TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2023

AKIHABARA, SAKE, HOKUSAI & NIGIRI

I entered the store and it was immediately overstimulating, more than could possibly be captured here! It’s nine floors of every electronic you could think of from phones and computers to hairdryers and refrigerators, plus, on the upper floors, a travel agency, restaurants, an opthamologist (might need one after the epileptic environment here), a batting cage, golf store, and golf practice range. With overlapping announcements and ads playing over the sound system, along with their It’s a Small World-esque jingle, it’s a LOT.

In the interest of time I only made it to the first five or six floors, but it was as impressive as promised.

Leaving the megastore, I walked over to the main avenue that runs through Akihabara to wander around the area.

Lots of Maid Cafe advertising happening on the streets:

I know that so many people come to this neighborhood and can spend hours (or days!) as a kid in a candy store with all of the collectibles, presumably many of which are one of a kind and can only be found here, but I wasn’t looking for anything in particular.

After Super Potato I had some time before I needed to leave to go meet the group, so wandered around the neighborhood and in and out of some of the collectibles stores. Did I know what I was looking at? Not really. But definitely was impressed by the sheer amount of everything, and could easily see why so many people make a pilgrimage here.

Leaving Akihabara, I took the Metro to the Fukagawa neighborhood to meet the group after their bike ride. I met Maho back at the bike shop and we had a coffee, the group arrived shortly after, and we all walked together to a little liquor shop in the neighborhood for a sake tasting.

This wasn’t a full sit-down tasting experience, more a “pick the one you want to try” sip, but it was a nice excursion and I think several people in our group bought a bottle or two to take back home.

After the sake it was about 3:00 and a lot of the group went their separate ways, many back to the hotel to rest up before our early-evening sushi-making class. I ended up going in the direction of the hotel, but taking a detour when I noticed a sign to the nearby Hokusai Museum. I’ve always been a fan of Hokusai, so figured I’d stop by since it was only about a 12-minute walk back to the hotel.

The museum itself was small but lovely, with one floor of their permanent collection and one of a special exhibit on Hokusai’s bird sketches and prints. Photography wasn’t allowed in several sections so did the best I could to capture the vibe!

I was an art major in college and will forever maintain that the printmaking graduation requirement I had to take (I took lithography) was hands-down the hardest class I’ve ever taken, in any subject. Since then I’ve had such a massive admiration for all of the printmaking mediums as I understand the tediousness and precision it takes to get any clean prints, amplified when you start adding multiple colors. Seeing the “making of” they have on display here, showing how Hokusai created his famous “36 Views of Mt. Fuji” woodblock prints —in 1830 with no modern technology and when he was 70 years old, no less— was a real treat.

After quickly checking out the small museum shop (of course!) I walked back to the hotel, unexpectedly taking a particularly pretty alleyway path thanks to Google Maps.

As our last group activity, we headed to Asakusa for a sushi making class. Arriving at Chagohan Tokyo, we were met by adorable husband and wife team Masa & Junko who would be walking us through the process of making nigiri. I have to admit that I had assumed we’d be doing the rolled kind of sushi where making a rice & cucumber version would be a choice, but no matter, I had eaten a little before knowing that this might be the case, and I’m glad I did. (There was a tofu option, I think? But it was really all about the fish.)

Once we were settled, Masa began to teach us about the different kinds of sushi, and the kinds of fish we would be preparing. He showed us these truly beautiful cuts of tuna (fatty and lean) before demonstrating how to use a sashimi knife, which is only sharp on one side of the blade, making it a challenging knife to use. After a short demo, those of us who wanted to try could come up and slice some of the tuna.

After everyone who wanted to try got a chance, they passed out the pieces of fish we’d be using, both the ones we had sliced and a few other kinds of fish including shrimp and scallops.

Then Masa went through a lesson on how to assemble the nigiri. Started out simple enough, dipping your hands in vinegar-water before picking up a small handful of sticky (very sticky!) rice and forming it into a ball. After that, he went very quickly through some folding and tucking and poking and turning and I honestly got very lost haha. But figured I’d wing it.

First try, I realized very quickly that you need more vinegar water than you think you do, as I ended up with a mess of rice stuck all over my hands. Take two. I really had no idea what do to after the rice ball so just was kind of molding the fish on top of it, adding a dab of wasabi here and there, and it came out decent-looking enough, so I was happy with it — especially since I was really just making it as an art project rather than dinner haha.

After everyone was finished making their sushi, it was time to eat dinner, and I was relieved that I was able to give all of mine away so as not to waste those beautiful ingredients. (I was on the fence about trying a piece, but didn’t want to risk embarrassing myself, so played it safe which I don’t regret. )

Thanks for a fun time, Masa & Junko!

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel rooftop bar for one last sendoff drink and reminiscing with the group, as this was the official last night of the itinerary. We did a lot of going around and talking highs and lows, and while some dwindled back to their rooms, a handful of us stayed to enjoy our last night out.

Thanks for a fun time in Japan, Flash Pack!