Day 2 – My Trip to Japan
Posted on June 6, 2014 by Leslie Blythe No comments
Day 2 – My Trip to Japan
Mitsukoshi department store was founded in 1673 with the yagō (shop name) Echigoya (越後屋), selling kimonos. Ten years later in 1683, Echigoya took a new approach to marketing. Instead of selling by going door-to-door, they set up a store where buyers could purchase goods on the spot with cash. Mitsukoshimae Station on the Tokyo Metro is named after the adjacent Mitsukoshi department store.
We had lunch at my father’s favorite tiny Tonkatsu restaurant in Mitsukoshi. I absolutely love Tonkatsu and make it a lot at home, but I was not prepared for how good it was. It melted in your mouth.
They first brought out a salad of this baby cabbage that was sliced paper thin. The salad dressing was Yuzu vinaigrette, which was out of this world. Yuzu is a citrus fruit from East Asia. It is believed to be a hybrid of sour mandarin and Ichang papeda. The fruit looks somewhat like a very small grapefruit with an uneven skin, and can be either yellow or green depending on the degree of ripeness. Yuzu is an ingredient in Ponzu sauce.
Then they brought out a suribachi bowl with a wooden pestle of roasted sesame seeds. Suribachi bowls have groves in the bottom so that it helps grind up seeds, spices, etc. I have several of these bowls in my kitchen at home in various sizes. You grind your own roasted sesame seeds at the table and then pour in the tonkatsu sauce of your choice, sweet or spicy. The importance of fresh ingredients is highlighted here. Spec-bloody-tacular!
After lunch we went to the basement to see the food hall. Japan is the mecca of global consumerism. The food hall craze in the basements of Japanese department stores is the epitome of “food porn” on steroids. The level of perfection has reached its peak.
There was a stall the sold perfect fruit for hundreds of dollars. About 90% of these fruits are bought as gifts, as it’s customary in Japan to give high-end fruits as presents for formal occasions like weddings, business corporations, and hospital visits.
In the evening we were taken to a dinner put on by the Japanese Wine Society by are good friends. It was at a restaurant called Malta. We were served many great bottles of Italian wines. The food was Maltese, though it seemed like it was done in a Japanese presentation. I was amazed that I did not end up face down in my meal! We were VERY tired.
