Whilst the next journey is some way off it's time to access the archives of my memory and look back over some past trips and the food encountered. Back in October 2007 I managed to get away to Japan for a couple of weeks taking the Shinkansen across Honshu and visiting a few major cities en route. So over the coming summer months I'll be posting some food photos and reliving some of the culinary experiences in the land where I feel tall.
Arriving in Japan it's a world away both by distance and culturally from the streets of London. Like London it's a massive city with thousands of people on the streets so things do seem familiar - but everything is just a tiny bit different - and arriving after a 12 hour flight it all adds to disorientation of a Christmas party hangover proportions.
With the brain not fully functioning and on standby mode it could be hard to find something to eat when you can't speak or read the language and English is hardly spoken. Thankfully, there are small local restaurants which use vending machines where you slot in your money and press the button of the dish you want. How do you know which dish to choose if you can't read the description on the button? Well, it's food by numbers as nearby there will be a display of plastic food and a corresponding number.
It is at this point you notice one of those tiny subtle differences between London and Tokyo. In Tokyo the vending machine actually does something rather gobble up your money offering nothing in return and no sight of a refund. The vending machine will print out a little ticket in return for your money! After the machine spits out your ticket you hand it over to the chef behind the counter and in a few minutes...hey presto...a hot bowl of noodles.
Arriving in Japan it's a world away both by distance and culturally from the streets of London. Like London it's a massive city with thousands of people on the streets so things do seem familiar - but everything is just a tiny bit different - and arriving after a 12 hour flight it all adds to disorientation of a Christmas party hangover proportions.
With the brain not fully functioning and on standby mode it could be hard to find something to eat when you can't speak or read the language and English is hardly spoken. Thankfully, there are small local restaurants which use vending machines where you slot in your money and press the button of the dish you want. How do you know which dish to choose if you can't read the description on the button? Well, it's food by numbers as nearby there will be a display of plastic food and a corresponding number.
It is at this point you notice one of those tiny subtle differences between London and Tokyo. In Tokyo the vending machine actually does something rather gobble up your money offering nothing in return and no sight of a refund. The vending machine will print out a little ticket in return for your money! After the machine spits out your ticket you hand it over to the chef behind the counter and in a few minutes...hey presto...a hot bowl of noodles.
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