Ramen Vending Machine?

In front of Shinagawa train station is a heaven for Ramen lovers. As you walk down the street, you can enter a narrow "Ramen Mall", a collection of different Ramen shops with a wide variety of specialities. The picture above shows a map of the mall.

I chose a ramen and found the shop. Then, I was faced with the vending machine below. These machines are a common way of ordering food at low cost ramen shops. It is not for the faint of heart.

You put in your money and then select the buttons for your specific ramen, additional toppings, and any side dishes. It wouldn't be a difficult task if the buttons were in English. It's a little harder when everything is in Japanese.


I picked out the ramen I wanted from a poster nearby and found the button with the similar Chinese characters. I know how to write gyoza in Japanese, so that wasn't a problem. At the bottom of the vending machine, a couple of small tickets popped out. I took them to the waitress and picked out a table.

A few minutes later, I had my dinner. Got to love those gyoza.

Kurotamago (Black Eggs)

Yesterday was a holiday in Japan. So, I thought I would take advantage of the time and go for a day trip outside of Tokyo. I decided to go to Hakone and find the "black eggs". My brother, who lived in Japan, had told me about them.

The "black eggs" are a famous food that you can only get at Owakudani mountain in Hakone. After a 90 minute train ride, a cable car, and then a gondola, I finally arrived at Owakudani.


Owakudani is a crater left over from a volcanic eruption centuries ago. The side of the mountain has hot spring pools and lots of steaming vents.

If you enjoy the smell of sulfer, this is the place for you.


"Black Eggs" are the main attraction. When a normal egg is boiled in the hot springs, they turn completely black. Legend has it that if you eat one of these black eggs, you will add 7 years to your life. Here are the ones I bought.


I wanted the extra years, but I wasn't sure what I'd find when I peeled the egg. Luckily, it was just a boiled egg. I ate two and am looking forward to an additional 14 years.


After my experiment with the black eggs, I tried to take a picture of Mt. Fuji.

In the middle of the clouds, the faint triangle is the top of Mt. Fuji.

Jet Lag

It took several days to get over the let jag from my London trip. So, it was pretty depressing to get back on a plane and fly to Tokyo. But, here I am.

I got in last night and went to visit my college roommate and his family. They always invite me to come over and eat with them when I'm here in Tokyo. As an added bonus, a long lost, mutual friend also joined us. That long lost friend is Japanese and a riot to be around. I'm not sure if it was the jet lag, but I really liked his socks.


After a great evening, I made my way back to my hotel in Shinagawa and crashed.

This morning, I woke up and decided to get a traditional Japanese breakfast - grilled salmon, rice, miso soup, Japanese pickles, and a soft boiled egg. What a difference from the traditional English breakfast I got in London.

Toad in the Hole

A few final thoughts about London.

I found a new pub food that I really like. Toad in the Hole is a dish with sausages, mashed potatoes, and vegetables in a Yorkshire pudding. I tried Toad in the Hole at The Sherlock Holmes pub on Northumberland Avenue.


With everyone having cell phones, the traditional London phone booths looked lonely.


And, one of the great walks in London is to start at Westminster Abby and make your way up to Trafalgar Square. You pass Big Ben, 10 Downing Street, and the Horse Guards. A thousand years of history in a 15 minute stroll.

The Globe Theatre

Until this week, I thought that the best place in the world to see Shakespeare was Stratford upon Avon. I was wrong. There is nothing that comes close to the Globe Theatre in London.

It is common to see a Shakespeare play set in the 18th, 19th, or 20th century. The plots are timeless. But there is something special about seeing a play performed the way it would have been in Elizabethan times.

I was struck by the intimacy of the Globe theater. Most of the audience sits on benches. I had a chair in one of the Gentleman's boxes and so had a view of both the stage and the audience.


My gaze was drawn to the "groundlings" who were standing through the performance. They were enthralled, and I could imagine what it must have been like to see and hear the play when it was first performed.

And as good luck would have it, I got to hear "and as good luck would have it" because it is a line from The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Chowki

As I was wandering around the neighborhoods off Regent street, I reached the point where I couldn’t make a decision about dinner. I passed some pubs, a Thai place, and a Modern Euro place. I felt like I was walking around searching for a needle in a haystack when I passed Chowki.

I noticed the sign for the pre-theater dinner special and thought I’d check it out. Chicken Tikka as a starter, Lamb as a main, rice, nan, and dessert. That sounded great; so in I went.

The tables are communal style which I didn’t mind. It was just starting to fill up, so I had enough room. The food was flavorful, and the service was friendly. All in all, it was a great bargain. I’ll put this one on my list of places to visit again.

Regent Street

On my way to dinner, I took a walk up Regent Street.

As you stand in Piccadilly Circus, you can't help but notice it; the beautiful street that curves away in the distance.

My girls love to shop; I don't. So, for them, I took pictures as I walked up the street. Needless to say, I looked like some kind of fashion spy taking pictures of the window displays.

Let's start with a nice dress.


And, for those who (including me) who have now had enough shopping, there is a nice pastry shop to get a treat.


Back to shopping. How about a handbag.


And some shoes.


And more clothes.


And after walking Regent Street, I was hungry and ready to eat. More on that later.

Mushy Peas

I like pub food, and you can find pubs all over London. The picture above is a pub in the West End. The picture below is near St. Paul's.

It took me a while to crack the code of getting food in a pub. When you go in, you first pick out a table, then go to the bar to order your meal. You tell the bartender where you are sitting, and they will bring your meal. And you pay the bartender up front.


My favorite pub foods are fish-n-chips and bangers-n-mash (sausages and mashed potatoes). But yesterday, I was in the mood for fish. I looked at the menu and decided that I'd try the "mushy peas" with my dinner.

I admit that I picked the "mushy peas" mostly because I really wanted to see what would come out. And, I have to say that I don't quite get it. I ate all of the fish and only a couple of bites of those mushy peas.

Heathrow Express

I arrived in London this morning after one of those "red eye" flights. The flight from Boston to London takes about the same amount of time as San Francisco to Boston. But, we arrived at 6:30am GMT which is 1:30am EDT. Needless to say, I was pretty groggy.

Thank heavens for the Heathrow Express. You can take the train right from the airport, and in 15 minutes, you are in Paddington Station in central London.

A quick taxi ride, and I was able to drop off my luggage the hotel. I walked past Trafalgar Square and found a place to get breakfast.


The Full English Breakfast seemed like the thing to order. And, I even ate the mushrooms.

Fenway Part II

We took our kids to Fenway Park Saturday night to see the Sox play. Here is a quick summary on why everyone had a great time:

• Dad: Red Sox won 8-2 beating the Chicago White Sox. Loved yelling with the crowd.

• Mom: Long talk with a friend, got to sing along to "Sweet Caroline", occasionally noticed a baseball game going on.

• #1 Daughter: Listened to the 80's rock music being played during the game, cheered for the Red Sox

• #2 Daughter: Looked for cute boys, cheered for the Red Sox

• Son: Cheered for the Red Sox; ate hot dog, popcorn, soft pretzel, and sister's remaining fried dough.

Go Sox!