Japanese Food Bites: Indulging in the Taste of Summer

I think I might have finally gotten over the jet lag. Evidence: I woke up at a more normal time, around when my alarm went off at 7:15 instead of with the sun at 6. An unfortunate side effect of this, though, is that my mornings are less leisurely. I have to rush to shower, get dressed, and eat breakfast before we head out.

This commute becoming familiar does not render it any less intimidating on a weekday. Squashed into a pile of people, I’m grateful it’s only two stops. I shuffle my way through the crowd in time to make a 7-11 stop before class. I’m becoming partial to a very generically labeled grapefruit soda.

We have two classes in a row, which always takes a while. We learn about different kinds of plants in bio—I remember that potatoes are tubers, which becomes relevant later in the night. We move on to our restaurant reviews, getting into groups to critique and praise each others’ work.

I also spend some time in class doing Canvas tech support. The peer review feature does not make itself particularly user-friendly, but with some finagling we get it to work.

Lunch is uneventful. We go to the Ochanomizu cafeteria, umbrellas clutched in hand to protect us from the sudden onset of rain. I’m craving something hot, but the main pescatarian option is cold noodles. I opt for the a la carte fish instead, and, feeling adventurous, grab an egg with okra and some radishes as sides. 

Unfortunately, the fish proves itself difficult to eat, the okra slightly slimy, and the radishes aren’t the crisp pickled bite I’m seeking. I make it most of the way through the meal before giving up, deciding to finish on a positive note with a delicious ice cream from the student store.

(Side note: you can get this particular treat, a waffle with vanilla ice cream and a crunchy chocolate bar in the middle, at nearly any convenience store for only about 170 yen. I frequently find myself tempted and am sure I will crave it in America)

After this we have a class excursion! We splash our way back to the Myogadani station for a series of trains to a miso factory. Having been to the large and polished Kikkoman factory just a few days before, I wonder how this will be different—with slight apprehension, because I really never liked miso soup very much.

Upon arrival, I’m assigned to be in group 2, so we’ll be waiting around for a minute. We elect to go to a local café. They can only fit some of us, but Julianna and I are able to tuck ourselves into a corner and get to work on a class assignment.

I order a hot chocolate and am delighted when it comes with beautiful latte art. It’s exactly what I need on this kind of dreary, damp, day—warm in my stomach and beautiful in pictures. I’m not looking forward to going back outside, but we make our way over to the miso factory nonetheless.

The tour is super interesting! We get to see koji (which we’ve learned about in class) and go inside a little cellar where the koji grows. We also try four different stages of miso. I try my first bite with some trepidation, but find it delicious — the savory and almost cheesy flavor isn’t what I expect. I actually end up buying a bag at the end, and will bring it back to California for my family to enjoy.

The trip back to the hotel is tiring. I get back into my room and plan to continue working on my assignment up until a short meeting with my professor, but I fall right asleep! I wake up 20 minutes past the meeting time, but luckily am still able to make it down.

Now we get some free time! The prior day, a group of us had tried to go to a cat cafe and found it closed. Today, we are on time. It’s stopped raining finally, so the short trek over is really pretty pleasant. And the cats are adorable!

We’re just in time for their feeding time, and get to see them all lined up for dinner. Some of my companions elect to buy extra treats for them, like frozen chicken lollipops—I just wander around the room and pet whichever one lets me. One takes a lazy claw swipe at my hand, but no damage is done. Another practically leaps into my hand.

Dinner afterwards is not traditionally Japanese—instead, we’re thinking Italy. This pasta place is located on the top floor of a mall right near Ikebukuro station. They make us split our group of six, so Faith and I end up at our own table.

I struggle slightly to discern which options are okay for my pescatarian diet, but ultimately get a plate of mushroom carbonara. Faith gets a plate of shrimp pasta. They’re generous with my mushrooms, strewing them across like confetti for spaghetti, but not so with Faith’s shrimp—she has about three, placed delicately.

I interviewed Faith about this pasta experience and she said that she would not get it again. The price of the restaurant compared with the apparent stinginess of seafood didn’t quite match. Just “fine” is enough for one dinner, but not a convincing argument for a return.

I actually really enjoyed my mushroom pasta, which cost the exact same 1750 yen. Although eating spaghetti with chopsticks was a real learning experience for me, I love mushrooms, and again, something hot was the perfect contrast to a cold day outside.

We skip the 900 yen desserts, unlike the other table. Instead, we hit up the 7-11. Faith gets some sort of cheesecake pastry, and I get another ice cream identical to the one I had at lunch. Sue me—they are cheap and delicious.

Getting back to the hotel, a group of us settle in to play cards and games. I enjoy a lychee drink from 7-11. We play a fun game similar to charades, and I nearly fumble getting my partner to guess “mashed potatoes” by describing a potato as a “tuber.” The biology classes are too effective!

It’s an exhausting day, as almost all of these are—we are busy dawn to dusk. But it’s worth it, and I go to bed ready to do it all again tomorrow.