[Day 6] Tokyo Ramen Street

On second last day of our Japanese trip, we went to First Avenue Tokyo Station (東京駅一番街) which has a three-floor commercial and retail featuring 120 stores and restaurants with the first floor connected directly to the Yaesu exits of Tokyo Station (東京駅).

And with the two main attractions like Tokyo Character Street and Tokyo Ramen Street, we decided to go there to try their well-known Ramen shops in Tokyo as well as shop for some cute souvenirs back too .

Tokyo Station (東京駅) is a railway station in the Marunouchi (丸の内) business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo which is near the Imperial Palace grounds and the Ginza (銀座) commercial district.

Model of the Tokyo Station

Tokyo Ramen Street opened in April 2011 featuring Ramen stores operated by eight renowned names in Tokyo ramen such as:-

1. Rokurinsha Tokyo (六厘舎) where there is always a line and they are well-known for tsukemen (noodles with dipping sauce);

2. Hirugao (ひるがお) is a branch from the very popular ramen restaurant call Setagaya which is specializing in shio ramen (noodles in salt-based soup);

3. Kani-senmon Keisuke Kita no Sho (蟹専門 けいすけ) is created by a ramen innovator and their ramen is served is a special design bowls. They even have outlets in Singapore too;

4. Ramen Mutsumiya (むつみ屋) is renowned for its popular miso ramen (noodles in miso-based soup) and this is the restaurant that we had our ramen from;

5.Tokyo Station Ikaruga (斑鳩 東京駅) is one of Tokyo's most famous ramen restaurants, whose First Avenue location represents its second restaurant after the flagship restaurant;

6. Ramen Honda (麵処 ほん田) is consider  a new and popular eatery among the rest of 7 which is consistently draws lines;

7. Junk-Garage (ジャンクがレッジ) is known for it's genre of maze soba (noodles topped with a dollop of thick, tasty sauce); and

8. Menya Shichisai / Tokyo Miso Ramen Edoama (麺や 七彩) is famous for it's soy sauce ramen that extracts delightful flavor from its noodle

Menu from Mutsumiya

Side: Gyoza @ ¥100 (SG$1.20) for 5 pieces

Mutsumiya origin from Hokkaido and they have typical topping on their ramen such as sliced pork (chashu), green onion (negi), seaweed (nori) and boiled egg. Although they served both the red (spicy) and white (miso) ramen, we tried only their Signature White Miso Ramen (¥1000 / SG$12.20) which served in thick rich miso soup broth.

If you have time, perhaps you could try more than one ramen restaurant to compare their soup broth and noodles; but generally the waiting time for each restaurant will be around 30 minutes to an hour or more depending on its popularity.

Mutsumiya (むつみ屋)
Tokyo Station Ichibangai #B1
Tokyo Ramen Street
Telephone: 03-5520-6558
Seating Capacity: 32 Seats (non smoking)

Opening Hours:-
10.00 am - 11.00pm (LO 10.30pm)

At the Nijubashi Bridge seeing the Imperial Palace

After lunch we took a short walk to visit the Nijubashi Bridge which we could see a far view of the Imperial Palace. The Imperial Palace buildings and inner gardens are not open to the public except on every year, 02 January (New Year's Greeting) and 23 December (Emperor's Birthday). On these dates, visitors are able to enter the inner palace grounds and stand a chance to see the members of the Imperial Family making public appearances on a balcony.

Beside that, during the rest of the year there are also guided tours of the palace which are offered in Japanese (English pamphlet and audio guide are provided) and it must be reserved in advance with the Imperial Household Agency (reservation details here).

After which we took the train to Kamiyacho Station (神谷町駅)  which is the nearest station to Tokyo Tower (東京タワ). It takes about 5 - 10 minutes walk from the station exit to the tower ticketing area.

The structure of this landmark is an Eiffel Tower-inspired lattice tower that is painted white and international orange to comply with air safety regulations. Although most of the tourists are attracted to the newly open Tokyo SkyTree tower but we could still see crowds queuing at the ticket counters to get their entry tickets to go on top of the Tokyo Tower.

Another view of Tokyo Tower from far.

Admission fees to the observatory

Tokyo Tower (東京タワ)
４-２-８, Minato
Tokyo 105-0011, Japan
Telephone: +81 3-3433-5111

Opening Hours:-
9:00am - 10:00pm (daily)
(entry until 21:45 to main observatory, until 21:30 to special observatory)

Places that I would be covering for my Japan trip posts would be:-

~ [Day 1] Our Family Trip to Tokyo, Japan
~ [Day 1] Exploring Harajuku (原宿) and Takeshita Street (竹下通り)
~ [Day 2] Day Tour to Katsunuma Winery, Lake Kawaguchi and Koyodai In Narusawa
~ [Day 3] Exploring Shinjuku (新宿)
~ [Day 3] RAKERU （ラケル） @ Shinjuku, Tokyo
~ [Day 4] Tokyo Disneyland (東京ディズニーランド)
~ [Day 5] Tsukiji Fish Market (築地市場)
~ [Day 5] Tsukiji Sushi Kiyoshi (築地寿司清本店)
~ [Day 5] Kaminarimon (雷門) @ Asakusa
~ [Day 5] Fujisoba (名代 富士) At Akihabara, Tokyo
~ [Day 6] Tokyo Ramen Street

Upcoming Posts.....
~ Shabu Shabu @ Shabujo, Shinjuku

To be continue...... Day 6 (23 Nov 2012): Next post will be on Shabu Shabu @ Shabujo, Shinjuku

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Fujisoba (名代 富士) At Akihabara, Tokyo

We had long day out for "Day 5" starting with Tsukiji Fish Market (築地市場), lunch at Tsukiji Sushi Kiyoshi (築地寿司清本店), more shopping trip at Ginza and sightseeing over at Kaminarimon (雷門) plus getting the famous Dorayaki (銅鑼焼き) from Kamejyu (亀十). In the evening, we took the train over to Akihabara (秋葉原) which is a district in central Tokyo, that is famous for its many electronics shops because cousin wanted to find some Anime figurines.

In addition to shops there are also various other cosplay restaurants in that area such as the well-known "maid cafes" where waitresses dress up and act like maids or anime characters, and manga kissaten (comics cafes) which is a type of internet cafe where customers can read comics and watch DVDs in addition to having access to the internet.

Anime design posters and Electronics shops around Akihabara area.

Before exploring more around Akihabara area, we decided to settle our dinner at Fujisoba (名代 富士) which was on the first floor building of Takarada central street that is near the Akihabara Station. This 24 hours eatery has two ordering vending machines outside the shop which enable customers to purchase "meal ticket(s)" base on what they want and later on collects the dish over at the serving counter after making the payment. (At that point of time, my kid was fascinated by this food ordering machine which we don't get to see in Singapore.)

Tempura Udon @ ¥360 (SG$4.50)

Curry Rice @ ¥420 (SG$5.20)

Katsudon @ ¥460 (SG$5.70)

Even though the capacity of the shop can only cater less than 20 diners but one thing we learn from their culture, they don't usually spend more than 15 minutes eating at the shop. So whenever they finished they would vacant the seat(s) for the next waiting customer which in a way you don't even need to wait long during lunch/dinner crowds.

Fujisoba (名代 富士) is also one of those food chain outlets in Japan serving economic and decent Japanese food which are less than ¥550 (SG$6.80). And we also feel at least the quality are still much better than those Japanese food that we have in Singapore foodcourt if comparing the price that we are paying. So perhaps if for a quick bite or budget food, you could give it a try if you happen to walk past the shop

名代 富士そば
秋葉原駅前店
千代田区外神田1-14-1
宝田中央通りビル
営業時間：24時間営業
Website: http://fujisoba.co.jp/

Places that I would be covering for my Japan trip posts would be:-

~ [Day 1] Our Family Trip to Tokyo, Japan
~ [Day 1] Exploring Harajuku (原宿) and Takeshita Street (竹下通り)
~ [Day 2] Day Tour to Katsunuma Winery, Lake Kawaguchi and Koyodai In Narusawa
~ [Day 3] Exploring Shinjuku (新宿)
~ [Day 3] RAKERU （ラケル） @ Shinjuku, Tokyo
~ [Day 4] Tokyo Disneyland (東京ディズニーランド)
~ [Day 5] Tsukiji Fish Market (築地市場)
~ [Day 5] Tsukiji Sushi Kiyoshi (築地寿司清本店)
~ [Day 5] Kaminarimon (雷門) @ Asakusa
~ [Day 5] Fujisoba (名代 富士) At Akihabara, Tokyo
~ [Day 6] Tokyo Ramen Street

Upcoming Posts.....
~ Shabu Shabu @ Shabujo, Shinjuku

To be continue...... Day 6 (23 Nov 2012): Next post will be on Tokyo Ramen Street

Read More...

Din Tai Fung Limited Edition Canvas Tote And Red Bean Rice Dumplings

Photo Credit:- Din Tai Fung

For the month of May, patrons who dine at Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐) would be able to receive a complementary Limited Edition Canvas Tote (worth S$12.90 each) to encourage dinners to go green. These totes featured calligraphic inspired prints of the restaurant's award-winning Steamed Pork Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) and it will be available in four different colours each week starting from 1st May.

Photo Credit:- Din Tai Fung

This complimentary Canvas Tote is entitled for diners who spend a  minimum of S$100.00  but the totes can also be purchased at S$7.90 each with any S$50.00 spend at Din Tai Fung. Furthermore, to reward dinners for their go green efforts, they will receive a 5% discount off from their total takeaway bill when they use the tote at Din Tai Fung between 01 May - 31st December 2013.

My Instagram Photo @ http://instagram.com/p/YPI-mzBEZr/

In June in order to celebrate Dragon Boat Festive (端午节), Din Tai Fung's popular Red Bean Rice Dumplings (豆沙粽) is back upon demand too. Same as previous years, these dumplings are specially air-flown from Taiwan and there are made using top grade Taiwan pearl rice together with generous filling of fragrant red bean paste in a pillow-shaped.

Photo Credit: Din Tai Fung

Just for your information, OCBC Cardmembers will receive a complimentary Red Bean Rice Dumpling (worth S$4.80) with a minimum spend of S$80.00 at Din Tai Fung between 01 - 30 June 2013. Whereas for non-cardmembers a minimum of S$90.00 spend will be required in order to entitle the complimentary treat .

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Mother's Day Cake From Icing Room plus Giveaway

Photo credit: The Icing Room

This coming Mother's Day, The Icing Room introduce two special design cakes to pamper all mothers who plays the most important role in their family. These two elegance cakes are known as Perfect Mum (top) and Say It with Love (bottom) at a regular price of S$29.00 each which can be served up to 6.

And if you place your pre-order of the Mother's Day Cake(s) mentioned above from 02nd - 09th May 2013, you could also enjoy a 20% discount off plus received an adorable lollicake from The Icing Room.

Photo credit: The Icing Room

Perfect Mum - Strawberry cake made from classic vanilla chiffon and layered with strawberry mousse and jelly. 

Photo credit: The Icing Room

Say It with Love - Made from light and fluffy vanilla chiffon that filled with cocktail fruits and heavenly Chantilly cream which represent the tender sweetness that a mother showers on her children.

On top of that from 12th April 2013 onwards, lovely treats from The Icing Room would be made available from their new delivery website @http://theicingroomdelivery.com.sg/ so that it would be a breeze to order your cake(s) and get it delivered to your doorstep.

MOTHER'S DAY CAKE GIVEAWAY

Thanks to The Icing Room, we are giving away a voucher worth S$29.00 to 1 Lucky readers/followers of Cuisine Paradise to redeem the "Prefect Mum" Cake starting from 02 May - 09 May 2013.

To participate:-
1. LIKE and SHARE this photo on Facebook. (remember to leave a comment that you have liked and shared)

2. Leave a comment at this post sharing one of your favourite homecook dish that you wish to learn from your mum?

Terms And Conditions 
* This giveaway ends on Monday, 29 April 2013 (2.00pm, Singapore time).
* Only for readers living in SINGAPORE.
* Participants must follow the instructions mentioned above to be eligible for the giveaway.
* Please leave a valid email address when filling out the comment form so that we can contact you immediately if you are the winners.


[UPDATED ON:- 30 April 2013]

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[Day 5] Kaminarimon (雷門) @ Asakusa

Asakusa (浅草) is located in the center of Tokyo with Sensō-ji Temple (金龍山浅草寺) as its main attraction. Kaminarimon Gate (雷門) or also known as the "Thunder Gate" is the outer of two large entrance gates that leads to the Sensō-ji Temple. With its Giant Red Lantern and statues this attraction is popular with tourists as well as hot spot for photos taking too.

Asakusa is accessible by the Ginza Subway Line, Asakusa Subway Line, Tsukuba Express and etc. And from Asakusa you could also take a 20 minutes walk across the Sumida River to the new Tokyo Skytree (東京スカイツリー) attraction.

From Tokyo Station
Take the JR Yamanote Line to Kanda Station (2 minutes, ¥130 Yen) and transfer to the Ginza Subway Line for Asakusa (10 minutes, ¥160 Yen).

From Shinjuku Station
Take the orange JR Chuo Line to Kanda Station (10 minutes, ¥160 Yen) and transfer to the Ginza Subway Line for Asakusa (10 minutes, ¥160 Yen).

Since we were at Ginza area after visiting the Tsukiji Market (read more HERE) , we decided to take a 10 minutes subway ride to visit the well-known Kaminarimon gate.

Kaminarimon gate was built more than 1000 years ago and it is the symbol of Asakusa. Cross the gate, there is this Nakamise shopping street that leads from Kaminarimon to the temple grounds.

As you could see, Nakamise Shopping Street (Nakamise-dori) stretches from the entrance of Kaminarimon gate to the main grounds of Sensoji Temple. Along the stretch it is lined by more than 80 over shops which offer local specialties, food and array of souvenirs for tourists.

BBQ Rice Crackers

Matcha Mochi Manju with red bean filling @ ¥80 (SG$0.80) each

Osenbei (rice crackers)

Ningyoyaki

Pastry master making Ningyoyaki which is small cake filled with red bean paste. These small cakes various in shaped like hello kitty, animals, traditional lanterns and etc.

View of Tokyo Skytree from Nakamise shopping street

About 100m towards the entrance of the Sensō-ji Temple, on the right, you would be able to catch a view of the magnificent Tokyo Skytree. We are unable to go up to the Skytree tower due to the festive crowds (Thanksgiving Day Holiday in Japan, 23 November) and tourists who had already pre-purchased the tickets.

History of the Sensoji Temple

Main entrance of the Sensoji Temple

Sensoji (金龍山浅草寺) is a Buddhist temple located in Asakusa. It is also one of Tokyo's most colorful and popular temples that was built in 645 making it the oldest among all. Often there are various events held throughout the year in the Sensoji Temple area. The biggest of them is the Sanja Matsuri which is an annual festival of the Asakusa Shrine that helds in May.

Amazake (甘酒) @ ¥300 (S$4.00) per cup

Along the way back due to the cold weather, we decided to try this Amazake (甘酒) which is a sweet Japanese drink made from fermented rice. It tasted slightly sweet fragrance which makes it a best hot beverage for cold winter night.

Due to winter, the street gets darker earlier like what shown above even though it was only around 5.30 pm in the evening.

Opposite the main entrance of the Kaminarimon gate, there is a famous Dorayaki (銅鑼焼き) shop know as Kamejyu (亀十) which is just seconds away from Tokyo Metro station and Kaminarimon has being serving Dorayaki for more than 80 years.

Most people come for their Dorayaki but other than that, the also have Kintsuba (Sweet red bean paste), Monaka (Sweet red or white bean paste in wafers), Mamemochi (Sticky rice cake with beans), Candice Blackbean/Chestnut and etc.

Above shown is their signature Dorayaki (銅鑼焼き) which comes with either sweet red or white bean paste at ¥315 (SG$4.00). These are definitely the best Dorayaki that we had which is soft and fluffy, filled with refined fillings that made with beans from Hokkaido.

KAMEJYU （亀十）
2-18-11 Kaminarimon, Taito-ku, Tokyo
(東京都台東区雷門2-18-11)
Telephone: 03-3841-2210
Website: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3004.html

Opening hour:
10.00am - 8.30pm

Places that I would be covering for my Japan trip posts would be:-

~ [Day 1] Our Family Trip to Tokyo, Japan
~ [Day 1] Exploring Harajuku (原宿) and Takeshita Street (竹下通り)
~ [Day 2] Day Tour to Katsunuma Winery, Lake Kawaguchi and Koyodai In Narusawa
~ [Day 3] Exploring Shinjuku (新宿)
~ [Day 3] RAKERU （ラケル） @ Shinjuku, Tokyo
~ [Day 4] Tokyo Disneyland (東京ディズニーランド)
~ [Day 5] Tsukiji Fish Market (築地市場)
~ [Day 5] Tsukiji Sushi Kiyoshi (築地寿司清本店)
~ [Day 5] Kaminarimon (雷門) @ Asakusa
~ [Day 5] Fujisoba (名代 富士) At Akihabara, Tokyo
~ [Day 6] Tokyo Ramen Street

Upcoming Posts.....
~ Shabu Shabu @ Shabujo, Shinjuku

To be continue...... Day 5 (22 Nov 2012): Next post will be on Fujisoba (名代 富士) At Akihabara, Tokyo

Read More...