Japanese Food Bites: Indulging in the Taste of Summer

On Saturday, May 17^th, we were given the opportunity to explore Tokyo and develop our own excursions based on our interests. While it was raining quite hard, the weather did not stop me from venturing into the city to see and experience quite a few remarkable things. After waking up and having a delightful breakfast of coffee and an egg sandwich, I was ready to head out to Meiji Jingu Temple equipped with a rain jacket and my umbrella. Around 11 am, I took the F line to Meiji and walked a few minutes to the entrance of the temple. Unexpectedly, leading up to the temple was a lovely kilometer-long walk through the woods. With towering vegetation looming over me, I carefully stepped along the path making sure to avoid any deep puddles. Eventually, I came upon a fork in the road; I decided to take a right and head towards the main temple. Originally, I was worried that the temple might be closed due to the weather but I was happily surprised to find it fully open to the public. Since it was a day when many others would have stayed inside, I was only among a handful of tourists visiting the temple that day. This allowed me to freely roam the area and explore without the inconvenience of waiting in lines. The temple was absolutely breathtaking tucked in the forest away from the bustling atmosphere of the city. Even with rain pattering down on its roof, the temple was as alive as ever with people praying, putting up charms, and exploring the grounds. By pure coincidence, I happened to stumble upon a ceremony being performed by the Miko, female priestesses, where photography was strictly prohibited. While I didn’t quite understand what was happening, I knew that I was lucky to witness this event.

After a couple hours at the temple, I decided to head back to Ikebukuro to find something to eat. To my surprise, I found that above Ikebukuro Station there were thirteen floors of dining with increasing price as you go up. Wandering around the food hall, I stumbled upon a conveyer belt sushi restaurant. The place was absolutely packed with a two-hour wait to get in. After researching the location, I found that it was very highly rated, so I grabbed a ticket and proceeded to wait. Once my turn to eat finally came, I sat right at the counter. Eager to try everything, I went on an ordering frenzy blissfully unaware of the amount of food I was ordering. I think I ordered one of basically everything on the menu that I had never tried from fatty tuna to giant octopus tentacles. Held over by the unlimited matcha, I was content watching the chefs carefully slice fish and assemble the sushi. At first, I was given two dishes that I ordered, the octopus and the salmon course. Then, 30 seconds later, I got about eight more dishes. Overwhelmed by the amount of food on the table, I gently set down my green tea and found that my order was bigger than my stomach. Unsure of what to do, I prepared to feast on the 30+ pieces of sushi in front of me. While I did order quite a few dishes, each was very distinct and fresh. I particularly loved the teriyaki eel which melted in my mouth while also providing a pleasing pairing with the wasabi and sushi rice. By some stroke of luck, I was able to finish all of my food by the end. Afraid to look at the bill, I peeked and was surprised to find that it only cost around 6000 yen.

While I had a fantastic time visiting Meiji Jingu and getting some delicious revolving sushi, other students had different experiences that day. Many students ventured to the Tokyo National Museum. This experience seemed fulfilling and very informative regarding the history of Japan. Among all the exhibits, there were a few that were fan favorites. In particular, Alex Stankov found the “archeological exhibit with the depiction of Jesus” used to prosecute Christians when Christianity was banned. Christians were forced to step on this depiction to renounce their religion in this dark corner of Japanese history. Fascinating exhibits such as this one seemed to contribute positively to students’ experience on this trip.