japan food one/two

nat and i went to japan in the spring.  my favorite thing about the trip was the amazing food.  at first i thought there was no way we would have a bad meal, but i found out quickly that is not true.  just like anywhere, you need to know which restaurants are good and which ones to stay away from.  sometimes the english translation was brief or none at all, so i can't even tell you everything i ate. 

this is a picture menu from Za Watami,  one of the few places we ate at more than once.  this was the only place where we had to take off our shoes upon entering.  there were sandle/slippers at the front door and lockers to keep your shoes.  we sat on the floor but there were holes under the tables for our legs and feet.  the food was amazing and decently priced and the picture menu helped us out a lot.

we only went out for breakfast a couple of times, because we usually ate our hotel restaurant, Cafe' Merry Coco, which was very good.  this picture is from our last morning at a french bakery called Viron.  the waiter brought a big basket of breads and pastries to the table and we were to choose three each.  we had six delicious jams and marmalades to accompany our baked goods, all of which were for sale.  i bought a jar of marmalade for my dad's birthday, which he enjoyed.   

 

i don't remember the name of this place, but it was across from Tokyu Hands, an amazingly huge department store.  we sat on the terrace and enjoyed tea, coffee, and sweets.  i had a cup of ginger tea.  you can see the ginger in the tea pot.  it was a nice way to relax after walking around bustling Shibuya all afternoon.

this was at a little beach town called Kamakura.  this was the only thing on the menu.  i am not sure why a pickle would be served with spaghetti, but they were actually pretty good together.

 duck cookie!

this was at a place called "the great burger" though it was actually pretty amazing.  i don't remember exactly what the green drink was, but i think it was melon soda.  envelopes were provided for the burgers to keep all the tasty drippings contained.  the wet nap came in a package that said, "if you want to meet me, i want to meet you, too."