Tokyo – Day 11 | Justin Fox

Saving the best for last. I had a date with Mimi at Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongi Hills!

A few months back I decided on going to Jiro’s son Takashi Ono’s Roppongi Hills restaurant instead of Jiro’s in Ginza. Why? Well the news is that Jiro’s in Ginza is all business. You have to learn the right etiquette for eating the sushi otherwise you’ll be frowned upon, and there’s no talking, no photography and you have to be in and out quite quickly too.

Mimi tried so hard to get a booking a month or so ago, and it was looking pretty grim, but on her last attempt to call she got through! Again, just amazing how much luck I’ve got!

I read that Jiro’s son’s restaurant was way more relaxed, and dead set, it was such an amazing experience and the best sashimi and sushi I have ever had in my life. Takashi-san ran us through every dish (was great having Mimi as a translator!). Also noteworthy, they picked up that I was left handed and all my dishes were served left handed (mirror opposite to Mimi’s). We were “mmmming” so much! Heaven, sushi heaven!

The green tea (which was amazing) was topped up constantly throughout the meal.

We opted to go half sashimi, and half sushi for our set menu. First up, delicious flounder fin and clam.

This mackerel was amazing, so next level. Perfect texture. I can’t get over it.

Smoked bonito was a taste explosion. It was had 2 ways, first straight with dipping sauce below.

Dipping sauce for bonito.

Second 2 pieces you used ginger and wrapped it up in a leaf. Amazeballs!

Sole fish.

Squid, so creamy!

Giant clam. It was, for a better word, amazing!

Tuna, this was epic.

And just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, fatty tuna, which was just too good and had us both vocally expressing ourselves, and shaking our heads in disbelief.

Sardine, but not at all salty or fishy.

The dishes came up fast, and we were encouraged to eat them (with our hands) as soon as they landed on our plates.

Horse mackerel was one of our fave dishes.

Takashi Ono, second son of the world-famous sushi master, Jiro Ono. Takashi-san spoke to us quite a lot, if Mimi wasn’t with me he probably would not have (he did not speak to the other foreigners much at all but spoke and joked with one of the locals a fair bit).

Never had roe so god. Such amazing popping and bursting with liquid textures.

Prawn for me.

Prawn for Mimi. Chopped off tail, for ladies only!

Urchin, which I don’t usually love, but I loved this. It literally melted in your mouth.

Sea eel, best eel I’ve ever had no doubt!

If you’ve seen Jiro Dreams of Sushi, the movie, you’d know what goes into this amazing egg dish which finished off our meal.

Chopped in 2 for ladies only!

Takashi-san said ‘thank you’ to me in both Chinese and Indonesian, he see’s a lot of tourists and knows how to say thanks in over 40 languages. He was more than happy to have a small chat afterwards, and also asked if we wanted a photo with him.

With happy bellies, hearts and minds, Mimi and I checked out the Mori Art Museum. This piece was beautiful, black sand pouring out like an hour glass, set to a moody soundtrack.

Taiwan-born artist Lee Mingwei’s show was on and it was the best interactive art show I’ve seen in ages. This piece ‘The Moving Garden’ encouraged visitors to take a flower and then give it to a stranger you pass by on the way home.

I gave my flower to Mimi though, apologies Lee!

Shoes off, we stepped up to a platform littered with tied up wooden boxes.

We were encouraged to open them up and find items of clothing from Lee’s childhood.

Under each lid, stories associated with each piece. Very sweet.

This huge piece on the floor was made by different coloured sand. The audience is dared to walk over the sand painting and deform the image, destroying the crazy man hours involved in making the sand painting in the first place.

Loved this. The audience is encouraged to take their shoes off, enter and write letters that they had always meant to but had never taken time for. You can also read letters people have left, and if you put an address on the envelope the artist will send the letter for you when the exhibition closes.

We then checked out the view from the top, that’s Tokyo Tower in the picture.

Was a beautiful day!

Back down to earth we tried some ice-cream treats from Crème de la Crème.

And bought a drink from the cute ELLE Café next door.

This almond milk drink was such a perfect choice.

We found a place to sit and just and chill, was so great to catch up with Mimi. I’ve missed her terribly (and I’m going to miss her even more when I return home).

Spotted out the front of a carpark in Roppongi Hills.

Later that night. A festival in and around Shinjuku station.

From the highs of Jiro to the absolute low. The Burger King Black Burger just came out in Japan, we had to try it, right?! Visually trippy, but taste wise it was just AOK.

We then hit up HUB British Pub in Shinjuku.

Krysti and I managed to convince a couple of Japanese girls to join our table so that they could practise their English and we could practise our (horrible) Japanese!

It’s a sign! We got pretty tanked in there, and we were the last group left when they kicked us out to close.

New Acquired Taste recruits!

Kiss kiss! Krysti and I, wasted!

We hit the Golden Gai, where anything goes. The Japanese girls were infatuated with Krysti’s boobs! When Krysti gave them the go ahead, they couldn’t keep their hands off!!!