say that this is the best sushi I will have in a very long time!
The last day, I spent looking for pottery to bring back to the United States. All over Japan, there were beautiful bowls and plates, and I managed to find a pottery shop in the neighborhood that I was staying at that sold pottery in the Arita style. If you’re interested, the owner speaks very good English and ships to the United States! His website is https://www.japanesepottery.jp/ and he has spectacular work! All prices are in Japanese Yen, but you can convert the prices on https://www.xe.com and it can give you real time exchange rates. Needless to say, I found some beautiful pieces!
One other thing that I failed to mention-I put in for an upgrade to Premium Economy on WestJet Airlines to Calgary, and I got it! the following pictures are a few that I managed to take before getting settled in and hanging out for a while. It made the flight that much better! It may not be Business/First class, but I’ll take it!
All in all, I LOVED my time in Japan! I know one of these days I’ll eventually head back and explore new areas. Until then, I’ll have these memories and wanderlust for traveling! Next up, Mexico City!
