Suitengu Shrine / 水天宮

On our walk around Monzen Nakacho and the Eitai Bridge, we ende up at Suitengu Shrine before heading back home. Apparently people go here to wish for pregnancy or a safe birth (which isn't the reason why we went there, by the way).

門前仲町と永代橋の散歩の帰りな最後立ち寄った所は水天宮。安産と子授けで知らてる神社（私たちはそれを知らずに行ったんですけど）。

Suitengu Shrine / 水天宮

Kodakara Inu / 子宝いぬ

Pet your Chinese zodiac to wish for a pregnancy or safe birth.










Off to the next neighborhood...

また次の散歩町へ。。。

Japanese Microbrew Tour - Tokyo-to / 日本地ビールツアー ‐ 東京都

If you've lived in Tokyo long enough, you would probably know Tokyo's main microbrew from T. Y. Harbor Brewery. But that is not the beer I'm introducing today. Instead, I came across a beer that was being sold at a convenience store near my work office. It was called [Shinagawa-ken Mugi-Shu].

東京で長く住んでる人なら、東京都で知ってる地ビールは多分天王洲アイルにあるT. Y. Harborと思いますが、そのビールを紹介するわけではございません。僕は職場の近くにあるコンビニで、変わったビールを発見しました。「品川縣麦酒」とゆうものでした。瓶に書かれてることがあって、「日本の最古のエド酵母」復刻と「日本最初のビール工場」‐明治２年に建設された。明治１０年で工場が閉鎖になることに追い込まれた。

The little blurb about using Japan's oldest yeast and being made by Japan's oldest brewery.

A little history of the beer and its revival which states that the governor of the then Shinagawa Prefecture, in order to improve the livelihood of its inhabitants built Japan's first brewery in 1869. The bottle says its made with Japan's oldest yeast and brewed in Japan's oldest brewery built in 1869 but closed after 8 years. In 2006 Lake Tawaza Brewery in Akita Prefecture decided to revive this lost beer.

It has also won the grand prize from the Tokyo Metropolitan Novice Worker's Research Department (or something to that effect if my translation is correct)

Bottoms up!

乾杯！

Matsunami Ramen / 松波ラーメン

As we were taking our daily walk around our neighborhood, we had discovered a new ramen shop that just opened. We decided to go there for lunch on our day off. The name of the place is called [Matsunami Ramen]. Their specialty is chinese noodles and tantan-men. While I ordered the tantan-men, Mikako chose the chashu-men. Both choices were delicious. The shop itself has a nice homey feel to it as well. It's located right along side the tracks of the Setagaya Line.

この間散歩してたら、私たちの近所に新しいラーメン屋が出来たのを発見。休日にそこでランチをたべに行くことにした。店の名前は「松波ラーメン」。メニューのメインが支那ソバと坦々麺。僕は坦々麺を注文し、美香子はチャーシュー麺を。両方はとっても美味しかった。店内の雰囲気も良いし、結構心地良いですよ。場所は松陰神社の近くで、世田谷線の線路沿いにある。

We sat at the counter and watched the staff make our ramen. It was mid-afternoon and other customers had just left so I took the opportunity to take a picture of the interior of the store (with the owner's permission of course).

私たちはカウンター席に座って、店主をラーメン作ってるのを見てた。昼だったので、先に居たお客さんも帰って、その時に店のインテリアの写真を撮りました（もちろん許可はとってますよ）。

Tantan-men / 坦々麺

Chashu-men / チャーシュー麺

Bon Appetit!

いただいます！

Yakitori Club / やきとり倶楽部

I've been meaning to write this post for quite a while, now seems like a good time as any. If you're an American and have been to a Japanese restaurant stateside, you may find yakitori on the menu and what you would most likely be served a skewer of chicken breasts and green onions in an alternating order. What you are served Stateside is called negima While this is yakitori, it is only one type of yakitori. So I'm going to take this opportunity to fill you in on some of the other types of yakitori. Oh, by the way, the Yakitori Club is a chain restaurant. I just happen to like the atmosphere of the Setagaya branch.

このネタ結構前に書こうと考えてた。やっと書くことにした。アメリカ人ならアメリカで日本料理店で大抵メニューに焼き鳥があります。出てるくるのはだいたいねぎまですよ。 焼き鳥の一種類だよ。他にも沢山あるのに。ですから、アメリカ人の友達に別の焼き鶏も紹介しおうと思った。ちなみに、「やきとり倶楽部」はチェン店で、僕が世田谷店の雰囲気が好き。

First a little dish of chicken with daikon.

最初に出るのはおとしですね。鶏肉と大根の相性は良いですよ。

Negima (Chicken breasts with onions) / ねぎま

The standard yakitori served in Stateside. You can choose your yakitori with tare (sauce) or salt.

アメリカで良く出てくる焼き鳥。もちろんタレが塩も選べます。

Kawa (chicken skin) / 皮

Aspara Maki （Asparagus wrapped with bacon) / アスパラベーコン巻

Teba-saki (Chicken Wings with sauce) / 手羽先 たれ味


Teba Saki (Salt flavored chicken wings) / 手羽先 塩味

Ume Shiso (Chicken wrapped beefsteak plant dipped in plum sauce) / 梅しそ

This is my favorite yakitori dish.

これが一番好きな焼き鳥かも。

For those of you who think that's just too much meat, you will find other meatless items on the menu. We ordered them as well. We also ordered some yaki-onigiri (grilled rice-balls), chicken-filled miso, and to end our meal, we ordered chazuke (another rice dish)

肉だけと思ったら大間違いですよ。他ににんにくや、椎茸、ながねぎの焼き鶏もありますよ。あと焼きおにぎりとか。今回行った時は鶏肉入りのけんちん汁と閉めは茶漬けでした。

Grilled onions and shiitake mushrooms / ながねぎと椎茸

Roast garlic with a side of miso / 焼きにんにく

Yaki-onigiri (Fried Rice balls) / 焼きおにぎり

Chicken filled miso / 鶏肉入りのけんちん汁

Chazuke / 茶漬け

Oh, now I made myself hungry for some yakitori!! Bon Appetit!

あ～あ、焼き鳥食べたくなった！！ いただきます！

Green Tea Flavor Coca-Cola & Cola Shock / 抹茶味のコーラーとコーラー・ショック

After Pepsi came out with their Pepsi Shiso, I discovered that Coca-Cola released their green tea flavored coke! So of course I had to try it. It sounds like a really bad combination but to be honest, the drink didn't have a tad of green tea flavor to it. It tasted like regular coke.

ペプシしそが出たあと、コーラーが何と抹茶味のコーラーを出しました。もちろん飲んでみるしかない。最初から良い組み合わせとは思ってなかったので、実際飲んでみたら、不味くはないんですが、全然抹茶の味はしませんでした。普通のコーラーを飲んでる感じ。

I also discovered this related cola drink (currently being advertised on television), and being a big fan of coke, I just had to try this as well. With a name like Cola Shock, I thought it would be like Jolt Cola with extra caffeine. It may not have had extra caffeine, but it was mixed with vodka! Yep, it was an alcoholic beverage. Although you could hardly taste the vodka. This also tasted like regular coke. So much for my new cola adventures, I should have just treated myself to a Classic Coke.

コーラー関連で別の物を発見（コーラーショック、現在テレビのCMも出てる）。コーラー好きお僕には飲んでみるしかないと思って、これも購入。ショックとゆう名前が付いてるから、アメリカにあったジョルト・コーラーと似た様なものと思った（カフェインが二倍入ってるやつ）。カフェインの量じゃなくて、こちらのショックはウォッカ入りでした。そう、これは酒でした。でも正直酒が入ってる感じがしない。これも普通のコーラーと変わらない感じでした。だったら、最初から普通のコーラーで良かったかもね。

A Walk around Monzen Nakacho (Part 3) / 門前仲町の散歩 （パート３）

Walking away from Monzen Nakacho, we head for the Eitai Bridge, which is considered one of Japan's national treasures.

散歩しながら門前仲町から離れると、段々と永代橋に近づいく。日本国重要文化財に指定されてます。

Portrait of the original Eitai Bridge.

初期の永代橋。


View of the Sumida River.

隅田川のビュー。

You can just make out another bridge in the distance.

また別の橋も見える。

Chuo Ohashi / 中央大橋


Okay, I admit it - I'm a bridge freak as well.

僕が橋オタクがばれたか？

We also spotted a zeppelin!

ゼペリンを発見！

Toyomi Bridge / 豊海橋 （とよみばし）

This history of Toyomi Bridge, sorry but I do not have the energy or skill to translate the sign.

From the Eitai Bridge, we continued walking until we reached the neighborhood of Suitengumae, which features Suitengu Shrine, but I will write about that another time.

永代橋から歩きつづいて、水天宮前までたどり着いた。でも水天宮はまた別に紹介します。

A Walk around Monzen Nakacho (Part 2) / 門前仲町の散歩 （パート２）

Continuing our walk around Monzen Nakacho, we came across some interesting monuments and other points of interest such as the Eitai Bridge.

門前仲町の散歩をつづいたら、面白い記念碑も発見。近くに永代橋もある。

Statue of Tadataka Inou (one of the first men to map Japan) / 伊能忠敬銅像




Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine Main Gate / 富岡八幡宮の鳥居

Ooyokagawa River / 大横川

Looks like I forgot to make a memo of the name of this bridge.

橋の名前メモるの忘れてしまった。橋の下に書いてますが、最初の漢字は「色」かどうか覚えてない。

Totomi Bridge / 東富橋

We never did get around to eating any Fukagawa-meshi, but as we worked up an appetite by walking, we decided to have a little snack and settled for some ice-cream made from sweet potatoes.

結局深川飯が食べなったが、散歩すると小腹も減るでしょう。それで、紫芋のアイスを食べた。

We were nearing the Eitai Bridge which crosses the Sumida River and is considered a National Treasure. But first we had to cross the Ooshimagawa Nishishisen River.

隅田川を渡る永代橋の近くまで来ました。でもその前に大島川西支川を渡りました。

But its getting late so our walk will continue...

遅くなてきたので、散歩がまだまだつづく。。。