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Saturday...Satoshi had some things to do, so I went holo-holo...

I started from Ueno station and walked towards Asakusa.

I went past Chibaya and noticed there were quite a number of people with these paper bags...

so I went back and bought some daigaku imo....400 yen (tax included) for 200 grams.

Apparently they have been in business since 1950.

The pieces of sweet potato are so big, tender and the caramel that is used is soft like honey.

So delicious…I want to try their fried version next.

I've been wanting to check out Konohana...they have been baking since 2008.

Their starter is made from raisins and they use flour that is farmed in Japan.

I purchased their small campagne (country bread), chocolate bagel and lemon cake...the bagel was sourdough based, bummer the chocolate was unevenly placed, when I cut the bagel in half, only 1 serving would receive chocolate…

The lemon cake was delicious, moist with a nice amount of lemon flavor.

I served half of the campagne with soup for our Sunday dinner. 

The bread is dense and a sourdough base, loved the crunchy crust when we toasted it.

I’ll be back when I am nearby.

I stumbled upon Sekine...which apparently makes nikuman (steamed pork buns), anman (steamed buns filled with sweet bean paste) and shumai and has been in business since 1935.

I was disappointed that there was a "meatball" inside not loose/minced meat filling...260 yen (tax included)

It was tasty and I'm glad I tried it.

I also picked up some imo yokan and anko dama from Funawa.

Apparently this shop has been around since 1902.

The imo yokan is just sweet potato, sugar & a little salt. No preservatives, so you need to eat it by the next day. 

It isn’t too sweet and very dense.

The anko dama has a kanten (agar) coating, and is delicious.

They also have strawberry, matcha, mikan(tangerine), coffee and white bean flavored anko dama.

I’m glad we tried these.

Then I walked back towards Ueno, past Kappabashi.

Some interesting store fronts…Sekishin recycle shop.

A really old dentist office...still in business since 1929.

Picked up some things at Takeya and made my way home.

The weather is starting to warm up but it was super windy...still it was nice to be out and about.

Konohana

3-25-6 Asakusa

Taito, Tokyo

Phone: 03.3874.7302

Closed Sunday, Monday & Tuesday

Hours: 10:30-18:00

Chibaya

3-9-10 Asakusa

Taito, Tokyo

Phone: 03.3872.2302

Closed Tuesdays

Hours: 10:00-18:00

Sekine

1-23-6 Asakusa

Taito, Tokyo

Phone: 03.3841.5230

Open daily 11:00-20:00

Funawa

1-22-10 Asakusa

Taito, Tokyo

Phone: 03.3842.2781

Hours: 10:30-19:00

sakura walk

Yesterday, the weather was forecast for clouds, but luckily there was a brief moment of sun.

Since the news had mentioned that the Sumida River area was in full bloom, I went to check it out.

The view from the Kototoi Bridge was pretty!

And luckily, not very crowded.

I walked from Asakusa to Pelican Bakery but they were already sold out.

I then walked to their cafe where the wait was krazy.

I realized I was near Kuramae and went to Dandelion Chocolate.

I stopped in for a dulce de leche bar and some cacao nib cold brew...it was nice to sit for a while.

In the same area is Ambika, an Indian spice shop, where I picked up some snacks.

And down the street is my favorite store, Shimojima, where I picked up some muffin papers.

I used to visit the one near Shinsaibashi in Osaka, so it was my first time going to this shop since moving to Tokyo.

Coming back, I got a bit mixed up on the trains but glad I figured out where I needed to be.

Hope to get out and about tomorrow even though the forecast is cloudy.

pelican

There is a bakery I have had bookmarked for awhile now...Pelican.

They only make rolls and loaves of bread.

On the day that I went, it was quite late in the day and I expected them to be sold out.

Luckily, they had both loaves of bread and rolls.

I chose their medium sized rolls (package of 5).

I filled some with scrambled egg for our breakfast.

I want to go back to buy their smaller rolls (package of 10) and a loaf of their bread.

They also have a cafe down the street which I want to try too...I'll be back.

Pelican
4-7-4 Kotobuki
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3841.4686
Closed Sunday
Hours: 8:00-17:00

sunday

Sunday the weather was blazing.

We started our day with a simple breakfast at Misojyu.

Choose your miso soup, a musubi.

All breakfast sets come with an aji tama (seasoned egg), konbu and a glass of iced cold brew green tea.

I chose their ume musubi and miso soup with togan (wintermelon) and manganji togarashi (a type of bell pepper).

Satoshi chose their salmon musubi and miso soup with chives and daikon (long radish).

After checking out, we searched for the Kabuki statue of Ichikawa Danjuro, which was located at the very edge of Sensoji.

And on the way to the Sky Tree, we got to catch a glimpse of a wedding party on their way to their reception...see the video here

We crossed the Sumida river over one of the many bridges and got some pictures of Tokyo Sky Tree.

We caught a community bus to the Mukojima area and had lunch at Santini.

It was nice to get out of the heat for a bit.

Lunch was eggplant with meat sauce pasta, while Satoshi had their seafood pasta.

The owner had a reservation called in and asked us to move tables.

It was no problem as we hadn't even been served our lunches yet.

They felt bad about moving us and gave us iced teas...so nice!

Next to Santini is Mukojima Hyakkaen, one of the nine metropolitan gardens in Tokyo.

Not many flowers in bloom this time of year...though there were these gourds...hebiuri (snake gourd)

And this type of gourd.

We caught the community bus down to the Ryogoku area and checked out the sumo sights along the Sumida River.

There are different objet that decorate the railings depicting the various throws in sumo.

We also stumbled upon the Tokitsukaze stable, one of the many in the area.

It was a blazing Sunday, I think they said the temps went up to 32C (89F)?!

I'm glad we got to explore this area, though I wish the weather wasn't still so summery.

Misojyu
1-7-5 Asakusa
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.5830.3101
Hours: 8:30-19:00
Closed Mondays

Santini
3-29-10 Higashi Mukojima
Sumida, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3610.1323
Closed Mondays
Hours: 11:30-14:00 (lunch), 17:30-21:00 (dinner)

Mukojima Hyakkaen
3-18-3 Higashi Mukojima
Sumida, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3611.8705
Hours: 9:00-17:00

saturday

Instead of traveling outside of Tokyo for the 3-day weekend, we decided to stay in Asakusa.

Walking from Ueno to Asakusa, we passed Kappabashi, where they have all sorts of gadgets and equipment for the kitchen.

I noticed this building that had cups for balconies...so cute!

Kappabashi was also having their big sale, so it was krazy crowded!

We've been trying to eat at Yoshikami, a well known yoshoku (western) shop, but there was always a long wait.

This time we got there just before they opened, the line in front of us got the first seating and we ended up waiting about 30 minutes for a table.

Satoshi had their fried shrimp, which he felt were "just okay"...he already wants to come back to try their katsu next time.

I tried their recommended beef stew...so melt in your mouth tender pieces of beef, rich demi-glace sauce and super soft veggies.

If you want rice or rolls, they are a la carte...also, if you want to pay by credit card, tell the staff before your order, so they can note it on your bill.

Lunch time can get a bit krazy here, but it is neat to watch everyone doing their part in the kitchen to get the food out fast.

After lunch, we bought Matsukaze (black sugar "cake" rolled with sweet bean paste in the middle) and Dorayaki from Kameju.

It was our first time trying these...both were so light and fluffy!

This place always has a line too, but so worth the wait.

After checking in, we took a cruise on the Sumida river.

I never realized how wide, long and deep the Sumida river was.

Also, there are many many bridges for everyone to get from one side to the other.

Saturday was the last day for Tsukiji.

They moved the fish market over to Toyosu on Sunday.

Many of the shops that are located outside of Tsukiji (Jo-gai) will remain where they are, but everything within the boundaries of the fish market itself have moved.

Since moving to Tokyo, we haven't had a chance to get back to Tsukiji and ended up taking a last glimpse of Tsukiji from the boat...If you'd like to see our last glimpse of Tsukiji, click the link here

Dinner was at Hatsuogawa.

They have been grilling unagi (eel) since 1907!

You start off with some unagi "crackers"...the back bone of the eel fried up...super crunchy and great with beer.

The menu is simple, unagi with or without rice...I went with the smaller portion without rice while Satoshi got the bigger portion.

Super rich!

I prefer the Kansai way of grilling unagi, which makes the skins get crispy.

If I am not mistaken, the Kanto way is to grill then steam the unagi, which "fluffs" it up.

Cash only here.

Not many tourists, mostly locals.

Even though I don't really like unagi, it is Satoshi's favorite and I'm glad we got to try this place and experience their history.

We explored Sensoji after dinner.

Have you ever looked underneath the huge chochin (lanterns)?

If you do, you'll see a dragon.

The weather was summery, a bit uncomfortable, but it was nice to be out and about.

Yoshikami
1-41-4 Asakusa
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3841.1802
Hours: 11:45-22:30
Closed Thursdays

Kameju
2-18-11 Asakusa
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3841.2210
Hours: 10:00-19:00

Tokyo Cruise
1-1-1 Hanawakado
Daito, Tokyo

Gate Hotel Kaminarimon
2-16-11 Kaminarimon
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.5826.3877