One of the things on the “must-do” list for our time in Tokyo was visit Tsukiji Market. While I wasn’t so interested in seeing fish auctioned at the crack of dawn, I was certain that if I wanted the freshest of fresh fish, this would be the place to find it. So on the second morning of our trip, my husband and I set off in search of the market.

Luckily, we worked up quite the appetite after getting a little lost coming out of the train station and making a huge loop instead of going direct to the market. By the time we got there, we wondered around, and settled on a sushi bar that had some air conditioning.

Inside, we decided on a sampler of tuna, and our favorite, tako sashimi (octopus), and the requisite Asahi to cool us down. While the fish was amazing, the thing that struck me most was that it was not cold. Unlike in the US, where the fish is cold to nearly freezing, here they served it room temperature, the flavors shining through. I decided to try a bit of uni as well, one of my not-so-favorites here in the US.

And uni is still not my favorite. It seemed better in Japan than what I’ve had here, but it will still never top my list.

Filed under:
Japanese, Lunch, World traveller by Courtney

My husband and I just returned from a trip to Japan, and I’m still reeling from all of the amazing food we had a chance to eat. From fresh sushi to sukiyaki to kaiseki, we were able to try some familiar favorites as well as plenty of items we never had before. One of those “never had before” dishes was, for lack of a better term at the time, deep fried octopus balls. Imagine my surprise this morning when reading the Kitchn that I was finally able to find out what they were. (more…)

Filed under:
Japanese, Snack time, World traveller by Courtney