I figured I would start a new thread to reflect on the 9 days I spent with my son in Tokyo and Kyoto. My daughter lives in Madrid now, and my wife had done Asia professionally years ago - so we managed to do this as a dude’s trip! Which made it special in its own way. It was our first trip to Japan. Can’t wait to go back. Berserker threads seem to focus on food/beverages- so I’ll focus below on restaurants and not play total tour guide on all the touristy stuff we did.
Still fighting jet lag, but some thoughts while it’s all fresh in my mind. I could write paragraphs and dump a ton of pics on you- but I’ll try to summarize. The food was fantastic - Every bite, from street takoyaki to Michelin **- was at least very good. We had the most fun at food markets and izakayas just grazing and eating and drinking. Also learned that if you want to eat at buzzy/good/known places in Tokyo and Kyoto- get used to waiting in lines. The Japanese seem to roll with line culture better than Americans. Outside of omakase- we basically waited in line for every meal. There are 130,000+ restaurants in Tokyo, so clearly you don’t have to wait in line, but you get my point. We also drank a lot of Asahi and cheapish sake, with just a couple of wine/cocktail moments at very specific spots.
Tokyo
Tsukiji Outer Market- What a scene. We spent every morning perusing the market. It’s like nothing I’ve seen. You think you have seen an outdoor market or “farmer’s market?” This market is more like its own city. Vendors everywhere with alleys and side streets-all interconnected and a number of food stalls, vendors, etc I cannot comprehend. And crowded as hell most mornings until noon. Steak (A5 Waygu skewers) and eggs (Tamogoyaki) for breakfast is a must! Just get in line by 7:30!
Tempura Kondo - Ginza
Kondo got Two** stars years back for being a Tempura master. It’s all omakase and a hard reservation to get. Is it worth it? I don’t know. It was good. It was a lot of food -17 courses of fried vegetables and fish. And then a rice dish and miso soup. It’s hard to photograph tempura. Here’s chef kondo:
Kagari Honten Ramen - Ginza
Another favorite ramen of the trip. Went here after getting shut out at Hachigaou (out of soup by 11:30). Kagari makes a creamy, tori paitan with a stock that has the richness not unlike carbonara. I got mine topped with the day’s special- black truffle. Decadent and comforting rich soup on a blustery day.
Mendokoro Honda - Akihabarra - Probably my favorite of 5-6 bowls we hit. Chicken Shoyu. Best chashu of the trip. Thinner noodle, but perfect balanced bowl. Longest lines. Not surprising.
Udatsu Sushi - Megura City
One * - We did lunch omakase-15 courses. Cozy space- Serene setting and delicious food in a quiet neighborhood. Beautiful people doing good work. Highly recommended.
Izakayas on Hoppy Street-Asakusa- Don’t ask me names of all the joints- less English here- but so much food everywhere!
Tonkatsu Hasegawa- Ginza
One of my favorites. So simple- but the pork here is ridiculous. This place is new and is apparently catching fire.
SG Club - Shibuya
Speakasy vibe. Excellent cocktails. I forgot what it’s like to pay only $10 for a good cocktail. Apparently, it can be done.
Other news- Tokyo is so vast and dense, it’s hard to comprehend. One sliver from a pic atop Skytree.
Kyoto
I don’t usually post people pics, but here’s me and my son to break up all the food pics 
Nishiki Market
See what I said above about Tsukiji- but this one is inside. And smaller, but nonetheless fantastic. You can spend a day here if you are into food, sake, knives, pottery. etc
Pontocho Izakayas - Pontocho neighborhood reminded me of San Sebastian. Quaint, narrow alleyways just packed with Izakayas and alleys full of revelers. Bustling even on a Monday. And seemingly not very touristy on the night we visited. Fun to have a bite and a beer and repeat along the way.
Cave de K
Wine bar. Sleek, elegant. Champagne out of mag served BTG with rotating selections, and always Krug. Good wine list with lots of classics and decent prices.
Tea Ceremony in Higashiyama-near Yasaka Pagoda. Beautiful setting. Nice way to spend a rainy morning.
Matsui Brewey- tour/tasting. One of the head brewers is a NY guy- worked in sake trade in NY for 25 years. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a connection to a Berserker or two. A decent tour. Unremarkable sake, imo.
Bee’s Knees
Another speakeasy vibe, but with a 90s hip-hop soundtrack and liquid nitrogen and flaming cocktails and other madness. Got some fun videos of this place, but I can’t figure out how to upload vids, so here’s pics:
Monk
The visit to Monk was clearly a highlight of the trip. Scoring a reservation was a bit of its own triumph. Chef Yoshi is a bit of thing, mostly due to the Netflix Chef’s series. Monk is on the outskirts of Kyoto, in a residential neighborhood near the Philosophers Walk at the foothills of the mountains. It’s an omakase menu that ends with pizza and everything is cooked in the wood-fired pizza oven. All the ingredients come locally from farms on the mountain (chef is now part owner of farm- more coming on that).
Really a superb experience that stretched over nearly three hours. Chef Yoshi introduces each dish, the preparation, how products were sourced, etc. He has a staff of four- a sous from Philly (Eagles fan, ha!) who also does wine, a kid who couldn’t have been more than 18 on exchange from Copenhagen and one other sous/expediter. Chef Yoshi does it all- cooks, buses tables, sets tables- he is Monk.
I’d say the food at Monk was a B+ the pizza wasn’t all that outstanding (and note- the omakase includes one small pizza per two people-you cannot order more pizza) . That being said, it was an overall A+ for the beauty of the place, the humility and care of chef/staff and walking out of Monk on a cold evening, with light snow flakes falling into a nearly silent residential street on the outskirts of Kyoto.
Bread course.
Cabbage soup.
Roasted carrot, local mozzarella, pesto.
Local vegetable plate.
Squid and sunchokes
Pizza - Half Nori and half venison ragout.
My son getting swarmed by deer in Nara. “Deer park” is a bit of a misnomer. It’s just deer city, they are everywhere! So wacky. Fun visit. 45 min train from Kyoto. Some decent food/shopping in Nara, too.
