[Tokyo] Juchheim Baumkuchen

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[Tokyo] Juchheim Baumkuchen

Thanks to having a relative who frequently travels between Tokyo and Shanghai, my family often receive beautifully crafted Japanese confectioneries (see my previous posts on Hiyoko and Fukusaya). A present that she frequently brings is Juccheim Baumkuchen, a traditional German cake that was first introduced to Japan in 1909 by a German confectioner Karl Juchheim, and has since then be refined and adapted to the Japanese palate.

Baumkuchen literally means “tree cakes”, presumably because its layers resemble the growth rings of trees. Each layer of the baumkuchen is made with soft batter produced by whisking the egg yolk and egg white separately, and the emulsifying of the egg yolk and the foaminess of the egg white produce a soft and fluffy texture.

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[Tokyo] Toraya 虎屋

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[Tokyo] Toraya 虎屋

Toraya 虎屋 Add*: Galleria B1F, Tokyo Midtown, D-B117, 9-7-4 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan Tel: 03-5413-3541 Hours: 11:00am-9:00pm Website: www.toraya-group.co.jp Tokyo Midtown Galleria B1F is a foodie wonderland. Sleek and stylish shops of Sadaharu Aoki, Henri Le Roux, Jean-Paul Hévin, and Maison Kayser bewitch passerby with their alluring display of bright colors and fancy garnishes. Admist all the hustle and…Continue Reading “[Tokyo] Toraya 虎屋” →

[Tokyo] Ichiyuu 一遊

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[Tokyo] Ichiyuu 一遊

Ichiyuu 一遊

Add: 神奈川県足柄下郡箱根町仙石原837
Tel: 0120-016-213
Price: approx. ¥8,000/set
Website: viala.harvestclub.com/restaurant/index.html
Visited: Jan 2011

Side tripping to Hakone, a famous onsen (hot spring) town about 1 hour away from Tokyo. With the help of a friend, we were able to stay at a membership-based onsen resort called Tokyu Harvest Club Viala 箱根翡翠, which not only offers a most relaxing venue for onsen, but also amazing cuisine.

Not wanting to over-stuff ourselves after a nice onsen bath, we chose the small 7-course kaiseiki set. Here’s the menu:

Choose your own sake cup.

The appetizer was a trio of tidbits. My favorite with the Botan shrimp with caviar, a decadent combination of plump sweet shrimp with caviar. The intensely flavorful dried mullet roe was also quite memorable, and the circular disk made from paper-thin daikon slices was especially impressive.

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[Tokyo] Fukusaya 福砂屋

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[Tokyo] Fukusaya 福砂屋

Fukusaya 福砂屋 is a historical cake shop famous for its Castella (カステラ), a simple Japanese sponge cake made with sugar, flour, eggs, and syrup. Though it is now a specialty of Nagasaki, Castella originally came from Castile of Portugal, and was brought to Japan in the 16th century. Fukusaya has been baking these divinely fluffy and moist Castella cakes since 1624, and their website quite clearly explains the process. As impressive as the taste, on the other hand, is the packaging. Let’s go layer by layer…

First, a yellow wrapping paper that depicts the founding date of Fukusaya, the shop’s various locations, and its signature bat-shaped logo. In Chinese (which the Japanese also use in the form of Kanji), “bat (蝠)” has the same pronunciation as “happiness/luck (福)” , which is why Fukusaya chose the bat as its store logo.

Inside the yellow wrapping paper is a thin but sturdy yellow paper box, again with the bat logo.

Opening the paper box reveals a sealed washi paper-textured spun polyester sleeve.

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[Tokyo] HARBS

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[Tokyo] HARBS

HARBS

Add: 3F, Marunouchi Bldg 2-4-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-6269-9595
Hours: [Mon-Sat] 11am-9pm [Sun] 11am-8pm
Price: [cakes] ¥600~1200/slice
Website: www.harbs.co.jp
Visited: Jan 2011

It’s hard to not like HARBS. The warm lighting, the wooden furnishings, the cute hand-illustrated menu, the beautiful, massive cakes on display – all the elements wave invitingly at passerby, luring them to line up one after another at the perpetually long queue. What you’ll get when you are eventually seated are huge cakes that are made fresh daily and sliced by the order, which prevents the sides from getting stale. We went to HARBS in Marunouchi Building, one of the 26 branches in the country, and despite the long line we were seated in about 20 minutes. Bring on the cakes!

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[Tokyo] Omotesando 表參道

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[Tokyo] Omotesando 表參道

Omotesando is filled with shops and fun things to look at, you can easily spend an afternoon here. This area is known as one of the foremost architectural showcase streets in the world, where fashion flagship stores (LV, Prada, Dior, Tod’s, etc.) compete with each other for the most eye-catching design. Omotesando also has a few side streets that feature a range of more affordable trendy cafes and boutique shops. I came here right after a visit to Meiji Shrine, and couldn’t leave until late into the evening. Here are some snippets of my afternoon, starting with Omotesando Hills, designed by Ando Tadao and built at a cost of $330 million.

MOMA Design Store, the first one outside of NY.

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[Tokyo] Meiji Shrine 明治神宮

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[Tokyo] Meiji Shrine 明治神宮

Meiji Shrine 明治神宮

Add: 1-1, Kamizono-chō, Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0053
Tel: 03-3379-5511
Hours: varies throughout the year, check website for details
Website:www.meijijingu.or.jp/english
Price: free
Visited: Jan 2011

Meiji Jingu is an expansive Shinto shrine built in 1920 as a dedication for Emperor Meiji and his wife Empress Shoken. A must-visit for first-timers in Tokyo.

At the entrance there is, like at all other Shinto shrines, a temizuya where you are supposed to cleanse yourself before entering the sacred ground of the gods. Here’s the drill: rinse your left hand, rinse your right hand, pour water into your left hand, rinse you mouth (but don’t touch the dipper directly with your lips), rinse your left hand again, and finally, rinse the dipper before putting it back.

We happened to run into a Shinto wedding procession, which apparently happens quite often as it is a popular practice to get married in Meiji Shrine. The procession was led by two priests and two shrine maidens, followed by the couple under a red umbrella, and finally family and friends. There were plenty of spectators snapping pictures here and there, forming another line outside the procession. Quite a view.

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