Sunday, September 18
After Sumo, Yuki and I went to an izakaya (Japanese pub) in Ueno for dinner and a few drinks. The food was really great and very greasy. The thing about the Japanese is that they never obsess about eating fattening foods the way that we do in New York. I think IÂ’ve eaten more egg yolks in the past three months than I have in the last three years. Yum.
I decided that the forty-dollar-a-day flophouse was not my best bet for the weekend so I cancelled my trip to Nikko and stayed in Tokyo. On Sunday I headed to the trendy enclave of Ebisu to look around and do a little shopping. The guide books are a little out-of-date, though. Ebisu is really run-down and filled with auto-repair shops.
Not to worry, I finally managed to wander in the right direction for once and ended up in Daikanyama, the next town over and the place that the cool had obviously migrated. Daikanyama is part Greenwich Village, part Upper West Side, part nameless town in France. Most of the businesses there have some sort of French-inspired theme, which I at first found charming, then strange.
Hands-down the highlight of the day was my visit to Matsunosuke, a bakery located just on the cusp of Daikanyama. I almost didn't notice the place, but a window display of Ritz Cracker boxes caught my eye. Matsunosuke specializes in American baked goods, particularly pies and cakes. The owner, Hirano-san, was there and she recommended the cherry pie. It was fantastic. People should eat cherry pie every day in my opinion.
After Sumo, Yuki and I went to an izakaya (Japanese pub) in Ueno for dinner and a few drinks. The food was really great and very greasy. The thing about the Japanese is that they never obsess about eating fattening foods the way that we do in New York. I think IÂ’ve eaten more egg yolks in the past three months than I have in the last three years. Yum.
I decided that the forty-dollar-a-day flophouse was not my best bet for the weekend so I cancelled my trip to Nikko and stayed in Tokyo. On Sunday I headed to the trendy enclave of Ebisu to look around and do a little shopping. The guide books are a little out-of-date, though. Ebisu is really run-down and filled with auto-repair shops.
Not to worry, I finally managed to wander in the right direction for once and ended up in Daikanyama, the next town over and the place that the cool had obviously migrated. Daikanyama is part Greenwich Village, part Upper West Side, part nameless town in France. Most of the businesses there have some sort of French-inspired theme, which I at first found charming, then strange.Hands-down the highlight of the day was my visit to Matsunosuke, a bakery located just on the cusp of Daikanyama. I almost didn't notice the place, but a window display of Ritz Cracker boxes caught my eye. Matsunosuke specializes in American baked goods, particularly pies and cakes. The owner, Hirano-san, was there and she recommended the cherry pie. It was fantastic. People should eat cherry pie every day in my opinion.
Even the grafitti is elegant!
As I was leaving the shop, Hirano-san told me that she learned the art of apple pie in Connecticut. Then she gave me a few free treats for the road. Somehow, I managed not to dig into the bag and gobble up the biscuit and scone before I got home.
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