Second Chances

Shinjuku, Japan

October 12, 2014

This, perhaps, was the great finale to my dream vacation in Japan: getting together with my former classmate Freda and her sister, Candy; reconnecting and reminiscing our good ol' high school days.

Reunited with my high school friends Candy (left) and Freda (right)

Freda and I have been in contact, planning our reunion since I learned I was going to Japan.

“We’ll stay positive. I won’t allow this to keep me from seeing you,” I assured her when we heard the news that Super typhoon Vongfong was threatening to hit mainland Japan.

We’ve waited far too long to reunite. Neither of us was going to let this opportunity slip. Thankfully, the storm changed course. Although there was a bit of rain, it wasn’t enough to dampen our “party.”

All the way from Chiba where she resides, Freda and her sister Candy took the train to meet Alan and me in Shinjuku. Our meeting place was the train station closest to our hotel. From there, we all walked to a nearby sports bar called Bee Dining & Darts Bar.

I picked up this brochure from Bee Dining & Darts Bar in Shinjuku.

 

Unlike a typical sports bar, this one was specifically focused on darts. It was a spacious basement with cocktail tables and a wall of computerized dart games.

The bar and its computerized darts (photo from Bee's Facebook page).

Alan and I were still full from our lunch at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Roppongi Hills (story here) but we couldn’t resist the delicious pizza and finger food. The most interesting appetizers were the fried spaghetti sticks. They were best enjoyed when dipped in Caesar salad dressing. I wasn’t able to take a photo but the image below is the closest I could find (from Christina Cheung's post in BlogTo.com).

Fun appetizer: Fried spaghetti sticks (photo from Christina Cheung's post in BlogTo.com)

The atmosphere was really enjoyable and laid-back. It set the tone for our fun gathering. Candy, Freda, and I walked down memory lane and giggled about our senior year foolishness. Meanwhile, Alan came back from the men's room saying that it has an amusing way of measuring your wizz. "Mine was 2-1/2 beer cans' worth," he chuckled. That made me laugh out loud.

“You’re still the same!” Freda observed as we posed for our goofy photos.

Goofy pose: Mimicking Charlie's Angels while flashing our must-have eyeglasses.

Taking a break to share photos and update status on Facebook.

It took years for Freda and I to reconnect. Thanks to Facebook, I was able to find her. I’m surprised she even wanted to speak to me after all this time.

It was so long ago and I don’t recall all the details. But I am certain that I broke my dear friend’s heart when we were in high school. We were young. I was stupid. At the time, I didn’t appreciate how much she just wanted to offer true friendship. I took it for granted. I gave in to a former boyfriend's influence and just stopped hanging out with her.

It took years but I'm glad I had the chance to reach out and say I was sorry.

Without hesitation, she accepted my apology.  I was overcome with a sense of comfort when she added, “With the message you sent, I’m now at peace.” 

And we did cross paths again. A wish come true!

In one of her messages, she even said, “I wish someday I can see you again and hug you. I never had the chance to hug you when we were in high school.”

It was so good to see her again and exchange the best hugs we could ever give each other. This day marks the most meaningful birthdays I’ve ever had. A true friend with a heart of gold allowed me to right a wrong, reacquaint, and catch up for lost time. Thanks, Freda, for the gift of friendship.

Thanks for the gift of friendship.

This story continued from Applause! Applause! is part of my travel series about Japan.

Applause! Applause!

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Roppongi Hills, Tokyo
October 12, 2014


One of the highlights of this trip was my special celebration at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Roppongi Hills.  The photos alone will explain why I specifically chose this Michelin-starred restaurant.

Celebrating at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Roppongi

It's a well known-fact that in Robuchon's restaurants, each dish is a work of art.

This restaurant location is larger than its Las Vegas counterpart. But the features and overall decor are the same: the open kitchen, the sushi-style counter, the bar stools, and of course, the distinctive black and red color scheme.

The dining set up is consistent with the restaurant's counterpart in Las Vegas.

Open kitchen and sushi-style counter, the signature set up of L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon

I consider myself extremely lucky to have met the Chef of the Century himself and experienced dining at his renowned restaurants at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. (See my blog post "Posing for Posterity...in the Kitchen.")

My noteworthy moment with the Chef of the Century, Joel Robuchon, and Chef Claude Le Tohic.

I showed the staff server my photos with Joel Robuchon as a conversation starter. Next thing you know, an English-speaking service staff was assigned to attend to us. His name is Julien Defresne.

After some bantering, he asked "Who are you?"

"I'm nobody," I laughed. "I'm just a big fan of Joel Robuchon."

I explained that a previous job gave me the opportunity to meet the famed chef and discover his fine cuisine. Since I was marking a significant life event in Tokyo, I thought it fitting to have a birthday blowout at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

For every plate of the Menu Du Jour, Julien gave us a prelude and made us appreciate it even more.

1st course: Le Saumon Fume or smoked salmon frivolite served with lime cream

2nd course: Les Champignons or mushrooms hot custard with parsley coulis and prawn

The service here is just as remarkable. When I needed to step down from my tall bar stool and walk to the powder room, all I had to do was slightly turn my head. The hostess magically appeared behind me and helped me out of my chair. How did she know? How do they do that?

Alan's main course: La Canette or roasted duck with caramelized apple and eggplant

My main course: Breaded "Sawara" (the best kind of mackerel in Japan) with walnut and green mustard sauce.

Dessert:  Le Savarin or fig sponge cake served with green tea light cream

When making my table reservations online, I requested to meet the chef. But I was told that it might not be possible as he would be very busy. That was understandable so I took photos of him while I could.

Chef Kenichiro Sekiya interacting with diners next to us.

The open kitchen concept makes the dining experience here enjoyable. Alan and I watched the pastry chef meticulously decorate her dessert plates.

Then seemingly out of nowhere, and in true elegant Robuchon fashion, a heartwarming production took place. Servers from all directions softly sang happy birthday in chorus as they slowly brought an exquisite plate, lit with a birthday candle, to each celebrant.

My birthday at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Roppongi.

Just when I thought I was already showered with wonderful surprises, Julien amazed me with even more.  At the end of our meal, he presented an envelope containing our picture (he took a photo of Alan and me at our table earlier) along with a copy of the menu as a keepsake.

The Menu Du Jour at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Roppongi

 And before leaving L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon restaurant, guess who was at the door to send us off?

Posing with Julien Defresne and Chef Kenichiro Sekiya.

This story continued from Tokyo from the Top, High Tech Ramen, and Lucky Buddhas. This is part of my travel adventure series in Japan.

Lucky Buddhas

Kamakura and Yokohama
JTB Tour 3
October 11, 2014

Visiting the Great Buddha of Kamakura, also known as the Outdoor Buddha

It was my friend Freda who recommended that I visit Kamakura. JTB USA's Sunrise Tours offered a full day tour of Kamakura, Yokohama, and Tokyo Bay. Aside from the Kamakura Daibutsu or Great Buddha, there was so much to see. We made stops at Hasedera Temple, Chinatown, and Sankeien Garden.

Here are some photo highlights from this tour:

Hasedera Temple - known as "the 4th station among 33 holy places in the Kanto area"

Sammon Main Gate is the main entrance to Hasedera Temple

Beautiful garden and pond inside the grounds of Hasedera Temple

There are several buddha shrines such as this one

Daikokuten, one of the seven Japanese gods of Fortune. He is considered the god of wealth.

I'm standing right next to the stone statue of "Happy" Jizo buddha, known to comfort the souls of unborn children.

And Alan gets close to the stone statue of another of the seven Japanese gods: Hotei, god of happiness, satisfaction, and abundance.

The Kyozo Sutra Archive or Library

Rotating bookracks or rinzo. By turning them, it is believed you can earn the same merit as reading all the Buddhist sutras.

Inside Benten-kutsu Cave with incredible sculptures carved on the rock walls.

Carved out of the stone walls is Benzaiten, another of the seven lucky gods, carrying a Japanese mandolin.

Kamakura Daibutsu - also called the Outdoor Buddha or Great Buddha of Kamakura

The Great Buddha of Kamakura

Story about the history of the Great Buddha statue and its dimensions.

For scale, I'm showing this photo with Alan standing next to the Great Buddha statue, which is almost 44 feet tall.

Here is the Great Buddha's back side...

...And here are his giant straw slippers.

While we were here, super typhoon Vongfong was all over the news but you'd never know with the beautiful weather we're enjoying. Just to be on the safe side, I bought an amulet to protect us from calamity. (wink!)

Yokohama - "the first harbor city introduced to the world as the entrance to Japan;" also known as the birthplace of Japan's modern culture

Yokohama Bay Bridge

It was here that we had a Chinese-style lunch at a high-floor of a building overlooking the harbor.

Yokohama Chinatown is one of the largest in Japan and in Asia.

Sankeien Garden - this expansive Japanese garden is approximately 43 acres and its construction took 20 years to complete.

A wedding was taking place and several of the entourage were wearing the most beautiful Kimonos and Japanese national costumes that I've ever seen.

She was gracious to let me take her photo. Isn't her kimono just beautiful?

Another photo of the lovely Japanese girl and her friends.

Japanese bride and groom wearing traditional costumes.

I was following this group of women most of whom were wearing the most beautiful kimonos I've ever seen.

The Three-Story Pagoda of Old Tomyoji

Admiring the beauty of the Sankeien Garden

A pond in the Sankeien Garden

This story continued from High Tech Ramen. This is part of a travel series about Japan.

High Tech Ramen

Yasubee
Shinjuku, Japan
October 10, 2014


Japan is known to have vending machines for almost anything. Even for ramen? That was totally unexpected!

A vending machine for ramen. I don't know where to start!

It would be a shame to be in Japan without having some ramen. We decided it was time to get a taste of the local specialty. Short of doing the "eenie meenie miney moe" method, we picked out Yasubee from a list of ramen shops recommended by our hotel concierge.

If we hadn't been paying attention, we would have walked right past it. Thank goodness we noticed the billboard by the entrance.  The English website yasubee.com was written on it.

There it is on the bottom right hand corner: yasubee.com

The ramen shop is a long and narrow space like most restaurants in the area. This one had a long counter with seating for only a dozen people. The bar-like counter faced an open kitchen where you could see the chefs prepare your order while you wait.

Tight space but their ramen bursts with flavor

A host greeted us at the door with a few nods and then he pointed us to the vending machine. We were dumbfounded. While we tried to figure things out, a line of patrons was forming behind us. We had to step aside and let them go ahead while we watched.

The process starts with making a menu selection by pressing the corresponding buttons. After paying, the vending machine dispenses a ticket that you hand to the host. He in turn gives it to the kitchen staff who facilitates your order. Meanwhile, the host seats you and then after a few minutes, your order is handed to you over the counter. Sound simple?

Well, the buttons and selections were all in Japanese characters so that didn't help us. Haha! We still didn't know what to do! I finally asked the host to explain and show us how. He pulled the Eigo Menyu (English menu). What a relief!

Yasubee's English menu complete with instructions on how to use the vending machine.

Step 1: Choose your noodles.

Tsukemen is the Japanese style with the noodles served separately because you dip them in the broth. Ramen is the Chinese style with the noodles are served in the same bowl as the soup.

Step 2:  Choose your broth flavors (soy sauce, miso, or salty) and serving size.

Step 3:  Choose your toppings:  choices range from sea weeds to flavored eggs, mixed vegetables, or roasted pork.

Choices of toppings for your tsukemen or ramen

For a first-time customer, I'm proud to say I made a good and tasty ramen selection. The only thing I messed up was the size. My spoon looked more like a soup ladle. And just look at that mondo-sized bowl.  That could have easily fed four!

A huge helping of ramen with roasted pork and a side of mixed vegetables.

This story continued from Tokyo from the Top, a travel series about Japan.