Japan Diary 1 April - 15 April 1983

[Anohito]

Ooops! I omitted the whole month of April.

1 April 1983 (Fri): Lunch today was at Genroku Sushi. I had two plates of the higher-priced sushi because I didn’t see any sense in being miserly. It doesn’t add that much to the cost. After lunch, I went shopping at Seiyu for food for tomorrow’s meals. It was an effort to keep from buying a lot more than I need. I finally bought some things to heat in the microwave and some bread, peanut butter, and jelly as well. [After work] I considered going to Tokyo, but the weather and lack of concert info made me reject the idea. In spite of the weather, I am going to Yokohama. I want to so something a little bit special the evening before a weekend duty day. Supper was at the restaurant in Lumine where I saw the unagi dinners. I had the matsu unaju, and it was outstanding. I doubt that I’ll ever feel like eating unagi ant Bon Chi again, even though Bon Chi’s unagi isn’t really bad. Anyway, after supper I came down to Puti (?)(1) Lumine for a coffee float. Then, I bought some goodies in the "delicious Market," a couple of manju (?) I haven’t noticed before, from Bunmeido; a baumkuchen on sale; and jam ...& almond biscuits from Kiku-ya. That gave me a fair amount of goodies, so I decided that I should call it an evening. And so, back to the barracks.
(1) It didn’t occur to me at the time that the phonetic symbols used must have meant "petite."
2 April 1983 (Sat): I wasn’t able to go anywhere because of duty, but I might as well describe the food I bought to eat today (yesterday–I’m writing this on 3 March). For a variety of reasons, I didn’t get around to having any peanut butter & Jelly sandwiches. (Also, I ate the duck & orange Sunday morning.) The squid morsels were delicious. I definitely want to have more of them. The shrimp kakiage came out soggy, which didn’t surprise me. It was quite good, though. The apple was as good as the first one of that type had been. The mango was delicious. The duck was also delicious. That’s another thing I’ll have again. The navel orange was good & juicy with tender segments.
3 April 1983 (Sun): I got started later than I had wanted to because there were things I had to do to get ready. I had to stand all the way to Higashi Ginza when I was extremely tired to begin with. Then, I went to the National Theater only to find that the kabuki performances don’t begin until tomorrow. I did have a "back-up event, though, some sort of concert at Kan-i Hoken Hall(1). I hadn’t intended to eat anything beforehand, but on impulse stopped at a likely looking Chinese noodle & rice emporium since it appeared that I had plenty of time. The ten shin don was excellent, better than Hosyo’s. I didn’t catch the name of the place, but it is conveniently located and will be a handy place to have a light meal before or after concerts at Kan-i Hoken Hall. After lunch, I went to the hall and bought my ticket. I was rather unhappy when I saw the size of the line waiting to get in. It didn’t seem that the hall would hold that many people. Well, it did [of course]. I was also skeptical when I saw that the concert program consisted of short pieces and excerpts. However, it was an enjoyable concert, and besides, it isn’t every day you get to hear a child prodigy. The soloist in the 1st movement6 of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto is only five years old, if I read the program correctly.(2) She looks it. She’s also a tremendous talent. She’s so young that I may not hear much of her for quite some time start her public career slowly(3). I feel much better now that I’ve had a chance to sit for a while. If I could think of something that could keep me occupied until supper and off my feet, I’d have supper tonight at Lohmeyer, but as it is, I’ll have supper in Yokohama. Once in Yokohama, I first looked in the large book shore in Diamond Shopping Center to see what chess books they have. They do have some, including the complete "Chess Master Series." Then, I investigated the upper floors of CIAL. I saw two stereo combos for 60,000 Yen and 40,000 Yen. Those are good prices, but they would still be awkward to carry back to Yokosuka, even though they are small (relatively). Then, to Alte Liebe, where I had a sauerbraten dinner. It was a good meal, and I’d go back, but the sauerbraten suffered a bit in comparison with some I’ve had in the past(4). Next time, I’ll have pork, chicken, or fish, as I usually do. I definitely want more of their ice cream(5). After supper, back to Yokosuka. I nearly had a cream soda at Elbe, but decided against it. However, by the time I reached the arcade, I thought I should sit and have a little something to eat or drink before walking all the way back to the barracks. I looked at the display case for the snack shop behind the fruit shop and saw "kiwi juice"! I had to try one and it’s the best way to have kiwi. They have lunch sets here. I’ll have to remember that. And so, back to the barracks.
(1) This concert hall is at U-Port, a complex run by the Japanese postal insurance system. http://www.u-port.fukushi.kampo.japanpost.jp/ Japanese only. The facilities include wedding halls/rooms and a hotel. It is at 8-4-13 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku
(2) I didn’t–she was in the fifth grade.
(3) Something has been omitted in haste–the intention is clear enough, though.
(4) I’ve never had sauerbraten as good at that I had at the one restaurant in Baltimore in 1967.
(5) The restaurant had a sort of ice cream stand attached to the it, but opening onto the shopping center (underground) passageway. They had a number of interesting flavors one doesn’t find in the U.S., such as marron.
4 April 1983 (Mon): Well, I finally had Chinese fried noodles for lunch, but not at Madoca. I went to Ryu-En and had their ebi yakisoba, which was delicious. I suppose I’ll only go to Madoca when I want their sou[ noodles (unless it’s rainnig). I got away from work (escaped!) In time to catch the kaiso tokkyu (1718), and so was able to have supper before the meeting. Tops & Saxon was full, so one possibility was immediately eliminated. I chose the katsu-ya, where I had a mixed fry (that’s not the name of it, but that’s what it is) dinner. It was quick and delicious. That makes one more place where i can get a good meal before meetings. I resolutely headed for the bus stop after supper, rather than try to find something I could eat on the way to the meeting. As a result, I arrived at the bus stop in time to get a seat. After the meeting, I got a ride back to base. I didn’t ask to be let out before entering the base(1). I figured that would be rubbing their noses in it. And so, back to the barracks.
(1) I was with some of the patients from the Alcohol Rehab Unit.
5 April 1983 (Tue): I was in the mod for okonomiyaki at lunch, so I went to Bon Chi. Okonomiyaki is one of the things they do well, and I don’t know of anyplace else in Yokosuka that has it. After leaving work, I went to the Sasaya coffee store and bought some golden Camel Blend. Then I decided to do a little exploring. I looked at the street to Yokosuka Hotel (partway) and a few blocks I hadn’t examined before, but didn’t see much in the way of restaurants. In the alley in the block between Seiyu and Midoriya there was an attractive sushi-ya, but it appeared to be getting full, so I moved on. I thought of a restaurant that had slipped my mind, but it seemed pricey judging by the display case. Next, I considered the old Korean restaurant(1), but decided I was hungry for sushi. However, the old sushi-ya [location and name forgotten] was doing something with a lot of dishes on the counter and Genroku Sushi was full. I ruled out Korean food because I realized that it might irritate my mouth. When in doubt, eat at Ryu-En, so here I am. Since I needed to do laundry tonight, I didn’t linger in town after supper, but bought some goodies at Fujiya and headed back to the barracks.
(1) Probably the Korean restaurant near Shioiri Station rather than the one with the bovine sign on Sennichi-dori.
6 April 1983 (Wed): Another experiment for lunch. I originally had Genroku Sushi in mind, but it was full. I gravitated to Sennichi-dori and found myself at the tenpura-ya. The tendon had caught my eye before, so I decided to try it. It’s quite tasty and an excellent bargain. They use four shrimp (vice prawns) and three small aji. I should remember to carry kleenex with me, so I’ll have something with which to wipe my fingers after removing bones from my mouth. You also get miso-shiru with the tendon. After lunch I went to Seiyu to buy groceries. The main item I wanted was sashimi to complement the peanut butter & Jelly sandwiches. That may sound like a strange combination, but it worked. I also bought some soft drinks, cocoa, and another loaf of bread in case the one I had bought Friday was no longer good. As it turned out, the new loaf wasn’t needed. I could have had supper in town, but I wanted to try the peanut butter & jelly. It was quite tasty.
7 April 1983 (Thu): I was hungry for sushi and wanted a quick lunch (errands on base), so what better place for lunch than Genroku Sushi? I was able to get a seat, which was fortunate. They had both kohada and saba while I was there and the tamako-yaki was better (or seemed so) than the first time I had it. On leaving work it seemed that the weather was headed for rain, so I was reluctant to go to Yokohama, as had been my original intention. However, I’m not wearing dressy clothes and I have my umbrella, so I went to Yokohama after all. Being hungry for tenpura, I tried the tenpura-ya in Lumine and had an outstanding tenpura (jo) teishoku for 1500 Yen(1). On leaving Lumine, I decided to look in their book department for chess books. I didn’t find them by looking for the shogi [the Japanese board game analogous to Western chess) and go books (they were in a corner that escaped my attention) and so had to ask. I bought the translation of the Fisher book for B*****. I considered the 680 Yen book [which book?] they had, but it seemed to me that there was a better one in the book store in Diamond Shopping Center. I guess I was wrong, or it has been sold since last I looked. I didn’t buy anything in that bookstore. I wandered around Diamond Shopping Center, looking for some place which might excite my interest in dessert. I did find a place called Francais in an area connected to DSC. It has a "shyu (choux?) marron," [yes, choux], which is ice cream in a cream puff shell with marron paste ribbons (strings?), garnished with two banana halves, and topped with whipped cream. Yum! Following dessert, I went back to Yokosuka. I stopped at Fujiya for one of the dark chocolate bars I saw on a previous visit. While waiting for the light to cross the highway at the main gate, I remembered that I didn’t have any coffee in the refrigerator. I bought a can from a nearby machine. And so, back to the barracks.
(1) In the case of more than one grade of a dinner or type of item, the best/better one was usually designated "jo" or "upper/highest/best."
8 April 1983 (Fri): I’m finally feeling relatively decent. Tired, but decent. I haven’t been the same since my teeth were cleaned this morning. The technician was too rough and I’m certain she used too much fluoride solution. I recently realized that I hadn’t tried Tamayone(1) and that it would be useful for lunch (if the food is any good) when it rains. I had intended to try it on the next day it rained. Well, there was rain today, but the fluoride solution was obviously affecting my sense of taste, so I decided that today wasn’t a good day for experiments. The "today’s recommended course" at Kujakuen looked appetizing and was delicious. Perhaps it wasn’t necessary to avoid trying something new, but I’m not sorry I did. I probably had a better meal at Kujakuen than I would have at Tamayone. I had a kobanyaki for dessert. After work, I went directly to Hardy Barracks and checked in. As planned, I went to Moti for supper. They were busy, but not full. I had forgotten that they don’t have the sag paneer. Maharajah does, but not Moti. I had the chicken zanjiri, which was excellent. I bought pastry at Belle rather than Don Q. For one thing, I don’t want to get tired of Don Q’s pastries, and for another, I wanted Belle’s purin, so I would have at least two of the cups to send to Mother. On the way back to Hardy Barracks, I stopped at the Suntory machine to buy coffee. I was so startled when I noticed that it was empty of coffee, after I had inserted a coin for the second can, that in my anxiety about regaining the coin, I forget about the can I had already bought and had to go back for it. And so, back to HB.
(1) This was probably the small general Japanese restaurant on a corner of NH 16 and the street leading into the base at Womble Gate, open only during morning and evening rush hour periods.
9 April 1983 (Sat): I sem to have damaged the point on my clock pen. Oh well, the clock didn’t work, and it was awkward to use. I left HB early to go viewing cherry blossoms at Aoyama Cemetery. It was a fortunate decision. The cherry blossoms were at their peak and were absolutely beautiful(1). After walking to the other end of the cemetery, I continued to the highway through Aoyama [Aoyama Dori]. I immediately noticed the CI PLAZA ("shi-ai"). It’s a most attractive place, with a Renown Milano branch, a Ten Ichi branch, Au Fin Bec, a Chinese restaurant, and a UCC Cafe Plaza. The latter place seemed to provide a good opportunity to sample UCC straight coffee, which I don’t recall having before (at least I haven’t had any knowing it was UCC coffee). It provides as pleasing an aspect inside as it does outside, and the coffee is excellent. I’m debating the advantages and disadvantages of having lunch in the Chinese restaurant here. Its decor is on the fancy side, and the prices probably complement the decor. However, I want to visit Shinjuku Park before stopping at Isetan and Kinokuniya. I’ll most likely be having supper at the "coffee & potato" place in Roppongi(2) and it isn’t expensive, so I can afford to splurge a bit for lunch. I did have lunch at the Chinese restaurant, whose name is Togenkaku. The prices aren’t bad. I had pork with broccoli. For that dish, the pork is cooked using the high-heat Chinese "pressure cooker" method(3). As with my first experience with that type of cooking, in Washington, DC, it’s slightly odd at first taste, but it was very well prepared and very tasty. However, I hope they don’t use that method with too many dishes, because things cooked that way tend to taste the same. It probably doesn’t matter much, since the restaurant isn’t in a particularly convenient location for me. After lunch, to Shinjuku Gyoen. I hadn’t gone very far through the park when I was sidetracked by the greenhouse complex. When I first entered the park, I was wishing that I had my camera, but the greenhouses have such an amazing profusion of fascinating plants that I wouldn’t have had enough film with me to do justice to them, because I wouldn’t have been expecting anything like this. It’s already after 1300. I won’t make it to the Kabukiza tonight. The garden was magnificent. There were different types of cherry trees and other blooming plants. On leaving the park, I went to Isetan to buy Yen. My military ID confused them, but I got the money. Then, to Kinokuniya to buy books for B*****. I was able to buy the three I wanted. After that, Lo & behold, I had time to get to the Kabukiza by 1530. There was a long line of people with pre-bought coupons or tickets. They were getting the tickets stamped or turning in the coupons for tickets, I didn’t see which, because I didn’t gawk. Anyway, the staff was moving people who wanted to buy tickets to the head of the line. I hadn’t intended to have anything like a meal at the Kabukiza, but I was hungry, so I tried the oden teishoku at the oden shop. It was tasty. The kabuki was excellent. The play included a little near-no. After the play, instead of going anywhere for supper, I went to Tontei, recommended by Tour Companion, for a snack. I had the fillet katsu, which was delicious. The waiter asked me twice if I wanted rice, but I didn’t want a meal, I only wanted a snack. Back in Roppongi, I bought a couple of things in Belle. The Suntory machine had coffee again, so I didn’t have to buy other coffee. And so, back to HB.
(1) I had read somewhere that Aoyama Cemetery was not widely known as a cherry blossom viewing site, but had many fine trees. Since then I’ve seen it mentioned once, at most, as a "hana-mi" site.
(2) A restaurant more-or-less across the street from the Pacific Stars & Stripes complex (where Hardy Barracks is). The sign above the door had the words "coffee & potato" in English on it, in addition to the name, and maybe something else. As it turned out, I had supper elsewhere.
(3) I’m not sure about this. At any rate, the pork had the texture of the meat in the "twice-cooked pork" dishes I used to get in Washington, DC.
10 April 1983 (Sun): I slept too late to go to a kabuki performance today (unless I got ready & checked out in a panic rush, which I wasn’t willing to do). Since there was no rush to go anywhere, I had a cup of "antique blend" in Mitsukoshi [Ginza] after stashing my suitcase in a coin locker. Before leaving Mitsukoshi, I bought half a cut pineapple. I went to Matsuya’s Restaurant City for lunch. They didn’t have a restaurant that is particularly Italian, but I saw something appetizing at Au Fin Bec, the Mediterranean Doria, which was delicious. I also had a vegetable salad. To replace my defunct clock pen, I bought a dark blue Hi-Tecpoint. Then to Ueno. The crush of people outside the station was phenomenal. Despite the drizzle, there were plenty of people picnicking in Ueno Park. Any excuse to drink beer and sake, I suppose. The cherry blossoms are just barely past their peak, but still beautiful. The exhibit (from Boston) at the Tokyo National Museum didn’t start auspiciously. Most of the religious paintings were not notably interesting and it was difficult to see the scrolls because of the slow-moving crowds. However, the items soon became more interesting and the crowds less obstructive, so that it turned out to be an exhibit well worth seeing. I bought postcards and a catalog. I had spent enough time at the exhibit that I thought it would be late enough to eat supper by the time I reclaimed my bag and got to Yokohama. And so it was. I recollected the Spanish restaurant named Fujinori (yes, that’s right) in Patio. It had looked interesting the previous time I was in Patio, so I had supper there. I had a delicious supper of garlic soup and stuffed squid. Then, I decided that it was finally time to try the Golden Camel Coffee Shop. Shock! It doesn’t have straight coffee. The Wiener (Viennese, to the nicht-Osterreichish) coffee is excellent, though(1). And so, back to the barracks.
(1) It might not be immediately apparent to someone who is not a native Japanese speaker (and probably to some Japanese) that "uinna kohî" is "Wiener coffee" and not "winner coffee."
11 April 1983 (Mon): Lunch was at Genroku Sushi. I got there earlier than usual, so there were plenty of seats. After lunch I did a little shopping in Kangaroo. I bought some typing correction paper (expensive), that I probably won’t need, and a bottle of blue-black ink for my Singapore fountain pen. They had Shaffer cartridges, but not in peacock blue. Because of the confusion of changing offices(1), my civilian clothes wound up back in the barracks. I got out of the office at 1626, nearly ran back to the barracks, changed clothes, and nearly ran to Chuo Station. Not only was I early enough for the 1718 kaiso tokkyu, but I was in time for the 1704 (?) tokkyu. That put me in Yokohama with a little more time to eat. Instead of going to the west side of the station, I used the extra time to refresh my memory about the restaurants in Porta. I chose a Chinese restaurant that had an appetizing dinner set for 1450 Yen. It’s not quite as good as Ryu-En, but still very good and worth subsequent visits. The prices are lower than Ryu-En’s. I had enough time after supper to take a quick look in the Delicious Market. I decided to splurge and have a couple of cartoffles from Morozoff. I ate them at the bus stop and on the bus, but they aren’t practical for that sort of thing–too much cocoa powder, gooey. Delicious, though. I’ll have one or two again some time when I can eat them at the barracks or Hardy Barracks. Sam drove us to Byobugaura. I debarked at Shioiri so I could have a cream soda and make notes at Sasaya, but Sasaya was closed. And so, back to the barracks.
(1) I went from the CFAY Admin Office to the base Operations Office.
12 April 1983 (Tue): Rain today, so I had lunch at Tamayone. They have the standard "small Japanese restaurant" selection. The "sauce katsu-don" was very good, so I will use the restaurant as a rainy day choice, along with Bon Chi and Madoca. After lunch I wanted at least a drink for dessert, but didn’t want to go out of my way for it. I tried a Pokka "milk shake" from a vending machine. It was drinkable, but I wouldn’t buy another one. On leaving work, I went grocery shopping at Seiyu. They had some delicious muscat raisins (I tasted a sample) from Australia, so of course I bought some. Partly because I have been meaning to do so for a while, and partly because it would save me from leaving the building (in the rain), I had supper at Seiyu’s "family restaurant." I was disappointed. They used frozen shrimp and octopus on the seafood salad. The dressing was excellent, but the seafood was well nigh tasteless. On the "lion’s pilaf," the beef chunks were very tasty, but the "vegetables" consisted almost entirely of onions and the pilaf was full of dried rice grains. I don’t think I’ll return to that restaurant for another meal. After supper, it was back to the barracks.
13 April 1983 (Wed): Because I wasn’t 100% certain that I wouldn’t have to go to Physical Training today, I thought I should have a quick, small lunch. It seems that Genroku Sushi doesn’t get busy until around 1200. Since I’ve been going to lunch at 1130, it has been easier to get a seat there. I only had four plates instead of my usual six. From there, I made q quick run to Seiyu for more groceries. I bought some shoyu chicken to have with supper and some tea bags, that I had forgotten to buy last night. I also bought some yogurt & cheese dessert. Because I have duty, I wasn’t able to go out for supper. However, the shoyu chicken made an excellent entree.
14 April 1983 (Thu): Today’s lunchtime experiment was more successful than Tuesday’s suppertime experiment. I had plenty of time, so I tried the restaurant behind the arcade fruit store. I had one of the lunchtime specials, the crab doria. It was quite good, better than se Jour’s doria. The doria (included a small salad) was cheap enough that I was willing to buy dessert. Objectively considered, the pancakes were a trifle rubbery, but they were tasty enough. I finished the day in plenty of time to catch the 1718 kaiso tokkyu and am now on my way to Yokohama. Once in Yokohama, I bought a newspaper and proceeded to Patio, where I had supper at Aster. I had shrimp with ginko nuts. The ginko nuts were too bitter for my taste, but I’d go back because the shrimps were fresh and cooked right–the dish was well-prepared even though I didn’t care for the ginko nuts. After supper, I wandered around in & near Diamond Shopping Center. I would have had dessert at the "coffee & anmitsu" shop, but it was full. I wandered a bit more in a section where I hadn’t yet been. I found an interesting restaurant (whose name I’ve forgotten), and best of all, a Caravan coffee shop. I was finally able to satisfy my curiosity about "German roast." It’s excellent. In addition, the strawberry yogurt dessert I had was quite tasty. After that, I didn’t have enough money left in my daily budget to justify remaining in Yokohama, so I headed for Yokosuka. On the way back I stopped at the milk vending machine.
15 April 1983 (Fri): I had lunch "in". I was far from the main gate and I didn’t want to do too much walking around in the rain. I got out of CMEOP [?? probably some sort of recurring lecture obligation, possibly equal opportunity] early, or rather, it ended early. Since I had saved money by eating lunch in, I figured I could use some on a taxi. It wasn’t raining all that hard. Perhaps it wasn’t really necessary. I considered eating supper before checking in at Hardy Barracks, but decided that I should get there and get settled in. I did that, changed pants, looked at the new Tour Companion, and went out for supper. I was minded to try Antonio’s and did so. It’s not cheap, but the meal was excellent. I’ll go back when I can spend that much (3500-4000 Yen) on a meal. I hadn’t actually intended to spend that much, but I had the money in the daily budget. From there to Belle. They did have another pudding cup with a different design. I only bought pudding there and went to Don Q for pastry. I only bought a couple of items. The items I wanted used up almost all of my money (aside from "tomorrow’s" money), but I didn’t need more than a couple of items anyway. And so, back to HB.