Rice Balls, AKB48, and Raw Coffee.
After an awesome morning spent betting on bikes, we got back in the Cannondale van with Hiro and Ichi.
It was lunch time, and we would be eating on the road.
“McDonald’s or Rice Balls?” Hiro asked.
Tim and I both replied “Rice Balls” without hesitation.
Hiro shook his head and said, “Crazy Americans. They eat squid but not McDonald’s.”
Rice balls are purchased at 7-11 and they are really like rice triangles wrapped in thin seaweed. You can get salmon, sweet plum, or tuna with mayonnaise. They come double wrapped in plastic with special instructions.
First, you pull the plastic from the top of the triangle, straight down, and around the back. This unwraps the seaweed that has been kept separate to stay dry. Then you pull the plastic wrapped around the rice triangle directly to the side, almost like Mr Wizard pulling the tablecloth out from under the dishes on the table.
Mr Wizard. Hated that guy.
What you are left with is a deliciously sweet rice meal wrapped in fresh, paper-thin seaweed. From 7-11.
After lunch, we headed into the Akihabara neighborhood, otherwise known as “Electric Town.” Also known for gifting the world with the current female idol group, AKB48.
Aitakkata, aitakkata, aitakkata, yes!
There are 57 members in the group. They have their own theater in Tokyo where they perform daily, and they have pop-up shops that sell only their merchandise.
Back Street Boys? What Back Street Boys?
In Akihabara, Ichi took us to a shop where he said he would shop, with the types of items he would buy. Tim and I purchased gifts for our wives and I took a picture of a robot.
The shop was located in a cool, little complex that sat beneath the above-ground train.
There was bike parking.
And there were toilets.
There was a store that only sold items made of wood.
I nearly cracked around 6 pm from an already long day. Knowing we had dinner with Red Bull reps in a few hours, and who knew what after dinner, we needed some coffee.
We found good coffee.
Tim and Ichi enjoyed their “coffee of the day.”
And I acted like the weird guy taking pictures of raw coffee beans. By “acted,” I mean, “was.”
I really regret not buying this espresso grinder. Such an idiot.
After a few cups of coffee, Ichi walked Tim and me to the train so we could meet two reps from Red Bull Japan in ShiBOOYAH at the Hachiko Dog again where we would be dining on meat products.
On the train, where no one speaks, I told Ichi I loved him as he walked through the doors for the last time. He did not reciprocate, but I didn’t take it personally.
Red Bull, Red Meat, and Karaoke coming up next…
Betting on Bikes
The day before our trip to Tokyo ended, Hiro and Ichi surprised Tim and me with a trip to Keirin racing in Omiya.
Ichi was pretty pumped for the trip.
But Tim was concerned for his health.
It was close to a one hour drive, and from what I could tell, the Japanese were not accustomed to driving such a long distance. Tim and I didn’t care, as we just tried to repeat the Japanese commands coming from the GPS Navigation.
Hidari. That means left.
Upon arriving, we found the Keirin track situated in a relatively large sports complex, where they also hold soccer and baseball events. We parked in a surprisingly crowded parking lot and walked to the track.
It felt a little like going to a NASCAR event.
We had been told that Tim was a special guest at the event, so we were walked down a private hallway where we were given special passes that afforded us our own private suite looking over the track.
There were TVs to watch replays. The rider on the ground was taken away by ambulance, we were told.
Before we got down to business, Tim presented Hiro with a team jersey for the Cannondale Japan office. I suspect this jersey is in Hiro’s closet and he is waiting to wear it in his next race.
The name of the game in Keirin is gambling. According to Hiro and Ichi, many people in Japan have made careers of gambling on Keirin, but the younger generation is less interested, so Keirin is a dying sport.
Like we have for horse racing in the US, there are all sorts of statistics available for betting on Keirin. Every 20 minutes or so, there is a race with anywhere between 7 and 9 racers, all in easily identified colors. The colors always match the same number, and the racers only do one race a day. The odds are displayed on screens in the suite and the newspapers offer their predictions that typically match the odds on the screen.
You have a few options for how to bet…again, this is very similar to horse racing in the US. You can pick the exact finishing order of the top two or three or just the top 2 or 3 at random.
You mark your predictions on what looks to be a mini SAT sheet.
Before their race, the riders do a few laps, slowly, to let you take a look at them. They ranged, in age, from 20 years old all the way to 48 years old. According to our host, we were not to be discouraged by the age differences, as Keirin was as much about brains as it was legs.
Once you had decided on your bets (up to five on one sheet), you took it down the hallway to the automatic machine that would process your bets and provide you with a ticket that could be used for payment if you won.
“Big Gamblers!” as Hiro liked to call us as we bet $.75 per race.
After placing my bet, I needed to use the bathroom.
We went back to the suite and waited for the first race to start.
Tim started a ritual the Japanese had never seen.
When the race started, there wass a pace setter (we called him the rabbit) who led the racers around the first two laps. He was there to break the wind so no one was stuck leading.
At some point in the second lap, the riders began to attack and fight for position and when they heard the bell at the start of the third lap, it was no holds barred. Using elbows and your body to fight for position is standard practice in Keirin.
While we each won at least one race, we all still lost. Maybe next time.
Eat the Head.
After our visit to Bonsai Cycle in Sendagaya, we made our way to the train with Kaiko Shimura, better known as the girl who is polluting the internet with images that would best be kept off the internet.
Thanks, Kaiko.
The train was crowded.
And unbelievably quiet! Seriously, no talking. Silence. Except for the click of my camera shutter. Whoops.
We got off the train in the hip neighborhood of Tokyo called Shinjuku. There is a mix of fine shops and sketchier streets here.
There is also a famous department store called Setan.
They had shoes.
And light bulbs.
The basement level of this department store is amazing. It’s all food goods, particularly confections and candies.
And whiskey.
Suntory Time.
On this occasion, it was ridiculously busy with women rushing to buy their men Valentine’s gifts. Yes, you read that right. Take note, America. Take note. Tim broke the mold and purchased items for his wife.
The customer service was outrageous. Each confection was delicately wrapped and placed in a special box. After paying, the clerk came around from behind the counter and handed Tim his receipt to confirm the price and then hand-counted the change due to ensure Tim received the proper amount.
And then with a bow, we left for Tempura.
There was pickled eggplant.
Tuna Sashimi.
And shrimp faces.
I balked at those beady little eyes, but the consensus at the table was to eat it. So I did. I ate his little head.
As seems to be the case at every meal, we finished off with Miso Soup and Green tea and then we headed back out into the bright lights of the Shinjuku neighborhood.
And then back on the train, where Tim refused to sit next to me.
Crazy Americans
One thing we vowed to do while in Tokyo was to eat as the Japanese eat.
So far, I have shared Hotel Breakfasts, Sushi, Shabu Shabu, and now it’s time for a meal from Osaka called, “Okonamiyaki.” They call it the “Japanese Pancake,” but I can assure you, this ain’t your standard breakfast dish.
Yaki, in Japanese, is Grill. So when we were brought to our tables, we were greeted by a large grill embedded in the table.
The server lit the propane fired Yaki and then proceeded to mix and mold a combination of cabbage, bacon, beef, onions and some other unknowns into two piles.
After the piles were sufficiently built, they were left to cook for 15-20 minutes on the yaki.
While we waited, our hosts decided to continue playing a little game they like called, “What will Tim and Chandler eat?”
This time it was something they had a lot of difficulty describing. They were able to say, “Stomach and tendons.” I think Tim added tripe to the description.
Some things were chewy. Some things were not. Some things were tasty. Some things were not.
Either way, we polished off the bowls and our hosts were left in a state of disbelief.
After the bowls of entrails the server brought out a kind of omelet. I never was able to get a name for this item, but it was basically an omelet wrapped around pork and some sort of cheesy, milky substance.
It was interesting watching it cook on the grill, since it almost appeared to jump and dance as it cooked.
I think the topping of this omelet was either seaweed flakes or fish flakes. I couldn’t really tell, but as I brought it closer to my mouth it smelled a little like fish, but it didn’t taste like fish.
This was not my favorite dish, but I ate it.
In the meantime, the Japanese Pancakes were still cooking and the server came to add some additional ingredients…
The sauce was hard to describe, except that I think it’s called okonomiyaki sauce. It’s gooey and sweet, but not that sweet, almost like a bland caramel.
After a few more minutes of cooking, the pancakes were then chopped into individual servings for our table.
Some noodles were added to the grill.
I don’t really know how to describe the okonomiyaki. There is so much going on with it that it’s hard to identify one real taste. The texture is definitely enjoyable, since the cabbage is crunchy and then there are the grilled noodles. I wish I could describe it better, but I really can’t.
As we were eating our pancakes, we were then given some raw squid to grill and eat. Shame on me for not taking a photograph.
This was, literally, one of the most delicious things I ate while in Japan. It didn’t appear to be seasoned in any way, but it tasted so. It was salty and less chewy than expected.
Much to the dismay of our hosts, when Tim and I took a bite of the squid, we both reacted the same way. With full mouths we tried to say, “It’s delicious.”
Their response? “Crazy Americans. They like squid but they don’t like McDonald’s.”
How About Some Hardcore
Before the Cyclo Cross Tokyo 2012 race on Saturday, we were introduced, by Daisuke Yano, to the owner of Bonsai Cycle, a special bike shop in Tokyo.
Upon meeting the owner, he told Tim Johnson he made “replica helmets.”
“This one?” Tim asked, pointing to his Red Bull helmet?
“Yes,” he replied, “This one is very difficult.”
We were intrigued by this and looking forward to the opportunity to meet him at his shop, especially since we had also been told, via THE INTERNET, to visit this shop for it’s coffee. Coffee, mmmmmmmmm.
Two days later, our hosts, Hiro Ito, Hideyuki Suzuki, and Koichiro Nakamura, brought Tim, Kaiko Shimura, and me to Bonsai Cycle. It would turn out be a more amazing experience than we could have ever expected.
I am pretty sure that says, “Bonsai Cycle.”
When we had first met the owner, he was dressed in street clothes and a traditional cycling cap. He looked like a bike messenger. When we met him again, this time in his establishment, he was dressed to the nines, in a fine white shirt, sweater vest and bow tie. The pride he took in his business was obvious.
Upon entering Bonsai Cycle, we were welcomed to cyclocross-themed muffins and espresso drinks made by the shop’s barista.
In broken English, the owner explained that, to him, cyclocross was all things brown; Mud, Coffee, and Chocolate.
The muffins were tasty. And brown. And chocolatey.
I am a fan of hyperbole. I do not use hyperbole when I say that I had the best macchiato I have ever had at Bonsai Cycle. The Barista was more skilled than I have ever seen, as was evidenced by her cappucino art.
After sitting with our muffins and drinks, the owner then gave us a tour of his shop.
He then led us to the replica helmets he had made. BY HAND.
First, we saw his Jeremy Powers Team Rapha Focus Edition helmet.
And Tim tried to steal it.
Then he led us to the Tim Johnson Red Bull Edition helmet.
We saw the inspirations for his creation.
And the materials he used to create it.
The visit to Bonsai Cycle was yet another amazing experience in this visit to Tokyo. After finishing off what remained of our coffees and muffins, we headed into the streets of the small neighborhood that housed Bonsai Cycle with Koichiro and headed to Shinjuku for Tempura with Kaiko.
