Hotel staff said that with the holiday ending should leave plenty of time to get to my gate, but still a shorter amount of time than is recommended in the US. So efficient here and didn’t have to show ID, just can QR code at security and boarding. The automated baggage machine works well and the self-bag tags you don’t have to peel off a backing, just push the two ends together and it’s magic that they hold since not sticky to the touch. Since I had time I went up to the viewing desk that didn’t have a huge security fence up to obstruct photos.
Very cool, wish had been my plane and it was flying domestic routes
Kogane-iro no Buta “The Golden Hog” – the pork was definitely a perfect golden. Very tender with the right amount of fat. Even though this is my fifth time to Japan, I’m still amazed that airport food can be so amazing.
For a hearty breakfast sought out beef tongue, I got a double portion of meat since try not to eat a lot of rice. The tongue was grilled well and went down easy with Asahi at 7am. The soup was excellent and the beef chunks chewier than the thinner grilled pieces and added to the experience with the contrasting textures.
While I did like the yatai culture of Fukuoka my dad isn’t a fan of tempura so with my lone dinner before we met up went for an amazing meal that featured a range of dishes beyond just tempura. Good thing as since it was a holiday weekend the lines at the yatais were insanely long. The octopus might be my favorite dish from the meal, I didn’t know could get it that soft and the flavor was so good, like a good stew fully reduced into the piece of protein eating. I don’t think I’ve ever had cooked uni and it was a bit weird to have warm uni in my mouth but it was cooked fast enough that it retained its mouth feel, very inventive course. The anago and amadai were my two favorite tempuras and glad they both were generous portions. Throughout the meal the chef recommended salt, salt and lemon, or tempura sauce for each course.
Wasn’t told what this is – one on left looks like shirako
Tuna
Super soft marinated Octopus
Abalone liver
Abalone
Tiger Prawn Legs
Tiger Prawn – so good served two in a row
Fava Beans
Tachiuo – silver beltfish
Eggplant
Some vegetable – the note I made isn’t returning anything. firm and white
Amadai – the skin was not battered to yield this interesting texture once fried
Served with a vinegar, ginger and seaweed martini
Asparagus – least favorite as thick and tough
Smelt
So you can tempura uni
As long as one makes it in a a shiso sandwich
Anago
Shrimp tendon
Green tea and strawberries
Along the river had the standard yatai while the bridge was party tents for the increased crowds
After dropping my bags at the hotel, a bit too early for check in, I headed back to one of the best dishes we had back in October. It was the 2nd weekend of Golden Week national holiday and it was packed along with the pedestrian shopping street it’s on. The noodles were great, but not quite as good as I remembered, maybe because there were so many people quality took a slight dip.
Our friends a year ago found this katsu restaurant just walking around the neighborhood that ages their meat. We went for our last meal in Japan and finished just they way we started with breaded, fried pork. The meat locker and fryer were up front and center, how our friends go intrigued, and all the tables at the back. They offer rib and loin cuts so we got both, the loin was good but the rib half the pieces had too much connective tissue and couldn’t be bitten in half so had to either rip with hand or eat the whole piece. The worst part is they don’t serve beer at lunchtime.
We had a 20 minute wait and got to see this really cute logo for seafood delivery
Woke up early for a sushi breakfast while K slept in. Went back to the Tsukiji outer market. I liked how Zanmai is a la carte so got to order what I wanted and went heavy on the tuna. I also got the fancy anago which was a comically large piece of eel on a normal nigiri sized piece of rice, it also wasn’t warmed enough. While tasty Itadori Bekkan was much better.
Our last dinner was a second French restaurant in two days but this time under the auspices of a French chef. Instead of a tasting menu it was a prix fixe which was allowed us to choose different courses. Other than the hot appetizer we got different dishes, K’s steak was simply incredible, tender, flavorful and most importantly left us with wanting more. It was the best steak she’s ever had and in the top five for me, thankfully she was full so I got to have half her small portion. Overall the presentation was much fancier than Hommage and the staff to guest ratio much higher. The whole meal was a delight and worth going back to.
Cod Mousse – ikura, choux pastry
Le Kampachi – amberjack tartar served on a bed of crunchy vegetable tabbouleh
Le Saumon Fumé – smoked salmon and potatoes symphony served on spring onions and cassis coulis topped with Imperial Caviar
Le Pied de Cochon – gratinated pig trotter tartine with parmesan and Iberico ham
Le Mebaru – rockfish in a saffron flavored broth accompanied with Mont Saint-Michel mussels
La Joue de Porc Iberique – braised porc iberico cheeck with caramalized sweet potato in a ginger flavored sauce
L’Entrecote de Boeuf – pan fried beef boneless ribeye served with wasabi flavored spinach and chestnut confit
Le Canard Challandais – roasted Challans duck breast escorted with spiced grape confit and mashed potato
Le Carapoire – pear trilogy served with caramalized hazelnuts and raspberry sauce
Le Chocolat Signature – Araguani chocolate ganache served with cocoa ice cream and powdered biscuit
Maybe the most famous street crossing. Only had time to do one crossing and back before heading to dinner. It was enough since it is just a street crossing. Lots of bright lights, but they’re all ads.
Another mid-afternoon bar experience where we were the only customers. The owner used to work at Star Bar and lamented at how touristy it’s gotten. The most interesting aspect was using room temp and close to freezing spirits in cocktails, my first was even the same bottle while K’s Old Fashioned was a mixture of different ones. A few slices of Japanese ham went well as we talked with the owner about how much fun we’ve had exploring different cocktail bars and the precision that all the bartenders put into making drinks.
Refreshing gin cocktail
Aviation
Asked to end with his favorite sherry and it was on the sweet side but not too much. Very good
He’s one of, if not only, certified sherry pourers in Japan
Random Eating Adventures 
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