Yakitori

Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2004 6:58 PM
Subject: Weekly Email

One of the highlights of this week was going to the yakitori (working man's place where they serve beer, sake, and grilled chicken). Yakitori means grilled chicken. This yakitori is in Hamamatsucho on the way to my apartment from the train and I have gone by there many times but never gone in. It is an open air place and is always crowded. None of my gaijin (foreigner) friends would ever go in so I talked one of the Japanese guys I work with into going there.



This one has been there at least 50 years and the waitress who served us said she had been there 40. She was 80 years old and a real sweetheart. So they had the expected skewered chicken, oshinko, bieru, and sake. But they also had a lot more. I won't go into all the delicacies but there is no part of the chicken or pig that isn't utilized. I had the equivalent of Japanese menudo and it was really good. All of it was good. Oishikatta desu. It was the best sake I have ever had - I think I am developing a real taste for it.



Today I went for a long walk around the palace in central Tokyo. This is where the feudal lords used to have their castle and rule Japan during the Edo (samurai if you prefer) era. I went by Hibiya park and there was a band playing the blues and jug band music. I walked the gardens where the palace is.



Erica talked me into creating a "blog" which is an electronic log you can put on the internet. If you would like to see a picture of a famous bridge at the palace then look at my blog:



http://frankmilburn.blogspot.com/




I will try and update it in future and you can look back at old emails if you find that interesting. I put some more pictures in there that you may not have seen. I think I captured most of my emails since I got this new computer but probably not all of them. If there is one missing that you think was worthwhile and you kept, just send it to me and I'll post it.



I have started working out at the gym again so I feel good about that. I hope you are eating right, doing what you can to stay healthy, and enjoying the sights too.



See you next week...