Japan Diary, 15 Feb 1983 - 28 Feb 1983

[Anohito]

As stated before, I have not used long markings over vowels, because the system won't accept them. In some of these diary entries, names have been changed to protect the innocent or to protect me from the guilty.

15 Feb 1983 (Tue): Out late again for lunch. The first few restaurants I checked were or seemed to be full. Eventually, I was on Sennichi-dori near Chuo-Odori. I thought it would be nice to have some broiled eel and looked in the display case of a restaurant I had noticed before, but hadn’t tried. They had an unaju lunch, so I went in to try it. The unaju was delicious, so I’ll keep the restaurant, Fukuju, in mind for lunch in the future. I had to work late again today, so I was late getting out for supper as well as for lunch. I toyed with the notion of having sushi at my favorite sushi-ya (the "old favorite" [don’t remember which one this was]), but they weren’t open, so that settled that. I briefly (very) considered having sushi at Genroku Sushi [the "new favorite"], since I’m having so much trouble getting there for lunch, but I kept to my idea of reserving evenings for more standard sushi-ya. I settled on Ryu-En, where I had a delicious "braised fish w/ three kinds meat." After supper, I decided that I wouldn’t have to heed budget restraints tonight, since today was payday and I received far more money than I was expecting. Even my travel claim check was a little larger than expected. I had room to do justice to a substantial dessert, so to Fujiya for an "old-fashioned pancake set (w/ kocha)." It was quite tasty. And so, back to the barracks.

16 Feb 1983 (Wed): Problems with lunch again today. Even at 1300, Genroku Sushi was full. I went to my "favorite" katsu-ya (the food is a little better than at Fire Katsu Tei) and had a jumbo fire katsu (no rice). Good & lean meat and tasty. I thought it would be a good idea to buy a bento to have for supper, I wasn’t sure, though, that I wanted to keep sushi that long. As it turned out, that wasn’t necessary. As I was going past the outside of the Mikasa Ginza (I had gone into Seiyu but the supermarket was closed), I noticed the display case for the bento shop. I saw a promising bento that seemed to be made with chicken. From what I could read and from dredging other info out of my memory, I deciphered the name as "tori wappameshi." I went in the shop (it’s one of the few MG shops remaining open on Wednesday) to buy one, and sure enough, that was the name. It was a very tasty morsel. The green pickled eggplant that I had bought at Seiyu on Saturday was too salty, though. I managed to eat about all the food in my refrigerator for supper. Actually, I did eat all the solid (or more-or-less so) food and have only liquids remaining.

17 Feb 1983 (Thu): Well, that’s what happens when you don’t pay enough attention to what you are doing. Before lunch, I went to the Windjammer [enlisted men’s club] to cash my check only to discover that it doesn’t open until 1100. I went out for lunch without any further attempt to cash my check, since I had plenty of money. I got to Genroku Sushi a little before 1100 and although the noren was out, no customers were inside (that was a switch!), so I decided to kill some time in the Mikasa Ginza. I found another shop that sells briefcases, but a bit more expensive than the other one. Shortly after 1100, I returned to Genroku Sushi. I was daring and tried a couple of new things. One was interesting and the other was fairly tasty. I got out of work at 1630, which was of little value, because the cold rain discouraged me from running a lot of errands. Seiyu was closed, so I went back to the food floor of Saikaya. I bought some Kilimanjaro at the coffee counter. There were so many other attractive things, many on sale, that it was difficult to make a decision (I was very tired anyway). I did buy a few other items and decided to eat in the dining room, since I knew I could eat cheaply and wouldn’t have to do any extra running around in the rain. I had decided to order the tenpura teishoku when one of the waitresses came around to help me. Therefore, I used the opportunity to order something I couldn’t identify, but which looked promising. It turned out to be a makunouchi bento(1) and was very tasty. The dining room takes "last orders" at 1730, so I could eat there only when I want (and am able to get) an early supper. Because it was still raining, I went directly back to the barracks. While putting on my hat & raincoat at the entrance, I noticed an advertisement for special bento on the 7th floor.

(1) Many restaurants serve "bento" which are not really box/take-away meals at all. They are typically served in compartmented lacquer trays or stacked lacquer boxes.

18 Feb 1983 (Fri): Since I wanted to run some errands during lunch, I decided to buy a bento at Saikaya. After looking for the particular one I wanted for some time, I finally determined that it was sold out. The crush of people and multitude of bento offered made it difficult to choose a bento, but I eventually grabbed one I thought contained sashimi [of course I paid for it!]. From there to the bank. I got a cab ride for only 430 Yen because the driver forgot to start the meter at the beginning of the trip. After running my errands, I went back to the office to eat my bento. It turned out to be sushi. It was reasonably tasty. One of the Osaka types, I think), but it lacked variety. Supper was at Bon Chi. I had a very good kobayaki unagi teishoku that had some tidbits that were new to me(1). Following supper, I went to Fujiya for a substantial dessert. It was a chocolate parfait. Yum. Before returning to the barracks, I decided to do just a bit of exploring. I went to Yokosuka Station. Nothing new along that route. Then, I looked around Shioiri. I saw a couple places I hadn’t noticed before, but no sure restaurant for a very late (after 2300) supper(2). It occurred to me that the Shioiri Sasaya might be a worthwhile place for supper. And so, back to the barracks.

(1) Kobayaki indicates that the eel is served on a (ceramic) dish separately from the rice, instead of being placed on the rice in a lacquer container or a ceramic bowl.

(2) Probably because public transportation stops shortly after 2400, few restaurants are open late. For some reason, "Korean barbeque" restaurants tended to stay open later than other restaurants. There is also the "snack" option. A "snack" is a bar with a food license. Most "snacks" don’t serve anything more involved than instant noodles, though. Being a non-drinker, I wasn’t much inclined to go to any of the "snacks" in the Honcho bar district. If the China Coaster had still been in operation, I would have eaten there from time to time.

19 Feb 1983 (Sat): As planned, I went to the Mikasa Ginza branch Kujakuen [I didn’t know yet that it was a branch] for a dim sum lunch, although I didn’t get there until about 1200, rather than 1130 as originally intended (I spent extra time in the Exchange and examining things I bought). Lunch was delicious, although what I thought were the sesame-covered crunchy cake balls were miniature bean gin doi(1). All delicious, nonetheless. I’m now on my way to Tokyo. Much to my surprise, the last tokkyu (red kanji) express passes through Yokosuka Chuo Station at 2311. That’s much earlier than I had expected. I’ll have to check the southbound schedule at Shinagawa. I may not be able to use the Keihin Kyuko after concerts or kabuki performances. If the JNR also leaves too early, or doesn’t run late enough, I won’t be able to make it back to Yokosuka after Tokyo evening events. I was looking at the schedule on the wrong side of the station. I looked at the correct schedule in Shinagawa Station. Some of the last trains had some indecipherable kanji next to them)2), but I made note of the last trains clearly marked. I went to Hardy Barracks from Shinagawa. Not only did I want a Tour Companion, but I made reservations for the first two weekends in March. I have already seen one of the items at the Shinbashi Enbujo ( I didn’t see it there, but at the kabukiza a few years ago), so the evening performance at the Kabukiza gets preference. Unless I want to see the Noh-style production of Hamlet that is showing tomorrow. From H.B. I went to Coffee Club Roppongi to refresh myself with a cup of Mocha. Having bought the concert ticket at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan ticket office, I decided to see what was on display at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was a bit too late to see the special exhibits, as I should have realized, but I did see a varied assortment of items on display in the basement. As with any mixed exhibit, some items were of no interest, while others were fascinating and/or beautiful. The female torsos with legs ("they move!") and a box (?) With an outdoor night scene were particularly memorable. Then to Keisei to buy some coffee. I wasn’t certain I had seen a coffee section when I was there before, but it’s right by the subway station store entrance. It took me a few minutes to decide to buy the "ice coffee" blend. It looks like a murderously dark roast. I looked around for a bit and probably would have bought some Morozoff pudding I had seen any, but I didn’t see any. I did see some dark chocolate I haven’t tried, so I bought it, instead. By then, it seemed to be time for supper, so I headed for Jyuraku Family Restaurant across the street from Ueno Station on the TBK side. I have been by there, so many times, but never tried the restaurant. When I was by there earlier, the ebi doria(3) had caught my eye, and I had it for supper. It was quite tasty (incl. salad and consomme). At the TBK, after a short debate with myself, I decided to have a coffee float in the coffee shop. However, the coffee shop was full, so no coffee float. The concert was a recital by a violinist who rejoices in the name Lola Bobescu [Roumanian]. The first half of the concert was good, but judging my the second half, I would say that Baroque music (such as the Telemann and Bach violin sonatas she played) is not her forte. The Beethoven Kreutzer sonata, Saint-Saëns Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso, and Golestan (eh?)(4) Romance were given a first-rate treatment. We were treated to three encores. Not only did I hear an excellent concert, but I’ve determined that her recordings of the Viotti concertos will be worth buying. After the concert I went directly back to Yokosuka. On the way back to the barracks I went down Sennichi Dori to see what was open, even though it was before 2300. There were several places still open and a Korean restaurant (not the one where I had supper the other night, but one below it to the right) in "the Honcho." And so, back to the barracks.

(1) Gin doi are Chinese sweets made of mochi rice with a filling. They are ball-shaped, with sesame on the outside, and deep-fried. The ones I had were filled with adzuki bean paste.

(2) Probably indicating that these trains terminate at a station before the end(s) of the line.

(3) In Japanese restaurant parlance, a "doria" is Western-type dish in which the base is a small casserole mainly consisting of rice in a mild cheese cream sauce. The "ebi doria" had shrimp with the base.

(4) If a non-Japanese name that is not familiar to you is rendered in katakana without also being given in Romaji, it can be very difficult to determine what the name actually is.

20 Feb 1983 (Sun): Since I was fairly well dressed, I didn’t want to have lunch at just any noodle or cutlet emporium. I eventually settled on Victoria, since I had considered having meals there in the past. For some reason, I had a desire for the hamburger/shrimp combo, but suppressed it because I thought I should try something else before eating beef there. What I had was something which had caught my eye when I had passed the display case previously, the "mixed fry." It includes corn cream soup, salad, rice (or bread), & coffee and makes an excellent meal. After lunch, I went directly to Tokyo. The first kiosk I tried still had copies of today’s Japan Times(1). My first substantial stop was at Yamano Music. I saw several interesting records I hadn’t noticed before, but what I bought was a set of Bruckner symphonies conducted by Takashi Asahina. Desiring a snack, I set out to find Morozoff(2). I found it, but it was full. The search was not in vain, however, as near it is a branch of the Tenkuni tempura restaurants(3). The mezzanine coffee [snack] shop in Mitsukoshi (Ginza Tricolore) was also full. It was just about 1530 anyway, so I went to the Kabukiza and bought a ticket for the evening performance. I recalled seeing someplace next to the Kabukiza where I could get dessert and there was – a Bunmeido snack shop (w/ bake shop). I had an old favorite – purin a la mode. Rather than try to get a meal during the performance, I’m just having green tea and sato anzu (sugared apricots) during the first intermission. The performance was tremendously enjoyable. The first item was something I had already seen, but it was worth seeing again. The second item was receiving its premiere that month and was notable for using women, albeit offstage as singers. It was delightful(4). The third item was a serious sewamono (domestic drama about ordinary people). tragedy [something of a redundancy, no?]. It had a great deal of dialogue, but the earphone guide gave such detailed descriptions that I had no trouble following the story. Most interesting. After the kabuki, I went directly to Yokosuka. It was still before 2300. I had supper at a restaurant I hadn’t noticed until yesterday. I think the name is Hatsuten. I had a mixed teppanyaki, which was delicious. When I left it was well after 2300 and the restaurant still seemed to be open for customers. Also open were the "old" Korean restaurant, the downstairs "new" Korean restaurant, and the upstairs "new" Korean restaurant. It seems there are sufficient late evening meal opportunities in Yokosuka. And so, back to the barracks.

(1) Kiosks seemed to sell out of the Japan Times (English edition) fairly quickly. I often had trouble finding that newspaper in the morning, unless it was fairly early

(2) Morozoff was a fancy baked goods chain. There was a Morozoff snack shop that could be entered from Ginza Station.

(3) This information did not turn out to be so useful after all. Tenkuni, along with Ten-Ichi, is a rather pricey chain, and I only ate once in that location (or at Ten-ichi). The meal was excellent, though. My primary Ginza tenpura-ya was elsewhere.

(4) It was a dance titled Kannonden, starring the very talented but ill-fated Tatsunosuke, who was to die of the effects of his excessive drinking not so many years later.

21 Feb 1983 (Mon): The big decision this morning was whether or not to go to Yokohama for lunch. I wasn’t sure I could find things to do that didn’t involve a lot of walking around outside. Eventually I decided that at worst, I could park myself in a coffee shop for a while and read. The weather is fairly mild and shouldn’t be a problem, though. I took the JNR, transferring to the Keihin Tohoku line at Ofuna, ending at Ishikawacho Station, which seemed to be the best one for Chinatown. As planned, I had lunch at the main Chunking restaurant. They had eight lunch specials for 800 Yen, and rather than order from the dinner menu, which was my original intention, I took advantage of the opportunity to try the food at a lower price. I had the squid balls, and they were delicious. A very tasty soup was included and enough rice to serve me for 3 or 4 meals. On the main street I noticed an attractive coffee shop serving Caravan coffee, So I decided to have an after-lunch cup of coffee. They do serve straight coffee, but it isn’t as strong as I like it. There is another coffee shop a little way down the street. The next time I’m in Chinatown I’ll try that coffee shop (if I have the time). I stopped at one of the walk-around-and-pick-em-out pastry shops in Chinatown and bought some goodies. From Chinatown, I headed directly for the harbor (noticing a Meidi-ya along the way). That put me very close to the Hikawa Maru(1). I decided that as long as I was in the neighborhood, I’d drop in, but then had second thoughts. Now that I have a camera with me, the ship would be a good place to take photos. I eventually decided that it would be worth two trips. I’m at a souvenir/refreshment room along the route. This will definitely be worth a return visit. To help make sure, I bypassed the aquarium along the way. The Hikawa Maru was quite worthwhile. From the exit, I made my way back to the souvenir counter via a subsidiary entrance/exit and bought a set of postcards. From there to the Trade/Silk Centers. I looked at the displayed (outside) menu of a French restaurant above the Sanbo Hall and was surprised to see that the prices were moderate for a French restaurant. I checked at the tourist office for this week’s TC and was told what I had forgotten I was told the last time I asked–that I could get them in the Shopping Arcade. I didn’t find them before, but I did find them this time, at an unstaffed information desk. Unfortunately, the copies were two issues old. Anyway, I was able to buy a Japan Times. Then, to the Silk Museum, which was fascinating. I learned much more about sericulture than I have space of time to describe here. They also had many gorgeous modern and antique silkstuffs. From there, I set out to Kannai Station, wondering if I should have coffee before I catch the train or around Yokohama Station. I passed a couple of coffee shops, but then saw one that looked like it would be a serious coffee shop (yes, they usually have a certain look about them). It’s not great coffee, but good coffee (Mitsumoto) and strong enough for my taste. Now to Yokohama Station and supper. Since I hadn’t been in Lumine yet, I decided to investigate the restaurants there. I was glad I did. They have many attractive restaurants. Three in particular caught my eye. Rather than wasting time trying to choose one, I simply decided to eat at the first one I had seen, Kadoya, where I had a tenpura teishoku (it’s called something else) with chawan mushi [a savory custard], a little dish of a special sashimi (a fish darker than maguro–katsuo?), and special flavored rice (also miso soup, of course). It was delicious. Since I was running low on change, I gave a quick look in the "Delicious Market" to see if there was anything I needed to buy. I would have bought a can of coffee cream if I had seen a coffee section, but I didn’t, so I couldn’t. Anyway, I went out to the bus terminal (east side) and caught the bus to the meeting. I followed the route on my Yokohama map, so I can catch the bus from Isezaki shopping street, or other areas, without going back to Yokohama Station. After the meeting Sam drove me to Byobugaura Station. And so, back to the barracks.

(1) A former (early 20th century) ocean liner, not particularly large, still there at the same place in the harbor as of July 2002. Unlike the Mikasa, Admiral Togo’s flagship in the battle of Tsushima Strait, the Hikawa Maru is in the water, rather than set in concrete.

22 Feb 1983 (Tue): Because of Sue’s broken arm(1), I probably won’t be able to get out early for lunch until she is back at work. No sushi for lunch in the meantime. I can eat at Bon Chi and Madoca most of the time. I went to Bon Chi today and had the "yakisoba ebi [shrimp] salad," which was quite tasty. Afterward, I bought some more mikan. They probably won’t be available much longer. After I finally got some Yen and got off base I had supper at Ryu En. I wanted to eat where I knew I could get a good meal and wasn’t really in a mood to experiment, although I was momentarily tempted by the pizza at Pinocchio (above Yashima). Anyway, I had sauteed pork with garlic and cabbage and it was delicious. I checked Yashima for canned coffee cream (I knew I should have bought a can when I saw it at Keisei), but didn’t see it. I checked Fujiya (dessert), but as I suspected, the restaurant was closed. Although I hardly need a cup of coffee, I thought I’d try the coffee shop I saw back when [something omitted here] I thought might be a serious coffee shop. It is, but they serve Mitsumoto coffee and it’s only fair. You do get a large serving of coffee, though. I tried my second cup (they give you the bottom half of the siphon with the rest of the coffee) without sugar, but with cream. Interesting, but I’m not sure I care for it. Oh well, there’s always Yashima. It’s too bad the coffee here isn’t so good, you get a large serving for 350 Yen. No canned coffee cream there, either. The same lady was fiddling again with the vending machine that sells the muscat/peach juice, so none of that, either. The little store across from 109 House was still open, but no canned coffee cream. And so, back to the barracks.

(1) A female sailor who worked in the Admin Office. She broke her arm on a skiing trip, skiing carelessly.

23 Feb 1983 (Wed): Perhaps Maison de Madoca doesn’t have a large selection of inexpensive lunches, but what I had today was delicious–shredded chicken w/ soup noodles. The 60 Yen kobanyaki shop was closed(Wed.), so I had a kobanyaki from the 70 Yen shop for dessert. Very tasty. Actually, the 60 Yen kobanyaki are a trifle better. Tonight I was in a mood to experiment, so I went to Pinocchio for a pizza. The salami pizza & crab salad [kani sarada] were great! Now I know where to go when I’m hungry for pizza(1). I still have room for a substantial dessert, so I’m at Fujiya for a raspberry yogurt parfait. Yum! The vending machine with the muscat/peach juice was in operation, so I bought a couple of cans. And so, back to the barracks.

(1) The Japanese have (had?) some ideas about pizza that are rather different from American ideas. Nevertheless, pizza is one of those things brought into their culinary culture that they end to do very well.

24 Feb 1983 (Thu): Another delicious lunch at Genroku Sushi. I tried another, well two, new kinds of sushi. The mantis shrimp was delicate and tended to get lost in the rice. I wouldn’t hesitate to eat it as sashimi. I went to Seiyu to buy supper (duty tonight). I bought some shoyu chicken & sashimi. Both were delicious. I also bought a small bottle of Kikkoman (soy sauce) to keep at work.

25 Feb 1983 (Fri): I was not able to go off base for lunch and didn’t have anything in the refrigerator. The less said about lunch, the better. Late in the afternoon, I finally remembered to call Hardy Barracks about my reservation. I learned that somehow a mistake was made(1) and they only have a reservation for one night and they are full. I’ll know tomorrow if they have a cancellation. I had to work late, of course, but finally left base and caught the 1746 tokkyu ("red kanji" express). On the trip to Tokyo, I had tentatively decided to go outside Roppongi for supper, say to Taj or Darie. However, when I arrived at HB and looked at their week’s Tour Companion, I saw an article about a new Afghan restaurant and just had to try it. It’s called Laila, and is here in Roppongi. The food was very good (the pilaf was a bit odd–the carrot slivers and raisins were about all it had in common with Khyber’s rice), but the prices are a bit on the high side. On the way back to HB, Roxy and Meidi-ya were still open, but I didn’t buy anything else to eat. I have a craving for something else sweet and am tempted to go back out for a can of juice, but I shouldn’t, because I’m quite full. Also, I’m tired.

(1) Perhaps I was just fortunate in my dealings with Japanese hotels, but none of them ever made such a mistake. Although HB did have some Japanese staff, it was basically a U.S. military operation, and typical U.S. military attitudes and practices were encountered there.

26 Feb 1983 (Sat): I’m still not sure in which room I’ll be staying, but if nothing is available on the 4th floor, they will put me in 518. It doesn’t have a television, but that is no loss. Even if it doesn’t have a refrigerator, that is all right. I’ll have to come back later today, but I had decided that I wouldn’t go to the kabuki (Shinbashi Enbujo, since I’ve seen both programs at the Kabukiza) today. That means I’ll miss this month’s Shinbashi Enbujo program entirely, but I’ve already seen one of the items. It is worth seeing again (Kanjincho), but I suspect another opportunity to see it will come along(1). It was too early for lunch when I left HB, so my first stop was Coffee Club Roppongi for a cup of Golden Camel blend. It isn’t at all reminiscent of a camel. In fact it’s delicious. Perhaps I should examine my Tour Companion to get some idea of where I’ll have lunch. At present, I have very little idea, except that I have a vague intention of stopping at Ginza Mitsukoshi for "ice coffee"(2). I did, but they didn’t have it. I took a look at Matsuya’s coffee section and they have an "ice mix" that I bought. I’ve never had their brand (Capital) of coffee in the ground form, but it doesn’t hurt to try it at least once. By then, I had decided to have lunch at Ghandara. I had the deluxe lunch set w/ rice, nan, a lamb (minced) barbeque "stick," a vegetable curry, a chicken curry, and coffee. It was delicious and satisfied my urge for curry. Then to Wako for the Soichiro Tomioka exhibition. It was interesting, and indeed captured the "snowness" of fresh snow, but the paintings tended more to the abstract than I prefer. They were representational, albeit heavily "impressionistic" in a way that is original as far as I know. Then, to Maruzen to buy books. I bought the romanized Japanese to English dictionary that I had seen before, the Waley translation of Noh plays (also seen before), and Keene’s translation of Dazai’s No Longer Human. I don’t list such purchases in my budget. I should probably devise a method of accounting for them. I have plenty of money left, but I may not always have so much money readily available. Anyway, from Maruzen across the street to Takashimaya. I located their coffee section (by the west stairway in B1). I didn’t notice what brand of coffee they sell, bus the cases look like the same sort Matsuya uses for Capital. That doesn’t prove anything, however... It took me several minutes to locate the stairway to B2 (west stairway–I was primarily looking for the way down to B2 when I noticed the coffee section). I did find it, though, and had a very tasty fruit bavarois (frutsu babaroa) From Takashimaya, I walked to the Yamatane Museum of Art for the current exhibit. The Yamatane exhibit was excellent, as always. They didn’t have any postcards of my favorite paintings, though. Afterward, I investigated Coffee Fuji, which isn’t a serious coffee shop, as it turns out. From curiosity I tried the "honey coffee," even though my own experiment with honey coffee wasn’t satisfactory. They have made a better match of honey and coffee than I did, though, because it’s excellent. The coffee itself seems quite good for a non-serious shop. Then back to HB. They didn’t have anything on the 4th floor, so I went into 518. No wonder they were reluctant to put me here–it’s a private room. They can put me here anytime! Because it was a trifle late, I considered going to a concert rather than the meeting, but I eventually went to the meeting. I met Bob there and we repaired to Nicola’s afterward for supper and conversation. We made plans to go sightseeing tomorrow. I managed to prevent him from picking up the whole tab himself. Bearing in mind the possibility that he would try to do so, or rather insist on it, I had a smaller supper than I wanted. Therefore, I compensated by getting an orgy of pastry from Ginza Cozy Corner. And so, back to HB.

(1) Kanjincho, one act of a play that is seldom performed in its entirety, is very popular.

(2) Coffee that is blended and roasted specifically for making iced coffee.

27 Feb 1983 (Sun): Coffee Club Roppongi wasn’t open when I went past it this morning, so I decided to wait until Abiko before stopping for coffee. I stashed my bag in Ginza Station and took the Hibiya and Chiyoda Lines (change at Senju) to Abiko. I had underestimated the amount of time necessary to get to Abiko, so it’s just as well that CCR wasn’t open. It’s also a good thing that I didn’t get to Abiko early because Bob decided to wait for me in the station rather than at Daiei. He pulled a fast one on JNR. I had wondered who I was going to pay for the rest of my ticket (I had only paid to Kita Senju from Ginza, intending to pay the balance on leaving the station at Abiko) when I saw him in the station, inside the ticket takers. While I used the toilet, he went outside and bought a ticket for me. He hadn’t bought one for himself, as he bought one from the conductor on the train. Once in Mito, we finally had lunch (I had expected to have lunch in Abiko). Bob had asked me on the train what my favorite Japanese food was and I said probably unagi. In Mito Rose Land (a vertical mall owned by Takashimaya) I realized that Bob was looking for a restaurant that served unagi and told him it wasn’t necessary. Bob eventually settled on a restaurant. I ordered something relatively simple, Katsu kare [an inexpensive pork cutlet on rice, in a bowl, with curry sauce over it] It was quite tasty and included a salad. Some pickles were served with it and I especially liked the picked onions. For dessert, we had a cake/chocolate set w/ coffee. The coffee wasn’t bad at all. From there, we took a bus to Kairokuen [garden famous for its plum trees]. Lots of other people had the same idea of visiting Kairokuen. It was like Shinjuku without the buildings. The plum trees were not yet at their prime, but they had started to bloom. Bob seemed to be disappointed, evidently (from his remarks) expecting an extensively landscaped garden such as Sankei-En (in Yokohama). There were good views from the park, though, especially from the Tokugawa mansion, Kobuntei, which was most interesting [for me, at any rate]. I bought three boxes of excellent manju and other goodies. I suppose it’s a good thing I had only sampled those three things, otherwise I would have been tempted to buy others as well. As it is, I’ll have to share what I have with the people at work, because I can’t eat all of it. At Mito Station, I saw Bob notice some sort of ticket window, whereupon he asked me to wait. Perhaps I should have spoken when I hear him mention Shinagawa, because I didn’t need a ticket to Shinagawa, since my bag was at Ginza Station. I was sure he was buying a ticket for me and he was, as it later became clear. There was some delay en route because of an accident farther up the line. It was the first significant delay I’ve experienced on a Japanese train. "First time for everything." Bob saw me off on the Yamanote Line, but I debarked at Yurakucho to have supper in Tokyo. I was headed for Indonesia Raya When I saw the Thai restaurant, Chiang Mai, and changed my mind. I had an excellent meal featuring Thai style cooked tuna. However, I have reservations about their practice of playing the same song over and over again. After supper, I stopped at a coffee shop along the way. I was sure they would have straight coffee (lots of dark wood in the decor) and they do–Caravan and delicious. Now that I’ve had some serious coffee, maybe I’ll have dessert in Tokyo, since I have plenty of time. The coffee shop gave me a chance to catch up on my notes. Upon leaving the coffee shop, I returned to a short street through which I had passed after leaving Yurakucho Station. The one coffee and cake shop I had seen was closing, so I went into the Cafe Terrace. I saw something interesting in the display case, a mousse fromage, but they were out of it. The waiter gave the impression they were closing soon (they weren’t!), so I fell back on an old standby, a chocolate parfait. Fortunately, it was a fine example of said dessert. From there, I got my bag from the coin locker and returned to Yokosuka. And so, to the barracks.

28 Feb 1983 (Mon): Lunch was a very tasty oyster fry set at Bon Chi. It includes a small salad and is garnished w/ some cooked vegetables. The corn was canned and mediocre, but the others were fresh and were tasty little morsels. I suspect that the meal also includes rice from the way they asked me at least twice if I wanted rice. I was afraid I wouldn’t get out of work in time for the meeting, but as it happened, I’ll probably have time for supper before the meeting. Actually, I didn’t quite have time to eat where I had supper, at Iraka (Kansai cuisine). I suppose I should have realized that there wasn’t time for a complex meal. I don’t know the name of what I had, but the tempura, chawan mushi, and miso shiru were delicious. The bamboo basket of tidbits was interesting. Some of them were quite tasty, some were interesting, and one was a bit too strange [probably natto]. I missed the bus. I realized well beforehand that I would and didn’t try to rush to make it. I looked around the "Delicious Market" for a few minutes, but of course, didn’t see anything practical to take with me. I also saw Lumine’s serious coffee shop, but it uses Mitsumoto coffee. Question–why does canned MMC coffee taste better than the MMC coffee I get in shops? I’ll probably try the shop at least once. I went to buy my usual can of coffee before catching the bus and pushed the wrong button. Now I have a can of lemon tea I don’t really want. The bus finished its route a couple of blocks before the 1646 bus does. I don’t know why the 1706 bus doesn’t carry passengers the other two blocks. Sam wasn’t at the meeting, so I couldn’t say hello to him for Bob. Jim took some of us to Byobugaura Station. I went to Victoria for dessert. I had been wondering whether to have ice cream or yogurt, so I had a yogurt parfait that included both!. And so, back to the barracks.