Food and Drink – Jet-Set Japan

Ikebukuro – Part 1

January 9, 2019January 9, 2019Accommodations, FAQ, Food and Drink, Shopping, Trains, Shinkansen, TransportationLeave a Comment

For the first leg, second part of their first leg, Brandon and his friends stayed in Ikebukuro.

Ikebukuro is located kind of in the north part of Tokyo’s 23 special wards. It doesn’t have the greatest access to and from airports for first-timers with luggage, but it is quite conveniently located for travel to other parts of Tokyo: Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza, etc.

Here’s some info about Ikebukuro (based on a template we created in our Recommended Areas to Stay in Tokyo post.

The thumbs up and thumbs down in the access to/from Haneda and Narita is based on whether or not a first-time traveler with luggage would have to change trains. If you are comfortable with the transportation system in Japan, changing trains once or twice might not be too much of a burden, depending on which station you are transferring at, of course.

As for shopping, Seibu Department Store, Lumine Department Store, Tobu Department Store, Parco, Sunshine City are a few major places people go shopping.

For those who want to eat and drink the night away, Ikebukuro has no shortage of places, including a lot of authentic Chinese restaurants near the station’s west gate.

Here is an update version of the “Recommended Areas to Stay in Tokyo” table.

Our next post will be about Sunshine City!

Celebrating the New Year in Japan

December 31, 2018December 31, 2018Food and Drink, Nature, Seasons, WinterLeave a Comment

It’s still New Year’s Eve here in Hawaii, but it’s already New Year’s Day in Japan, so…

Happy New Year!!!

Bringing in the new year is definitely the most important holiday & event in Japan, so there are various customs when doing so.

For example, toshi-koshi soba (New Year’s Soba) is eaten on New Year’s Eve. Soba is long and thin, and this represents longevity for oneself and one’s family.

This isn’t a traditional custom, but it’s something that many people still do, despite declining viewership over the past few years ー watch the Red & White Song Contest (紅白歌合戦). In Hawaii, this is shown on New Year’s Day, but it’s shown live on New Year’s Eve until a few minutes before midnight in Japan. There’s even an app you can download to receive alerts of when your favorite artist will perform, but of course, you have to be in Japan for alerts.

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Hatsumoude is the first visit of a shrine or temple of the year. Shrines and temples have vendors selling food and drinks (alcoholic drink also) from well before midnight. When the clock strikes 12, many temples strike the bell (joya no kane) to signal the new year. The photo of Ookunitama Shrine was taken a few days after the New Year, but the photos taken at Zojoji were taken on the morning of New Year’s Day.

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Hatsu hi no de is the first sunrise of the year, and crowds of people gather on mountains, along the ocean, tall buildings, or anywhere there is a good view of the sunrise. As the sun starts to peak from the horizon, many people put their hands together in prayer to pray for good health and/or decide their goal for the year.

Osechi ryori is a traditional New Year’s Day meal where the various dishes and colors have a significant meaning.

Ozouni is a mochi (rice cake) soup that is eaten on New Year’s Day. Depending on the area of Japan, the ingredients, toppings, and taste will be different, but the one thing in common is the mochi. Even if the shape of the mochi used, round or square, is different throughout Japan, mochi is sticky and stretches, so it’s eaten for longevity.

These are just a few customs for New Year’s in Japan, and it’s interesting to see how some of these things have been carried on from one generation to the next here in Hawaii.

From Jet-Set Japan, we wish everybody a Happy New Year!!!

AEON Shopping Mall

December 24, 2018February 8, 2019Food and Drink, ShoppingLeave a Comment

Happy Holidays!

Brandon and I have been busy this holiday season, but Brandon and his friends were able to travel to Japan in November for almost two weeks. So, we’re preparing to push out a lot of content over the next few months.

Because it’s the holiday season, our post is about SHOPPING. Japan has tons of department stores and shopping malls where you can easily spend half the day, but let’s take a look at a specific shopping mall ー AEON.

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The AEON, pronounced ee-ohn, in the photos were taken at AEON Style Shingawa Seaside. Shingawa Seaside Station is on the Rinkai Line and the next station from Tennozu Isle Station, which has direct access to Haneda Airport.

Unfortunately, AEON Style’s homepage is not in English, but here are some details:

Business Hours:
B1 Supermarket: 8:00am-12:00am
B1 Food Court: Restaurants have various business hours
B1 Starbucks: 7:00am-10:00pm

1F, 2F, 3F: Most stores are open from 9:00am-11:00pm, but some stores have different business hours.

Shops:
B1: Supermarket, food court, and other specialty shops.
1F: Women’s fashion, Health & Body Care
2F: Kids’, Baby, Men’s fashion
3F: Interior Decor & Furniture, Electronics

Most importantly, and undoubtedly our favorite area, the supermarket!

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Here’s a tip for those late nights when you want a snack before bed: supermarkets start putting discount stickers on food after about 7:00 or 8:00pm, so swing by to get a good deal, but if you go too late, the only option you have might be kimchee cucumbers or potato salad.

Keep an eye out for more updates!

(Sapporo Trip – Part 5) COSTCO

November 22, 2018December 25, 2018Food and Drink, ShoppingLeave a Comment

The last part of Brandon’s Sapporo trip is about COSTCO.

Brandon took the limousine bus from the 1st Floor of the domestic arrivals area in the New Chitose Airport. It takes about 35 minutes and cost 930 Yen one way, and you have to get off at Sanrizuka Shogakko. It’s on the left side of the road, which is the same side you will be traveling on, and is visible from the bus.

If you are traveling there from Sapporo City, check out Sapporo COSTCO’s webpage for detailed directions.

For those who might not know, to shop at COSTCO, you have to possess membership.

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If you have shopped at COSTCO before, there are a lot of products you have seen before, but you can find Japanese food, drinks, and alcohol. The sushi and sashimi platters are reasonably priced, and there’s usually something to taste, which is sometimes grilled fish or nigiri maguro sushi.

Another good thing about COSTCO in Sapporo is customers will neatly park their carts when they are in the food court.

If you want to see what a COSTCO in Japan is like or if you want to picnic or barbecue during your visit, COSTCO is a good place to check out.

(Sapporo Trip – Part 3) Jingisukan (Grilled Mutton)

November 16, 2018January 12, 2019Food and DrinkLeave a Comment

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Jingisukan is Japanese for “Genghis Khan” (yes, that Genghis Khan). According to this website (in Japanese), there are a few schools of though of how this dish got its name, but it seems that the name jingisukan was created during Japan’s occupation of Manchuria or the dish itself is based on a dish that was made in Manchuria. However, Mongolia has no direct connection to jingisukan, except that sheep’s a major staple food in Mongolia.

When grilling and eating jingisukan for the first time, you will recognize the more gamey aroma. So, if you want to ease into it, we recommend ordering jingisukan that is marinated in a special sauce, which is shoyu-(soy sauce) based. The sauce does help with killing some of the gamey-ness.

From the pictures above, you can see that the grill is dome-shaped with the vegetables (bean sprouts and onions) on the bottom edges and the meat goes on dome. The juices from the meat and the sauce, if you choose marinated jingisukan, will drip down and help with cooking the vegetables.

If you love meat, give this local cuisine a try!

Coming soon:

Part 4 – Mt. Moiwa
Part 5 – COSTCO