Hachikō

Located in Shibuya right before Shibuya crossing is Hachikō square which houses a statue of an Akita Inue name Hachikō. If you don’t know the story, Hachikō is known for his tremendous loyalty to his owner Professor Hidesaburō Ueno. At the end of each day, Hachikō would greet Professor Ueno everyday at the train station when he arrived. One day the Professor never made it back. He had died of a cerebral hemorrhage. Not knowing where his owner was, Hachikō continued to wait everyday at the station for the professor’s return for the next nine years until his death.

(Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan)

Coutume

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Coutume, is a Parisian café and roaster that has branched out to Toyko. They offer coffee brewed using the Alpha Dominche steampunk method. They also offer coffee prepared by the Hario V-60 filter and ice coffee prepared by the Japanese slow drip.

Their apple pie croissant was perfectly buttery and flaky. The filling was made with apples and hints of citrus. Delicious!

Admire their $10k steampunk collection. In the back is the Japanese slow drip ice coffee machine.

(クチューム 青山店 Japan〒107-0062 Tōkyō-to, Minato-ku, Minamiaoyama, 5 Chome−8)

Ippudo

Served at Ippudo is the Akamaru Modern (pictured above). It has a tonkotsu pork broth with handmade thin noodles with a splash black garlic oil. It’s topped with three slices of pork, scallions, fungi, and bean sprouts.

The broth was intensely rich in flavor. The noodles were firm and the chasu was delicious!!!

They serve a strong barley tea to compliment the ramen. On the table are pickled bean sprouts, veggies, and ginger to snack on while waiting. They also have garlic and a garlic mincer at the table if you want your soup to be more garlicky.

Ippudo is a chain restaurant and can be found all over Japan. However, the stores are discreetly hidden and hard to recognize. Be on the lookout! You don’t want to miss out on their decadent broth.

Below is a map of Ippudos in Japan and New York.

Tokyo Tower 

Built in 1958, it represents Tokyo’s new rebirth as a major economical power. At 333 meters tall, it is 13 m taller than its model, the Eiffel Tower.

For ¥900, you can go up to the main observatory for a 360 view of Tokyo. There is also a special observatory at 250 m, however, it was closed when I went. 

(4 Chome-2-8 Shibakoen, Minato, Tokyo 105-0011 Japan)

Pierre Herme

Pierre Herme Is in Japan! Pierre Herme is in Japan!

Never would I have thought it would have made it out here but I’m glad it did. It is located at the food hall at the lowest level of Isetan. Look for the pastry section and all the way in the back wall is Pierre Herme.

From front to back: earl grey, passion fruit chocolate x2, citrus, and rose.

The earl grey was decadent and very flavorful. I’ll update on the rest as I taste them.

The location I went to was 〒160-0022 東京都新宿区新宿3-14-1 本館B1F, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, but there are plenty of locations throughout Japan especially in the lower food court level of malls.

Isetan Food Court

Bento box filled with all types of tuna- tataki, seared, and chu-toro-  makes this is a tuna lover’s delight. The fish was fresh. The chu-toro was smooth.

You can find this at one of the stands in the food hall at the lowest level of Isetan. Only cost ¥1447.

(Japan〒160ー0022 東京都新宿区Shinjuku, 3 Chome−14伊勢丹 新宿店新宿3−14−1)

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

An oasis of lush greenery, tea houses, former residences, koi, and bridges within the city. A perfect place to picnic or take wedding photos. No need to bring food for the picnic. They sell bento boxes and drinks through out the park.

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Teahouse

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Picnicking on the grounds. You can buy bento box lunches at the house in the back.

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Admission is generally 200 yen but it was free when I went because it was Greenery Day (May 4).

(11 Naitomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-0014 Japan)

Clinton St. Baking Company

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Clinton St. Baking Company is my favorite NY brunch spot. When I discovered, they had branched out to Japan, I did a happy dance and ran straight to deliciousness.

Smoked salmon potato pancake– This was okay. The quality wasn’t what I expected maybe due to the difference in the potato? The salmon had a hint of fishy smell. I did enjoy the lemon creme fraiche.

Blueberry Pancakes- These were my favorite in NY, and they were as good as I remembered them to be. Light and fluffy with a dunk in the maple butter sauce. Happiness in one bite. A must try when going here.

The Tokyo location is located at:5-17-1, Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, (“kotto street”) Tokyo 107-0062. New York is the original location.

Harajuku Gyozaro

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This place is located in an alley, filled with restaurants, just off the main street. There are no English signs to indicate the name of the place. In fact, there are no English signs in general. Their short menu list, which consists of fried or steamed dumplings, a few veggie options and drinks, is posted on the wall in Japanese. They will kindly offer an English menu.

Cucumber in a special miso sauce- This was delicious! Perfect combination of refreshing and salty. I presume the special sauce to be a mixture of miso and mayo.

Fried pork dumplings- These came only in orders of 6. For ¥290, they were decent dumplings.

Fried pork and chive dumplings- I preferred these as they had more flavor to them due to the chives. This too came in an order of 6 for ¥290. Such a steal!

(6-2-4 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo Prefecture)

Pabu

This is the Pabu Boru. Made of vida mezcal, fresh orange, agave, yuzukosho, pepper. Served in a bowl lined with salt.

At first, it tastes like a light citrus drink, and then you are hit with an intensely smoky flavor. I loved the complexion of the drink bringing out the smokiness of the mezcal. It’s a new drink on their menu and a must try.

(101 California, San Francisco, CA 94111)