Hana no Mai, an “izakaya” restaurant in Totsuka. Izakaya is the Japanese version of a tavern, where a party orders drinks and rounds of appetizers to share, including a variety of meats, sushi, sashimi, rice dishes, and other traditional Japanese “chopstick-foods.” The last picture is a baniku sashimi, or thinly-sliced, raw horse meat. Surprisingly delicious!
Japanese breakfast is the best kind of breakfast. It’s more like first lunch; and at lunchtime, you get to eat second lunch! This is a Pizza-La teriyaki chicken pizza pocket I had for breakfast this morning.
Hanbāgu (Japanese Hamburg steak) for dinner, paired with a light, refreshing Sapporo Mugi to Hoppu beer. Oishikatta!
Walking home from the bus stop, I studied another of Japan’s ubiquitous “jidō-hanbaiki,” or vending machines. After seeing literally hundreds of vending machines in the four days I have been in Japan, this one was special: This one had Mountain Dew! Same great taste, fewer English words!
(And, yes, you are correct, that is American actor Tommy Lee Jones.)
Gyūdon (beef bowl) for lunch in Yokohama. A filling bowl of delicious beef and rice for only 380 yen!
