Japan (Tokyo/Sapporo/Yokohama) February 2020 Trip Report: Tomatoes, Pudding, (Jiro’s) Sushi, and everything else

Before I begin, this is going to be a very lengthy post. If you’d rather just look at the photos with minimal commentary, [here you go](https://imgur.com/a/QhvmXlz). I’m writing this now because of how much I miss my trip.

I went on a trip with my girlfriend a little over four months ago. We’d both been to Tokyo before so we wanted to explore other parts of the country. We settled on Sapporo because of the Experience Japan fares available to us from ANA and JAL, and because of the upcoming snow festival. We both really wanted to go to a ryokan with a nice onsen too, so Sapporo seemed like a good idea. We got SIM Cards from JR Rail. It was affordable and always consistently good throughout our trip. Highly recommend instead of lugging around a pocket wifi.

We had a few major goals.

1. We’re both avid foodies, and particularly into sushi. So we decided to hit up multiple sushi places at different price points, including Sushisai Wakichi in Sapporo, as well as Jiro Honten and Takamitsu. We supplemented this with fish markets in Otaru, standing sushi bars, izakaya, and even some supermarket sushi (all were delicious).

2. Apparently the best pizza in the world might be in Japan. To that end we tried Sisilya in Yokohama.

3. Like I said, it was important to see parts of the country other than Tokyo.

4. To take some time to just let ourselves explore the city instead of planning literally every step of the way. This was great. It let us have a more relaxed schedule, and overall we found some pretty interesting places just by wandering around.

**Day 1**

We landed in Haneda after a brief detour to Narita (routing issues) later in the evening. So after dropping off our big luggages at the luggage storage in the airport, we just grabbed some food at the airport, and stayed at a nearby hotel called Henn Na. It was a fucking weird hotel in many ways (Have you ever been greeted by a T-rex concierge?) but it did the job and the sheer novelty factor was pretty funny. Found a convenience store and had PUDDING! Pudding is super important. We had at least one pudding a day every day we were in Japan. They’re delicious and simply so many varieties.

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**Day 2**
We woke up bright and early to head back to Haneda, catching an early morning flight to New Chitose in Sapporo. We landed at 7:45. Our ryokan was located up in Otaru, and thankfully there was a train that took us directly to the Otaru area. By the time we landed, the ekibento places were open (they’re not exactly where the train station area is, but there’s a great selection if you can find it) and I highly recommend getting one. [Just look at this.](https://imgur.com/H3Hf02K)

We got to Otaru and since we had some extra time, we bussed all the way to Nikka Yoichi. There’s a [beautiful tasting bar](https://imgur.com/TSas1dD) and a lot of wonderful history. And of course, the store at the end is really nice too if you’re into Whiskey.

After getting back to Otaru Station there was some time to check out Sankaku Fish Market. I could say a lot, but just have [this picture](https://imgur.com/6adLfXM). Fortunately, even though it was slippery outside, there was a shuttle car that took us directly to Kuramure Ryokan. It was a truly wonderful and zen place (even including a [Zen Room](https://imgur.com/YbBL8cp)). The moment we got out of the car, we were treated like royalty. We were given complimentary snacks while they prepared our room. The onsen concept was great too with both interior and exterior hot springs where you could feel the cool wintery air contrasting with the heat emanating from the water. It was really relaxing to watch the snow slowly falling while relaxing in the comfortable warmth of the onsen. Of course, meals were included, but booze was also freeflowing as part of the Kuramure experience. It was definitely a leisurely and relaxing experience, one that I’ll never forget. The hospitality, atmosphere, and sheer relaxation I felt was a first for me.

**Day 3**

After breakfast and another soak in the Kuramure onsen, we took the train directly back to Sapporo. We stayed at Gracery Sapporo since it was basically right outside Sapporo Station… but the hotel was a little small, though the staff were very nice. When we bought too many souvenirs, since we didn’t have our big luggages, they helped us ship everything back to Tokyo at our next hotel. From there, we hit up Cheese Market and also had Soup Curry for the first time at Garaku. It had a good kick to it and felt less rich than the usual thick curries. Even 4 months later, I still remember that the potato was particularly delicious. We walked by the snow fest and decided we’d go back tomorrow.

For dinner we decided to go to Sushisai Wakichi (which was booked 2 months in advance). It was a 1* Michelin place with a focus on ingredients from Hokkaido. In particular, [the surf clam](https://imgur.com/YouMssT) was incredibly good. This was a good start to our sushi adventure.

**Day 4**

This day was all about going to the Snow Festival. From [incredible multi-storey snow sculptures](https://imgur.com/C5UjvmE) to downright [strange characters](https://imgur.com/haQphLg) this festival had a lot to take in. The food selection was crazy too, there were food stalls all along the several blocks of displays. Off the top of my head, I remember an incredible uni risotto for 800 yen along, buttery sweet corn, shirako tempura, and a stand that served hot cocktails (perfect for the cold).

Hearing about how awesome the crab in Hokkaido was, we ended up getting a reservation at Kani Honke. When we got in we were a little worried it was just a tourist trap, but ultimately, even though it did seem to cater to foreigners (there was this huge group of tourists waiting to get seated when we got in) the food was still pretty good and we got a nice private room to eat slowly.

My girlfriend is into Jazz, so we ended up going to Slow Boat in Sapporo. It was a cozy bar with swanky live jazz. We met a lot of locals here who were really friendly. We all tried to talk to each other in broken Japanese and English, lots of drinks were had and we all had a great time.

**Day 5**

It was back to Tokyo in the late morning, but we prepared with a highly recommended [Breakfast of Champions](https://imgur.com/E9gxLkC). These were fancier department store puddings which were great too, but in balance I prefer the kombini pudding. At the airport, we found a nice standup sushi bar with an iPad multi-language menu where you just ordered a la carte and it was served to you piece by piece.

We landed in Tokyo at around 1 and picked up our luggages before heading to our first hotel in Shinjuku. We really wanted to hit up this place called Ben Fiddich (I’ve been once before after seeing [this strangely sensual set of videos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t7Ie8E4GHc)) since it has some of the most amazing cocktails. There’s no menu, you just go in and tell him what flavour profiles you want, what spirits you’re into or aren’t into, etc. I don’t want to spoil to much, but if you’re into cocktails you’ll have a good time. I recommend lining up before it opens so you can snag seats at the bar and watch the man himself in action. And yes, his stare is that sensual IRL.

As we randomly walked around we found this swanky little basement yakitori place simply called “Toriya”. It seemed like mostly locals, but one of the waitresses there sat us down and basically google translated with us so we could order the set menu. The [yakitori here](https://imgur.com/0HKmwPs) was nicer than what I had at Toriki in Asakusa, and I didn’t have to book well in advance!

**Day 6**

I’ve never had the famous uni charcoal bun at Tsukiji Outer, so we went to the market and had some strawberries, coffee, an uni bun, and sat down at one of the many sushi bars still in the area to have a quick meal before going over to Teamlab Planets.

Last time I visited Japan I’d visited Borderless already, and I felt like that was more of a sensory overload, sheer scale of it all kind of experience with multiple floors and freedom to move as you pleased to fashion your own experience. In contrast, Planets was smaller, but far more focused and interactive. You were guided along one set path with many surprises. Ultimately, I actually preferred [this guided approach](https://imgur.com/U37nmOJ). It felt more cohesive and better thought out, but I also feel like I appreciated it more because I’d been to Borderless first. Both are great, but for anyone reading this later I don’t think you need to do both… just choose one or the other and you’ll have a good time.

As big fans of Gundam, we made our way over to Gundam Base after in Odaiba. Their merch store is awesome, some of the coolest clothing and accessories I’ve ever seen for anime merch.

In the evening, we went over to Omoide Yokocho and discovered Horaiya. Remember, izakaya often charge a sitting fee (but provide a small appetizer) so don’t be surprised at a small random charge at the end on the bill for that. Here we discovered [tomato sours](https://imgur.com/xx0pWAr). I implore you if you’re into booze and tomatoes try this. So incredibly refreshing! It’s not like a bloody mary or a Caesar. It’s got more effervescence to it and the flavours of the tomato are brighter+sweeter than those other cocktails.

No pics unfortunately, but we also found ourselves at this small basement bar called Midori. Basic cocktails and nice vibe with a darn good yakisoba!

**Day 7**

Before going to Nakajima (a 1* Michelin restaurant that serves iwashi based dishes starting at 880yen all in during lunch) we walked around Shinjuku a bit and found ourselves in the beautiful Hanazono-Jinja.

For Nakajima, you really need to line up at least half an hour before they open for lunch. Both times I’ve been, rain or shine, by the time they’re about to open the line runs up past the stairway. The standout at Nakajima for me is the [sashimi lunch set](https://imgur.com/3Oaau72), and you can simply add a half order of fried iwashi if you want a big lunch.

After lunch, we took the train to Asakusa to eat some street food around Sensoji. We ended up finding all sorts of delights, ranging from ebi katsu sando and curry pan to [pizza from a food truck](https://imgur.com/vdUItFr) that had an actual pizza oven inside of it. Other Redditors have recommended Fruit Parlor Goto, and I have to say I agree. We had to wait for about 20 minutes to get in, but the wonderfully aromatic and sweet fresh fruit was an awesome showcase of ingredients without paying an arm and a leg for premium Japanese fruit.

At dinner time, we hit up L’Effervescence. I’ll just say that if you’re into fine dining but not quite so ‘uptight’, L’Eff has an amazing vibe. Classic rock plays lightly in the background, while elegantly-dressed waitstaff know how to crack a joke or two while providing a stellar dining experience. Having been to places like Per Se in New York, the experience at L’Eff simply blew it out of the water. There was an air of friendliness and passion in the food, which of course was [delicious](https://imgur.com/cb7R1SG), exciting, and at times even surprising.

**Day 8**

We needed to relax during day 8. We were drinking highballs and/or tomato sours + eating pudding every day, staying out late every night, walking everywhere… so we had a chill day in Akihabara (mostly arcade gaming/looking for merch) and Shinjuku. Henry Burger is pretty good if you want wagyu burgers. It’s by Nakahara, who runs Sumibu Yakinuku Nakahara, a famous and delicious yakinuku place (more on that later). In the evening we went to Isomaru Suisan, a seafood-focused izakaya chain. I’m a fan of Isomaru Suisan because it’s 24 hours, and I found out that they have good tomato sours too (seriously, get one).

If you’re a Murakami fan, the most interesting thing we did on this day was head to Jazz Bar Dug (featured in Norweigian Wood iirc). We mainly went because of the Murakami nod, but it ended up being nice and chill, exactly what we were looking for for a relaxing evening. Again, the tomato sour was quite delicious. It’d be a good place to take a date!

**Day 9**

Today was Ghibli Museum day. It had a nice historic feel to it and we got to watch a short film in the theatre area. If I’m being honest this didn’t seem amazing for how much work was done to get those tickets, but that general area of town is pretty cool. It’s also where Satou Meat Cutlet is, and they serve some of the juiciest menchikatsu. I’d actually have gone to this part of town for Satou alone, but we also accidentally ran into this [crazy two storey cat cafe/complex](https://imgur.com/HMgvWGm) while we were walking around. One of the things I love about Japan is all the weird and interesting shit you encounter if you take some time to just walk around.

Wanting to deepen our understanding of tea, we also booked Sakurai/Souen, which is essentially a sort of ‘tea omakase’ where they serve you different types of tea paired with wagashi or other little food pairings. TBH, this was a bit lost on me. I enjoyed the tea, but I don’t have enough knowledge about tea to really pick out all the nuances.

**Day 10**

Refreshed and recharged from two relaxing days, we decided to day-trip Yokohama bright and early. The food stands in Chinatown weren’t even open when we got there (It’s a bit more than 30 minutes from Shinjuku Station Red Line), so we explored a few of the Chinese-inspired temples first. By the time we got back, we were able to get some [peking duck wraps](https://imgur.com/OajG3u2) for 250yen!

We walked to the harborfront area where there was randomly a strawberry festival going on, and after that on a whim went to the Instant Ramen Museum. I was surprised by how aesthetic it was (the stairway is pretty impressive) and it was a surprisingly inspiring exhibition. I didn’t realize the work that was put into it, nor how important instant ramen really was. Cost of admission was quite cheap and definitely worth a visit.

There was still some time before our main goal for Yokohama, and since we love Onsen we decided to go to Manyo Club for a quick dip. It had a series of indoor and outdoor hot springs and was great for a nice pick me up since we’d done a lot of walking during the day.

It was time for the main event for Yokohama — Sisilya! Apparently it’s one of the best pizza places in Japan. We showed up without a reservation and I think they took pity on us because they squeezed us in. We were super thankful and ordered wine, two pizzas and apps. Both the quattro formaggi and the [margherita](https://imgur.com/N3puex3) were out of this world. I live in North America, and I’ve never even had a pizza that comes close anywhere I’ve eaten at. I’m planning to eat my way through all the best pizza places in Japan because of Sisilya.

**Day 11**

This was a relatively chill day. We explored Ikebukoro, and found this really interesting VR Gaming Centre called Mazaria. We got to suit up and play Dragon Quest. You had to actually walk around in real life and the VR Arena that was used for the experience was around as big as a small gymnasium.

I want to quickly mention Saitamaya, which is also [featured in this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geZWL_gE-Ak) by Simon & Martina. My girlfriend went the last time she was in Japan, and said it was a must visit. We got there nearly an hour early, and the people inside noticed and kindly brought us chairs. By the time they opened, there were over 20 people in the line! The experience was hilarious — it felt like my grandpa was cooking for me, except if my grandpa cooked extremely delicious yakitori while flirting with my girlfriend, me, and everyone else in the room. Expect to drink while you’re here. Their lemon sours are extra boozy and it’s simply part of the experience. It’s a great time where everyone’s having fun, I would definitely go back every time I’m in Japan if I could. If I lived in Japan, I’d probably go at least a couple times a month!

**Day 12**

We had a few nights left in Tokyo, and this is where the food craziness began. I’m only going to talk about the food because that is basically… all we did.

For lunch, we hit up Tempura Kondo. We got one of the set menus and got to experience tempura that was completely unlike what we normally get back here at home. How can something be deep fried, yet not be oily? It was surprisingly refreshing and not crazy rich. We ate a lot of tempura, and surprisingly, the highlights were the vegetables. In particular, the [asparagus](https://imgur.com/328tqzR) was ridiculously juicy, like exploding in my mouth with juices akin to a potsticker levels of juiciness. Our concierge told us to get the carrot tempura, which was an excellent choice. If I go again, I’ll have to try the whole sweet potato tempura as well. Apparently, the chef wants the vegetables to take on more of a starring role which is why the produce used is so excellent.

Before dinner we explored Tokyo Station for a while. It’s this labyrinth of a mall where it’s really easy to get lost but wherever you go there’s food, shopping, or department stores.

For dinner, we went to Sumibu Yakiniku Nakahara. They’re known for incredibly high quality beef, in particular their [beef tongue](https://imgur.com/Sc4TWez) is of extremely high quality. The food itself was delicious, and sort of like lunch, I was surprised by how rich the meat was yet how much of it I could eat. I think part of the trick is that they never give you a lot of any of the fattier meats, and there are little palate cleansers that help you reset. The server made the experience more fun too — he seemed to genuinely love what he was doing as he excitedly explained the ingredients and cooked the different parts for us with his deft hands. If you go, please don’t neglect to order the beef katsu sando.

**Day 13**

Since 2013 when I watched Jiro Dreams of Sushi, I’ve always wanted to go to Jiro Honten. Apparently he’s the person who popularized the akami->chutoro->o-toro progression of nigiri sushi in omakase! I finally had my chance after many years of waiting to go for lunch. Unfortunately, Jiro himself wasn’t there and I was served by his son. Nevertheless, we had a great (if quick) experience at the restaurant. I thanked them profusely in my broken Japanese and ended up taking some photos with them. I will say that it wasn’t the best sushi I’ve ever had, and the cost was pretty high especially for the speed of the progression. But I treated it like more of an experience than just a meal, something someone who’s a huge nerd about sushi and omakase ought to try at least once (and I do think I’d only do this once).

For dinner, we hit up a pork katsu specialist restaurant called [Butagumi](https://imgur.com/RNl6BAa). They serve pork from several different producers around Japan and beyond (for example, Iberico in Spain). The golden boar pork (yes, that’s what the menu said) was very delicious if you’re into super fatty meat!

**Day 14**

Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to go to Tomita Honten. Fortunately, Tomita has a branch around Tokyo Station. I thought I’ve eaten Tsukemen before. But [eating at Tomita](https://imgur.com/lGxBF2C) made me realize how little I understand about the world of tsukemen. The noodles are thick with the right amount of chew, and the broth is simply intense. Complex and flavourful, only noodles like Tomita’s can stand up to it. We lined up over half an hour before it opened and there was already someone waiting before us! You order with a touch screen so you can just change the language to English as needed.

For our last meal together (long story short, we ended up with different flights on the way home), we wanted to go out with a bang and ended up at an establishment called Takamitsu. It’s a 1* Michelin Sushi omakase restaurant with pretty much [all the frills](https://imgur.com/pr8qRxw) you can think of. There’s a definite element of [showmanship](https://imgur.com/MHX60pw) here but it’s combined with an incredible amount of skill. We got course after course of delicious sushi or appetizers. The head chef was good natured and humorous, and in fact we laughed together several times. This would be closer to Sho-style sushi for those who are wondering. It’s meals like this that make you realize how all the elements of a fine dining experience come together to create something unforgettable — of course the food was truly amazing, but the chef genuinely having a good time with you while putting on a show really does take things to the next level.

For our final evening in Japan, we decided to walk through the Imperial Gardens. There was a real feeling of tranquility walking [through the space](https://imgur.com/z0ShSAz). The [traditional buildings juxtaposed with the city lights on the outside](https://imgur.com/dNMXzvK) with pretty much no one else around except for the occasional runner gave off the feel that we were in our own little world exploring a place disconnected from other parts of time.

**Day 15**

Did you think I’d end without showing you my last meal? [Breakfast of Champions, Round 2!](https://imgur.com/eXuTQj0)