Sunset at the end of the world

Food for Friday: KFC Tokyo Style and the Oedo (March 19th, 2011)

Feeling hungry I looked for something to eat. This is a familiar place. Might as well find out why it's so popular in Japan.



Order on the street, go upstairs to eat. Space is a premium here. Want to see what I got? Proof that sizes are smaller in Japan.

Let the Partyball begin!

Look what arrived the other day!



Tokyo Tower survived the big quake but I don't know if it can survive this.



Is this help or has more trouble arrived?



It does look pretty tasty...

Toto we aren't on Melrose any more (March 19th, 2011)

I have to say, if you want to see interesting architecture in Tokyo, Omotesando Dori (street) in Minami Aoyama, Tokyo definitely is a place to go. I saw this building after leaving the shrine and went "Wow!"



Even more of a surprise is that it's the Comme des Garcon store! The curvy building was designed by Future Systems. The polka dot blue glass definitely feels like it has Rei Kawakubo's influence.



I so wanted to go in. But I felt really self-conscious because there weren't other shoppers around. I like to not have all the sales people wanting to help me. I'm a browser. So I passed on going in. If I am ever back here...I want to check the store out and the Yohji Yamamoto shop. If only my feet weren't hurting so much!



Wondering what this amazing building is?

A shrine for shopping (March 19th, 2011)

My goal this day was to reach the well-heeled area of Omotesando Dori. Being an area I had not visited before and a station with rather confusing exits, I of course went the wrong way when I reached the street.



I was always curious to see if there would be people out shopping and going about. I do think crowds were still down. My guess is it's most likely because a lot of people live further out of Tokyo and with the rolling blackouts train service to and from those areas was questionable. Because TEPCO kept changing the schedule. I can totally understand the frustration of those who live there.



Luckily I did find something interesting even going the wrong way. It looked like a shrine.

Food for Friday: CoCo Ichibanya in California

So, imagine my surprise when a new curry place opened in town. And it just happened to be CoCo Ichibanya. In case you missed it, I have photos and a write-up of my visit to a CoCo Ichibanya restaurant in Tokyo last Friday. Here if you want to check it out.



Checking it out was a must to see if I could relive a bit of that flavor I experienced in Tokyo.



It's a pretty good sized space.



With lots of seating.



But for me, sitting at the counter is the best seat. So want to know if it measures up?

Flowers above and Oedo below (March 19th, 2011)

One of the things I really like about the part of Minato that I stayed at is the fact that many people like to have pots of flowers and trees around their places even though everything is very much concrete, glass and steel.





The most hearting thing I saw was this little sakura starting to bloom. Sakura was late this year but to see this pretty tree felt like hope. Please keep looking at the post for more flowers and a bit about a rather interesting Tokyo subway.

Hello Kitty Digestive Biscuits

Moon viewing and a bite to eat (March 18th, 2011)

Back at Hotel Villa Fontaine, resting my feet and viewing the almost full moon from my window.



Time to eat! Don't remember what konbini I bought this from but this Azuki Bean Onigiri was delicious. I've made rice with azuki beans before and it's really good. I have to do it again soon and maybe try turning it into onigiri.



Wonder what is in the bag? It's from Caffe Veloce, the coffee shop that helped me out so much by being open when most places were closed. Keep looking to see what I got.

Nakano Broadway and kaitan sushi (March 18th, 2011)

I took a chance. My feet were still hurting badly but I really needed to go someplace. It was a week after the earthquake, tsunami and the start of the nuclear meltdowns. Distractions and getting away from tv and news were much needed.



So I headed to a place many others have recommended. Nice sunny day meant going to a sunshine filled place called Nakano Sun Mall. Which is the main way to get to Nakano Broadway. Where I saw a lot more than I expected and had a couple nice surprises. Keep looking to find out what they were.

Sunday Stroll: Naples Island

Naples Island is considered part of Long Beach, California. It's a lovely little neighborhood with some interesting homes. Every year they go all out to decorate for the holidays.



There is a big party, boat parades, and many people come to see how the people living there seem to compete for the most impressive display of lights. Want to see more?

Food for Friday: CoCo Ichibanya Tokyo (March 17th, 2011)

My feet really hurt and it was freezing cold as I returned to Minato. And I was pretty darn hungry since I hadn't eaten in a while. Trying to figure out where to eat was even more of a chore since so many places did not have their signs lit in order to conserve electricity.



CoCo Ichibanya? Open? Well, might as well find out.

Outer moat and Tokyo Station (March 17th, 2011)

A bit more of the Outer Moat at the Imperial Palace Grounds in Tokyo and the contrasting newer buildings around it.





The stone work is amazing. Please take a look at more of it and some interesting photos around and at Tokyo Station.

Wordless Wednesday: Toy Bridges

For Wordless Wednesday

Where I meet a samurai warrior (March 17th, 2011)

When I was walking towards the Imperial Palace I caught a glimpse of this little park at the edge of the grounds. I decided to take a look once I was done seeing what I could see at the Palace.



The park is part of Kyoko Gaigen. Walking towards the middle you see this extraordinary statue.



This bronze statue was erected in 1897. Obviously it is someone who was considered very important.

Nijubashi Bridges (Tokyo, March 17th, 2011)

I will tell you something that a lot of people don't point out when they post photos of this. That there are two bridges. Nijubashi means double bridge.



From where most people stand to take photos you see the front bridge. I am going to guess this one is the Imperial Palace Main Gate Stone Bridge which is also known as Meganebashi or Spectacle Bridge. Want to find out a bit more?

Sunday Stroll: Hopkins Wilderness Park

Still not up to everything, holidays alone are kind of sad and no trips sadder.



So for now some Autumn leaves and a return to Hopkins Wilderness Park.







Southern California tends to do seasons some what minimalist. If you are wondering about this park, check this post out.

Food for Friday: Sushi Yoshi

A bit ago I decided to try once again to see how Sushi Yoshi in Gardena is. My first visit was okay with decent sushi at really good prices but it felt a bit awkward. Which was strange because I have sat at a few sushi bars before. But I stopped in and got an order to go.



Like I said, pretty good sushi at really good prices.

The thing with Sushi Yoshi is they are open at times most of the Japanese restaurants around here are not open. So craving sushi we headed over to try our luck eating in one more time.



I picked out some nigiri and was very pleased. So was my dining companion. That is yellowtail by the way.



So I went ahead and tried the scallop and unagi. I'm not a fan of scallop it turns out but the unagi was very good.




Sushi Yoshi is at:

2140 Artesia Blvd # H

Torrance, CA 90504-3046

  (310) 538-2018 ‎