Anohito
Mar 28, 2007, 22:42
16 April 1983 (Sat): I might have stopped at Coffee Club Roppongi for coffee if I had remembered that it wasn’t Sunday, but Saturday. Checking out of Hardy Barracks today created this problem more than once. That would have given me...well, perhaps it wouldn’t have given me enough change for the coin locker. The change from my cup of Blue Mountain at Toa didn’t. That may have been because I decided to "splurge" and get a cup of the more expensive coffee. If I remember correctly, the extra 30 Yen (it’s probably just a blend with Blue Mountain) prevented me–no wait, the lockers only take 50 Yen coins, so a 350 Yen cup of coffee wouldn’t have helped. Oh well, it was excellent coffee. The sushi bento I bought in Matsuzakaya did give me enough change for the coin locker, so I stashed my bag and went to the Kabukiza. I bought my ticket and was surprised to see that the doors were open. The starting time has bee set ahead to 1100. The neo-kabuki play that is the first item was treated for the most part as classical sewamono [domestic drama] kabuki, except for the special effects in the storm scene. All in all, it was another excellent show. My bento was very tasty. After the matinee, I went to Mitsukoshi to buy coffee. I bought 200g of Zimbabwe and 100g of French to use for ice coffee (mix with the Zimbabwe). They give the prices as being for 200g, but after buying the Zimbabwe, I asked for 100g of the French and the clerk sold it to me without hesitation. From there, I wandered about wondering where I might have supper. I looked in B2 at Ginza Core and saw a couple of likely places. I checked out the 10th floor, but the Chinese restaurant there is too fancy for the way I was dressed. It occurred to me that I didn’t remember what restaurants were in Matsuzakaya. They don’t have many. The Italian restaurant seems a bit pricey. I was intrigued by the "bento" dinner at the Chinese restaurant there and had that for supper. It was very tasty and a substantial meal, but since I can get fine Chinese food here in Yokosuka, perhaps I should have sought something I can’t get in Yokosuka. Anyway, after supper, I decided that I should head for Yokosuka and did so. Since it appeared to be raining and I wanted a cream soda(1), I went into Elbe for it so I wouldn’t have to go out, get in somewhere, and go back out again. The cream soda was tasty! I should have tried one before this. And so, back to the barracks.
(1) This is not the same thing as an American cream soda. In Japan, it is a specific type of ice cream float. The beverage used is a melon-flavored soda.
17/18 April 1983 (Sun/Mon): It’s not that yesterday was non-existent. Because of having a supernumerary and the rain, I didn’t go anywhere. I just read and did laundry. Lunch today was at Genroku Sushi. Afterward, I tried a brand of canned coffee that was new to me. It’s decent. I can’t tell what the brand name is. Because of being in NASAP (talk about preaching to the choir)(1), I can’t make coffee for myself. The NASAP class doesn’t end until after 1645. I didn’t get a train until 1738. (Well, I could have taken a 1733 tokkyu, but the 1738 kaiso tokkyu passes it) I figured this was a good time to try Rio if I wanted to eat before the meeting. It’s reasonably tasty Japanese curry and I was done in time to buy a couple things, finger bananas and custard choux (the Hirota cream puffs I’ve been considering trying for so long), in the Delicious Market. Then the #103 bus (which can make writing a bit difficult. Sam took us to the station again. And so, back to the barracks.
(1) I think NASAP stood for Naval Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention. Sort of a Naval version of D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and no more effective.
19 April 1983 (Tue): I had time to eat at Kujakuen for lunch today. I do like sushi, but no sense pushing it. I had the "today’s recommended course," as usual. That’s a good way of sampling different dishes. The only trouble is, those dishes aren’t on the menu, for the most part. At the end of today’s NASAP session, it began raining in earnest (outdoors, but in earnest). I had considered going to Yokohama, but I was stiff and sore from yesterday’s Physical Training and tired from being stiff and sore. If the weather had been clear, I would have gone anyway, but the combination caused me to stay here in Yokosuka. I had wanted to eat at Pinocchio, forgetting that this is Tuesday, and they are closed on Tuesday. I ended up in Alaska, where I had eaten once or twice toward the end of my tour on the Midway. I had considered eating there a few times this tour, but hadn’t done so yet. I saw an item that looked (in the display case) as though it was hotategai or scallops. I would have preferred the former, but was willing to settle for the latter. I ordered it (I had to guess–they gave me an English menu) and it was scallops, (the menu said scallops, but what is an English term for hotategai?). The cream/mushroom sauce was excellent and I even enjoyed the scallops. With it I had a large, fresh salad and very tasty corn soup. No doubts or indecision about dessert–I came straight to Fujiya for chocolate ice cream pancakes and coffee. Now to buy some canned coffee and fruit drinks for tomorrow and some milk. I did that and then back to the barracks.
20 April 1983 (Wed): A slight experiment for lunch today. My first choice, Ryu-En for noodles, was not yet open (we got out for lunch rather early). I went to Hatsuten to consider things there and saw an advertisement for a pork cutlet lunch for 500 Yen. I tried it and it was a good lunch. The pork cutlet was small but lean. The coffee wasn’t so great, but with a 500 Yen lunch, how good could it be? After "class" I met a couple of the people from NASAP at Chuo Station. They had met a couple of Canadians. My old Tour Companion didn’t have any critical articles, so I let the Canadians have it. I figured they needed it more than I did. I debarked at Kamiooka, my intended destination. One of the first things I saw on leaving the immediate station area was a Mitsukoshi department store. Guess where I went first. It’s a standard suburban department store. If I don’t see anything terribly interesting in the way of restaurants when I continue exploring, I could come back here to the Botejyu on 5F. Provided it’s still open. I was interested to see that UCC rather than Key coffee is sold in B1. I stopped for coffee in the coffee shop–a cup of . It’s excellent coffee. I still haven’t spent 100 Yen. The coffee is only 280 Yen. Well, Kamiooka isn’t exactly a bustling center of commerce and entertainment. There are stores, shops, bars, some (not many) restaurants, and pachinko parlors(1). I did see a restaurant that offered a dinner that caught my eye. It was a combination sushi/tenpura dinner including chawan mushi and suimono. None of those items is new to me, but I decided that I wanted the dinner. It was an eminently worthwhile dinner. The sushi wasn’t as good as that of the large sushi shop in Ginza(2), but I realize that I’m not likely to find sushi such as that very often. I looked around a little more after supper and then took a train back to Yokosuka. In the little dessert shop [Yoshino?] where I used to have kori(3), I’m having a cream (creme?) soda. And so, back to the barracks.
(1) In other words, Kamiooka isn’t a destination in and of itself the way that the Yokohama Station area is, but the businesses in Kamiooka probably serve(d) the needs of the local residents quite well.
(2) Tsukiji Tamazushi in Ginza Core?
(3) A Japanese snow cone or "shaved ice"
21 April 1983 (Thu): Since I got out relatively early for lunch, I tried Saikaya again. To tell the truth, I wasn’t impressed when my lunch was brought to me, but I found it very tasty. Perhaps the third time was the charm in this case. I don’t think I’d go there for supper, but I would go there again for lunch. After NASAP, the big question was "Yokohama or Kurihama?" I didn’t agonize over the decision. I made the decision by the time I got to the ticket machines. I realized that since today is clear, I should go to Kurihama, because even if it rains tomorrow, I’d be willing to spend extra money on a cab since it will be Friday. I wouldn’t want to explore Kurihama in the rain, but I could run around the Yokohama Station area without getting wet. Well, there isn’t really anything in Kurihama except for the restaurant where I had supper. I had an excellent meal–Japanese cuisine–and I’d go back to Kurihama just to eat there. The train fare is only 100 Yen. On the way back from Chuo Station, I looked in a couple of back streets(1) and found a Chinese restaurant worth trying, a spaghetti house lunch possibility, and a dessert shop. I tried the latter, New St. Louis. I had a strawberry waffle that was quite tasty, and the blend coffee was very good. I’ll definitely come back. And so, back to the barracks.
(1) Probably in Odakicho 1-Chome (close to Wakamatsucho 3-Chome) between Sennichi-Dori and the unnamed street between it and National Highway 16.
22 April 1983 (Fri): A quick lunch was necessary today, so I went to Genroku sushi. I was nearly run over getting there (by a sailor, of course), but close doesn’t count in auto/pedestrian tag, so I’m still undamaged. After lunch, I went shopping in Seiyu for tomorrow’s duty day meals. It stopped raining just before I left the office, which I thought was considerate (the rain stopping, not my leaving the office, although that could be considered considerate of me to me). As planned, I went to Yokohama. The Mr. Mash restaurant I had seen on a previous visit seems more a place to have a weekday supper. On my way to Alte Liebe(1), I took a quick look around Takashimaya. They don’t have a "restaurant floor," rather a store "family restaurant" on 8F. I looked around in the vicinity of Alte Liebe in case I saw something I couldn’t resist. I didn’t, so supper was at Alte Liebe. I couldn’t read all of the menu description, but I would describe the entree as pork medallions Madagascar. The pate portion was larger than the sample shown in the menu. My meal was delicious. Instead of having ice cream there in the restaurant, I bought a cone as I left. From there I went back to CIAL, where I bought two niku-man at the Kaseiro counter. Then, back to Yokosuka. I had intended to have a kiwi juice at the arcade fruit shop, but they are closing at 1700 for a while. So, I went to New St. Louis for a yogurt parfait. Yum! And so, back to the barracks.
(1) http://www.alteliebe.co.jp/yokohama/index.html
23/24 April 1983 (Sat/Sun): As I thought I would, I forgot to take the other niku-man to C-2 [the Base Admin Bldg.], It’s just as well–my relief came early, so I wouldn’t have had time to eat it. They are alright cold, but I wouldn’t buy any again, unless I definitely intended to cook/heat it/them. I didn’t get to finish my tea, even, this morning. Well, I suppose I could have taken the time to do so, but I wasn’t about to remain at C-2 that long. The squid I had yesterday was as delicious as it was the previous time. The apple was tasty, but my favorites seem to be the fuji apples and golden delicious, so I’ll stick to them. I went back to the barracks after I was relieved. Since I no longer worked at C-2, it’s impractical to leave uniforms there. I rested for a few minutes before changing clothes. Unless I can get to Chuo Station in time for the 0813/14 tokkyu, I’ll try to remember to take the JNR the next time I go to Tokyo on Sunday morning. I was just barely able to get a seat. I learned that the kiosk does carry the Japan Times. Evidently they are sold out by the time I get out of work [not really surprising, since the JT is a morning paper]. They also carry the Yomiuri Times and I bought one of those. I arrived at Higashi Ginza at about 0930, and once in Ginza, I went to the street, since there wasn’t anything else to do. It seems that there are plenty of coffee shops/tea rooms open before 1000, even on Sunday. Ginza Tricolore in Mistukoshi was open, but the "morning service" coffee, a hot dog bun filled with sliced meat, and a foil cup of fruit chunks, wasn’t that interesting. Movenpick’s "farmer’s breakfast" was more interesting, so I had that. The food (grapefruit drink, sliced ham, eggs, toast, and coffee) was good, but the service left a little to be desired (those people were clumsy, too–the waiter dropped a bunch of stuff on the floor and a waitress slipped on the floor there afterward). The coffee was very good, although I had to wait longer for it than I should have. From there to the National Theater. If they had 5500 Yen seats I would have bought one instead of sitting in a folding chair, but I’ll settle for the folding chair. I did enough walking around yesterday that a folding chair is better than walking around this afternoon. The kabuki was excellent. Instead of the back row, I was in a folding chair at the right of row 4. I was at an angle to the stage, but I could see the hanamichi, which I can’t do from 3F in the Kabukiza. Just in case breakfast wouldn’t be enough, I bought a small bento and ate it before the performance (it only cost me 200-250 Yen more than I would have paid for snacks). The act break was too late for lunch. The performance was over at 1440. This gives me time to go to the Ota Memorial Museum(1) for part II of the Hiroshige exhibit. Before going into the museum, though, I’ve stopped at Yoro Compa for a cup of coffee. It’s a coffee shop from 1100-1800 and a pub after 1800. The blend of coffee is better than the straight coffee at the serious coffee shop around the corner. The exhibit was outstanding. There were many items I hadn’t even seen in photo reproductions. Especially interesting was the printed letter paper. High-class writing paper, indeed. Once out of the museum, I noticed the Olympia Foodliner and thought it wouldn’t hurt to look for coffee there, so I wouldn’t need to go into crowded Shibuya. I had forgotten what a wide selection of coffee Seibu has (Key–much more than Mitsukoshi). I bought the European Blend, which looked like the Viennese Roast I used to get at Philips’ . From there to Samrat. It was necessary to look in Tour Companion for address details and to backtrack, but I found it with little trouble. The Samrat Special Thali was excellent. The one vegetable curry was a trifle bland, but the other curries (lentil, mutton, and chicken) were delicious, as were the other items. The nan was one of the best I’ve had. In an ambitious mood, I ordered dessert. They are out of the ras malai, so I ordered the gajor halwa. I hope it’s not excessively rich. As I expected, it was the grated carrot dessert I first had at Moti. Samrat’s is better, but I doubt that I’d want it often. After supper to Shibuya Station [Yamanote Line]. There were so many people in the station that I was surprised to find that there weren’t many people on the train and I had no trouble getting a seat. I bought only a 180 Yen ticket because I had intended to transfer to the Keihin Kyuko at Shinagawa. However, while on the train to Shinagawa, it occurred to me that I could check the Yokosuka Line to see of it was crowded. I was willing to pay a little more and take a little longer if I could get a seat. There were, in fact, plenty of seats, so I took the Yokosuka Line. While in Shinagawa Station, I saw parts of it I hadn’t seen in years, and was interested to see that there are several sit-down restaurants in the JNR part. As the train went through Zushi, I took as good a look out the window as I could get. From what I could see, Zushi will be worth a visit after work. On the way back from the station, I bought a Sangaria cream soda(2). It’s worth buying again. The machine with Suntory coffee outside Zig Zag was working, so I bought a can of Suntory coffee for future use. And so, Back to the barracks.
(1) http://www.ukiyoe-ota-muse.jp/english.html (http://www.ukiyoe-ota-muse.jp/english.html) They have a superb collection of Japanese woodblock prints.
(2) Canned cream soda is essentially the melon-flavored soda without the ice cream.
25 April 1983 (Mon): I finally made it to Hippo today. I don’t think I’d ordered the cream sauce spaghetti again (a trifle bland for my taste), but it was well made and used very fresh ingredients (shrimp, squid, clams), so I’ll go back. The next time I’ll try one of the tomato sauce spaghettis or the dry curry. I had intended to drink a mixed fruit nectar for dessert, but the machine was out of order. I suppose I’m lucky that my coin was returned. After work, the train to Yokohama. I was more in the mood for Chinese food, but I had supper at Morinoki. Having had "noodles" and seafood for lunch, I probably should have ordered something with meat. I ordered the "Porta" set and it was reasonably enjoyable, though. I just didn’t want to spend time making decisions. After supper, I didn’t have time to shop in the Delicious Market, but I did stop by the MMC machines. Something caught my eye. I don’t recall seeing it before–tsubu orange juice. At any rate, it was delicious. From there to the meeting and then back with an assist from Sam. The people(1) wanted to stop for something to eat, which was OK with me. However, their choice of restaurant, Shakey’s(2) wasn’t OK. I begged off and went to get a parfait or something else with ice cream. New St. Louis does indeed close at 2100. Yashima was still open. I had a chocolate sundae. It was good, but they started closing soon after I arrived, and I wasn’t able to take as much time as I would have liked. Reminder–there is no place in Yokosuka to eat ice cream after meetings. I stopped at the Daido machine for muscat/peach nectar and noticed that the machine also had cream soda. I bought a can of that also, but haven’t tried it yet. And so, back to the barracks.
(1) Patients from the Alcohol Rehab Unit at the YokosukaaBase Hospital.
(2) I recently learned that there are [I]still Shakey’s Pizza Parlors in Japan. http://www.rkfs.co.jp/shakeys.html (http://www.rkfs.co.jp/shakeys.html) Japanese only. Not only that, there are still some in the US. They disappeared from the area where I live years ago.
26 April 1983 (Tue): Another experiment today–I ate lunch at Eihoyen, the Chinese restaurant I saw after my trip to Kurihama. I had the ten shin don. I was mildly surprised to see that it had quite a bit of sauce on it. Also, the fact that it was blistering hot made it awkward to eat. After it cooled enough for easy eating, it was evident that the sauce wasn’t as strong as I thought it would be, and it was a good complement to the slightly salty "omelette". I’ll go back. Dessert was an adzuki kobanyaki. As I recall there is a good program on NHK’s "Classical Hour" tonight, but I think I should use any clear days for exploring. It’s clear today, so I’m going to Zushi after work (by JNR, not KHK). That is, I’m on the train now. Well, I’ve done quite a bit of walking in Zushi, but I haven’t really seen anything to bring me back. I walked around for a while and finally figured the way to the beach (one way was inland and in two directions were hills, so the fourth direction must be the way to the beach). I did find the beach, but didn’t see anything identifiable as a restaurant except a Denny’s in the far distance. I made my way back to the area of the JNR station and explored a couple more streets. The one running along (more or less) the tracks was the most promising for places to eat supper. After some consideration, I chose an unagi-ya. If the unagi here is especially good, I may come back here when I want unagi, but don’t need to go to Yokohama. I can buy a variety of things here. There is a decent supermarket near Zushi Station, plenty of confectioneries, and I can buy Caravan coffee in the supermarket. Yes, I suppose it would be worth a trip back to Zushi if I wanted unagi for supper, but didn’t have any particular reason for going to Yokohama. I was mildly surprised to note that it closed at 1930. In fact, most of Zushi seems to close at 1930. I had intended to have dessert at New St. Louis, but remembered that I would be using the JNR rather than the KHK station and New St. Louis would be out of my way. I remembered the appealing desserts I had seen in the fruit shop [I’m still in Zushi], but the restaurant portion was closed. This was when I realized that there was an epidemic of closings (for the night). There was a confectionery, Capito, open. It’s not really different from many others (it’s fancier than Fujiya), but it was at hand when I wanted to buy pastry. I bought some things (there is a serious coffee shop at that location, but the coffee shop was closed) and headed back to Yokosuka. Back in the barracks, I tried the Daido cream soda. It’s not the green soft drink, but something like Calpis soda. Good, though.
27 April 1983 (Wed): Another experiment at lunch. I tried the restaurant, San-Ei [no clues yet as to where this is], that sells straight coffee, but doesn’t serve it. I had the katsu kare, which was quite good. The katsu was larger and leaner than I was expecting. That gives me another good place to have lunch. On the way back, I tried the "strawberry juice" I had seen previously [vending machine?]. It doesn’t beat fresh strawberries, but it makes a tasty, refreshing drink. Despite that fact that I had the supernumerary, I explored some of the bayside area. There isn’t much there, but I did find the main store of Kujakuen. I had supper where I had intended to, around the corner from Seiyu–the tenpura-ya I had once rejected as being too expensive. The main part of the meal was excellent. The pineapple wedge included as dessert was mediocre. It will be convenient when I have a craving for tenpura on nights when it’s not practical to leave Yokosuka. On the way back to base, I checked the ice cream freezer at Fujiya. They had cassis sherbet, which sounded so good that I bought two cups (they were small, anyway). Back in the barracks, I finished the pastry I bought at Capito. Their stuff is good! I’ll be on the lookout for other locations. It would be worth going back to Zushi to shop there!
28 April 1983 (Thu): No experiment for lunch today. I had the "hon-jitsu osusume hin" (today’s recommended course) at the arcade Kujakuen. It started raining this afternoon. As I was walking to the main gate it slackened enough that I thought it would be a reasonable enough risk to go to Yokohama(1). There is more than one restaurant in Yokohama I could have tried. I chose Mr. Mash, the "potato & wine" restaurant between Diamond and Joinus. Excellent food! The potatoes actually have a taste of their own. I "forewent" the wine. I wanted dessert before I left Yokohama. Because it was the peak supper period, everyplace was crowded. I took a good look at Art Coffee and their wares seemed attractive. While I was looking, though, a crowd of about 6-8 people went in, so I figured I wouldn’t get a seat. From there I wandered down to Rolly Polly, thinking that they probably have dessert pancakes. They do, but at first they appeared to be full, I saw a seat, though, and went in. I had the strawberry cake, which was quite good. That and the train fare back to Yokosuka put me close to my daily limit, so I headed back to Yokosuka.
(1) The only risk was in getting to the train station. Once on the train, one could stay out of the rain by staying in the Yokohama Station area.
29 April 1983 (Fri): Because of my new filling, I didn’t feel much like eating lunch. However, I thought I should try to eat something. I thought sushi would be the easiest for me to chew. The sushi was soft, but the pieces tended to fill my mouth, making it very awkward for me to chew, what with my mouth still half numb. I gave up after three plates. I bought three kobanyaki (one for Sakamoto-san(1), forgetting that she had the afternoon off), and eventually ate two of them. After work, I decided that I didn’t feel well enough to go running around Yokohama and then make the trip back standing up in the crowded train. My first stop was Saikaya for some chocolate and their special cake. Then to the jewelry shop (I went past it and had to backtrack) to buy Mother’s gift. I bought a couple of the larger pieces instead of a bunch of smaller ones (Swarovski). After some consideration, I decided that I could get something reasonably easy to chew at Ryu-En. I had the braised tofu with pork and vegetables. It was great!. I finally tried one of the tofu dishes and I’m glad I did. After supper, I bought some pastry at Monsieur Tarte. Their stuff isn’t cheap, but it’s quite good. Then, I decided that it was finally time for me to try the coffee shop in the alley. When they brought my coffee (Mandehling) with the syphon maker, it reminded me of the other shop where they did that. The coffee at this place (Hibi?) Isn’t as good as Yashima, but it’s better than the other place. It’s a very nice place. Perhaps I can use it for variation coffee. And so, back to the barracks.
(1) By this time I am working in a departmental administrative office, rather than in Commander, Fleet Activities (or, Naval Base) Yokosuka Admin Office. Sakamoto-san was the Japanese civilian secretary in the office where I now worked.
30 April 1983 (Sat): I didn’t get quite as early a start as I had intended, but I left at a reasonable time. I just made it to a kaiso tokkyu without running. From Higashi Ginza I walked to the Tourist Information Center for a Tour Companion. They had Sunday’s issue, but no more copies of the previous issue. After that, it was more or less lunch time. I went by Lohmeyer’s, thinking jeans wouldn’t be too tacky at lunch time. They had two lunch sets. The 1500 Yen set included sauerkraut and I wasn’t in the mood for sauerkraut. The 2500 Yen set was more interesting (beef Stroganoff), but I told myself that I should make at least a token attempt to stay within today’s budget and besides, I’d rather have my first meal at Lohmeyer’s be one of their sausage specialties. I wandered down to Mitsukoshi for a pit stop. While there it occurred to me that they might have some pineapple. They did, so I bought some. I also bought some mangos. I wasn’t in the market for canned fruit just yet, but I looked to see what sort of special canned fruits they had in case I want to send some to Mother. Then to see if I could find the alleged Maharao "near Mitsukoshi." I didn’t find it, but I did find an interesting place called The Barn, which is a Japanese version of American rural "meat & potatoes" cooking. I had the "A lunch," which was quite good. The carrot cheesecake was both interesting (not very sweet) and enjoyable. I’ll be going back some time. From there to the theater to buy a ticket for the 1345 showing. I had plenty of time before it started, so I decided to investigate the interesting coffee shop, Ranzu, I had seen a few blocks down the street from Hankyu (away from Harumi Dori toward Shinbashi). The coffee isn’t cheap (400 Yen for Kilimanjaro), but it is excellent. I enjoyed The Verdict [Paul Newman] very much. It certainly did have plotting flaws, but the performances were great. It was well worth seeing. After the movie, it was too early for supper. I had seen in TC that the performances at the Kabukiza start tomorrow. My inclination was to go see one of the performances tomorrow. I drifted toward the Kabukiza and eventually decided to see the matinee performance tomorrow, buying a ticket at the "advance booking" window. From there, I walked back up to the Ginza 4-Chome crossing. On an impulse, I decided to walk on the other side of the street. I usually walk on the same side as the Kabukiza. At the crossing I was a man wearing what I recognized as the Maharajah/Maharao turban, handing out leaflets. I figured that the restaurant must be nearby. I looked, but it wasn’t in the immediate vicinity. I took a leaflet, figuring that even if it was in Japanese (hardly a daring prediction), it might have a map of the location. It does, I found it, so I now know the location of the Ginza Maharajah. By the time I found Maharajah, it was about 1700. I was of a mind to eat at Darie, so I started walking along Ginza-Dori, carefully looking at the restaurants along the way, to see if there was anything interesting. Well, there was, and Darie wasn’t open yet. I’m surprised they don’t open for supper until 1730. Almost everything else around there is open at 1700 or doesn’t even close between lunch and supper. I was on my way back to a crepe restaurant I had seen when my eye was caught by an omelette restaurant. I haven’t had a dinner crepe for a while, but I have had dessert crepes. I decided to try the omelette restaurant. They didn’t have the 3000 Yen dinner (probably out of salmon or asparagus), so I ordered the 2000 Yen dinner, with the shrimp/spinach omelette. The meal was excellent. Another good find. After supper, I thought I should head for Yokosuka. I momentarily considered taking JNR, but took the KHK after all. In the station, I carelessly punched the wrong ticket machine and got a ticket for Oshiage. I was afraid I might have difficulty explaining the situation, but the station master seemed to grasp the problem immediately, and I had no trouble getting the correct ticket. And so, back to the barracks.
(1) This is not the same thing as an American cream soda. In Japan, it is a specific type of ice cream float. The beverage used is a melon-flavored soda.
17/18 April 1983 (Sun/Mon): It’s not that yesterday was non-existent. Because of having a supernumerary and the rain, I didn’t go anywhere. I just read and did laundry. Lunch today was at Genroku Sushi. Afterward, I tried a brand of canned coffee that was new to me. It’s decent. I can’t tell what the brand name is. Because of being in NASAP (talk about preaching to the choir)(1), I can’t make coffee for myself. The NASAP class doesn’t end until after 1645. I didn’t get a train until 1738. (Well, I could have taken a 1733 tokkyu, but the 1738 kaiso tokkyu passes it) I figured this was a good time to try Rio if I wanted to eat before the meeting. It’s reasonably tasty Japanese curry and I was done in time to buy a couple things, finger bananas and custard choux (the Hirota cream puffs I’ve been considering trying for so long), in the Delicious Market. Then the #103 bus (which can make writing a bit difficult. Sam took us to the station again. And so, back to the barracks.
(1) I think NASAP stood for Naval Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention. Sort of a Naval version of D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and no more effective.
19 April 1983 (Tue): I had time to eat at Kujakuen for lunch today. I do like sushi, but no sense pushing it. I had the "today’s recommended course," as usual. That’s a good way of sampling different dishes. The only trouble is, those dishes aren’t on the menu, for the most part. At the end of today’s NASAP session, it began raining in earnest (outdoors, but in earnest). I had considered going to Yokohama, but I was stiff and sore from yesterday’s Physical Training and tired from being stiff and sore. If the weather had been clear, I would have gone anyway, but the combination caused me to stay here in Yokosuka. I had wanted to eat at Pinocchio, forgetting that this is Tuesday, and they are closed on Tuesday. I ended up in Alaska, where I had eaten once or twice toward the end of my tour on the Midway. I had considered eating there a few times this tour, but hadn’t done so yet. I saw an item that looked (in the display case) as though it was hotategai or scallops. I would have preferred the former, but was willing to settle for the latter. I ordered it (I had to guess–they gave me an English menu) and it was scallops, (the menu said scallops, but what is an English term for hotategai?). The cream/mushroom sauce was excellent and I even enjoyed the scallops. With it I had a large, fresh salad and very tasty corn soup. No doubts or indecision about dessert–I came straight to Fujiya for chocolate ice cream pancakes and coffee. Now to buy some canned coffee and fruit drinks for tomorrow and some milk. I did that and then back to the barracks.
20 April 1983 (Wed): A slight experiment for lunch today. My first choice, Ryu-En for noodles, was not yet open (we got out for lunch rather early). I went to Hatsuten to consider things there and saw an advertisement for a pork cutlet lunch for 500 Yen. I tried it and it was a good lunch. The pork cutlet was small but lean. The coffee wasn’t so great, but with a 500 Yen lunch, how good could it be? After "class" I met a couple of the people from NASAP at Chuo Station. They had met a couple of Canadians. My old Tour Companion didn’t have any critical articles, so I let the Canadians have it. I figured they needed it more than I did. I debarked at Kamiooka, my intended destination. One of the first things I saw on leaving the immediate station area was a Mitsukoshi department store. Guess where I went first. It’s a standard suburban department store. If I don’t see anything terribly interesting in the way of restaurants when I continue exploring, I could come back here to the Botejyu on 5F. Provided it’s still open. I was interested to see that UCC rather than Key coffee is sold in B1. I stopped for coffee in the coffee shop–a cup of . It’s excellent coffee. I still haven’t spent 100 Yen. The coffee is only 280 Yen. Well, Kamiooka isn’t exactly a bustling center of commerce and entertainment. There are stores, shops, bars, some (not many) restaurants, and pachinko parlors(1). I did see a restaurant that offered a dinner that caught my eye. It was a combination sushi/tenpura dinner including chawan mushi and suimono. None of those items is new to me, but I decided that I wanted the dinner. It was an eminently worthwhile dinner. The sushi wasn’t as good as that of the large sushi shop in Ginza(2), but I realize that I’m not likely to find sushi such as that very often. I looked around a little more after supper and then took a train back to Yokosuka. In the little dessert shop [Yoshino?] where I used to have kori(3), I’m having a cream (creme?) soda. And so, back to the barracks.
(1) In other words, Kamiooka isn’t a destination in and of itself the way that the Yokohama Station area is, but the businesses in Kamiooka probably serve(d) the needs of the local residents quite well.
(2) Tsukiji Tamazushi in Ginza Core?
(3) A Japanese snow cone or "shaved ice"
21 April 1983 (Thu): Since I got out relatively early for lunch, I tried Saikaya again. To tell the truth, I wasn’t impressed when my lunch was brought to me, but I found it very tasty. Perhaps the third time was the charm in this case. I don’t think I’d go there for supper, but I would go there again for lunch. After NASAP, the big question was "Yokohama or Kurihama?" I didn’t agonize over the decision. I made the decision by the time I got to the ticket machines. I realized that since today is clear, I should go to Kurihama, because even if it rains tomorrow, I’d be willing to spend extra money on a cab since it will be Friday. I wouldn’t want to explore Kurihama in the rain, but I could run around the Yokohama Station area without getting wet. Well, there isn’t really anything in Kurihama except for the restaurant where I had supper. I had an excellent meal–Japanese cuisine–and I’d go back to Kurihama just to eat there. The train fare is only 100 Yen. On the way back from Chuo Station, I looked in a couple of back streets(1) and found a Chinese restaurant worth trying, a spaghetti house lunch possibility, and a dessert shop. I tried the latter, New St. Louis. I had a strawberry waffle that was quite tasty, and the blend coffee was very good. I’ll definitely come back. And so, back to the barracks.
(1) Probably in Odakicho 1-Chome (close to Wakamatsucho 3-Chome) between Sennichi-Dori and the unnamed street between it and National Highway 16.
22 April 1983 (Fri): A quick lunch was necessary today, so I went to Genroku sushi. I was nearly run over getting there (by a sailor, of course), but close doesn’t count in auto/pedestrian tag, so I’m still undamaged. After lunch, I went shopping in Seiyu for tomorrow’s duty day meals. It stopped raining just before I left the office, which I thought was considerate (the rain stopping, not my leaving the office, although that could be considered considerate of me to me). As planned, I went to Yokohama. The Mr. Mash restaurant I had seen on a previous visit seems more a place to have a weekday supper. On my way to Alte Liebe(1), I took a quick look around Takashimaya. They don’t have a "restaurant floor," rather a store "family restaurant" on 8F. I looked around in the vicinity of Alte Liebe in case I saw something I couldn’t resist. I didn’t, so supper was at Alte Liebe. I couldn’t read all of the menu description, but I would describe the entree as pork medallions Madagascar. The pate portion was larger than the sample shown in the menu. My meal was delicious. Instead of having ice cream there in the restaurant, I bought a cone as I left. From there I went back to CIAL, where I bought two niku-man at the Kaseiro counter. Then, back to Yokosuka. I had intended to have a kiwi juice at the arcade fruit shop, but they are closing at 1700 for a while. So, I went to New St. Louis for a yogurt parfait. Yum! And so, back to the barracks.
(1) http://www.alteliebe.co.jp/yokohama/index.html
23/24 April 1983 (Sat/Sun): As I thought I would, I forgot to take the other niku-man to C-2 [the Base Admin Bldg.], It’s just as well–my relief came early, so I wouldn’t have had time to eat it. They are alright cold, but I wouldn’t buy any again, unless I definitely intended to cook/heat it/them. I didn’t get to finish my tea, even, this morning. Well, I suppose I could have taken the time to do so, but I wasn’t about to remain at C-2 that long. The squid I had yesterday was as delicious as it was the previous time. The apple was tasty, but my favorites seem to be the fuji apples and golden delicious, so I’ll stick to them. I went back to the barracks after I was relieved. Since I no longer worked at C-2, it’s impractical to leave uniforms there. I rested for a few minutes before changing clothes. Unless I can get to Chuo Station in time for the 0813/14 tokkyu, I’ll try to remember to take the JNR the next time I go to Tokyo on Sunday morning. I was just barely able to get a seat. I learned that the kiosk does carry the Japan Times. Evidently they are sold out by the time I get out of work [not really surprising, since the JT is a morning paper]. They also carry the Yomiuri Times and I bought one of those. I arrived at Higashi Ginza at about 0930, and once in Ginza, I went to the street, since there wasn’t anything else to do. It seems that there are plenty of coffee shops/tea rooms open before 1000, even on Sunday. Ginza Tricolore in Mistukoshi was open, but the "morning service" coffee, a hot dog bun filled with sliced meat, and a foil cup of fruit chunks, wasn’t that interesting. Movenpick’s "farmer’s breakfast" was more interesting, so I had that. The food (grapefruit drink, sliced ham, eggs, toast, and coffee) was good, but the service left a little to be desired (those people were clumsy, too–the waiter dropped a bunch of stuff on the floor and a waitress slipped on the floor there afterward). The coffee was very good, although I had to wait longer for it than I should have. From there to the National Theater. If they had 5500 Yen seats I would have bought one instead of sitting in a folding chair, but I’ll settle for the folding chair. I did enough walking around yesterday that a folding chair is better than walking around this afternoon. The kabuki was excellent. Instead of the back row, I was in a folding chair at the right of row 4. I was at an angle to the stage, but I could see the hanamichi, which I can’t do from 3F in the Kabukiza. Just in case breakfast wouldn’t be enough, I bought a small bento and ate it before the performance (it only cost me 200-250 Yen more than I would have paid for snacks). The act break was too late for lunch. The performance was over at 1440. This gives me time to go to the Ota Memorial Museum(1) for part II of the Hiroshige exhibit. Before going into the museum, though, I’ve stopped at Yoro Compa for a cup of coffee. It’s a coffee shop from 1100-1800 and a pub after 1800. The blend of coffee is better than the straight coffee at the serious coffee shop around the corner. The exhibit was outstanding. There were many items I hadn’t even seen in photo reproductions. Especially interesting was the printed letter paper. High-class writing paper, indeed. Once out of the museum, I noticed the Olympia Foodliner and thought it wouldn’t hurt to look for coffee there, so I wouldn’t need to go into crowded Shibuya. I had forgotten what a wide selection of coffee Seibu has (Key–much more than Mitsukoshi). I bought the European Blend, which looked like the Viennese Roast I used to get at Philips’ . From there to Samrat. It was necessary to look in Tour Companion for address details and to backtrack, but I found it with little trouble. The Samrat Special Thali was excellent. The one vegetable curry was a trifle bland, but the other curries (lentil, mutton, and chicken) were delicious, as were the other items. The nan was one of the best I’ve had. In an ambitious mood, I ordered dessert. They are out of the ras malai, so I ordered the gajor halwa. I hope it’s not excessively rich. As I expected, it was the grated carrot dessert I first had at Moti. Samrat’s is better, but I doubt that I’d want it often. After supper to Shibuya Station [Yamanote Line]. There were so many people in the station that I was surprised to find that there weren’t many people on the train and I had no trouble getting a seat. I bought only a 180 Yen ticket because I had intended to transfer to the Keihin Kyuko at Shinagawa. However, while on the train to Shinagawa, it occurred to me that I could check the Yokosuka Line to see of it was crowded. I was willing to pay a little more and take a little longer if I could get a seat. There were, in fact, plenty of seats, so I took the Yokosuka Line. While in Shinagawa Station, I saw parts of it I hadn’t seen in years, and was interested to see that there are several sit-down restaurants in the JNR part. As the train went through Zushi, I took as good a look out the window as I could get. From what I could see, Zushi will be worth a visit after work. On the way back from the station, I bought a Sangaria cream soda(2). It’s worth buying again. The machine with Suntory coffee outside Zig Zag was working, so I bought a can of Suntory coffee for future use. And so, Back to the barracks.
(1) http://www.ukiyoe-ota-muse.jp/english.html (http://www.ukiyoe-ota-muse.jp/english.html) They have a superb collection of Japanese woodblock prints.
(2) Canned cream soda is essentially the melon-flavored soda without the ice cream.
25 April 1983 (Mon): I finally made it to Hippo today. I don’t think I’d ordered the cream sauce spaghetti again (a trifle bland for my taste), but it was well made and used very fresh ingredients (shrimp, squid, clams), so I’ll go back. The next time I’ll try one of the tomato sauce spaghettis or the dry curry. I had intended to drink a mixed fruit nectar for dessert, but the machine was out of order. I suppose I’m lucky that my coin was returned. After work, the train to Yokohama. I was more in the mood for Chinese food, but I had supper at Morinoki. Having had "noodles" and seafood for lunch, I probably should have ordered something with meat. I ordered the "Porta" set and it was reasonably enjoyable, though. I just didn’t want to spend time making decisions. After supper, I didn’t have time to shop in the Delicious Market, but I did stop by the MMC machines. Something caught my eye. I don’t recall seeing it before–tsubu orange juice. At any rate, it was delicious. From there to the meeting and then back with an assist from Sam. The people(1) wanted to stop for something to eat, which was OK with me. However, their choice of restaurant, Shakey’s(2) wasn’t OK. I begged off and went to get a parfait or something else with ice cream. New St. Louis does indeed close at 2100. Yashima was still open. I had a chocolate sundae. It was good, but they started closing soon after I arrived, and I wasn’t able to take as much time as I would have liked. Reminder–there is no place in Yokosuka to eat ice cream after meetings. I stopped at the Daido machine for muscat/peach nectar and noticed that the machine also had cream soda. I bought a can of that also, but haven’t tried it yet. And so, back to the barracks.
(1) Patients from the Alcohol Rehab Unit at the YokosukaaBase Hospital.
(2) I recently learned that there are [I]still Shakey’s Pizza Parlors in Japan. http://www.rkfs.co.jp/shakeys.html (http://www.rkfs.co.jp/shakeys.html) Japanese only. Not only that, there are still some in the US. They disappeared from the area where I live years ago.
26 April 1983 (Tue): Another experiment today–I ate lunch at Eihoyen, the Chinese restaurant I saw after my trip to Kurihama. I had the ten shin don. I was mildly surprised to see that it had quite a bit of sauce on it. Also, the fact that it was blistering hot made it awkward to eat. After it cooled enough for easy eating, it was evident that the sauce wasn’t as strong as I thought it would be, and it was a good complement to the slightly salty "omelette". I’ll go back. Dessert was an adzuki kobanyaki. As I recall there is a good program on NHK’s "Classical Hour" tonight, but I think I should use any clear days for exploring. It’s clear today, so I’m going to Zushi after work (by JNR, not KHK). That is, I’m on the train now. Well, I’ve done quite a bit of walking in Zushi, but I haven’t really seen anything to bring me back. I walked around for a while and finally figured the way to the beach (one way was inland and in two directions were hills, so the fourth direction must be the way to the beach). I did find the beach, but didn’t see anything identifiable as a restaurant except a Denny’s in the far distance. I made my way back to the area of the JNR station and explored a couple more streets. The one running along (more or less) the tracks was the most promising for places to eat supper. After some consideration, I chose an unagi-ya. If the unagi here is especially good, I may come back here when I want unagi, but don’t need to go to Yokohama. I can buy a variety of things here. There is a decent supermarket near Zushi Station, plenty of confectioneries, and I can buy Caravan coffee in the supermarket. Yes, I suppose it would be worth a trip back to Zushi if I wanted unagi for supper, but didn’t have any particular reason for going to Yokohama. I was mildly surprised to note that it closed at 1930. In fact, most of Zushi seems to close at 1930. I had intended to have dessert at New St. Louis, but remembered that I would be using the JNR rather than the KHK station and New St. Louis would be out of my way. I remembered the appealing desserts I had seen in the fruit shop [I’m still in Zushi], but the restaurant portion was closed. This was when I realized that there was an epidemic of closings (for the night). There was a confectionery, Capito, open. It’s not really different from many others (it’s fancier than Fujiya), but it was at hand when I wanted to buy pastry. I bought some things (there is a serious coffee shop at that location, but the coffee shop was closed) and headed back to Yokosuka. Back in the barracks, I tried the Daido cream soda. It’s not the green soft drink, but something like Calpis soda. Good, though.
27 April 1983 (Wed): Another experiment at lunch. I tried the restaurant, San-Ei [no clues yet as to where this is], that sells straight coffee, but doesn’t serve it. I had the katsu kare, which was quite good. The katsu was larger and leaner than I was expecting. That gives me another good place to have lunch. On the way back, I tried the "strawberry juice" I had seen previously [vending machine?]. It doesn’t beat fresh strawberries, but it makes a tasty, refreshing drink. Despite that fact that I had the supernumerary, I explored some of the bayside area. There isn’t much there, but I did find the main store of Kujakuen. I had supper where I had intended to, around the corner from Seiyu–the tenpura-ya I had once rejected as being too expensive. The main part of the meal was excellent. The pineapple wedge included as dessert was mediocre. It will be convenient when I have a craving for tenpura on nights when it’s not practical to leave Yokosuka. On the way back to base, I checked the ice cream freezer at Fujiya. They had cassis sherbet, which sounded so good that I bought two cups (they were small, anyway). Back in the barracks, I finished the pastry I bought at Capito. Their stuff is good! I’ll be on the lookout for other locations. It would be worth going back to Zushi to shop there!
28 April 1983 (Thu): No experiment for lunch today. I had the "hon-jitsu osusume hin" (today’s recommended course) at the arcade Kujakuen. It started raining this afternoon. As I was walking to the main gate it slackened enough that I thought it would be a reasonable enough risk to go to Yokohama(1). There is more than one restaurant in Yokohama I could have tried. I chose Mr. Mash, the "potato & wine" restaurant between Diamond and Joinus. Excellent food! The potatoes actually have a taste of their own. I "forewent" the wine. I wanted dessert before I left Yokohama. Because it was the peak supper period, everyplace was crowded. I took a good look at Art Coffee and their wares seemed attractive. While I was looking, though, a crowd of about 6-8 people went in, so I figured I wouldn’t get a seat. From there I wandered down to Rolly Polly, thinking that they probably have dessert pancakes. They do, but at first they appeared to be full, I saw a seat, though, and went in. I had the strawberry cake, which was quite good. That and the train fare back to Yokosuka put me close to my daily limit, so I headed back to Yokosuka.
(1) The only risk was in getting to the train station. Once on the train, one could stay out of the rain by staying in the Yokohama Station area.
29 April 1983 (Fri): Because of my new filling, I didn’t feel much like eating lunch. However, I thought I should try to eat something. I thought sushi would be the easiest for me to chew. The sushi was soft, but the pieces tended to fill my mouth, making it very awkward for me to chew, what with my mouth still half numb. I gave up after three plates. I bought three kobanyaki (one for Sakamoto-san(1), forgetting that she had the afternoon off), and eventually ate two of them. After work, I decided that I didn’t feel well enough to go running around Yokohama and then make the trip back standing up in the crowded train. My first stop was Saikaya for some chocolate and their special cake. Then to the jewelry shop (I went past it and had to backtrack) to buy Mother’s gift. I bought a couple of the larger pieces instead of a bunch of smaller ones (Swarovski). After some consideration, I decided that I could get something reasonably easy to chew at Ryu-En. I had the braised tofu with pork and vegetables. It was great!. I finally tried one of the tofu dishes and I’m glad I did. After supper, I bought some pastry at Monsieur Tarte. Their stuff isn’t cheap, but it’s quite good. Then, I decided that it was finally time for me to try the coffee shop in the alley. When they brought my coffee (Mandehling) with the syphon maker, it reminded me of the other shop where they did that. The coffee at this place (Hibi?) Isn’t as good as Yashima, but it’s better than the other place. It’s a very nice place. Perhaps I can use it for variation coffee. And so, back to the barracks.
(1) By this time I am working in a departmental administrative office, rather than in Commander, Fleet Activities (or, Naval Base) Yokosuka Admin Office. Sakamoto-san was the Japanese civilian secretary in the office where I now worked.
30 April 1983 (Sat): I didn’t get quite as early a start as I had intended, but I left at a reasonable time. I just made it to a kaiso tokkyu without running. From Higashi Ginza I walked to the Tourist Information Center for a Tour Companion. They had Sunday’s issue, but no more copies of the previous issue. After that, it was more or less lunch time. I went by Lohmeyer’s, thinking jeans wouldn’t be too tacky at lunch time. They had two lunch sets. The 1500 Yen set included sauerkraut and I wasn’t in the mood for sauerkraut. The 2500 Yen set was more interesting (beef Stroganoff), but I told myself that I should make at least a token attempt to stay within today’s budget and besides, I’d rather have my first meal at Lohmeyer’s be one of their sausage specialties. I wandered down to Mitsukoshi for a pit stop. While there it occurred to me that they might have some pineapple. They did, so I bought some. I also bought some mangos. I wasn’t in the market for canned fruit just yet, but I looked to see what sort of special canned fruits they had in case I want to send some to Mother. Then to see if I could find the alleged Maharao "near Mitsukoshi." I didn’t find it, but I did find an interesting place called The Barn, which is a Japanese version of American rural "meat & potatoes" cooking. I had the "A lunch," which was quite good. The carrot cheesecake was both interesting (not very sweet) and enjoyable. I’ll be going back some time. From there to the theater to buy a ticket for the 1345 showing. I had plenty of time before it started, so I decided to investigate the interesting coffee shop, Ranzu, I had seen a few blocks down the street from Hankyu (away from Harumi Dori toward Shinbashi). The coffee isn’t cheap (400 Yen for Kilimanjaro), but it is excellent. I enjoyed The Verdict [Paul Newman] very much. It certainly did have plotting flaws, but the performances were great. It was well worth seeing. After the movie, it was too early for supper. I had seen in TC that the performances at the Kabukiza start tomorrow. My inclination was to go see one of the performances tomorrow. I drifted toward the Kabukiza and eventually decided to see the matinee performance tomorrow, buying a ticket at the "advance booking" window. From there, I walked back up to the Ginza 4-Chome crossing. On an impulse, I decided to walk on the other side of the street. I usually walk on the same side as the Kabukiza. At the crossing I was a man wearing what I recognized as the Maharajah/Maharao turban, handing out leaflets. I figured that the restaurant must be nearby. I looked, but it wasn’t in the immediate vicinity. I took a leaflet, figuring that even if it was in Japanese (hardly a daring prediction), it might have a map of the location. It does, I found it, so I now know the location of the Ginza Maharajah. By the time I found Maharajah, it was about 1700. I was of a mind to eat at Darie, so I started walking along Ginza-Dori, carefully looking at the restaurants along the way, to see if there was anything interesting. Well, there was, and Darie wasn’t open yet. I’m surprised they don’t open for supper until 1730. Almost everything else around there is open at 1700 or doesn’t even close between lunch and supper. I was on my way back to a crepe restaurant I had seen when my eye was caught by an omelette restaurant. I haven’t had a dinner crepe for a while, but I have had dessert crepes. I decided to try the omelette restaurant. They didn’t have the 3000 Yen dinner (probably out of salmon or asparagus), so I ordered the 2000 Yen dinner, with the shrimp/spinach omelette. The meal was excellent. Another good find. After supper, I thought I should head for Yokosuka. I momentarily considered taking JNR, but took the KHK after all. In the station, I carelessly punched the wrong ticket machine and got a ticket for Oshiage. I was afraid I might have difficulty explaining the situation, but the station master seemed to grasp the problem immediately, and I had no trouble getting the correct ticket. And so, back to the barracks.