Izakaya

    An izakaya is a Japanese bar, and one of my favorite places to eat. Not that I like all izakayas, for they are as varied as bars and pubs are anywhere else. Some izakayas cater to younger people, some to office workers, and others to a more diverse clientele. Some have really great food while others have food that you would only want to put inside your body after an adequate number of drinks. I obviously like the ones that serve great food. 

    In Japan, it's typical for restaurants to specialize. Just as you would go to a ramen shop for only ramen, you would do the same for soba (buckwheat noodles) or yakitori (grilled chicken). The same for grilled eel, sushi, pork cutlets, udon, tempura, etc. These restaurants will all do one thing but do them well. You won't see many Japanese places with eclectic menus. The izakaya is unique in this aspect and usually serves many different types of dishes in small portions. Their varied menu gives them more creative latitude too, so it's fun to discover Japanese flavors presented in novel and modern ways. This is one of the main reasons I like izakayas. 

    The downside of izakayas is that they can be really smoky inside. They are not places you would want to go with little kids. Anyways, they are places where you would want to sit, talk, and eat slowly - things that are difficult to do with toddlers. Because of this, and because izakayas are part of the nightlife establishment, we haven't been to even one since moving to Japan. So it was really very exciting when we handed the kids over to the grandparents on Saturday and headed to our neighborhood izakaya, Kogane. 

    Kogane is a small izakaya that uses variety meats in its menu, which includes many other things such as seafood, vegetables, and noodles. They have a good selection of sake, which pairs nicely with the food. Kogane is also a non-smoking establishment, which is great even if you don't have kids. There are several options for seating: floor, bar, or table. We chose the bar. 

    The food is some of the most delicious and interesting I've ever had. Even the ordinary items like onigiri and truffle fries are really well made. One particularly memorable dish was thinly sliced tripe and vegetables, chilled, mixed with pesto, topped with walnuts and served as a salad. No photo of that one, unfortunately, but here are other things we ate: 

Onigiri with ume (pickled plum).

Bonito sashimi in the front and braised beef tendon and daikon soup in the back. 

Truffle fries.

Japanese horse mackerel, fried and served with Japanese tartar sauce.

Grilled duck with negi. 

    As for drink, I had an organic lemon sour and a shared flask of sake. We chose a sake based on their recommendation. I know nothing about sake and rarely drink it, so there is not much basis for comparison. The only thing I can say about it is that it was light and sweet and paired beautifully with the food. 

    Given that I had an organic lemon sour, you can likely guess that this particular izakaya belongs to a newer breed of izakayas. Kogane's food and atmosphere reflects modern sentiments for fine-casual dining while retaining the essence of izakaya culture. Like Tokyo itself, it is a flattering mix of the new and old. 

    Izakaya food is rarely pretentious. It's first and foremost about flavor and enjoyment (and in some cases, simply putting something in your stomach to absorb the alcohol). In the case of this izakaya, I love that it could transform a humble ingredient like tripe into a great dish that most people would enjoy. Here's to a nice night out and many more to come. 

If You're Going to Japan in the Summer

    I have moaned enough about summer, so in this post I'm going to share all the nice things about summers in Japan. This is our family's second in Japan. We stayed here last summer because there were still too many travel restrictions, both abroad and in Japan. The Olympics were taking place, and in an attempt to keep the Covid-19 cases under control, the Japanese government was limiting entry into the country. This summer, with worldwide inflation and the war in Europe, airplane tickets were expensive. Since Japan has begun receiving foreign visitors again, we decided to wait for my parents to visit rather than visit them in America. All this is to say that, by remaining in Japan for two summers, we learned how to make the most of it. 

    If you are going to Japan in the summer, you can't miss going to a matsuri, or festival. These are based in Shinto-ism and usually take place outdoors with street food, music, dancing, games, and sometimes fireworks. Each region, town, and village has its own traditions. After a two-year hiatus due to covid, summer festivals returned this summer. We stumbled upon one a few weekends ago near Yoyogi Park. My kids had never been to one, and they were completely captivated by the sight of matsuri dancers dressed in colorful costume. Every ten to fifteen minutes, a different group of dancers and drummers would take to the stage to perform. Each group had unique but equally eye-catching costumes. E would have stayed to watch the performances the entire day. 

    Since this festival was in the middle of Tokyo, it wasn't the traditional matsuri you might find in a smaller city, but we still enjoyed good food (seaweed flavored udon noodles in a cold broth + Okinawan ramen) and sake samples (a rarity). A more local matsuri would have most people dressed in their summer yukata, something E has been asking for. These robes are more casual than kimonos, have range of vibrant patterns, and make for excellent photos and even better people watching. 

I wouldn't have survived this past summer without kakigori. Kakigori is Japanese shaved ice, and it is ubiquitous in the summer. You will find it at food stands, public parks, and as seasonal items in restaurants and cafes. If you ask E, she will probably say that all her favorite summer memories include kakigori. In Tokyo there are fancy ones. The famous Sebastian cafe makes one that looks just like a cake. My favorite is the one you eat when you've been biking, hiking, or playing with your kids outside on a hot day - usually the one made with chunky shaved ice, food coloring, and syrup. E's favorite flavor is "Blue Hawaiian."

At the top of my to-do-in-Japan list is to climb Mount Fuji. You can only climb it in the summer because it is too cold during the other seasons. It is easy enough for children to climb, though mine are still too young. My nephews, ages 8 and 11 at the time, climbed it with their father and from all accounts, it was a fantastic experience. Although it is known as an easy climb, the ascent still takes 5-7 hours. Most climbers stay in a mountain cabin and start their ascent in the early hours of the morning so that they can 1) see the sunrise, 2) reach the chilly peak during the warmest hours of daylight, and 3) make it back down by nightfall. 

The last thing I have enjoyed most about summers here are the evenings. Sure, it could be cooler (the air is usually thick and still even after the sun has gone down), but enjoying summer evenings like this without worrying about personal safety is a true luxury. In Chicago, I would never voluntarily go out after dark. Usually it was to walk my dog or attend a work-related event. I definitely never thought of myself as a night person. Here I can walk around at night alone, without pepper spray, without being hyper vigilant. So I've rediscovered the enjoyment of being out at night: going to an izakaya, sitting outdoors at a cafe, window shopping, or just taking a walk. 

May next summer be cooler than this one, a little more Covid-free, and filled with hikes, kakigori, matsuri, and evening strolls.