Ramen Lovers Rejoice!

One of our favorite things to do while traveling, especially in Japan, is to eat as much ramen as humanly possible. We are just a few weeks from embarking on another Japanese adventure and we cannot wait to noodle up! 

Ramen is traditionally a Japanese noodle soup dish made most commonly with a meat, shoyu, or miso broth. Different regions and every single chef have their own variations on how to make their broths, which can take over 24 hours to finish and are often coveted secrets. This is what make each new  bowl exciting to me, you never know what unique experience your taste buds about to have. Our current favorite ramen in the entire world is Zundoya in Osaka, Japan, and it's definitely on our list to hit again.

In anticipation of our trip, I made a pin for myself, and all of you Ramen Lovers out there, to affix to your favorite denim or bag. You can grab it here.

We are also pretty excited that Orlando is having its very own Ramen Rumble next week, and Matt has been asked to judge! A fun pre-Japan event for our Ramen-loving souls. We'll report back on how Orlando is doing with its own Ramen Lovers Club.

Post your favorite ramen joints in the world below! We'd love to make start making a list.

Our Tokyo Adventure in 72 hours

We got off the bullet train from Osaka, squeezed ourselves into a tiny cab, and made our way through midday Tokyo traffic. We were exhausted, but ready to walk the streets of our favorite neighborhood, Shibuya, in Tokyo.

Shibuya is full of energy. It's like the Times Square of Tokyo. Bright lights, cute kids, full streets all hours of the day and night. We love to just walk and people watch, stumble through a street arcade, grab a bite of food, then keep walking. We love the beautiful izakaya shops tucked into 3rd and 4th floors stacked on top of each other, hundreds of places to eat on one street.

Another neighborhood we love to adventure through is Harajuku. We take a back walking path from Shibuya that is pedestrian-only. We walked past vintage shops, unique stores, and some of Japan's hippest kids. At the end of the path, we always make our way to Kiddyland. 5 stories of toys and more toys.

Another one of our favorite spots to stop and eat is Harajukugyozaru - a happy little place that pretty much serves only gyoza and beer. All you really need after a long walk in chilly weather.

A new find on this trip through Harajuki was amazing coffee at Nozy Coffee/The Roastery (see previous post!)

We also spend a lot of time wandering through music stores in Japan because they've become a relic of the past in America (and maybe everywhere else in the world?) The joy of shopping for physical albums and magazines is still alive and well in Japan. Appreciation for album art, having something to hold in your hand from the band you love, is something we miss. While browsing through Burrrn! Magazine in a Tower Records, we stumbled across Matt's monthly column which included photos from Metal+Honey!

Breakfast is hard to find in Japan, and we are breakfast junkies. It's not a meal that is eaten out often, especially before work, unless you're still drunk and out from the night before and you grab some quick ramen before pulling yourself together to get to the office -- cue salaryman jokes. By day 5-6, we couldn't eat anymore ramen breakfasts, or granola bars brought from home in the hotel, and ventured out to find where the expats go. We knew that surely Americans living in Tokyo had found places to go out and get an omelet. After winding through some backstreets, we found the charming Good Honest Grub.

Benedicts, omelets, smoothies, and breakfast potatoes -- just what we were missing from home. 

In anticipation of the big Knotfest show, we moved on our final vacation day in Tokyo across town to the quieter Minato district to a famous old hotel that is known for hosting celebrities and diplomats, Hotel Okura. It was fun to stay somewhere with a lot of history, majestic lobbies, and a sense of old (1970s?) Japan. There's something enjoyable about places that are traditionally fancy (and expensive), but haven't been redecorated in decades.

Complimentary kimono robe and slippers? Don't mind if I do.

And finally, the event we had been waiting for. Robot Restaurant for some glitter, fake boobs, and sensory overload in the finest sense of the phrase. And it was glorious. 

Our Osaka Adventure in 72 Hours: Part Two

We started off our last full day in Osaka at a cat cafe. Animal cafe's in Japan are amusing to Americans because it's an odd concept to pay to hang out with domesticated animal breeds that most of us have at home. In large cities on the tiny island of Japan, the ability to have a pet is more of rarity. Tokyo is currently the most populous metropolitan area in the world, so I imagine every square foot of home space is valuable.  

Matthew is allergic to cats and I've never been fond of cats (and quite honestly, I had never even touched a cat until a few years ago) -- let's just say we are dog people. That being said, over the past few years, I've taken more of a liking to these cute creatures, especially the cat of our travel mate and Matthew's bandmate, Paolo. Paolo is a cat whisperer of sorts so we all agreed this was definitely on the to-do bucket list for our trip. I mostly watched on the sidelines and drank my matcha tea latte that came with our entry fee (only $10 per hour) while locals giggled and took endless photos of the cats. Definitely a unique experience.

We then grabbed some amazing ramen at Ramen Zundoya in Shinsaibashi. One of our Osakan friends had just spent a full year eating ramen nearly every single day in Osaka to find the very best, so we trusted his judgment. At Zundoya, you can actually choose how fatty you want your broth! We went with regular fatty, which already seemed like a decadent choice. The broth was rich, almost thick, and incredibly flavorful. Definitely on our Osaka list for all future visits. 

With bellies full, we bundled up on this cool winter day and headed to Osaka Castle for some scenic walking, fall leaves, and a little culture. Along the way, we had the opportunity to rent samurai outfits to walk around in, but we declined and experienced it by laughing at others. This guy was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Onto the castle! Crazy enough, we didn't feel like going in. We just wanted to see the exterior architecture in all its glory. I'm a little wild for gilded gold trimmings. 

Osaka Castle

With our friends Paolo, Yoko, and Yuichi at Osaka Castle

A family photo op to document the trip.

Family portrait in front of Osaka Castle

We then headed back to catch the Mr. Big show! Don't know who Mr. Big is? Don't worry, I only know the huge monster ballad To Be With You. < Click on it! You know you want to soundtrack the rest of this post with all of that early 90s glory. Being "huge in Japan" is definitely a real thing. Many bands experience years, even decades, of major success in this tiny region of the world well after the US has forgotten. 

After the show, we headed to Rock Rock Bar and were treated to some authentic home cooking with my favorite dish, sukiyaki, a sweet and salty stew prepared tableside in a hot pot with thinly shaved beef (we were treated to kobe beef!) and vegetables. Our chef was Seiji, the owner of Rock Rock, prepared an amazing meal and we stuffed ourselves beyond capacity.

Sukiyaki in Rock Rock Bar by Seiji

Seiji prepares sukiyaki

We were exhausted and said our goodbyes to our good friends who showed us an amazing time. Matthew and Paolo updated their very old polaroid on Rock Rock's wall of fame and we were on our way to rest up for our travels to Tokyo the next day. 

The next morning we caught the shinkansen (bullet train) to Tokyo. If the US had enough sense to create high speed trains across the country, there would be an amazing ability for the average American to travel economically and efficiently. Riding the shinkansen is definitely part of an authentic Japanese travel experience.

Paolo waiting on the platform.

Shinkansen

Passing Mt. Fuji is always a beautiful sight. Here's a crummy iphone video in real time speed!

Ramen Zundoya
Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Chūō-ku, Shinsaibashisuji, １丁目５−７

Our Osaka Adventure in 72 hours: PART ONE

Words can't describe the amount of food we indulged in in a short week in Tokyo and Osaka. We primarily travel to eat, then fit in anything else there is time for, which is why we decided to spend some time in Osaka before heading to Tokyo for Knot Fest. Osaka is arguably the food capital of Japan. Udon, Okonomiyaki, Takoyaki... Osaka specialties, to name a few.

After an extremely long travel day (20+ hours!), we naturally wanted to hit the sheets and sleep, but we just couldn't ignore the flashing lights in Shinsaibashi, vendors turning takoyaki balls by the hundreds, comically large crab and octopus sculptures, and the iconic Glico man; Shinsaibashi is Osaka's own Times Square. 

We stayed at the Cross Hotel which I highly recommend. It's newly renovated (which is an unusual amenity in Japan for some reason), the lobby flows right onto the main stretch of Shinsaibashi, and was pretty affordable. Their in-room soaking tub was to die for! 

Our good friend Tomoko kindly scooped us up before our heavy eyelids took over and helped us seek out Okonomiyaki and Yakisoba for our first feast. Okonomiyaki is a savory pancake of sorts. It literally translates to "cook or grill whatever you like." We ended up at Sanpei at Hozenji Yokocho. It was tiny, cozy, and absolutely delicious. We order yakisoba to start followed by three okonomiyaki. We didn't write down what we ordered and we were in a travel fog, but I know our favorite was kimchi and pork.

Okonomiyaki Sanpei at Hozenji Yokocho 

In true Matthew form, he just couldn't go to bed without stuffing himself to the brim. So we stopped at a gyoza shop for him to top off.

The next morning I knew the first thing I wanted to hit was another Osaka specialty, and my favorite noodle, Udon. I have to admit that it's incredibly challenging to get around Japanese cities via google maps. Addresses are impossible to spot and often times, you have to be looking up! We wandered aimlessly within 1 block of Kawafuku until we finally realized we had walked passed it a few times. We entered a tiny shop with a few seats at the bar. We slurped our udon with a row of businessmen. 

Kawafuku in Shinsaibashi

Tempura Udon at Kawafuku 

We then wandered the streets of Osaka to check out shops. I learned quickly that asking for an American size 10 shoe at Doc Martens was absurd, shops filled with all things American in Americamura are a hot topic in Japan, vintage shops in Osaka have the absolute BEST vintage band shirts, and traveling with two musicians means you will hit any and every guitar shop. Matthew found his guitar and signed a few things for one of the shops.  

As if 20+ hours of travel and jet lag wasn't enough, I decided to get tattooed at the legendary Chopstick Tattoo within 18 hours of hitting the ground in Osaka. I've had a bit of an unlucky year and also wanted to get a travel token tattoo, so I sought out the incredibly talented Kyon at Chopstick to create a maneki-neko (lucky cat) for me. The story of the maneki-neko originated in Osaka, so I thought it was a perfect fit for my souvenir. You can check out the variety of stories surrounding the meaning. I was a little nervous to get tattooed in a foreign country considering the language barrier, however, Kyon interpreted my emails well and created something absolutely perfect for me with almost no direction! I was also hilariously way too tall for the tattoo table (I'm tall, even for American standards), so I was less comfortable than I'd like to be, but thankfully, it was a quick hour and a half.

Seems like a lot to do in one day? Nonsense, we still had a lot of hours to go! Our friend Yoko from the also legendary Rock Rock Bar met up with us to take to a well-known restaurant for a bite to eat before heading to the bar. We stopped at Ajiho in Shinsaibashi and indulged in a few mugs of beer, takoyaki, oden, and yakisoba. Oden is a Japanese winter dish that consists of vegetables, fish cakes, and other items stewed in a savory-sweet soy broth. Even 7-11 in Japan has pots of stewing oden available near the counter for a bowl of super cheap winter soul food. It sort of reminds me of the potatoes and carrots from stewed pot roast, but with a soy-based twist. 

Ajiho in Shinsaibashi 

Ajiho in Shinsaibashi 

Yakisoba, takoyaki, oden at Ajiho in Shinsaibashi

We then headed over to Rock Rock Bar for a few beers before we called it a night. By 10pm, all three of us could hardly keep our eyes open and were ready to rest up for another day of feasting and adventures.

Cross Hotel
2-5-15 Shinsaibashisuji, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 542-0085, Japan

Kawafuku
1-14-17 Higashishinsaibashi chuo-ku Osaka-shi Osaka

Ajiho
2-2-15 Shinsaibashisuji, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan

Chopstick Tattoo, 1st Shop, AmericaMura
Down Town Building, 3F, Nishi Shinsaibashi 2-17-9, Chuo-ku, Osaka

Okonomiyaki Sanpei
2-2-10 Shinsaibashisuji, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan

Coffee Culture in Tokyo, Japan

We've been to Japan quite a few times now, and it has generally been challenging to find really good espresso. We are usually relegated to Starbucks (which isn't a bad thing when they have interesting Japanese seasonal flavors to try!) but when you have small batch, specialty espresso, you quickly realize the difference. I found a few blogs where people have discovered the burgeoning coffee culture in Tokyo, and we were quick to add a few spots to our list.

When I heard about this unbelievable, has-to-be-seen latte art, we hustled on over to Streamer Coffee Company. They have 3 locations in Tokyo. After sauntering through some side roads of Shibuya, we found Streamer Coffee Company tucked away on a quiet backstreet. They had a strict no photo policy near the coffee counter, so I took a few discreet shots once we sat down and refrained from being a nuisance. We ordered a straightforward latte as well as their specialty, Matcha White Chocolate latte - the "Military Latte" due to its camo-like surface after all three ingredients are mixed together. We had reservations on matcha mixed with espresso, but it was positively perfect! 

Streamer Coffee Company | Tokyo, Japan

Military and Standard Latte

Matcha White Chocolate Espresso Latte - "Military Latte"

We also stumbled across The Roastery by Nozy Coffee while walking through Harajuku. At The Roastery, they actually roast their own single origin beans inside the shop - it felt like we were back in San Francisco! I snuck a few photos in despite getting spoken to in Japanese in what felt like a request to not photograph. The Japanese culture is quite camera obsessed, so I was surprised that both coffee shops had a similar sentiment, but we of course obliged (got a few in before though!) I think they like to keep their amazing latte art a well-kept secret.

Next to The Roastery (although not related) was the cutest little donut cart called COCO-agepan. These donuts were amazing! They were filled with organic refined coconut oil cream. We've never had anything like it and we are eager to try to figure out how to make these ourselves.

Streamer Coffee Company
1F 1-20-28, Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 

The Roastery by Nozy Coffee
150-0001 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 5-17-13

Coco-agepan
神宮前５丁目-17-, Shibuya, Tokyo