Tokyo Saudade- Another Day

10:00 am
...this day started in Ginza, Matzuya Ginza, one of the biggest department stores of Tokyo, in the food section....desert section :) So much variety (!) from traditional macaroons to the most Japanese, wouldn't remember the name, sweets. Thing we've never seen anywhere else. I wish I could eat everything at once.  We went for the most bizarre  once.  I'm still wondering about the beans in the cake.. Wouldn't it be better with chocolate?  Macha green tea cake was pretty amazing, need to make one at home.


I think these are Mochi in their different variations..

"Not everything that brown is chocolate"- most of the items are substituted with beans..

12:00 pm

We left Matsuya,very content, with bags of Japanese deserts and green tea to continue wondering around ginza.

 All most famous brands are concentrated in this district, from H&M to Dior and Gucci. A-la  5th ave. NYC

02:00 pm
We spent our lunch time at Tepanyaki Kaika, pretty high end and famous place in the area. The food was non kosher, but satisfying :) we ate live cooked shrimp, shark dainty, a snail, life fresh sashimi, and the least bizarre, a piece of amazingly cooked fish. All these cooked fresh in front of us complemented with exellent glass of plum wine and chef recommended saki. See some footage below. We left totally invigorated. thank you Kaika!

Teppanyaki Kaika

4F, Kojun Building, 6-8-7, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061

+81-3-5537-7061 / +81-3-5537-7062

 This shrimp was trully a piece of art.

Sashimi & snail




































Shark dainty. Surprisingly good.

Fish.





































03:30 pm
Here we went out of our way to Shimbashi neighborhood, just to see one piece of architecture that served as a major inspiration for one of my school projects. Anticipation..

Vending machines became an ubiquitous phenomena all over Tokyo. You can find them everywhere, you can buy everything with them, from drink to fruits, toys burgers etc. Some of the machines come with sensor that can determine the gender and the age of the customer, which combined with other information like time or temperture will give you a reccomendation of your order (in case and you couldn't decide).

 Here we are, after a 20 min walk from Ginza. Let me introduce to you Nakagin Capsule Tower, by Kisho Kurakawa in Shimbashi neighborhood. The building is a rare example of Japanese Metabolism movement of late 50's, which invisioned future cities as a flexible and expandable machines inhabited by mass societies. New structures, mainly housing, were designed to expand organically over time, fitting exact needs of people. Nakagin tower was built as  two interconnected shafts, which house prefabricated plugged in replaceable modules. The very minimal inside of the modules, that reminds an airplane cabin, was targeted as a sleeping residences towards bachelor corporate workers. Though still used today, the tower fell into a condition of despair and was under a threat of demolition for a long time. Currently it is undergoing a new rennovation plan, by the original architect. Hopefully, this cultural historical ideal is not going to dissapear, and existing capsules will be replaced with an updated ones. I will surely check on it on my next visit..


  


































The capsule inside. Futuristic.



05:00 pm
Unfortunately demolished today, Kabuki- Za was a a principal theater for Kabuki drama     performance in Tokyo. We've got to see it alive a month before the demolition started, while it was still playing its last performances. The building was rebuilt many times, but it was serving Tokyo since 1889. The reason for the last demolition was the un-readyness of the structure to sustain an earthquake.. I cannot say I wasn't bothered by that decision..to many buildings are being destroyed instead of being preserved. It does raise a question about cultural historical architectural values of the people, which seem to be somewhat neglected here..Should there be a different approach?





    06:30 pm
Our evening was well spent in Shibuya neighborhood, where we decided to have our dinner as well. Here at overwhelming Shibuya crossing, where clouds of people do not cease, you will have a better view if you go one floor up to Starbucks.  Buy a cup of coffee or green tea, sit and enjoy in front of a huge window wall and look down.

 Shibuya crossing

08:00 pm 

We didn't go to Seryna, where Tom Cruise enjoys his Kobe steak every time he comes to Tokyo, we preffered more of a family atmosphere reccomended by locals. The bummer is that I totally forgot the name and the location of the place. The only thing I remeber now, is that it was somehwere aside in between small streets..  well well hidden off Shibuya. 

KOBE BEEF DINNER

appetizers. Souce -soy souce, scallions and raw egg mixed.

this is how they serve it-kobe beef steak on piece of bread.
 

in the end we got very friendly with the owner and his mother(Mama) who run the place. the food was continuing to come. too too bad that I don't remember the name! Hope they are doing well.

01:00 am   
It was pretty late when we got back to our hotel neigborhood in Roppongi. We were tired and sleepless, but we coudn't go to sleep without having a desert and a cup of chrizantemum tea at the famous Almond.
Almond
6-1-8 Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan 
+81-3-5537-7061 / +81-3-5537-7062
delicious chrizantemum tea at Almond


    Tomorrow is another day!