We were walking along Kamakura, Shopping Town looking for a place to have lunch and saw this tempura shop but were reluctant to go in coz the price tag wasn't really within budget. So we decided to walk further down to see if there were more choices.
Sad to say, none of the eateries really interested us. Since it was nearing the end of the trip and we haven't eaten any tempura, we decided to take a gamble and went into the tempura shop.
Entrance of the shop. Shop name Ten Aoi.
From the entrance, the place looks deserted right? WRONG. As soon as we stepped in, the place (can sit approximately 14 pax) was full house. We had to wait for about 15-20 min to get our seats. There were benches behind us to put our stuffs so that we can eat without obstruction.
The chef preparing the tempuras right in front of his customers. Serious business.
I ordered the tempura tendon set (1,500yen) while K ordered a special set where the chef will serve up 7 different kinds of tempura at 2,000yen. Prices are a bit steep but we were hopeful.
After placing our order, a tray consisting of the tempura dipping sauce and radish was place in front of K. the cylindrical ceramic cup is half-filled with grated white radish for you to eat with the tempura. OH THE RADISH TASTES SO DAMN SWEET! Totally different from the radish you'll find in SG.
The dish on the right was filled with salt. Salt with tempura? Hmmmm...This is new to us.
My set came first. Different kinds of tempura (prepared in the kitchen) covering almost all the rice and drizzled over with a sweet sauce. NOM NOM!
My set consists of:
- Shishito x 2
- Squid
- Prawn
- Kisu
- Brinjal
Needless to say, I finished every single grain of rice + tempura =D *slurp*
Here comes K's set. Look at the spread of tempura!
From top to bottom, left to right:
1. Salad and pickles
2. Ebi Tempura x 2
3. Myoga x 2 (Myoga is a kind of ginger flower bud. you can read more about it here.
4. Kisu Tempura (a kind of fish). VERY different from the quality you get in SG. DAMN juicy and tender!
5. Lady's Finger - one of K's favourite veg~
6. A slice of squid. TENDER and not chewy at all!
7. Slices of brinjal - Another K's favourite veg. Sweet and not oily at all.
8. A mixed tempura consisting of TONS of scallops, shrimps and veg slices. WONDERFUL!
All the above tempura goes well with the sauce and even BETTER with salt! We've learnt a new way to eat tempura. But please don't attempt with table salt. Get sea salt or better grades (Fleur de sel comes into mind...)
Initially we found the price steep but after tasting the quality, we found it really worth its price tag. Although my set was cooked in the kitchen instead of the Chef preparing item by item, the dish was served piping hot with quality ingredients.
I guess the difference in price of 500yen between mine and K's, was due to the effort and each item being served 1 by 1 => piping hot and the extra mixed tempura and myoga.
Reason?
For the same quality of tempura, we predicted that it will cost twice as much here in SG. At the same price, you will not get the quality and quantity anywhere near this.
Best of all?
Although the tempura were served and eaten PIPING HOT (YES...the oil is still bubbling on the tempura surface!), we both did NOT have any sore throat after that! We guessed that it is due to the oil being cleaned(by removing the leftover batter in the oil) and constantly being replaced to maintain the good standard tempura.
It was our 2nd day in Japan and it was a rainy day *sigh*
There was supposed to be a bazaar in Kawagoe today but it seems like not much stalls are around due to the heavy rain.
Kawagoe is famous for sweet potato and unagi, so I passed a unagi restaurant's address to K who printed this map. We walked in the rain for about 15mins trying to figure out NSEW -_-" and saw this 大 Yakitori place. K refused to believe that we can't find the unagi place cos its just supposed to be around the corner. But..its JUST NOT at the location indicated on the map!
Cold and hungry, we decided to eat at 大 Yakitori cos the red signage was simply enticing in this rainy weather and the smell of BBQ meat lingering in the air. K was reluctant as he felt the shop looked deserted lol~
As the doors opened, we saw the restaurant was at least 60% filled and we were offered the counter seats. Now..K was overwhelmed by the amount of Japanese words and Japanese(people) so much so that he got lost in confusion.
*Looking back, we understood why he was lost in that moment. Because it was just his 2nd day in Japan, he hadn't believe he was in Japan when we first landed.*
There is a charge of 260yen per person for sitting down and you will be offered this fantastic oden kind of stew as appetiser.
A cute waitress came along and asked for our orders but being gaijins, we CAN'T READ THAT FAST ~_~ So K told the waitress, "Chotto Matte.." and the waitress looked pissed LOL~ cos I think she was about to recommend us some items but there was simply no way to communicate the ideas across using simple gestures/Japanese.
As for me, I was still quite "sober"..although I can't read Japanese but I can always read chinese =D Later on, we went on to place our orders based our knowledge on chinese words and minimal Japanese.
Another sitting area in the restaurant.
The first dish to arrive, Horse Sashimi at 680yen(approx. S$10) . At first, K was thinking that the Horse Sashimi should be about 5pcs at most since its priced at 680yen. But hell no, it was freaking 10pcs.
Close-up on the Horse Sashimi. Before you think it must be bloody and chewy..let me tell you that this Horse Sashimi actually tastes like cooked meat. And the most surprising thing is that even someone like me who doesn't take sashimi, do not find this raw horse meat weird.
In fact, it was quite tasty when eaten togther with some grated ginger and spring onions.
Our drinks arrived shortly. Kyoho wine for K and Calpis for me.
Ordered Yakitori veggies as well. Shishito and Shitake Mushrooms. We were only expecting one stick per item but there were two!
Tsukune. These were the best meatballs we ever eaten NOM NOM! It was soft yet wholesome, full of flavour.
A yakitori meat set consisting of: Beef, Chicken Skin, Pork Belly, Chicken, Chicken Gizzard.
Hokke(fish) came after we finished our yakitori stuffs and gosh it was juicy *slurp*
[Price]
Kyoho wine - 320 yen
Calpis - 200 yen
Horse Sashimi - 680 yen
Tsukune - 120 yen x 2
Shishito - 115 yen x 2
Shitake Mushroom - 115 yen x 2
Hokke - 580 yen
Yakitori meat set - 580 yen
Misc Charge - 260 yen x 2
[Value]
As we sat thinking about the fantastic yakitori meal we just had, we realised how SG yakitori joints have been overcharging! And not to mention, how dry and salty the SGians made yakitori to be.
Please visit Yakitori Dai for a satisfying and well priced yakitori experience. Must order exotic sashimi ~
[Link]
Some gourmet link in Japanese:
http://gourmet.yahoo.co.jp/0000512783/
[Location]
About 10mins walk from Kawagoe JR Station, not located in main street but the red signage is sure to catch your attention.
View My Saved Places in a larger map
Disclaimer: This post is written by K as he has deep feelings about Unagi Kabuto
I have always wanted to try live unagi prepared and BBQ right in front of me to compare the taste from the ready-made unagis we find here in SG. After a failed trip to Irokawa in Asakusa (sold out at 6pm!), we kinda ACCIDENTALLY found out that there is actually one such shop just 100m away from our hotel!
Shop name: Unagi Kabuto
The first time we went there was around 9pm and they were sold out! The shop owner told us that they close at around 10pm. On the second attempt (the day we went to Tsukiji for the Bon Dance Festival), we went there at around 8pm and the shop was almost full house. We were lucky to have 2 seats right in front of the grill and chopping board to see all the action going on.
Wife of the owner, she is in charge of serving the customers everything except the unagi dishes.
Jovial boss at work! The boss jokes and talks with his customers, and even "scolds and curses" them like they were long time friends. At the same time, you can see his dedication and concentration in making the best unagi for his customers. This is why I like this place.
As the menu was all in Japanese, we had some trouble ordering the food. Luckily there was a Japanese couple who was able to speak English. With their help, we were able to get our orders taken. Wee!
First dish (Appetiser) - Fresh tomatoes with natural salt as a dip. Really juicy and sweet with a tinge of sourness, these tomato slices taste even better with some salt!
Next - A set of 7 skewered Unagi parts BBQed to perfection that we think will NEVER be able to find in SG. From top left, going clockwise: Unagi neck, fins, unagi liver BBQed with salt, unagi entrails. There is one more skewer consisting of the meat from the unagi tail tip (not in picture).
Another look of the boss concentrating on BBQ-ing the unagi right in front of us.
As part of our order includes the Unagi Jyu(Unagi with rice), we were wondering if this is our order that is cooking in front of us...and if so, it means we don't get to see any live eel gutting action =(((
But luckily it wasn't =D
Only upon receiving orders from the customers will the boss take out live unagis from below the chopping board to gut them and BBQ them immediately.
A tub of 2 unagis still alive. One of them will be our dinner =D.
Look at the speed and precision of the boss in gutting the unagi. The bones are still moving after the unagi is gutted. YY was totally squeamish at the sight of this and you can actually hear her say "The bones are still moving! The bone the bone the bone the bone!" in the clip LOL~~YY is so cute!
In this video, the boss offered me the still-beating heart of the unagi! Being adventurous and thinking to myself this should be the ONLY time I can try this, I accepted the challenge immediately. I put the heart on my tongue and swallowed it immediately. Strangely, I do not feel squeamish at all. The taste of the heart? NO TASTE. Not even fishy.
Boss poking satay sticks across the meat to prepare them for BBQ.
See the colour difference of the unagis? The boss then told us that the more greenish ones are caught from natural waters and the grayish ones are farmed. SO MUCH difference in colour.
Boss sets off to work again. He will BBQ the eel till about 70% cooked, then dip the eels into his self-made unagi gravy pot, BBQ again, dip, BBQ, dip, BBQ until the desired colour is obtained. Prior to serving us the rice, the boss uses a small scoop with 3 spouts and drizzles the same gravy from the pot into the rice and then lay the BBQed unagi on top of the rice.
Finished product - Unagi Jyu.
The above meat consists of the body and tail area.(We didn't know at first -.-'')The gravy is not too salty and overwhelming as the sauce you find in SG. Instead, the sauce is light in flavour but able to bring out the falvour of the unagi and complements the rice perfectly. OH SO HEAVENLY.
The boss taught us how to divide the unagi for fair sharing! You DO NOT take one piece and your partner take the other piece. The correct way is the split each piece into 2 lengthwise and each one take one piece of each. By doing so, each person will be able to get a piece of the tail part, which the boss said is more tasty.
We were served a portion of clear soup boiled with one portion of unagi intestine and some chopped shiso leaves.
After the dinner, the lady boss served each of us a cup of damn tasty and fragrant roasted green tea (煎绿茶) to make this dinner even more perfect.
The dinner ended at 9.30pm (took a total of 1.5 hours) for a seemingly simple but yet so special dinner.
Total damage? When we called for the bill, the boss actually took out an abacus and calculated the total and showed me the abacus. Hahaha~ he thought I won't be able to read the abacus, but I did and took out 3000 yen. After the dinner, I regretted not ordering the Shiroyaki (白焼) meaning BBQ unagi without any sauces and eating the unagi with two different kinds of salt at this place. I will definitely be back to order this!
[Price]
Only 2,970 yen, which is about S$46. Most of the Unagi specialty shops were selling just the Unagi Jyu for no less than 3000yen, so this shop is considered quite cheap already.
[Value]
Totally worth it considering the quality and quantity! We will be back~
[Note]
The menu is only available in Japanese and the couple speaks almost no english.
[Location]
It's actually diagonally opposite Sakura Hostel(Ikebukuro) and there's this shop named Nippondo near it.
View Unagi Kabuto in a larger map
I can't agree more with everyone else about how complicated the railway network is in Tokyo.
When K first took a look at the map, he was totally confused and it didn't help that he paid S$10 for the maps *HAHA*
The railway system
Full Railway Map for Tokyo (pdf)
But if you use the Train Route Finder , you are going to plan your supposed route in a breeze cos you will know which line to take, where to change trains. But there is a twist to it, *pardon me for the pun* Tokyo railway stations are huge with lots of stairs, signs, twists and turns. One of the largest stations is the Shinjuku Station with 60 exits.
What I can tell you is, once you exit by the wrong exit, you are unlikely to find your destination..so note down the exit name on your google map. And should you be confused about which line you are taking, look for the color representing that railway service.
For example, Green is for Yamanote and Blue for Chuo Line.
Buying tickets
Cash is accepted at the machines. If you want to specify the number of tickets to buy, press the necessary button on the side of the ticket machine. Else the machine is gonna take it that you are buying 1 ticket.
Behaviour in trains
Eating and drinking is allowed in the trains but the Japanese are very civic minded. They do not litter in the trains. This is pretty interesting considering SG needs to impose fines to deter people from eating in the trains. The Japanese needs none of these. What a fine city we are~
From what we observed, the Japanese normally keep themselves occupied with their handheld devices during the train ride, no loud chats, no noisy pesky kids running around.
K drinking Meiji Milk in the train(below). The only downside is that there are no bins around, so you gotta hold on to your garbage for the entire ride.
Different types of train
There are different train types in Japan. Some of those we saw:
- Local Trains, 各停
- Limited Express, 急行
- Rapid Limited Express，快速急行
- Express, 特急
For Express Trains, there is a premium price to pay. But seriously, at times the journey time differs by 10-15mins(say between Limited Express and Rapid Limited Express) or so...why spend the extra cost?
The picture below(left board) shows the various trains arriving, their train types, destination and arrival time. The board on the right shows the stops at which that particular train will stop.
Must try Milk Station in Ikebukuro
We chanced upon this fantastic Milk Station near the Ikebukuro North Exit while walking towards the JR gantry. They sell local made dairy products like yogurt, milk(coffee and plain flavour), pudding and Morinaga products. For bottled items that are more than 200ml, you have to drink and return the glass bottle on the spot, for other sizes you can take away.
Every morning, I look forward to getting my drink here after munching my 100yen breakfast on my way to the station. We have tried their plain/coffee milk, yogurt..mmmm satisfying!
They even indicate the Fat Percentage for the milk for each day.
Some of the products they sell. Not really cheap I would say..but the milk products sold are really creamy and fresh.
Planning the Tokyo Trip - Planning the itinerary
Day trips around Tokyo outskirts
Staying in Tokyo itself for the entire 2 weeks can get really really mundane.
There are many railway companies in Japan itself, do a google/wiki search for Japan Railway Companies, visit their site and look for information under welcome/free/day passes. Before purchasing any passes, you may want to check if its worth the value. This is because for some passes it only worth it if you are planning to get down at several stops.
For those who are budget conscious like us, you can consider making use of the free passes provided by the following railway companies:
- Odakyu Line
We took the Enoshima Freepass(¥1430) and Hakone Freepass(¥5000) during our trip so that we can break away from all the urban concrete. To save some costs, we did a day trip as staying at a decent ryokan will cost at least ¥10,000 per person.
Both passes can be purchased from Shinjuku Station and you can choose to reserve a seat by paying ¥870 extra. We took a reserved seat from Shinjuku -> Hakone only and for the rest of the trips when we did not, we had seats too. Hakone itself has alot of visitors, so it would be prudent to get a reserved seat when going there cos you will not want to stand for 2hours. - Tobu Line
- Seibu Line
- Metro Line
Day Trips/ Hotel Reservation
It is normal that the Japanese Language site often has more information and promotions than the English version *shrugs*
- Jalan.net - Reservation site in Japanese Language
Comprehensive site with special promotions on and off, however its only available in Japanese. - Odakyu Travel (English Site)
Odakyu specialises in Hakone mainly and the places that their railway line covers. - Odakyu Travel (Japanese Site)
- Rakuten Travel (English Site)
- Rakuten Travel (Japanese Site)
Another great site just like Jalan.net
Other blog links:
If you can read chinese...do a google search for keywords like 东京漫游，东京自助 and lots of Taiwan blogs will turn up in the search results. The taiwanese are really good at F&E Japan planning/reviews.
Some of the links I referenced to while planning my trip:
- Wrong Side of Thirty
A Singaporean Blog on her Tokyo trip in 2008. - http://japan.fjordaan.net/index.html
Japan 2003 trip review - http://paulstravelpics.blogspot.com/search/label/West%20Central%20Japan
- Danny Choo
For general information on Japan. - 掉入东京的海客
Information on mainly Tokyo area. - RSS Feeds of Japan Reviews by Taiwanese
- 林氏璧和美狐团三狐的小天地
Very comprehensive guides for first timers in Japan, must read! - pACE
Japan guides by a HongKong traveller - Backpacker forum
Lots of information here~
Event Dates
During the summer season around July till August, the whole of Japan is filled with fireworks and Bon Odori/Bon Bance events. This is part of the reason why we stayed in Tokyo for 2 weeks, because we were just in time to attend a bon dance event at Tsukiji Hong Wan Ji Temple and Tokyo Bay Fireworks Festival.
One thing to note is that the weather plays a big part in determining if the event will be cancelled or postponed.
- Tsukiji Hong Wan Ji Temple
Check here for Bon Dance event date.
Bon Dance is actually a fun fair like event with a centre stage, where everyone participating will follow a main dancer. If you are not dancing, you can also go for the fun fair and most importantly, admire the beautiful lanterns. - Kanagawa-Kanto Event Dates
Event calendar for all year round events. - Hanabi Calendar for 2009 (for reference on events available)
There are also pamphlets/posters stating the various venues with Fireworks event going on. The posters are mainly displayed in trains and train stations, which I think is due to different railway lines covering a particular event location.
During our trip, we had the chance to participate in Fujisawa and Shinjuku fireworks event but did not go due to cloudy weather. We finally decided to take the plunge for the Tokyo Bay Fireworks event(on 8th Aug) whereby 12,000 fireworks will be displayed. Initially, we were afraid of getting stuck when people evacuate from the event site but it seems our worries were unfounded.
Shall write on this later...
Here are some of the common questions that first timers may ask, hopefully this FAQ will help you in planning your trip:
- Should I get the JR Pass?
Unless you are going outside Tokyo, else I think one day passes to outskirts of Tokyo and buying tickets whenever required is sufficient. We spend about ¥1000 for topup(Suica card) every 2 days or so, our travels are mainly along the Yamanote Line. - Is it expensive to eat in Tokyo?
- In Tokyo, a bowl of ramen should cost around ¥700 - ¥900 or so.
Typical Tsukemen in Tokyo:
- If you visit those standing food joints(whereby you stand and eat), a bowl of soba can cost as little as ¥220.
Yasai Karage Soba from Standing Soba Bar at JR Shinjuku Station:
- For conveyor belt sushi, its roughly ¥130 per plate at sushi joints like 天下寿司.More expensive stuffs are those like unagi, teppanyaki, tempura can hit above ¥1000.
Uni Sushi from 天下寿司:
- Drinks and Onigiri(rice ball) can be bought from ¥100 shops(after tax its ¥105), which includes fantastic Caffe Latte that sells for about S$3.30 in Singapore. NOM NOM~
- MacDonald's has got ¥100~ ¥120 offer for some burgers and drinks like milkshake, roasted ice coffee. These are great venues for some light snacks, plus they have a wifi area for NDS downloads.
- In Tokyo, a bowl of ramen should cost around ¥700 - ¥900 or so.
- Must I speak Japanese to be able to go free and easy?
Not really, as there are English signage all over Japan now.
K can speak very basic Japanese and read some katagana characters so that made things slightly easier especially when we had to place orders in Japanese. But if you can read chinese 繁体 characters, you should be able to get around quite easily too.
For most of the ramen shops, you can order via a vending machine, pay up and then give your coupons to the counter staff who will then process your orders. No Japanese knowledge required unless the staffs ask you about size or side orders for your order. - Should I get some maps before going to Japan?
Basically, there are alot of railway maps to get at the train stations so please do not spend S$10 to get these maps in Singapore.
Using the google map functions and marking out landmarks along the way will help you alot, trust me! - Are there any more summer sales during August period?
Yes, there were summer sales although most shops were slowly uploading more Autumn wear. Most of the discounts for shops in Shibuya 109 comes in the form of top wear + bottom wear for a discounted price.
Other than that, there were also many tops going for ¥1050 in Harajuku and Shibuya. You can find more of such offers from shops that are located outside shopping centres, i.e. off along small alleys.
The first question that popped up during planning was : Do we need a JR Pass?
I searched through the forums and realised that JR Passes are only useful if you are planning to travel out of Tokyo to places like Kyoto. Otherwise, buying tickets/using suica as you go along is pretty ok too.
The most useful tool for planning your travel route:
Train Route Finder
As long as you know your starting point and end point station names, this route finder will provide you with the various combinations using different train services. Most importantly, it also lists the duration and prices for each combination.
From the airport towards Tokyo area, we took the Nex + Suica(¥1500 value + ¥500 deposit for card) Package for ¥3500. Normally, NEX itself will cost you a bomb already so with this package, you are effectively paying ¥1500 for your train ride from Narita to Tokyo area.
If the NEX + Suica package seems to much for you pay at one go, you can also consider taking the Keisei line which goes like this:
Narita to Nippori for ¥1000 then from Nippori, you can take another train to other areas in the city. Please refer to Bon Voyage blog for detailed explanation on getting to Tokyo area using Keisei Line.
You can also use the train route planner above to find out which train services to take.
This guide is for arrival at Narita Airport, Terminal 1.
We arrived after 0930, which means that the JR service counter is closed so we need to go to the
Once you exit the customs, look out for this escalator that goes down to the Keisei Line, JR Line.
Look for the following green signboard:
It can take quite some time to queue, get your tickets and make your seat reservations. Do factor in 15-20mins for that.
Take note that NEX goes to several places directly, be sure to check up this timetable before your departure so that you can estimate if you are able to make it for the direct train to your destination.
We took the NEX that went straight to Ikebukuro and that makes our lives much easier cos we didn't have to change to another railway line at Shinjuku. After getting our NEX tickets, we realised that we only have 10-15mins to reach the platform O_O
To take NEX, go to the Narita Airport Station gantry and remember to use your NEX ticket, not the Suica card. It takes around 5-6mins walk at least.
This is how the NEX + Suica package looks like. NEX mentioned in this package is only meant for one way trip from Narita to Tokyo area.
Inside the NEX train, this board shows the destination and stops in between.
The whole ride takes about 1.5hours from Narita to Ikebukuro. There is a lady pushing a trolley full of drinks and snacks along the train ride, the items are not very expensive but do get some snacks if you know you are gonna get hungry along the way.
Recommended read: Very detailed account by Bon Voyage Blog on how to get to Tokyo area from Narita.
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