Japan Photo Guide » Ikebukuro

Shabu Shabu and Sukiyaki

babibubebo — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 02:37:26 +0000

Going back to food, two of my favorite dishes in Japan are shabu shabu and sukiyaki, both of which are kinds of “nabe.” I like to describe this as Japanese fondue, except there isn’t cheese or chocolate (which is a too bad). Nabe dishes are ones where the ingredients come raw and you cook them in some kind of soup stock at your table (hence the Japanese fondue comparison). One major difference with this is that the beef (or sometimes pork) comes sliced very thin so the cooking time is just a few seconds, depending on how you like you meat cooked of course. After cooking, usually there is something to dip your food in. For example, for shabu shabu there are two sauces, a ponzu sauce and a sesame sauce and for sukiyaki it is common to dip your beef in raw egg (I am not a fan of this one to be honest). Of the photos below, the one of the left is sukiyaki and the one on the right is shabu shabu.

In addition to being very tasty, eating these nabe dishes are a good and fun experience and a must while visiting Japan, especially if you like beef. You can find places all over Japan, both local shops and chains; however, there are two that I want to recommend (both of which are “all you can eat”)!

The first one I want to recommend is called Shabuzen, which is the place that the above photos are from. There are Shabuzens all over Japan and most of them are more or less the same, but here is a link to the Roppongi Shabuzen. Shabuzen has the reputation as being one of the highest quality shabu shabu restaurants and doesn’t come at a cheap price. If you just go with the basic all you can eat course, which includes all you can eat beef and vegetables, it will cost around $40 USD. If you want you can upgrade the quality of beef or get seafood or other dishes. I think the prices go up to as high as $150 USD per person! I have not tried that one, but I can vouch for the basic one as being super delicious.

The other place I want to recommend is called Nabezo, also a chain throughout parts of Japan. I have been to the ones in Asakusa and Shinjuku. I actually prefer Nabezo for a couple of reasons. Not only is Nabezo a lot more affordable (starts around $18 USD), but also there more choices for soup stocks and for vegetables (in the form of a salad bar). Another possible advantage, depending on your carnivorous preferences, is that you automatically get pork and beef while some Shabuzens I could only get beef. Anyway, let’s take a look at the menu.

As you can see, there are four choices of broth/soup stock to cook your food in. Starting from number one (top left) and moving counter clockwise, we have your regular shabu shabu, then sukiyaki (which is a little sweet), then kimochi style (spicy) and last tonkotsu (which is pork based stock, a little salty). Another great thing about Nabezo is that you can choose two different ones to cook your food in. Below I decided on tonkotsu and sukiyaki. If you can read Japanese, here is a list of the Nabezo Restaurants and here is a link to SunnyPages.jp about the Nabezo in Ginza.

Nakamoto Spicy Ramen in Ikebukuro

babibubebo — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 02:29:13 +0000

Before I had ramen in Japan, I thought ramen only came in the form of “almost tasteless instant ramen” that costs like 30 cents for a single bag. I had no idea how many different kinds of ramen there are(Sapporo and Fukuoka quickly come to mind as two of the most famous kinds) or exactly how delicious ramen can be. If you go almost anywhere in Japan, you will find tons of ramen ( ラーメン ) shops and probably will get something decent at most places. That being said, I have decided to share with you an excellent place in Ikebukro, Tokyo, Nakamoto with their spicy ramen, or I think they call it “tantan-men.”

If you like ramen and/or spicy food, you will like this place. First a warning though, it is REALLY spicy. Let me repeat that, it is REALLY spicy. I am not talking about wasabi spicy, I am talking super red chili pepper spicy. On their menu, they have a rating system from 0 to 5, of course 0 being not spicy and 5 being beyond comprehension spicy. As for myself, I like spicy food so I thought I could handle it and went with a level 3. This was barely eatable but after adding a lot of vinegar to cut back on the spiciness, it was delicious. My friend got a level 2 and it was still really really spicy, but much more eatable. After eating, we both got upset stomachs, but it was so good that even despite that, my friend wanted to go back the next day before he left Japan to go back to the USA. The next day we both went with level 2 and we both added a little vinegar and that was about perfect for me, just below my tolerance level for spiciness. If you make the trip, I suggest starting with 1 or 2 and then working your way up. Trust me it is spicier than you think it will be.

I made a very simple map for you. Basically, from Ikebukuro station, go out the exit OPPOSITE side of Sunshine City (Sunshine 60) and look for Maru Ichi Maru Ichi (circle one circle one, sometimes called Marui or Oi Oi). It is very close to there on the second floor. It is somewhat famous so if you ask somebody in the area where is Nakamoto, they can probably get you close.

Another warning, if you go at peak times you might have to wait a while to get a seat…

My friend suffering from eating two bowls in two days of Nakamoto’s spicy ramen.

Not really actually, I just wanted to use this photo of him assimilating to Japanese culture.

Here is another photo and some information about Nakamoto Ramen at World Ramen and another account of just how spicy it is.

Gyozaman

babibubebo — Tue, 06 May 2008 01:05:27 +0000

Like pizzaman and chocoraman, gyozaman combines two things that I love, gyoza (which is the Japanese version of Chinese dumplings. In the USA often they are called “pot stickers”) and the fluffy, warm, doughy goodness of nikuman. So you might think that I am all about the gyozaman…

And in general, you would be right! To be fair though, I have somewhat of an obsession with gyoza, so it is hard for me not to like gyozaman. Also, they are a little more difficult to find compared to the others, so that adds to the appeal. The one complaint I do have is that it might be a little too doughy. I mean I know that is the nikuman part, but I think I prefer just the strait up gyoza to the gyozaman. By the way, if anyone is a super fan of gyoza like myself, I STRONGLY recommend checking out Gyoza Stadium, in Namja Town of the Sunshine 60 Building in Ikebukuro.

So in conclusion…
Gyozaman barely gets an 4 out of 5.

Ikebukuro

babibubebo — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 12:27:44 +0000

Ikebukuro is yet another large entertainment and commercial district of Tokyo. Ikebukuro JR Station is the 2nd busiest in Tokyo (1st is Shinjuku Station) and it’s subway station is the busiest in Tokyo. It is estimated that about 1 million people pass through Ikebukuro on a normal day. There are what seem to be an endless amount of shops and restaurants in Ikebukuro and while it is an interesting place, I recommend checking out Shibuya and/or Shinjuku first. If you still need more of an urban fix and have time, then you should head over to Ikebukuro. To be honest, it doesn’t feel too different from those places except for maybe a little older; however, there is another reason why you might want to go to Ikebukuro….

Ikebukuro was actually one of the first places in Tokyo I went to, so it will always have a special place in my heart… I guess. But seriously, there is a huge shopping center called Sunshine 60 (above photo). In this shopping center, besides having an aquarium, hotel, nice view of Tokyo and of course shops, is Namja Town. What is Namja Town? It is a small theme park built by Namco. If you can read Japanese, here is the official homepage of Namja Town.

What makes Namja Town worth the visit? Well besides the wacky decor (Playboy is REALLY popular in Japan because the bunny is really cute! Seriously, that is why. No I am 100% dead serious) that only Japan could get away with, the food. First let me start with my favorite, Gyoza Stadium. I love Gyoza. For those of you who do not know, Gyoza is a Chinese dumpling that usually has pork and vegetables or shrimp in it. Gyoza is delicious (but can make your breathe stink). Anyway, Gyoza Stadium has about 20 different kinds of gyoza ranging from the classic style to curry gyoza, friend gyoza and many which I don’t really know what they were but were equally delicious. If you are a fan of gyoza, you CAN NOT miss this place.

After Gyoza Statdium, make sure you leave room for Ice Cream City, which you guessed it, has a many different kinds of ice cream. There are about 15 different vendors, one of which has over 100 flavors of ice cream and includes very, um, interesting flavors like Japanese sake (sah kay) and aloe. Also there is another dessert area where you can buy all kinds of cakes and parfaits and other treats. One of which you can buy a dessert that looks like food but is really dessert. For example, you can buy a dessert that looks like sushi, but is really cake, or something that looks like curry and rice but really is pudding and cake or something along those lines.

Also, if you like spicy food, be sure to go to Nakamoto Ramen!