How much do we love Japan?

Let me count the many ways! Having first gone to Japan for our honeymoon, this was Kyusik and my 4th time and the boys’ third trip. 

First, you can have amazing food everywhere you go. During our time in Tokyo, we had the best shaved ice we’ve ever had, sushi for breakfast, late night ramen, yummy panko fried pork called tonkatsu, fancy Buddhist vegetarian food, grilled meat and vegetables called yakitori, and many bento boxes, which we ate on the Shinkansen or bullet train between Tokyo and Nagano. We also hit the basement of Isetan, a fancy department store. Like other nice department stores there, you can buy all sorts of prepared Japanese food to take away. They also carry produce, alcohol, tea, coffee, baked goods, and both Japanese and European desserts. On our penultimate day in Tokyo, we bought sushi, tempura, menchi katsu (fried ground meat cutlet), and had the most beautiful and tasty bento box. 

Kyusik and I also enjoyed a number of meals on our own, including two Japanese breakfasts and an omakase (chef’s choice) sushi dinner. I’m especially partial to the breakfasts, as they usually involve tea, rice, miso soup, fish, vegetables, and assorted pickles. 

Second, the Japanese are tea lovers. We always stock up on ground green tea powder called matcha, but also bought roasted green tea called hojicha, soba (buckwheat) tea, and very fancy loose leaf green tea called gyokuro. You can also buy both hot or cold tea in bottles or cans of all kinds at vending machines for a little over $1. They also regularly serve complimentary tea at meals and have pitchers of cold or hot tea on the table to serve yourself. Additionally, there are all sorts of seasonal wagashi, or sweets, often made with rice flour, that you can eat with your tea. They are a bit akin to the British accompaniment of biscuits but so much better in taste and appearance. 

Third, the snow is amazing for skiing and snowboarding. Not only is it copious, but it is also dry, light and fluffy. None of that Sierra cement. Plus, the lunch options at ski resorts are reasonable at around $10 per dish and range from pasta to Japanese curry to udon and soba noodle soups. And afterwards, you can hit an onsen, a public bath with separate areas for males and females that pipe in hot springs water into a number of pools that vary in temperature. They often have both indoor and outdoor pools, where the outdoor pool has a view of the slopes and is designed with Zen principles. 

Fourth, most islands are connected by an incredible train system that includes the high speed Shinkansen. There is nothing better than digging into your bento box and sipping your bottled tea while you get rapidly whisked between the major cities. Additionally, Tokyo, the most populated city in the world at 37 million, has an incredibly efficient metro system. It is also exceedingly clean and has bathrooms everywhere, often just beyond the metro gates. 

Fifth, at the nicer restaurants, you are served by the chef and then walked to the door when you leave. The chef will even step outside to see you off. 

Lastly, the Japanese expect their kids to be quite independent at an early age. For example, we saw two boys who looked about eight navigating the very complicated Tokyo metro system. They had maps in hand but were also playing a game on their iPad in between stops, which is also a testament to how safe the city is. You can be sure we will return!