About food in Japan

Ekiben (駅弁, Box lunch on board) at Tokyo Station

The month of August is summer holiday season for Japanese people, like many others in the Northern Hemisphere. This summer, many plan to travel especially to Tohoku region (東北地方) to support the economy of the region damaged by the earthquake and tsunami. 

Before taking on Shinkansen trains at JR Tokyo station, let's drop by Gransta Dining, a new shopping zone opened at the end of 2010 just a minute away from Tohoku Shinkansen ticket gates. There you will find nice lunch packs suitable to take on board. Ekiben (駅弁), meal in square box(s) specially arranged for meal on-board and exclusively sold at station (eki, 駅) is appreciated by locals. It is  for Japanese a piece of "entertainment" on the road (or rail).  

Here we can introduce two interesting choices as lunch box on board and are available at Gransta Dining in JR Tokyo Station.

Shop name: Komezanmai (米米米)

As the name represents "triple" rice (米, kome), it focus on rice but not in traditional way. The products look like rice-ball but not exactly. The rice, rather we can call, "pate" is too soft to hold it with fingers and they are interestingly arrangement with ingredients on top of it. You can select flavors as you like from colorful options in the showcase.

They are what I chose...

From left to right, bottom: Duck and leek (traditional well-matched pair of Japanese food), Salmon roe (イクラ, ikura), Pork dice stew (豚の角煮, buta no kakuni) and Italian ham with cheese and pumpkin. All are unfamiliar as rice ball ingredient but still attractive selections. 

 

Shop name: Nippon no Ekiben (ニッポンの駅弁, Japanese Ekiben)

Nippon no Ekiben store is faceing to Komezanmai just introduced above. The small store, specialized in Ekiben (box meal for on board) is could be full with Japanese travellers who look for own most favourite lunch among many attractive offers. Here it could be hard to choose just one.  

 My selection is "Sanpi Ryoron Bento" (賛否両論弁当). It  is produced by the young master of a popular Japanese  restaurant in same name, Sanpi Ryoron in Ebisu,  Tokyo. 16 different delicacies are there in each small  portions, such as fried scallop, eel,  salmon with miso  sauce, chicken and shrimp dumplings, cooked  vegetables, two kinds of cooked rice etc. All are carefully prepared and well-arranged for lunch box. It cost more than ordinary lunch box (at Yen 1500) but it worths trying. It was really fun lunch time

These two stores open from 6:30am in the morning so even those of early departure and of tight schedule will be satisfied with nice Ekiben. 

Gransta Dining, where we can get these box meal, is located within JR Tokyo Station.  It is in "North Court" on the first floor, close to North and Marunouchi Central Exit as well as Tohoku, Nagano, Jyoetsu Shinkansen gate.

Gransta Dining official site: http://gransta.jp/dining/ 

 

Related post: Ekiben (駅弁 Station lunch box)

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2009/02/ekibenstation-l.html

 

Belgian bakery cafe - Le Pain Quotidien

Le Pain Quotidien has been one of my most favourite place in Belgium when I had been there for a few months. The bakery cafe provides simple traditional style breads with high quality ingredients including some organic ones as well as lunch and light meals. Its cafe space is a good option for a short break in a busy day anytime from morning to evening with organic breads and/or tarte cakes, sweets with Belian chocolate.  

Many who know Le Pain Quotidien in Europe have been looking forward to having it in Japan. It was finally arrived in Tokyo last year. The first unit in Japan is located just next to Zojoji temple, Shiba Park area, just a few hundreds meters distance from Tokyo Tower. The single-story pavillion-like building is surrounded by green trees on the site of Tokyo Prince Hotel. 

Let's go through the bakery area and you will find spacious cafe space behind tall shelves. The warm wooden taste furniture, black board with chef's suggestions in handwritting and symbolic  "Communal table" (very large dining space to be shared by more than several diners)...the atomosphere is nothing change from the original ones in Belgium. 

Rather could it be better environment in Tokyo than the ones in Brussels and Paris. As long as ones I visited before, there is no such spacious and high-ceiling space with large windows and natural scene of green over there.

 

 

 

It opens from 7:30am so we cannot miss the best time to enjoy the speciality breads with several selections of fine Le Pain Quotidien original jam. I believe that this is one of the best place to take breakfast in Tokyo, especially when it is sunny day in good season Spring to Summer or Autumn.

 

Not only the traditional style breads, other good breakfast menu are available.

It offers so wide selections for us to be hard to choose just a few of them... 

For lunch and dinner, some dishes mainly in Mediterranian flavour are available.

(description and photo added on August 2014)

 

If you would, Le Pain Quotidien brand seasoning and olive oil are also on sale at the bakery boutique.

 

 

When you would like to have quick lunch and unfortunately no time to be relaxed at the cafe, it is another choice to get pastries, sandwiches, or muffins at the bakery. 

 

Le Pain Quotidien is very close to Zojoji Temple and Tokyo Tower. It will be a good to visit here before or after the stroll in this area. (description and photo added on August 2014)

 

Restaurant name: Le Pain Quotidien

Address: 3-3-1 Shiba Koen, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Official website: http://www.lepainquotidien.jp 

大きな地図で見る

 

<Accommodation close to the site in this article>

セレスティンホテル

芝パークホテル

ザ・プリンス　パークタワー東京

Butaman (豚まん, pork bun) 551 HORAI (551 蓬莱), Osaka

One of my favourite foods in Osaka, the capital of West Japan, is Butaman (豚まん, pork bun) from 551 Horai (551 蓬莱). Pork bun may be a typical Chinese food but the 551 brands along with its speciality; Butaman is an icon of Osaka. The simple and unpretentious food with packed pork filling inside the large size bun (almost a palm size) could represent mentality of Osaka people…dislike snob and put importance on what they really can get.

 

Butaman by 551 Horai costs only Yen160 per piece (sold by 2pieces or more). The hand-made butaman is sold exclusively at Osaka and surrounding area. Apart from some special promotion occasions, it is not available even in Tokyo. So for us based in East Japan, Butaman is an appreciated gift from Osaka.

 

By the way, we wonder why the brand name is called 551 Horai, as it sounds unique. As per the official home page of 551 Horai, over a half century ago, the founder of Chinese food service company Horai (in Chinese, represents Shangli-la) took the idea from his cigarette brand “555”. The brand name with numbers can be easily remembered and recognizable even from foreign people, unlike name in Japanese or Chinese letters. Taken from the last 3 digit of its phone number at that time and from sounds like ko-ko-ichiban (here the number 1, in Japanese), it is named as 551 (go-go-ichi).

The Chinese food service company sells other Chinese dim-sum foods as well.

Let’s find the number 551 in Osaka!

 

551 Horai official website: http://www.551horai.co.jp

The main store and restaurant

Address: 3-6-3 Namba, Chuo-ku, Osaka  (shopping district of Namba)

 

大きな地図で見る

******************  Find accommodation in Japan  ***************

OSAKA / NARA / SAPPORO / TAKAYAMA / TOKYO/YUFUIN 

YAKUSHIMA / NOZAWA ONSEN / NISEKO / NIKKO /

HIROSHIMA / MATSUMOTO / KYOTO / KANAZAWA / ISHIGAKI ISLAND /

HAKUBA / FURANO / BEPPU /

 

Fairycake Fair - British traditional style cup cake, at Gransta JR Tokyo Station

I found a cute oasis inside of busy JR Tokyo station, where every day Shinkansen and local trains run in and out a number of times and where thousands of people come by. The cafe is located on a part of commercial zone called "Gransta"  on the basement 1 (B1) floor of JR Tokyo station. 

As the name "Fairycake Fair" shown, fairycake is the cafe's speciality. Fairycake is British traditional homemade-like cup cake inherited from grandmother to mother then to daughters. The cup cakes by Fairycake Fair is produced by the sweets specialist Romi Igarashi, being added "flavour" of modern Tokyo to the traditional British cakes.

What I had here...from left,

Cup cake "Uji Maccha" (宇治抹茶 green tea from Uji, Koyoto),

Cup cake "Shio Caramel" (塩キャラメル salty caramel),

drink Kaga bocha (加賀棒茶, grilled "bar" tea from Kaga)

 

Inside of the most popular Shio Caramel cup cake

Two types of caramel cream are used.

The rich caramel cream inside of the cake and whipped soft shio caramel cream on-top of it.

 

Cakes are enough small to eat up two pieces as a tea time. So let's try more than one flavors of cutely decorated cup cakes at a time. Some other interesting cup cakes are available depending on seasons. On current season, they are, for example, "ginger lemon"  and "apple cinamon". As drink, Milk tea, the most popular drink in England, and "hot yuzu honey" (Yuzu, Japanese citrus, juice with honey), house original ginger ale are also interesting choices.

During winter holiday season from Emperor's birthday (the 23th of December) to the end of New year holidays (until the third of January or around), JR Tokyo station is more crowded than other periods for Japanese locals travelling out to their hometown or to resort destinations, skiing, hot springs.

Have a break before/after taking a train at the peaceful cute cafe inside of JR Tokyo station.

But be careful not to miss your train for the cup cakes!

 

Cafe name: Fairycake Fair

Address: B1 Gransta JR Tokyo Station, 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.fairycake.jp

 

 

大きな地図で見る

Makunouchi Bento (幕の内弁当) - at the National Theatre (国立劇場)

Makunouchi Bento (幕の内弁当) is a cateogry of bento (弁当) produced by professional catering services. It is available at many places, convenience stores, supermarkets, department stores and others during lunch and dinner time. No precise difinition of Makunouchi Bento but roughly the bento box is made from two major parts, rice and side dishes. 

The history dates back to hundreds years ago and no one knows where it comes from actually. One story refers where the name Makunouchi Bento came....

Maku (幕) represents curtain of theatres and Makunouchi (幕の内) implies the word "between acts". Makunouchi bento is boxed meal taken by audiences or actors behind the scene during the interval of acts. 

Here this is the "real" Makunouchi Bento at the National Theatre where Kabuki is often played.

The sushi rice balls are enough small to bite them easily. Side dishes are seasonal, all Japanese typical ones, tempura, boild vegetables, egg cake etc.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside the Kabuki theatare, several kinds of Makunouchi Bento could be available and choosen depending on ones appetite and favourie food. Normally Kabuki plays last for about 3 hours total from mid-day with one or two times break. So before or inbetween the play, Makunouchi Bento or others styles of meal is another joy for Kabuki watching.

Don't forget getting your lunch box there!

 

Website of National Theater of Japan

http://www.ntj.jac.go.jp/english/index.html

 

 

Cream bun (くりーむパン) - Hattendo (八天堂) from Hiroshima (広島)

The small stand shop is in the middle of JR Shinagawa station, just a few meters from Yamanote line platform, where thousands of people walking across for their direction. Always seeing people waiting for shop staff taking order for them, I had been curious what is the product here.

That is the shop called Hattendo (八天堂) and it sells only two items, cream bun (くりーむパン) and rolle cake (ロールケーキ).

 

The wrapping package reminds us the long history and tradition of the sweets.

"Established in 8th year Showa(昭和)"(1933)

"in Mihara Mintatomachi, Hiroshima"(広島県みはら港町)

I have never head the name of the small town. Anyway I tried and got two pieces of cream bun.

 

As per the official home page of Hattendo (八天堂), the product, cream bun (くりーむパン) was born after 3 years spent for product development, aspired for better taste, higher quality product. It is soft to be melted in a month and light taste. The mildness makes us take one more piece...

It looks like buns for humberger but it is actually much softer.

Custard cream flavor is the most standrd product.

 

Maccha cream (抹茶くりーむ) caters fine green tea flavor.

The bun is thin and it is filled with cream.

 

Cream buns are made without preservative. Therefore the product life is only two days. And the fresh product has to be kept in fridge. It is very delicate product.

In Tokyo, it is available only at the small stand in JR Shinagawa station.

Don't miss the chance and keep extra time to wait for a while by queuing.

 

Shop name: Hattendo (八天堂) Shinagawa station (品川駅)

Address: 3-26-27 Takanawa, Minatoku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.hattendo.jp

 

 

 

 

 

大きな地図で見る

Delicatessen (デリカテッセン) - Gourmet cafe and grocery shop

Delicatessen is a part of a luxury hotel, Park Hyatt Tokyo known for scenes in the American film "Lost in translation." Some people might hesitate to step into one of the best hotels in Tokyo. The hotel main part is on the 39th or above floors, while Delicatessen is situated far low on the ground floor. It is easily accessible from public space of the building even without going through the hotel's main entrance. The cafe is not a place where we have to mind casual appearance so much. We are rather able to visit it more freely as ordinary casual cafes in town.

At Delicatessen, fine international deli food are available with high quality beverage menu. Not only pasta, pate, sandwiches, salad, Japanese sushi rolls also can be found.  (Photo: Sushi roll with cucumber and fish eggs) Peaceful time will be guaranteed for a break or lunch in the middle of Shinjuku, at the foot of skyscrapers.

Selected grocery foods from the world fill all dimensions walls of Delicatessen. After taking a rest with a cup of fresh aroma cappuccino, let's shop around the space!

Cafe name: Delicatessen

Address: 1st floor Park Hyatt Tokyo, 3-7-1-2 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo

Boutique's direct link : http://tokyo.park.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/services/shops/index.jsp

   

大きな地図で見る

Takara no fu - 宝の麩 ("Treasure" instant soup by Fumuroya 不室屋)

Can you imagine how this small box (about 5cm square) makes you happy?

 From the shape like a "treasure box", it is called Takara no fu (宝の麩, treasure of gluten cake). The product is made by Fumuroya (不室屋), the traditional producer of "fu"(麩, small pieces of gluten cake). Yes this is something to eat at least.

Surprisingly this cube is converted to "instant soup" with boiled water. Soup stock powder, dried vegetables and gluten cake are inside of the small box.

On the official website of the fu house, we can find the story, how this product was born. More than ten years ago, the owner of Fumuroya sent his children to abroad for study. The parents worried about whether their children could have healthy and well-balanced food diet outside of Japan. The mother created the small gluten box and ingredients of soup stuffed into it. The mom-made Japanese instant soup was shipped to the children and the children sometime shared them with Japanese people living abroad. It became so popular to be made as commercial products of the house finally.

So let's see how the box transformed to a cup of instant soup. It has some variation of soup. This time it is "Kaga miso" (加賀味噌　miso from Kaga region, near Kanazawa).

First, place the square box at the bottom of bowl.

Add miso paste and pieces of seaweed (packed in the product)

and make a small hole in the center of gluten box.

Pour boiled water....

Wait a moment and you will see the gluten box is dissolved gradually and made unshaped by hot water.

Finally the square shape disappears but only a yummy Japanese soup is there.

Now ready to eat!

   

Another version of Takara no fu soup, Hitohira (a piece of flower like the shape of gluten box): flower shape gluten cake, pieces of cherry blossom flowers

 

After delighted by the magic, enjoy the hot soup by the traditional food producer as well.

Shop name: Fumuroya 不室屋

Address: 2-3-1 Owari-cho, Kanazawa city, Ishikawa, Japan

Official website: http://www.fumuroya.co.jp

The products by Fumuroya are also available at some major department stores in Tokyo and Osaka.

For example...

Tokyo - Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, Nihonbashi Takashimaya, Ikebukuro Seibu

Osaka - Osaka Takashimaya, Umeda Daimaru

Related story: Museum cafe (this is about the cafe in Tokyo, operated by Fumuroya)

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2008/08/museum-caf---su.html

［加賀麩不室屋］おもてなし(754846/286)

En (えん) Japanese Natural Store - food select shop in Marunouchi Tokyo

How it is nice if you are able to get delicacies (ごちそう, ご馳走, gochiso in Japanese) across Japan while you are staying in Tokyo Here at En Japanese Natural Store (えん 日本のご馳走) in very central Tokyo (just in front of JR Tokyo station), wide selections of local specialties, delicacies of Japan are available.

Please do not miss a chance to discover fine delicacies of Japan, which are rarely found at other places in Tokyo. 

Time by time, season by season, their products in the store may be different. But surely the selection will make you delighted every time and  you will never leave the store with empty-hand.

They are what I bought today...

• Mametabi (まめたび) and seasonal product Haru-Fuji (春富士, Mt. Fuji in Spring)

    

by Sen-ya (煎屋) - hand-made traditional senbei producer in Saitama prefecture

Website (Japanese version only) : http://www.sen-ya.co.jp/

• Black pepper beans

 

by Hanayakko (花奴) in Tachikawa-city, Tokyo

Website (Japanese version only) : http://www.8785.co.jp

• Okaki (おかき= senbei) new taste "onion-garlic"

by Ryogoku Azuma Arare Hompo　(両国　東あられ本舗)

Website (Japanese version only) : http://www.azuma-arare.co.jp/

• Shiso chirimen (mixed dried whitebait fish, seaweed, Japanese basil and sesame, excellent topping for rice)

 

Shop name: En Japanese Natural Store (えん　日本の御馳走)

Address: B1 floor Shin-Marunouchi Building, 1-5-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Website (Japanese version only) : http://www.gochiso-en.com/

まめたび煎餅☆15枚セット

Depachika (デパチカ） - Avocado shrimps don (丼） from AOcafe

Depa-chika (デパチカ） is a kind of Japanese slang but it is important for food lovers in this country. It is abbreviation of "デパート地下食品売り場"(depart chika shokuhin uriba = food corner on underground floors in major department stores). In order to attract store visitors as many as possible, major department stores in Japan compete in the selection of food stands on their underground floors. Some can be one from other regions in Japan such as cake shops from Kobe, Sapporo or from other parts of the world; France, Italy, Korea or China. Others would be from traditional grocery or upscale restaurants in Tokyo.
Anyway, if we go to food corners in the major department stores, we are surely able to find something high quality and rate to find in any other place.

Today I found very unique and could-be strange food at "Tokyu Foodshow"(food corner of Tokyu department store) in Shibuya.

 

It is called "Avocado shrimp don"(アボカド・シュリンプ丼）. Avocado is not traditional food in Japan. I wondered how the fresh product can go with rice
It is packed in a paper box with a handle like this so we can bring the lunch box everywhere we want.

The avocado shrimp don comes from a tea house AOcafe in Aoyama.

Rice is on the bottom of the box and it is cooked with Hojicha (Japanese grilled tea). So the rice is not white color.

The first step to prepare the meal is put avocado, shrinps and vegerables onto the cooked rice.

Then mix all of them well... until pieces of avocado are crushed into very small pieces.

Following advices by the food corner staff, I put the sauce at the last of mixing process.

The tast is never bad rather I like it. Surely I will buy it again.
But I have no idea about this food origin...

It cannot be Japanese traditional food at least.
Is it modern Japanese food ?
Can anybody answer to my question?

    

To enjoy more variations of Avocado shrimps don, as my original version, for the second half, I added nori (海苔、dried seaweed), sesame and wasabi. That was also tasty and maybe better for health.

At AOcafe food stands in Tokyu Foodshow, some more don(丼）menu are available such as Avocado salmon, Natto and minched meat. All are innovative food but surely healthy ones.
Let's try the new world of taste

Shop name: AOcafe Tokyu Foodshow, Tokyu Department store Shibuya Toyoko

Address: 2-24-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Website: Tokyu Foodshow http://www.tokyu-dept.co.jp/foodshow/

Other foods I already introduced are also available at "Depachika" in Tokyo.

Les MIGNARDISES at Daimaru Tokyo

Linked page: http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2009/03/les-mignardises.html

 

Mamegen at Tokyu Foodshow

Linked page: http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2008/05/mame--mamegen-d.html