Unagi and Ikebukuro at Night

Of course I went back to Manmaru. Because when something is good, it's worth enjoying.

And again I asked for their recommendation for sake. This time, I can translate the label.

It's the Unchecked Main Brew Sake from Ichinokura in Miyagi.

Nice and balanced, this dry sake had just the right amount of sweetness. Very refreshing.

While I like to try new foods, I come here for the unagi.

Because it is delicious. And there is something about sansho pepper...the smell is so enticing.

This time I noticed the little eel in the bottom of the dish.

Did I mention it rained most of the time I was in Tokyo in July?

Not heavy rain, just enough to make everything wet, including anyone out in it. Rain so light it blew everywhere.

But it did help with getting decent photos at night. I wish I had taken more. 

It did add to the atmosphere of Ikebukuro's Sunshine Dori area. Yes, it is this busy every night.

Rainy Day Unagi

Japan finally entered the rainy season during my trip. This day there was almost constant rain. So I decided to spend some time in Ikebukuro Station and the many stores that are part of it. After spending a bit of time in Tobu Department Store trying to find a specific item, I headed to their restaurant floors. On the way I saw an image of a dish that decided for me what I wanted to eat.

After a little searching I found it. At mi*kyukawa.

An unagi restaurant. Inside the decor was modern and there were a few people dining.

The service was very nice there. My wait person even made sure to show me the sansho container.

So what did I order? One of their set meals. It's always fun to receive the food in covered containers. You get the enjoyment of the reveal.

Some tsukemono pickles.

Nice light miso soup. The dashi had the flavor of niboshi.

And the reveal! My unagi don. Very good.

Sansho? Yes please. This was a very nice meal, just right for a rainy day.

So what was I searching for? A new watch. I saw that there was a Swatch booth at Tobu. However Tobu isn't a simple store to find things in. There are various sections and levels, even different buildings. But I did find the Swatch counter and the lady there was extremely helpful. And this is my new watch. It has been a few years since I bought a new watch and I really like this one. So even with the rain, good things did happen.