What a time to be alive! Imagine people back in the days where they have to ride their horses and donkeys to travel. Imagine having to spend all those time to move from one place to another just to experience something new. Well screw that, we're in 2017, baby!! The invention of the airplane is the one thing I was really thankful for this past thanksgiving -- and due to this reminder, I'm taking time off work to travel Asia. (Forgive the non-existence of pictures in this post, I was in the "I just want to see the world with both my eyes" mode. The next posts will be full of pictures!)
DAY #1
Japan.
Growing up as a typical Asian kid, I spent a lot of time watching and reading manga; so having Japan as my top go-to place in Asia has been a long time coming. I finally got the chance to try out the real Japanese food. I've always been in love with Japanese food, but the only problem is, they were all made in America. Not that there's something wrong with it, but you would want to see the real Mona Lisa that is painted by da Vinci rather than the knock-off painting that's painted by some random strangers.. Right?? Well it's actually not too bad, I like knock-off goods. Back my the point! I've worked in a Japanese restaurant for quite some time - while the food was really good - I still craved the real deal. So the first thing I did when I booked my ticket: Google the best ramen place. #thankyoutechnology
So I arrived after a long-economy-ass-flattening flight in Tokyo. Since I'm travelling on a budget, I'd have to settle with travelling with my BMW (Bus, max/train, and walk). And oh, my, god, were the routes confusing for tourists. Apparently the train only gives instructions in Japanese for the day, and only have english translation later in the evening. I'm not sure if that's completely true, but that was what happened to me. First train ride was at roughly around 4 to 5 pm, second train ride (with the english translation) was around 9 to 10 pm. Going there, I heard from my Japanese friends that only around 20% of Japanese speaks english; but in reality, only six out of what seems like hundreds of people I talked to, speak english - four of them are tourists. That was not a good start, but I was still excited. One tip that I'd give is just to follow the crowd. Don't try to assume thing or you will get lost like I did.
So I survived my first Japanese train ride, and arrived in Shibuya. And boy was the city lit. City lights close to New York with polite people. Like I was really surprised that literally nobody smoked on the streets. You'd have to go to small corners, where there are less people passing by, that's when you find all the smokers circling around so that non-smokers can live their life smoke-free. I mean, I heard that in Japan, people are very mindful of others.. But to this extent? God bless you guys.
Anyway, this is the main point of my story - food porn. One of the best meal I've ever had yet. The glory of a taste that goes beyond filling your stomach. It is called: ICHIRAN SHIBUYA. I was convinced that the Egyptian god, Amun Ra, has a Japanese brother who is the god of ramen: Amen Ramen. Yes, Amen Ramen cooked this heaven sent bowl of ramen himself. Let's start with the broth. The richness of the pork-based broth, combined with the special red paste that they've got going, is the best broth that I've ever had and perhaps will have. It came out steaming hot and I couldn't help but slurping it like I'm downing some nice cold beer, which I also had on the side; but coming from a brewery town in Portland, I was not too impressed with the beer. Then here comes the first bite of the pork chashu... If you guys ever heard of kobe beef, which is basically a royal cow fed with highest-grade cow food there is, I hereby announced this pork chashu as kobe pork. Had this pork was still alive, it would probably drop 81 on Jalen Rose -- basketball fans can.. you.. dig.. it!!! Anywho.. The tenderness of the pork chashu, combined with the balance of the meat/fat one-two punch, it was just BOMB. Topped with a generous portion of finely chopped green onions, this ramen is a sight to see and definitely a winner. No wonder this is up there at the top of the list of the best ramen in town. You guys would have to taste it to believe it.
After the great meal experience, I wanted to spend some time sitting down, enjoying the breeze, and drinking coffee. There were so many cool looking places that I found on google, so I decided to ask some locals about their favorite local coffee shop. After talking to around twenty people, I stumbled on some Australian exchange student that has been studying in Japan for a couple months. I had a nice friendly chat for a couple minutes until I asked where can I find good coffee around the area. His answer: Starbucks... Then I was like: something local. He replied: vending machine. Long story short, I just went back at google. However, I must point out, the vending machine coffee.. It was very surprising. It doesn't taste half bad, and they actually have the option of serving it hot. I mean, I'm talking about canned coffee. It was mind-blowing that I think Americans should adopt this. Quick and easy way to get a hot coffee while waiting for your train or bus rides. So not long after, I stumbled upon this coffee place called The Roastery. It was about a 10-15 minutes walk from Ichiran Shibuya, and man this is another gem I found in the small corners of Shibuya. I ordered an americano and sat down to the dimmed ambiance of the store, all while listening to people small talking in a language I don't understand. It was a cool, relaxing experience I had that I can't really explain, but it felt nice. The coffee was REALLY good. The quality and freshness of the beans, blended with the roasting and brewing skills of the barista, the coffee was very much the essence of relaxing. Spent a couple hours in there, it refreshes my brain while I spent some time reading and learning on my laptop. All in all, it was a really good day. First day in Japan was an experience to remember.
First chapter of my Asia trip is closing now. Stay tuned for the next chapter, and remember to GO EXPLORE!!