(no subject)
Anyway, I figure I'll try to finish these rapid fire posts and get some closure by bringing this up to date. In the days between Skype finally reconnected me with friends and family when I signed on for pay minutes and started calling cels. So between that, school actually starting, and crossing my T's and dotting my i's regarding the new apartment that about absorbed the time inbetween. Nothing interesting. I've even just been eating the pre-packaged 7-11 food here (which by the way is also AWESOME - pan seared Salmon sushi and warm tempura-don). So tonight we opted to go out to Ueno for dinner. Now Ueno is where the Tokyo zoo is, and its situated on the East by the bay (hence the fish market) and the Rainbow bridge. I didn't really know much else about Ueno, but multiple people have told me the food is great.
A big group of us went out for some conveyor-belt style sushi. at parts it was a little shady - but it was J-shady - which is only like 1/5 normal shady. You got the impression that it was a booming food market during the day and we are here well past closing, where Pachinko took over as king.
With me were acquaintences like Elijah, the friendly and Tokyo knowledgable Russian, Woot, who is a laid back kid with an abnormally internety name, and Justin, who is one of a about 4 D-Doppelgangers I've come across in my travels. Albeit a few years older, same skin tone, same body proportions, an engineer turned lawyer, and a bit nerdy. It turns out he's living in my building and we were fast friends discussing the failings and merits of various Final Fantasy games.
Then came the Sushi:
If you're not familiar, what you do is just take whatever sushi you please as it comes by on the conveyor. The chefs reload anything running low. This was a small, intimate resturant, so it was just an oval around the chefs with a bar around it. The plate colors determine the price - notice the plate with the sign saying how much sushi from that color plate costs. I pretty much tried one of everything, 90% of which I've had before, and it was FANTASTIC. Although that said, don't feel like your missing too much. I still like the less restrained giant strips of fatty salmon you get at Sakura, in opposed to this more flaky, lean, light, and sophisticated sort. That said though - Mackeral, octopus, and Salmon Roe were a universe better. I also got some giant clam for the first time. Not a fan - mega chewy, kind of bland. Glad I tried it, but don't get the appeal. Anyway, I racked up quite a tower of plates eating about 4/5 my full Ryan fill. I expected my wallet to go home empty - but no. 19$. Man I wish you guys could be here.
And that about brings us up to date (sweet sweet closure!)
A big group of us went out for some conveyor-belt style sushi. at parts it was a little shady - but it was J-shady - which is only like 1/5 normal shady. You got the impression that it was a booming food market during the day and we are here well past closing, where Pachinko took over as king.
With me were acquaintences like Elijah, the friendly and Tokyo knowledgable Russian, Woot, who is a laid back kid with an abnormally internety name, and Justin, who is one of a about 4 D-Doppelgangers I've come across in my travels. Albeit a few years older, same skin tone, same body proportions, an engineer turned lawyer, and a bit nerdy. It turns out he's living in my building and we were fast friends discussing the failings and merits of various Final Fantasy games.
Then came the Sushi:
If you're not familiar, what you do is just take whatever sushi you please as it comes by on the conveyor. The chefs reload anything running low. This was a small, intimate resturant, so it was just an oval around the chefs with a bar around it. The plate colors determine the price - notice the plate with the sign saying how much sushi from that color plate costs. I pretty much tried one of everything, 90% of which I've had before, and it was FANTASTIC. Although that said, don't feel like your missing too much. I still like the less restrained giant strips of fatty salmon you get at Sakura, in opposed to this more flaky, lean, light, and sophisticated sort. That said though - Mackeral, octopus, and Salmon Roe were a universe better. I also got some giant clam for the first time. Not a fan - mega chewy, kind of bland. Glad I tried it, but don't get the appeal. Anyway, I racked up quite a tower of plates eating about 4/5 my full Ryan fill. I expected my wallet to go home empty - but no. 19$. Man I wish you guys could be here.
And that about brings us up to date (sweet sweet closure!)