Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo

I’ve always dreamed of visiting the Tsukiji market, and finally managed to make it happen this week. All of the stories you’ve ever heard are true. It’s as vast, as vivid, as awe-inspiring and as completely insane as everybody says it is. Just getting to the market itself is a bit hazardous, as the roadways and parking lots immediately surrounding it are awash with a motley and multitudinous assortment of wildly careening vehicles hastily transporting fish to, well, wherever they’re transporting them to. With no clear path to my goal and vehicles bearing down on me from every imaginable direction, it reminded me of nothing so much as a massive game of Frogger.

Once inside and wandering about the tightly packed stalls, however, there’s nothing to do but give in to the sheer bliss of being surrounded by some of the most highly prized fish in the world. Here are a few photos of the action.

Ippudo Ramen, Ebisu, Tokyo

When I found out that I was coming to Tokyo, one of the first names that I wrote on my list of things to do was Ippudo, the famed Hakata-style ramen house. The servers here wear T-shirts that proclaim, “Your happiness of eating this ramen makes us happy,” and on my visit they must have been very happy indeed, because I was positively overflowing with happiness.

Ippudo offers two variations of their rich, creamy, pork-bone broth ramen. The classic version is called Shiromaru Moto-Aji, which is a thick, white broth with a breathtaking intensity, harmony and complexity of flavor. It’s full-bodied and pungent yet never heavy, and I slurped every last drop out of my big, white bowl. The Akamaru Shin-Aji powers it up a notch, if that’s possible, with an even richer, porkier broth, plus a spoonful of red pork fat in case you haven’t had quite enough. This is an unbridled celebration of the pig, emphasizing richness and depth of flavor, whereas the Shiromaru (while being plenty rich in its own right) seems to have a bit more clarity and complexity. Both are utterly, fabulously delicious. I liked that the noodles in the Akamaru are ever-so-slightly thicker to balance the extra richness of the broth—the sort of attention to detail that lets you know these guys are really serious about their ramen.

On the table are a number of condiments to enliven your ramen (not that it really needs any enlivening), including spicy beansprouts, pickled greens, pickled ginger, fresh garlic (accompanied by a garlic press) and freshly ground sesame seeds. You’ll see your fellow diners heaping all of this stuff into their bowls, but I’d advise moderation at first, the better to enjoy the gloriously porky goodness of the broth. The Shiromaru is only ¥750 for a huge bowl, and the Akamaru ¥850, but for ¥100 more you can get the lunchtime set, which includes light, crunchy gyoza and a bowl of plain rice. At first I imagined the rice as overkill, but I was soon glad for its inclusion, as the pork broth is so rich that you almost need the rice to give you a bit of ballast.

As of the 17th of March, Ippudo has opened a branch in Manhattan, at 65 Fourth Avenue between 9th and 10th. I’m hoping it will be as spectacular as it is in Tokyo, but I’ll have to wait a little while to find out.

Ippudo, Hiroo 1-3-13, Tokyo (on Meiji-dori in the direction of Hiroo, on the left just past the post office)

Eating in Tokyo: Shokkan

A rainy evening in Tokyo (I do realize that I was in Paris yesterday and in Oregon three days ago—it’s a long story). Seeing all the neon through the rain at night makes it feel especially Blade Runner-esque. At the little wine store in the Tokyo Station next to my hotel you can buy Cristal Rosé for ¥63,000, as well as a host of other elite wines. In case, you know, I get a late-night urge.

We had an absolutely splendid dinner at a small, modern kaiseki restaurant called Shokkan, in Shibuya. This is Kouei Furukawa, who possesses crazy mad knife skills. He treated us to nine subtle, thoughtfully inspired courses, each more beautiful and delicious than the next. It’s an open kitchen with 30 seats all around, like L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, so one has the pleasure of watching them work.

I loved this delicate soup of wakame seaweed and the lightest, wispiest balls of mochi, like what polenta could only dream of becoming. Owner Ken Sato keeps a terrific wine list as well, including Egly-Ouriet, Bollinger and Dom Pérignon among his champagnes. We drank saké, of course: a rich, almost caramelly Sawaya Matsumoto Junmai from Kyoto; the cool, briskly melony Kenkon Ichi Junmai Ginjo from Miyagi; the Yamagata Masamune Junmai Ginjo, which was full in body and rich in flavor, in typical Yamagata style; and a Tengumai Tokubetsu Junmai from Ishikawa, with a silky, sleek texture and pungent, peppery green fruit aromas.


I’d give you Shokkan’s address, but it baffles me, and anyway it’s all in Japanese. You could go to their website, which is also all in Japanese, of course. It's definitely a place worth finding.