Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Have you seen the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi?  If you haven't, stop reading now and go watch.  It is a great documentary about a  3 Michelin Star sushi chef named Jiro.  Matt, Teddy, Vishaal and I went there for dinner on Friday night and had a mind blowing meal.  I have never had better sushi in my life.  Having watched the movie beforehand made the meal all that more interesting as we knew the entire process of creating Sushi from buying to fish/rice, to preparing the meal, and to actually serving it.  My favorite course was the smoked Bonito fish.  It was literally to die for.  My least favorite piece of sushi was the sea urchin.  It took a lot for me to be able to swallow it.  I highly recommend this foodie experience.  I will let pictures do the meal justice. Enjoy!

Sea Urchin

Squid

Scallops

Eel

Egg

Jiro's Son

Tuna

Shrimp

Thursday Night Karaoke

In college we always went to LIT and Karaoke night on Thursday nights, so when my coworkers suggested going to karaoke after an all you can drink good-bye dinner for Teddy we all jumped on the idea.  In Japan (and Korea) when you go to somewhere to karaoke your party is given a private room and you can order drinks to the room.  This is great if you have a big group because you don't have to worry about making a fool out of yourself in front of strangers and you get to sing way more.  We all had a blast.  We sang everything from American 90's pop to Japanese music.  Such a good time!

Lazy Sunday

Sunday was the first lazy day I have had in Japan.  It was the first day since I got to Japan that I actually slowed down a little.  I decided rather than spend the lazy day at home in bed, I would go read in a garden/park.  After a few min of research I found Kiyosumi Gardens.  It was only about 30 min away from my apartment and so beautiful and peaceful.  This ended up being a great decision.  The garden used to be the location of a lord in the Edo period.  I met a really cute grandmother/grandson pair who came over to me because I was sitting alone and I think asked if I wanted to feed the fish with them (all in Japanese).  We spent the next hour feeding the biggest coy I had ever seen, turtles, ducks, and pigeons.

After spending a few hours at the garden I spent some time making my apartment feel like home, which of course meant decorating.  I know it's just a start but I bought 3 Japanese handkerchiefs and used them as wall tapestries.  I love them! 

I ended my lazy day with dinner with Matt and Teddy.  Matt is a friend from work and will also be doing a few month rotation in the Tokyo office.  We went to a restaurant in Daikanyama where restaurants normally have English menus.  However, the one we randomly chose had no English anywhere and even the waiters spoke only Japanese.  The menu looked like art to us and we literally just pointed to three random things on the menu.  It ended up being a really great and adventurous meal of sashimi, soba, some kind of beef, and a bowl of very western pasta.  I would definitely consider it a success!

Hanabi & Yakitori

Hanabi or fireworks are a huge Japanese summer tradition.  Almost every weekend in the summer you can find fireworks festivals in different parts of Japan.  Traditionally the fireworks were used to ward away evil.  The sound of the fireworks would push away evil.  Firework shows are now engrained into Japanese culture and everyone loves them.  Ted and I went to the office, to see a great view of the fireworks last night!

After watching a great fireworks show (better than the fireworks I saw on 4th of July this year) we went to our first Yakitori restaurant.  The food was amazing and the atmosphere was even better.  Yakitori is basically skewered food that is freshly grilled and severed.  Ted and I sat at the bar and watched our food being grilled right in front of us.  My favorite part of the restaurant is that it has seats in the window.  You can sit on the inside and have your feet dangle out onto the street. Overall it was a relaxing Saturday evening with really good food.  

Chikara CrossFit

I finally got my act together and started going to CrossFit in Tokyo.  Best decision I ever made.  Even thought the gym is not super close to my apartment, I met so many cool people.  There are people from all over the world who work out at this CrossFit gym and they are all in Tokyo for various reasons.  I am so excited to start becoming a regular there.  Below is a picture from after the Saturday morning WOD.  Great work out. Great people. Great time.

Soba Night

I'm surprised that after a long day of work we still manage to always do something after work! It is really great because even though I've only been here for less than 2 weeks I feel like I am getting to know Tokyo pretty well.  I have favorite restaurants, have started meeting people, and actually have done a ton.  Last night after work Ted and I decided it was about time we hit the gym.  We went to the gym with one of his Japanese friends and all decided to do a soba dinner after.  Soba noodles are Japanese buckwheat noodles that can be eaten hot or cold and are usually served with a dipping sauce.  

We went to this really great restaurant called Kawakami An.  Their specialty is soba noodles.  This was a real treat because it's in Azabu a neighborhood right behind my apartment and an amazing find.  As we walked there, our friend pointed out a little shop on the side of the street where a man was making soba noodles from scratch.  This little store was only a few stores away from the restaurant we went to and supplied the restaurant with their soba.  It was incredible to realize how fresh the soba we were eating was.  The food in general in Tokyo has been amazing.  Some of you will laugh at me, but literally they have the most amazing tomatoes I have ever tasted in my entire life.  Everything from the vegetables to the meats that they cook with are super fresh and make every type of food that much better.  I'm in foodie heaven. 

Soba and tempura

Heart and SEOUL

Annyeonghaseyo from Seoul, South Korea! I have been in Seoul since Sunday: one day for pleasure and the next three for work.  It has been great seeing yet another Apple office as well as exploring a new city.  Although the first thing I saw when I exited my plane in Seoul was a dunkin doughnuts...and Gimpo airport reminds me an awful lot of Harrisburg Airport, South Korean culture was very new for me.  The next thing I saw was Seoul's slogan: "Hi Seoul! The soul of Asian"....entertaining.  This was also my first time being in a new city alone.  It was a totally different experience touring a new city solo, and while I loved my trip here, I learned that for me experiences are a lot more meaningful when I get to share them with others.  

The first day I was here, I was purely here as a tourist.  It was my one day to really explore the city so that's exactly what I did. My first stop was to Gyeongbokgung Palace.  I learned a lot about South Korean history here and their complicated relationship with Japan.  However, my favorite part of this Palace was the architecture.  Korean architecture is all about harmony.  The tour guide pointed out that the ridges of the roof blend in with the mountains that are behind it. 

After touring the palace, I decided to take on the Seoul subway system, which I have to admit is very good.  I think I now have mastered the Seoul subway even more than I have in Tokyo.  My next stop was to Insa Dong an area famous for their art galleries, shopping, antiques, and restaurants.  Two highlights for me were an art gallery and the street food.  My favorite art gallery there featured art created by women who came to South Korea in order to escape troubled situations in their home countries.  Much of the art told interesting stories about their past, old traditions, as well as handicrafts they had learned in Korea.  After leaving the gallery I walked around the crowded streets and checked out trendy Korean boutiques and tea houses.  I stopped for a snack (extremely unhealthy but sooooo worth it).  It was soft dough filled with ground sugar and peanuts and fried in a special oil.  It was literally to die for. 

Scarves made at the art gallery using the spices shown behind them.

The adorable couple who were making the delicious fried desserts on the side of the street.

I had a few hours left before I had to head back to the hotel before work the next day so I decided to take a long walk along the Han river. I ended up running into a live concert and the Banpo Bridge moonlight rainbow fountain.  This was basically a light and fountain show right on the river.  It attracted a huge local crowd and many people watched from the water.  There were 3 viewings 8:30, 9, and 9:30...I liked the show so much that I stayed and watched it twice.

The rest of the week I spent working however I was still able to do stuff at night.  On Monday night I went to one of the 24 hour malls that Korea is famous for.  It was really culture shock.  There were busloads of people being dropped off at 11 PM bringing suitcases to fill with their bargain purchases.  I'm glad I was able to go there and see what the hype was all about, but it was not really my scene. 

Korean Bimbimbap

Delicious Korean street food

View from the office in Seoul...pic quality bad but can see Olympic Stadium

Korean Chicken Stew 

I had a great time taking on a new country! I love exploring and meeting new people so it was a really exciting experience.  Fortunately, I think I will be able to go back one more time during my time in Asia, but I am happy to be going home to Tokyo!