Episode 26: So much good food… oh, and a typhoon.

We just have to say, we have the most awesome fans ever.
Seriously, you guys rock. While we love you all, you'll get to
see who currently has the ranking of #1 fan in just a bit...


Our next few days in Japan involved a lot of great food... oh,
and a typhoon.


(If you missed the first part of the trip, you can listen here!)
Day 3

(Our 3rd day together was Allison's 5th day in Japan, which is
why the day numbers might seem a little off sometimes...)


So first things first, Allison just had to try the Shiro Cream
Puff from Beard Papa's that Rachael had been raving about.


Made with tapioca flour and a cream cheese filling, she was
instantly obsessed.


Since Rachael and her family got to spend our day 5 (a Sunday)
seeing old friends at church, Allison and Son ventured to Don
Quixote, which we describe as "Wal-Mart on crack".


Seriously.


Then we went to Bassanova! Green curry soba for the win!


But the much more exciting part of this was getting to meet
Kate!!!


We're still flipping out over the fact that we get to not only
say that we have fans as cool as Kate, but that we have a #1 Fan!


Kate, you rock, and we think you're totally awesome.
Day 4

This was the day we attempted to go Tsukiji fish market.


And by attempted, we mean what actually happened was a comedy of
errors where Allison and Son got stuck in their hotel, got
slightly lost, then ran around looking for Rachael (whose alarm
hadn't gone off!)


Ah well. At least it was a pretty morning.


So after we all got a little more sleep, we headed off to
Hamarikyu park where Son did a bit of filming...


And then we took the waterboat from Hamarikyu, up Sumida river,
to Asakusa where walked up the street to Sensoji temple.


On our way, we got to try all sorts of goodies - taiyaki, sweet
potato age manju, and (of course) ice cream!


After letting the girls play in a park a bit, it was off to
Kaikaya by the Sea for dinner - a place that Rachael has been
RAVING about for ages.


We finally got to try the ginger ale in copper cups that she goes
on and on about...


And happily, the tuna ribs (along with the rest of the meal)
lived up to the expectation that she had set.


(The buttery fried goatfish was another huge winner in that
meal!)
Day 5

Did we mention it was typhoon season when we went?


Yeah.


And like any sane person would do, we went to the zoo on the day
the typhoon was supposed to hit. And dragged poor Kate with us!


Zoo food in Japan is surprisingly good, for a ridiculously
inexpensive price.


Allison's maple syrup-filled pancakes with blueberry jam were
fantastic, and the chicken karaage that Rachael got for the girls
was crazy good.


But the best thing ware the homemade roasted sweet potatoes (yaki
imo!) that Kate brought for us.


Because she's the yaki imo girl!


(P.S. Go follow her on twitter. Tell her we sent you. Be prepared
to find out why we adore her so!)


That evening we actually got to meet Keizo (since he wasn't there
when all we went to Bassanova) and go out for monjayaki!


Monjayaki is like okonomiyaki, but waterier. However, still
delicious.


After dinner, the Fujis went back to their hotel (smart people -
there was a typhoon coming, after all!) but Son was still hungry,
so we went for ramen with Keizo and his girlfriend.


And then it was a sprint back to the rain station, against the
rain and wind that were getting stronger by the minute!


Yeah. There was a typhoon. Thankfully we were all safe in our
respective beds by the time it actually hit. What a day!
We're having a contest!

You can enter to win one of two pairs of silicon saibashi
(cooking chopsticks, like these) that we brought back from Japan.


All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this
post.


One entry per person. You have until 11:59PM on Monday, September
24th, 2012 to enter. We will ship internationally, so anyone may
enter. The two winners will be chosen using random.org.


Good luck!