Tag Archives: shibuya

Yamaga Honten (山家)

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Izakaya is a popular informal Japanese cuisine for those looking to enjoy good food and drinks after work. Meat is cut into bite size pieces, placed on a skewer, and grilled. The type of meat can range from chicken to cow to parts like hearts, gizzards, and liver.

The food here is tasty but the menu is only in Japanese and the staff only speaks Japanese. So I trusted Google translate to decipher the menu. Boy, was I in for an cultural experience.

We ordered the kobe beef but didn’t realize it comes raw. We ate it anyways. 

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The bacon wrapped asparagus were delicious.

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We ordered a combo skewer set of chicken wings, chicken liver, chicken skin, chicken thigh, and chicken heart.

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I enjoy eating chicken heart so I wanted another skewer of hearts. On the menu, it says chicken hearts (5). When I placed my extra order with the waiter, he asked if I wanted 5 and I said yes. I thought that it mean 5 hearts on a skewer. When the chicken hearts came out, I soon realized it meant 5 skewers of heart, which the waiter was trying to that explain to me.

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On second thought, these look to big to be chicken hearts despite what google translates says. Either way, I forced myself to eat three skewers out of respect for my mistake. 

(1-5-9 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)

Meiji Jingu

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Meiji Jingu is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the souls of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken.

When you first enter, you will come across the huge Torii gate.

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As you follow the path, you will come across the sake and wine casks dedicated to Emperor Meiji. Each year a sake cask is donated by Meiji Jingu Nationwide Sake Brewers Association in hopes of prosperity.

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Emperor Meiji is known for embracing the Western culture and starting the modernization of Japan, which allowed Japan to become one of the world’s major power. Below are wine casks in commemoration of his radical actions of consuming Western food and enjoying wine with it. 

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Before you enter the shrine, it is custom to rinse your hands and mouth at the temizuya.

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Another Torii gate before you enter the shrine.

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Shrine entrance

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Alas the shrine.

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Write your wishes on an Ema, wooden tablet, and hang it under the tree.

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Shinto wedding procession at the shrine.

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Admission is free unless you plan on entering the treasure house, which displays the emperor’s and empress’ personal possessions, or inner garden.

(Japan〒151-0052 Tōkyō-to, Shibuya-ku, Yoyogikamizonochō, 1東京都渋谷区代々木神園町1)

bills Sydney

While researching for a brunch place, the name bills Sydney, a famous Australian brunch place that has made its way to Tokyo, kept popping up. We decided to give it a try. Our first attempt was unsuccessful. We arrived at 10 am and they told us to come back at 1 pm. The wait was THAT long.

The next day, we tried to go again and only had to wait 20 minutes for a table. Not knowing what the to expect, we were in for a surprise. The food was AMAZING!

Sweet corn fritters, roast tomato, spinach, bacon and avocado salsa– The corn was naturally sweet and perfectly seasoned. I had to stop myself from gobbling it all up at once.

Ricotta hotcakes, banana and honeycomb butter– The fluffiest pancakes ever! Heavenly and not overly sweet. I can’t wait to try to recreate these. Or travel to have these again.

Tip: You can make reservations in advance. It’s located on the top floor of Tokyu Plaza.

(Tokyu Plaza, Omotesando Harajuku 7F, 4-30-3 Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001)

If you can’t go to Japan to try these amazing hotcakes but happen to be in Hawaii, check out their Oahu location. (280 Beach Walk, Honolulu, HI 96815)

Maisen Tonkatsu

Maisen Tonkatsu, owned by the Suntory group, is an upscale dining version of tonkatsu. Is it worth it? Yes! Never had I had pork so tender and juicy that it reminded of filet mignon. The pigs they use comes from different regions of Japan and are raised with special conditions i.e. being fed a special diet of green tea or yams or raised for seven years. The menu goes into detail about each pig. Be sure to ask for an English menu to truly know what you are selecting.

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Above on the left is the Chamiton fillet with curry. It was the only curry option they had. They probably frown upon dousing the rich meat in curry but I was really craving curry that day. The Chamiton pig is raised with a diet of green tea. I wanted to try their specialty Kurobuta black pig so I ordered a small fillet on the side. It is juicer and meatier than the Chamiton. They also offer a special apple flavored sauce for the Kurobuta. If you want their Kurobuta meal set, go early as they only sell five sets a day. The Chamiton was about 1950 yen while the Kurobuta was about 3950 yen.

Like all good things in Japan, Maisen is a chain and can be found all around Tokyo even in the food halls in the basements of department stores.

The location I went to was Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 4-8-5.

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)

Harajuku Gyozaro

Posted in Tokyo by

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)