Making Each Day Count

I went to Tokyo for a business trip in late May 2024, and I wanted to share with you the food highlights of that visit.

I stayed at remm Tokyo Kyobashi in Ginza and I like how close the hotel was to both my office, the Nissan Crossing, and the Tokyo Station. Typically the rooms in Tokyo are small, but this one was a tad bigger than the hotel rooms I have stayed at. A big plus was the massage chair in the room which, as soon as I saw it, was the main reason I decided to have takeout dinner on the first night I arrived at Tokyo. I was eager to try it out, and the massage was good that it became my nightly routine before going to bed.

No visit in Japan would be complete without me purchasing food from the konbini (convenience store) and from the basement food halls of department stores. On my first night I decided to get both: clam miso soup from 711, and takeaway bento boxes from Mitsukoshi Ginza. I liked getting food from the department stores because I can customize the portion sizes. I got the smallest portion cut of unagi (eel) and just 100 grams of the honeyed prawns. I think every night before closing time most of the food halls mark down their prices, and I was glad most of their merchandise got sold out.

Breakfast was included in my hotel stay. I got to try ochazuke, rice with toppings and dashi or green tea poured over it. I tried this only once out of curiosity and it did not stand out for me because maybe I did it wrong. On the following days I stuck to bread, butter and jam, pickled vegetables, grilled fish and egg.

I’d say the best food that I’ve had during this trip was dinner I had with my colleagues when we went to Ginza Kokian to have an 11-course meal. I braced myself because I’ve learned that while the portion sizes were small I always ended up getting so full after these meals. The starter was a savory soft tofu with soy milk, followed by boiled marinated vegetables and a scallop. Then came a fried tofu skin with sauce, and then a salad whose ingredients were locally produced. Afterwards, my favorite dish came: two kinds of sashimi. Then came a boiled fish and Japanese-style cheese, followed by what I think is the main course: tender, tasty beef in two steak styles. Just when I thought dessert was the one to be served came a prawn tempura, followed by seasoned rice and pickles (I still don’t know why rice comes last), and then finally a sticky dessert which reminded me of mango sticky rice. Through this dinner I tried for the time plum wine and I loved it!

During this trip I got to eat at Coco Ichibanya, my favorite curry place. I love Coco Ichibanya’s pickled side dish so much, and even though we have Coco Ichibanya in the Philippines it still feels like the ones in Japan are better. Lastly I was delighted to stumble upon an Indian restaurant near my office (スリスティ 明石町本店) where I had naan and fish curry.

For snacks, I managed to get different flavors of Kitkat. My favorite from this bunch is the Cookies and Cream flavor.

Looking back it was the variety of food options from sweet, salty and umami that makes every trip to Tokyo something I look forward to. During these business trips, I enjoy trying different restaurants and food stalls, and eating out with colleagues are always fun.